12/19/2012

My Custom Worbington Steele Sais Arrived

I am starting to train again for my Ni Dan (2nd Degree Black Belt) and have to re-learn my weapon katas. The sai and bo have always been my favorite weapons but it always seemed like the sais always were lacking in build quality.

My old pair of AWMA/Century sais not only arrived a bit rusted but are now even more rusted and falling apart on me. With that being said, I decided to go online and search for a different brand or better quality sai. Unfortunately, my search returned little to no results but I did manage to find a couple sites that can make custom sais that are form fitted.

I ended up going with Phillip Worbington of Worbington Steele (worbingtonsteele.com). Phil is not only a Nana Dan (7th Degree Black Belt) but also a master machinist. Who better to trust in making my sais? Phil's site described what dimensions he needed from me. I sent over my request and measurements and he did the rest. It was fast and painless.

Within two weeks I had my sais in hand and I honestly couldn't be happier. I will be training with them this week and will let you know how they are. I can say that right now the sais look exceptional and have a wonderful feel to them. They are very balanced and on the lighter side which is great.

Here are some pics until I can do a more robust review after playing around with them for a bit longer:

My Worbington Sais are truly a work of art.

"Isshin Ryu Karate Do" etched into the sais


I chose a cone shaped tsukagashira (butt end of handle) to pack more of a punch.

I chose an antique finish for my sais. Look at the weld job!

I chose a black tsuka (handle) wrap. Other colors available.
Thanks for stopping by.
~ Michael

5 comments:

  1. Nice sai. I like the kanji etching job, that's a nice touch. I got a pair of Shureido that I picked up a few years ago that are really nice.

    Good luck towards 2nd dan.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for writing John. I did contact Shureido but it took forever to get a quote back from them and I got antsy. Do you have any pics of your sais that you can share? Kind of curious how they look compared to mine. I haven't seen any pics of their sais which was also something that scared me off as well.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Here you go:

    http://www.martialviews.com/2008/10/choose-your-weapons.html

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have had two sets of sai made by Phillip Worbington. Both sets are expertly made and hold up very well to contact training against bo and jo. Highly recommended.
    -Russell Bianca
    Brooklyn Kenshikai Karatedo

    ReplyDelete