I have a set of travel chopsticks that I love and always bring with me whenever I eat sushi. The barrel is metal and the tips are wood. I've received many comments on them when I dine out. :)

I love my stainless steel chopsticks, but they don't have the grooves on the tips that the pair pictured above do, and I wish they did. The downside of the steel chopsticks is that food is a bit tougher to grip when using them, but they're easy to clean and often will live in my bag so I can always have them on hand to eat leftovers on my lunch breaks.

We have some nice wood sets at home that we use as well, and I have to admit that I have a few pairs that are so nice I haven't been able to bring myself to use them yet, which defeats the purpose entirely!

Oh, I thought you meant "good chopsticks" as in "saved for company." We have everyday wooden chopsticks that go through the dishwasher and then decorative wood and brass chopsticks we save for company. It's never occurred to me to use disposables at home. We have several sets of of travel sticks with little carrying cases - the Japanese pointed plastic ones with the rough tips - we need to start remembering to take those out with us.

I have a pair of travel chopsticks similar to violetcassis. They're meant for backpacking so the wooden tips can be unscrewed and slid into the barrel for compact traveling.

I have three sets of beautifully decorated lacquered chopsticks that my mother received from her Japanese pen-pal in the 80s. I stole them when I moved out on my own because she was never going to use them and my hubby and I love to use them.

We never use disposibles at home, either. Wood for every day, lacquered for occasions like New Years. They're all "good" but some are also fancy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Many-chopsticks.jpg

See the metal set in the middle that are flat? Those are my favorites, the skinny stainless steel Korean ones, not tapered. Not for cooking. Bonus points for being dishwasher safe (just need to lay them flat so they don't slip down through the caddy). Here's another link to see the flatness: http://koreanupdates.com/2010/04/20/tuesday-tips-korean-dining-etiquette/ Sadly (for me when I visit), my parents got caught up in some recent trend for the tapered/hollowed/round sort with grooves at the bottom, and they switched over.

I actually don't like lacquered ones. Too delicate. I like bamboo ones, which are disposible, I guess, except that they are also reusable unlike the extra-cheapo wooden ones that don't split well.

Yes but I tend to not use them at home. Mostly el cheapo disposables. Love the giant ones for cooking. Disposable chopsticks are so useful for all kinds of things besides eating.

I bought some beautiful ones in Japan with owls on them (super cute! owl on one chop stick and a full moon on the other, placed just slightly higher up the chop stick) and they are lacquered but with rough tips for easier gripping. I refuse to let anyone else wash them after eating and as soon as I have they go straight back into the box they came from.

there is a difference in chopsticks from region to region, and being vietnamese, i'm partial to the kinds used in viet nam and china. longer, tapered, but not to a point, and generally made of melamine or wood. the pair at the top of randomname's linked photo are the kinds i grew up with (green dragon, red double happiness).

i actually have a hard time using the japanese and korean chopsticks--i end up using my hands instead.

Nah, we just have a whole lot of basic wooden chopsticks. I used to have some nice patterned ones but the paint started to wear away at the tip, so I figured they may just be toxic. :/

Might be nice to get some nice ones for each person in the family, but we do ok using just the basic, unpatterned wooden ones (though the end three centimetres are ridged for better grip).

We use chopsticks regularly because my wife is Japanese (and we live in Japan), so they see a lot of wear and tear. But basic wooden ones seem to last forever.

@violetcassis
That is pretty weird, I think you would get a lot of odd looks doing something like that in Japan. I mean bringing "my hashi" to work to eat lunch is ok, but bringing them to a restaurant is strange.
For everyday use we have some cheap plastic coated wood chopsticks and a few special expensive lacquered/jewel inlaid sets that never get used, just look nice in their matching box... in storage.

@Domyoji why is it weird? I prefer my chopsticks over the disposable, flat-sided wooden ones that are offered at sushi restaurants. Not only are they of better quality, but there is nothing to throw away afterward.

I know in Japan there are many unique customs when it comes to eating sushi, so I'm not surprised that bringing one's own chopsticks might be looked at oddly over there. But I'm not there, I'm here in America :) and for the record, I don't care what anyone might think of me bringing my own chopsticks (here OR there). That's probably the least "weird" thing about me ;)

@jenn_y, well for Korean soondubu (tofu stew), I would use the (flat metal) spoon, not chopsticks. But no, I am happy with the flat metal chopsticks for hot noodle soups. I will even use them while making ramen. But maybe the trick is that your grip on the chopsticks can't be close to the tips. You need to be gripping them closer to the ends away from the food. The only time I've found them too hot to handle was when I tried cooking something in a pot that took longer than a few minutes.

I forget where I heard this but I was told that the Chinese emphasis on longevity being of utmost importance meant that's why they have long noodles, long hair (okay back in the day), and the longest chopsticks. That the higher up you hold your chopsticks, the longer your life. So no gripping them close to the food!

I have a few pretty wooden pairs that get used at home for sit down and special meals. I also wash and re-use really good quality disposables for more everyday use. This post makes me fee so much better about wanting to invest in some really nice sets!

When choosing chopsticks, alway go for bamboo ones.

I use regular wooden chopsticks everyday...even for special at home family meals. I think the lacquered ones we have, we bought to look at but never to use. They are too expensive.

We often use metal chopsticks at home and sometimes we even use the matching spoons. I picked up several sets on my last trip to Korea. We have modern-looking sets in brushed stainless steel with rounded edges--they have a nice heft. I dislike the cheaper shiny ones made with designs.

The metal chopsticks are hard to use with noodles, though, so we also have some simple wooden ones with grooves near the ends.

@jenn_y: are you leaving the metal chopsticks in the stew the entire time? You should rest them on the table between bites. I sometimes use metal chopsticks to pick up pieces of seafood in my stew, but usually I'd use the spoon like randomname mentioned.

Here are a couple nice pairs that are definitely worth checking out. Hand made, all natural, finished with an all natural beeswax and coconut oil wood finish.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/73443373/wooden-chopsticks-unique-high-quality

https://www.etsy.com/listing/123684755/steady-grooves-chopsticks