I still use the NFB canes for training and for high school students, but the very young students get aluminum alloy kiddy canes. I have also used the NFB cane for a student with low tone. His muscle strength was so weak that the aluminum canes were a burden. He loved the NFB cane so much that he was actually careful not to break it. Anyway, most elementary and middle school students get metal folding canes.
Canes come in a wide variety of designs.
Canes are now made from various materials, from metal alloys to carbon composites, from plastic to fiberglass. Most are hollow, some are solid. Canes fold, telescope, or are rigid. They come with reflecting paints or special tape that reflects light. Cane tips come in a growing array of designs from the traditional two inch plastic slip-on tip, to kids mushroom tips.