Hame headed canes do not work well for orthopedics and the WILL be conviscated on an aircraft and in any area like a courthouse where you go through a metal detector. If you want invisible, get the heaviest all wood (no metal at all!) crook (aka tourist) handle cane you can get. I have advocated the Enesco elephant cane, at least until I can find one heavier. They are also easier to carry than ball headed canes and are more useful for self defense than any other form as they can be used for trip and control moves.
Sumac is appallingly fragile with a cork-like core; even in larger sizes it is still a light weight wood with less strength than common pine. Weight and impact resistence? Forget it. See my posts on comparitive durability and strength of hardwoods. Hickory is the thing if you stick with most available North American hardwoods. Blackthorn is about the same in weight but strength does not show in charts as it has no commercial use; it is also noticed, esp. if your stick is thick and/or heavy. Hophornbeam is a little stronger than hickory, but you would have to make the stick from a sapling. Cocobolo is the strongest of all, but is very expensive and not available in a cane commercially. I want to try some of the products of Rutland Plywood, extremely dense, hard, impact resistent and weather proof. Unfortunately they cannot be bent with steam. The company sells a wide variety of colors and dowel thicknesses, but only in quantity.
Here's one I found in my closet. The colors on it are a little wild, and the material is some kind of metal with a plastic handle: Its length is adjustable: You push the metal "button" like thingie in and rotate the lower piece to keep it that way. Then you lengthen/shorten the cane to the desired height and rotate things again until the metal bit pops out into the corresponding hole, locking that length in place. Handy little feature.
I use a cold steel big bore blow gun, not really as a cane but mostly when I'm exploring a local resevoir w/ my daughter who seems to share my enthusiasm on critters like frogs, snakes, turtles, alligators... I'm 37, been told by my doc that I have a shoulder of a 50 year old and the spine is about the same..trauma over time equals no bueno for joints and bones..
I have several canes running the gamut from training to EDC to display. This is my "fancy cane". I was at an arts festival last year and a gentleman had a booth set up and was displaying the most beautiful wood items, bowls, canes, toys, etc. I saw this and and made him an offer and got it. It's too nice to carry but the detail is amazing. I have a handful of canes and I was tired of leaning them against the wall next to the front door. I found a guy that claimed he was good with wood furniture and so on so I designed an Arts and Crafts style cane/umbrella holder. This is the result. It's constructed of quarter sawn white oak with a maple inlay and a granite tile bottom. I thought he did a great job.
I agree with those who say a t or crook handle would be better - especially if the primary function is going to be support. In my experience, the fingers quickly get tired of grasping a ball in the position needed for supporting you from step to step, while grasping a horizontal bar is much more natural, using the whole hand and forearm muscles to grip with. There's also a difference in the pressure on the palm - the ball presses on a small point in the palm; the horizontal grip spreads that pressure out along the width of the hand. For those who really need a cane for support - even temporarily - the horizontal grip is a better choice. I do like the CS canes, and, while I usually use a metal sectional cane when I need one, I have been looking at their Dragon Walking Stick as an alternative to the crook I use occasionally.
After I destroyed my right ankle, I from time to time now have to use a cane, I bought a Cold Steel African walking stick. Not bad. If you have smaller hands the ball might at the top might start to bother you. I've been using mine for about 2 years. Actually looking at buying a couple more of theirs.
