nomad ... good series of choices.

spuds ... the City Stick is a very nice looking "implement of destruction". HAHAHA! Looks fancier, and probably would work quite well as a cane for a well-dressed man. They do have a very light stick which came out recently (can't remember what it's called). The light stick would respond faster if you were in some sort of manic battle against a pack of Ninjas - HAHAHA! Just kidding ... lighter weapons travel faster and are capable weapons in the hands of people with a lot of training (speed and accuracy prevail over brute force). But the basic City Stick is a very good choice for dealing with all contingencies. I'd rather have a City Stick if dealing with a mean dog.

When you get these sticks I will tell you how to start your training and test them out.

cheers,
Pete2