Yes, a sharp stick. While all the titanium bars I've played with in the past have been stiff, these are soft and bend easily. We'll see if it will be good. So far all of my rods are sitting securely in the handles. With soft rods, mine with the red tip is already bent at the tip. It's nice that I can use different colors for different metals, so that's cool. When softness is achieved, everything is fine.