Bokken Buying and Care

[Mankal]

What are some of the best places to buy bokken and after I do buy a bokken what should I do to take care of it?

[MikeW]

There are a lot of good places to buy a bokuto... which one is best for you kinda depends on the type of bokuto you are looking for. I like to buy mine from www.bogubag.com. But also www.bokkenshop.com and aikiwood.com are good choices especially if you aren't looking for a run of the mill bokuto (IMHO). If you just want a standard red oak or white oak bokuto most places sell those and I have had decent luck in the past with e-bogu and eguchi. To take care of it you will probably get different answers... with mine I usually give it a light sanding to take off any varnish and I oil it with a quality wood oil to prevent it from becoming brittle. I think some of the places I linked to above have 'care of' sections at their sites if you look for them.

[ScottUK]

What type of bokken are you after?

A lot of bokuto have a nasty finish - lightly sand this off and use teak oil to help protect it.