All,
We have just run out of our Standard size bundles. In short, all that is now available is are the XL poles which are 2.25″ (57mm) +. The XL poles this year are quite large, I’d estimate the average size to be close to 2.5″. These come 8 pcs/bundle at $200/bundle. There will be a discount to $180/bundle for orders of 5+ bundles. I have plenty of these poles on hand and don’t foresee running low on these before the next shipment arrives.
I will be in China in March to select poles for 2012. Thus, we should have more of the Standard sized poles available by late April or early May. I will make updates here about this next shipment.
Bambooandy's Blog 
I am a newbie to bamboo rod building. I’ve been reading everything I can, and I’m ready to build a rod or two.
From what I’ve read, these larger pieces are more likely to have surface and other defects, which may make them less desirable. Is that really the case, and should I wait, or would these be ok to start?
Good question. Yes, these larger poles DO have more cosmetic blemishes than the smaller poles. It is almost always the case that the 57+mm poles have more blemishes but also it is true that I allow more blemishes in my “A” grade XL poles. It is important to note that I do NOT allow such things as slash or burn marks or other issues that I think have a detrimental effect on the structural component of the bamboo. You should ask a rod-maker about the following but my belief is that as a newbie, the cosmetics of this large bamboo shouldn’t stop you from using it; a cleaner bamboo culm may still not look great in anyone’s first few rods. However, the overall size of the cane and thickness of power fibers may be more of a reason to wait for the 2″ poles to be back in stock. These big poles would give you a lot more to work with and that is not always a good thing (they’d be marginally harder to split and definitely more work to plane).
Let me know if you have additional questions. The new stuff should be in Seattle in late April/early May. Thanks again for writing.
-Andy Royer