These Sai are the exact size and shape of other Sai. They are very safe. I used them to instruct my nine year old daughter and she put together an excellent kata for her age using them alone. They are almost TOO flexible, however. After a half hour of handling during practice they become droopy from the warmth of your hand and flop around. We noticed cracks in the rubber within the first week and reinforced them with electrical tape. In all fairness, she won a second place at a tournament with them right before they cracked enough to come apart.

These are very well balanced and handle wonderfully. The weapons are also very rugged. I continue to use the same pair that I used to break-in as a novice. I practice hard with them indoors and outdoors. They have been dropped and fumbled countless times against hardwood floors, furniture, trees and even a brick fireplace. I first thought I would have to buy a second, identical pair for tournament use only. This is not the case, they still look great and they have been used to place in tournaments twice.