Canes: The most important variable in mallet selection is the cane. Top canes are almost solely produced from the Manu plants. Manu cane comes in different sizes, weights, dimensions, flexes, and qualities.
The first job of the mallet maker is to match the right cane with the right customer. Ten goal players have different requirements than beginners. A 220-pound back has different requirements than a 160- pound forward. Ladies have different requirements than men. Individual players’ style, physique and athleticism require an individual tuning of cane characteristics to a specific player.
The first element in cane selection is flexibility. Individual players prefer different mallet flexes. It is our job as mallet makers to align the proper flex of the cane to your individual playing preferences. Flex is affected by a variety of factors; the natural characteristic of the cane, its diameter, has it been cured properly, the taper of the cane, the number of knots. It is also important to remember that a mallet will open up after use. Therefore you need to buy it slightly stiffer than you want it to end up because it becomes more flexible as the fibers loosen up.
The weight of the cane is another element in consideration. The natural character of the cane, and the curing process also affects weight. Where in the arc does the cane flex? How much? Most players prefer canes where the flex and the action in the cane is in the bottom 1/3 of the shaft towards the head. Careful selection of cane flex and flex distribution assures maximum power and ball feel. When we make ladies mallets we are careful to select canes that are lighter in weight not just thinner in diameter. Because cane is a natural product and the density varies the weight of the individual canes in the same dimension also can vary greatly. So as a mallet maker we carefully select the proper weight for the proper customer. When we make mallets we consider both the head weight and overall weight which combine with the flex to form the balance and feel.
The other important element in cane selection is quality. We grade all our canes into three classifications. Our objective is to really only produce mallets in the top two classifications, pro and tournament. If we do a proper job with cane selection in the Far East, then we will only have a few of the lower level of canes in the country. In our opinion most players should be playing with tournament grade mallets and higher. We only offer the Club mallets when we get canes that do not meet our tournament or better specifications. This approach differs greatly from mallet maker to mallet maker. Most mallet makers produce mallets from all canes and price them all the same. Most mallet makers leave it to the buyers to select. We prefer to use our expertise to try to help guide you.
The process of choosing canes starts in the jungle. Most suppliers use commercial harvesters that go out in the jungle to cut Manu for furniture and then they will select canes from that group that are usable in mallet production. What Polo Gear does is we have our own skilled cutters who go out and only harvest canes to make mallets from. We have exacting specifications in terms of size, taper; number of joints, criteria, straightness, that our cutters take into consideration. Before shipment to the US they are again inspected. Only the top canes are sent to Polo Gear. Then thru each section of the manufacturing process we review the cane for quality specifications. We are continually refining and selecting the best of the best for use in our professional mallets. These top select canes are set aside and we use those solely for our professional mallets.
Many of you have asked it is necessary to go to the professional grade. That answer depends upon individual requirements. Certainly professional players and those who are making their living playing polo need to use the absolute best mallets. For other players it would depend upon your budget, aspirations, experience, and preferences. Most beginning players will not be able to appreciate the nuances and advantages of a professional mallet. Our tournament mallets are excellently suited for most players. Traditionally the top canes (professional grade) have all been kept in the back rooms for the high goal players. I know from my experience as a three goal player that once I felt and played with a really good cane I really noticed the difference and didn’t want to go back. What Polo Gear has chosen to do is to make these canes available to all players. For any rated players there is definitely a difference from having a top cane. For these players it is our suggestion to go to the professional grade because mallets are such an important component to performance in the game.
Heads: The second most important individual element in mallet selection and fitting is the choice and balance of the head. We use only heads made of Argentine Tipa wood. Within Tipa there are 3 different types of Tipa that are used for heads. There is a great deal of variation between the three types as well as from individual trees.
For our select aged heads we use only the white Tipa wood. The white Tipa is the densest most consistent of the Tipa and it provide for more durable and harder heads. While most players seem to prefer this some like the yellow or pink Tipa because it is softer and its proponents say has more feel to it. The disadvantage to softer heads is they are not as durable. This is an individual customer preference and normally this level of sophistication is only understood by experienced high goal players. The density of the Tipa however has a great deal of effect on the weight of the head.
