Every week someone calls the workshop and asks the same good question: "How tall should my cane be?" After forty-two years at the lathe, I can tell you the answer is simpler than most folks fear. You need a helper, a tape measure, and the shoes you actually walk in.
Why the number matters
A cane that's too short pulls you into a lean, and a lean tires your back by lunchtime. Too tall, and your shoulder rides up like you're asking a question. The right height lets you stand the way you did before you ever needed a cane — straight, with your elbow bent just 15 to 20 degrees.
"The cane should meet your hand where it already is. Your hand shouldn't go looking for the cane."
The wrist-to-floor method
- Put on your everyday shoes. Soles change the number by half an inch or more.
- Stand tall, arms relaxed. Let your hands hang naturally at your sides — no reaching, no stiffness.
- Measure wrist crease to floor. Your helper runs the tape from the crease where your wrist meets your hand, straight down. That number, to the nearest quarter inch, is your cane height.
Most men between 5'8" and 5'11" land right around 36 inches — that's why it's our most common size. But measure anyway. Arms differ more than heights do.
If you're between sizes
Round down half an inch rather than up — a hair short keeps the elbow bent the way it should be. Or skip the compromise entirely: we cut custom lengths to the quarter inch for free.
And if the cane arrives and something feels off, call us at (877) 555-2263. We swap heights free, forever. Nobody should walk with the wrong cane out of politeness.