Africa Heartwood Project 20" Cactus Rainstick from Chile - Authentic Handcrafted Rain Stick Musical Instrument with Rasta Yarn Wrap and Durable Sealant

This is my first rainstick ever & I researched quite a bit before making my decision to buy this particular one. Since I could not afford to invest a lot of money & I don't really have the space in my tiny apartment for a very large stick either, I just wanted to try to get the "most bang (or trickle, in this case...LOL) for my buck". I honestly feel that this product delivers that! It just arrived yesterday, was packed well (inside a sturdy cardboard box, wrapped with ample paper & packed inside a second sturdy cardboard box)...and was delivered quite quickly!Honestly, after I unpacked it, I couldn't put it down...LOL! OK, I admit that I'm OLD & probably a bit more easily entertained than most folks (especially after 6 months of self-isolation..Ha! Ha!)...but this thing is absolutely DELIGHTFUL! The outside does have a few little rough "nubbies" where (I assume) the spines were removed from the cactus...but they're certainly nothing "treacherous" & should be easily remedied with a brief brush of an emery board. The appearance is nothing terribly attractive, and I confess that the colorfully painted bamboo sticks are definitely more visually appealing. HOWEVER, for my purposes, I chose to go with the more "organic" look, traditional style, and durable design of a cactus stick. I'm really happy that I did, because the SOUND (most important feature for me, personally) is WONDERFUL! I actually wanted something that could be played as a rain sound, but could also be held in one hand & shaken as a rattle, to open/clear sacred space, for meditation or card reading. BINGO! This stick is PERFECT for both purposes...and, at 20 inches, is compact enough to be stored on my altar shelf when not in use.I've read complaints by some that the sound from smaller (shorter) sticks doesn't last long enough...but I must say, if you tilt this one only slightly & rotate it while the contents are falling, it's actually possible to sustain the effect for a fair amount of time. Apart from that, you can feel good about buying this stick, knowing that your purchase helps to support the Africa Heartwood Project! Just for clarification, I did NOT receive a free or discounted product for writing this review...I'm simply "in love" with it! <BLUSH> I only hope this might help someone else to make a more informed decision about a first-time (or any time) rainstick purchase! Thanks for your attention & happy rattling to one & all! ;o)

Packaged well. Arrived on time. Great quality. Soothing sound. Would buy again.

Hand made musical instruments never get old and always have a different sound that amazes the ear.

The picture shows a rain stick that looks much thicker than what I received. Mine is less than 2 inches in diameter. The ends seem well sealed, but the body of the instrument has some sharp points along the surface that make it uncomfortable to hold and use. There are not a lot of the loose pieces inside that make the rain sound - so even with slow turning on a shallow angle - the effect only lasts a few seconds and it is not very loud. I use a rain stick when I appear at campouts as "The Story Teller" for family and scouts. I wear a special had and use a rain stick for dramatic effect. I have a 4 foot one that is about 5 inches in diameter with tons of pieces inside. It can make loud, sustained rain sounds for about 2 minutes and even smokes a bit while using it. It is big and heavy so I was looking for a smaller alternative and didn't want to go with a plastic or bamboo version. I was disappointed that this one did not perform better - but it does look nice and you could use it as a natural looking shaker instrument - but the rain/trickling water effect is not impressive with this instrument. Maybe it just has to be gigantic, but I think this one would have been acceptable if it was thicker, had more pieces inside, and had a smoother surface.

Nice quality and sound. Well made.

I bought one for my grandson, as an offset/companion to a thunder drum I picked up at a music festival. His parents like this much better. You can make it ‘rain’ for quite awhile and you’ll find yourself drawn to it. After I tried his I had to have one for myself.The exterior of first was perfectly smooth, the second was a little rough BUT nothing that would hurt anyone - it’s a natural material after all.Buy this and have some fun. And it makes a great unusual gift.

Nice rainstick but too short. Bought a longer one

It was an affordable addition to my multi instrument music practice. It looks very nice & sounds lovely. I'm happy with my purchase.