*sigh* I'm not too happy here. I've got a very nice triple laminated white oak bokken here with a correct two-handed length for kenjutsu, but the place that I bought it from no longer sells them. A pity, too, since I paid a decent price for it. Bugei's got something close, but man, do they mark #$%& up.
Personally, I take my bokken somewhat seriously, mostly because I've destroyed so many in the last few years, and only one has withstood all the damage I've put it through - the triple-laminated white oak bokken. I tend to avoid buying those stupid carved ones that're only good for one hand, and I make sure that they actually "fit." Not too long, not too short, not too light, not too stiff. And I go for the laminated ones, which emans they last longer and are easier to maintain. I like my bokken to have some "heft" to them, at least as much as I can get without using the weight-trainer - the subirito.
Mind you, Dras, getting hit with a bokken is akin to smacking someone with a baseball bat, except this one has even less wind resistance because of the simulated blade. People have died from bokken strikes, the most famous victim being Sasaki Kojiro, whose skull was shattered with a single blow. If you intend on doing any psuedo-sparring, might I suggest shinai instead? The bamboo (or carbon graphite, if you're willing to go that extra expensive mile) stings, but it's much more flexible than wood, so you won't be breaking any bones with it.
Personally, I take my bokken somewhat seriously, mostly because I've destroyed so many in the last few years, and only one has withstood all the damage I've put it through - the triple-laminated white oak bokken. I tend to avoid buying those stupid carved ones that're only good for one hand, and I make sure that they actually "fit." Not too long, not too short, not too light, not too stiff. And I go for the laminated ones, which emans they last longer and are easier to maintain. I like my bokken to have some "heft" to them, at least as much as I can get without using the weight-trainer - the subirito.
Mind you, Dras, getting hit with a bokken is akin to smacking someone with a baseball bat, except this one has even less wind resistance because of the simulated blade. People have died from bokken strikes, the most famous victim being Sasaki Kojiro, whose skull was shattered with a single blow. If you intend on doing any psuedo-sparring, might I suggest shinai instead? The bamboo (or carbon graphite, if you're willing to go that extra expensive mile) stings, but it's much more flexible than wood, so you won't be breaking any bones with it.