The weight of the head is an important element in customizing an individual mallet for a particular customer. Weight ranges for lady players are usually 160-190 grams. Men usually go for 180 to 220 grams heads with some of the larger players up to 230-240 grams heads. The head weight consideration its only relevant when combined with the weight and flexibility of the overall mallet. To have a proper mallet you have to have a proper overall balance. Another critical element in the head discussion is the size and shape. Polo Gear stocks three basic sizes of heads and two specialty heads. The standard head is 47 mm diameter by 230 mm.
Today the most popular size for men is the oversized head. This is a 48 mm diameter in the center by 230mm long. We also do a smaller head 46 mm diameter in the center for ladies and lighter mallets. Your choice in size would depend upon personal preferences and on the field you are playing on.
Here in South Florida we have Bermuda fields. They are flat and short so the ball sits up for this type of field most players prefer the oversized heads. Why? You want the center of head of the mallet to hit the center of ball, because the ball is sitting on top of the grass you still have that capability with the big head. It’s almost like an oversized racquet in tennis, you have a bigger sweet spot, more power and ease to hit.
What happens when you get on different field conditions is that the exposed part of the ball varies. In other words if you are playing on longer grass you will have less of the ball exposed that you would on the Bermuda field. In the past the RNPA were used on these fields, The RNPA is an oval head and therefore would still allow you to hit the center of the ball with the center of the head even though the ball was partially set in the grass.
Today players seem to prefer the standard heads or oversized heads with the bottom of the head leveled off in these field conditions. This accomplishes the same thing as the RNPA but there is more solidity and stability to the head with the flat bottom. For our customers that are playing on longer fields, we usually use the standard or oversized head with the bottom flattened off. This also allows you to get under the center of the ball for greater loft in your shots. Top players will often have mallets with several different heads for use on different field conditions.
Balance and Feel: The most important and most difficult area of mallet making is balancing the cane. Each cane has specific properties and a feel. This feel only comes alive if the cane is balanced with the proper heard.
After many years the mallet maker perfects the art of feeling, learning, evaluating and reproducing the proper balance. The correct balance enhances the cane and allows the power and natural characteristics to flourish. Balance is determined by aligning the proper head weight with the proper cane. Each cane has a small range of head weights that can be used to produce a truly balanced feel. When balance is achieved, we maximize the natural characteristics of all the parts.
Obtaining proper balance is truly an art. Some craftsman have a natural feel for a cane, others are able to develop the feel with experience and direction. Learning this skill takes many years and being able to reproduce it even longer. The artistry of proper balance and feel is what separates the masters from technician.
Grip: A critical element in analyzing the proper mallet is the grip size. Polo Gear offers four different sizes of grips, #2, #3, #4, and #5. It is important to determine the proper grip size for you and to make sure that you have consistency of grips. As a rule of thumb #2 is a small to medium size glove. Most ladies are #2 grip. #3 is our standard grip. This would be for someone with a medium to large size glove. This would include some of the stronger ladies as well as most of the men. The #4 grips are for those who have an extra large glove. Recently we have added a #5 grip for some professional players who like a very large grip, and those with very large hands.
Usually players with smaller hands prefer lighter mallets and play in the front of the game. Usually the players with the extra large hands play in the back of the game they tend to be larger players. These players use heavier canes and heads and #4 grips. It would be our suggestion that one of the first thing you do when you review your mallets, assuming that they came from many different mallet makers, is to check the grip size and make sure they are all the same. If not when you send your mallets to be repaired ask us to check the grip size and correct any that are not to specifications. It is very difficult to play consistently with mallets that have different grip sizes and characteristics.
When we make new mallets we select and group the canes into different sized grips. The handles are then shaped to very exact specifications so all number #2’s (3’s, 4’s) are the same size to 1 mm tolerance. Then the heads are balanced to the particular cane.
