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Health & Home · 5 Reasons

5 Reasons Why Thousands of Americans Are Trading Their Drugstore Cane for This Carved Wooden One — and why people who swore they would never use a cane now take it everywhere.

Four grips: the Owl, the Horse, the Elephant and the Leopard.

Most people put off getting a cane for as long as they can. Not because they don't need one, but because of how it looks: grey aluminum, a foam handle, a rubber foot. It feels like a sign that says "old".

So the cane goes in the closet, and they reach for the wall, the shopping cart or somebody's arm instead.

This one is different. It is solid hardwood with a carved animal grip, and it looks more like something from an old gentleman's club than a pharmacy shelf. It has quietly become one of the most talked-about walking aids in the country this year. Here are five reasons why.

1It Doesn't Look Like a Medical Aid

The Leopard on the morning dog walk.

There are four grips to choose from: an owl, a horse head, an elephant and a crouching leopard. Each one is carved deep into the wood, with feathers, mane and trunk you can feel under your fingers.

The result is a cane people comment on for the right reasons. Strangers ask where it came from. Grandkids want to hold it. And the person carrying it stops feeling like a patient.

That matters more than it sounds. A cane only helps if it actually leaves the house.

“I ordered the leopard for my husband, who walks the dog two miles every morning and refused anything that looked medical. He has named it. That is how well this went.”Rosalind P., Duluth, Minnesota

2The Grip Is Shaped for Your Palm, Not Your Wrist

Four blocks with the Elephant. No sore wrist afterwards.

Most cheap canes have a straight handle, so all your weight lands on the wrist. After a few blocks it aches, and by evening it throbs.

This handle is set at a slight angle, about 38 degrees, and shaped to rest in the base of your palm. The weight goes into the heel of the hand and the forearm instead of the joint. For anyone with arthritis or a weak grip, that one detail is the whole difference.

The weight of the cane also sits high, about a foot below the handle. So it swings forward on its own with each step instead of being lifted.

“The angle of the handle is not a small thing. Four blocks with my old cane and my wrist ached all evening. Same four blocks with the elephant and there is nothing.”Curtis B., Santa Rosa, California

3Solid Wood Feels Steady, and It Is Quiet

The Owl grip: the widest palm rest of the four.

Aluminum canes flex a little when you lean on them, and they rattle. The thin rubber cap clacks on every tiled floor, so everyone hears you coming.

This one is solid hardwood from end to end with a thick rubber tip. It feels planted when you put weight on it, and it is quiet in a hallway, a church or a restaurant. The finish is oiled rather than varnished, so it doesn't turn slippery when your hand is warm.

“What sold me was the quiet. My old one clicked on every tile floor in the building and I hated the sound of myself coming.”Ward S., Bloomington, Indiana

4It Is Cut to Your Exact Height, and It Travels

The Horse and Elephant unscrew at the brass collar for the car or a suitcase.

Adjustable canes use a push-button pin, and the pin is what wobbles. This cane ships a little long on purpose instead.

Stand up straight, let your arm hang loose, and mark where your wrist bone meets the cane. A simple pipe cutter takes the extra off the bottom in under a minute, and the rubber tip slides back on. It is then the right height for you, for good.

The Horse and Elephant grips also unscrew at the brass collar, so they fit in a car door pocket or a suitcase.

“I bought the horse because it comes apart for the truck. Two pieces behind the seat, and it goes everywhere with me now.”Gary T., Knoxville, Tennessee

5It Costs Less Than a Pair of Good Walking Shoes, and Stock Is Low

The Owl, at a family wedding.

A carved hardwood cane from a specialty shop can easily cost a few hundred dollars. This one costs less than a pair of good walking shoes, with free shipping across the US and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

That is also why so many are bought as gifts, for a father, a grandfather, or a mother who keeps refusing the aluminum one. It is a present that gets used every single day.

Because of that, stock moves fast, especially before the holidays. The Owl and the Horse always sell out first.

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