The rolling pin itself is sturdy enough. It was mostly smooth but could've beeb smother. There was also a small hole around one of the edges that made me knock down a star. A little disappointed when I saw that but otherwise fine.Yes mine is caramelized and silky smooth..works great although it has only been used a few times so far..my wife says it works so glad I made the investment..This is a decent rolling pin for the money. The only downside is that there was a minor cosmetic blemish--not enough to worry me (this is a tool, after all, not a decorative item). The one I got is straight, doesn't absorb lots of scents or oils, and is easy to clean. It's earned itself a permanent place in my kitchen--if I lost it (though that begs the question of how you could lose a rolling pin) I'd probably buy another just like it.I just got it and took it out of the box. I don't know what is up with Amazon and there seemingly need to over boxing, everything I get seems to be in a box 4 times bigger than it needs to be. That said, onto the product. It seems smaller than I expected, I guess I was thinking it would be 18" up to the taper to give room for hands rather than the over all size, the flat portion is only about 9". Other than that it is a great looking tool and appears to be very good quality.My mom wanted a really expensive rolling pin for her "special noodles" that we request every holiday & this was it. Only thing; it wasn't expensive. I told her after she had already made FIVE batches, that I got the rolling pin from Amazon. She was flabbergasted that I didn't spend alot. Amazon would only advertise worthy products. We are very happy with Helen Chen's Asian Kitchen 18-inch rolling pin!!!!!I've used this style of rolling pin before and prefer it over the conventional rolling pins that have 2 handles. The tapered rolling pin makes it easier to roll a truely round tortilla or pie crust. The only negative is that a small area of my rolling pin had wood filler rather than bamboo. This doesn't affect the functionality, but isn't as beautiful.Awesome, doesn't stick, wipes off easily. I was looking at many rollers some for a lot more money, but I "settled" on this one, thinking I'll try it and if don't like it.... Well, I love it. And while I am an intermediate baker, I had a very experienced baker come to visit and she made cinnamon rolls, biscuits and pizza dough with it and she said it was fantastic.I had been looking for a rolling pin - and this fits my need. Beautiful to look at - although mine did not come with a holder like other mention in their reviews. I would purchase again.The rolling pin is great quality and is definitely worth every penny. The colour is a bit lighter in reality but not a deal breaker for me (chances are that the picture was an oiled pin).***UPDATE***This has been used very frequently in a home setting for several months and has stood up perfectly - still looks like day 1. Hopefully this will last for several years to come!Bamboo is the best sustainable product for kitchen utensils!Recién lo recibí y quede muy satisfecho, por ese precio esperaba menos, no es el mejor sin embargo es muy bueno en cuanto a construcción, se ve y siente genial, solo faltaría evaluar su desempeño al uso. Recomendadisimo.My husband uses this rolling pin a lot. Mostly for pizza dough. Works great, easy to clean and has stayed nice.I have to buy sand papers to smooth the surface. I use it for rolling pizza dough - so far no complaints.