Bought this with the red oak staight staff as an experiment. (Read my red oak review for more info). The taper was easier on my connective tissue and muscles to begin, but quickly fell out of favor compared to a straight staff. The taper is more difficult to control. The low inertial mass makes it more useful as a thrusting weapon. As another experiment, a straight waxwood staff was bought elsewhere, same six foot length. (I hope Karate Depot stocks straight waxwood sometime, Depot product quality is superior.) The straight waxwood handling compares favorably to the red oak straight, but the quality is not as good. For my purposes, the straight staff is the one.