I'm bidding on these ski poles...

Thanks, that's really useful.
What I think I'm getting from that is:
flat face = good for shooting
concave face = good for 'ball jointing' / dribbling
light = good
strong = good
mallet head around 2" to 2.5" diameter
smallish handle diameter (less than 20mm)
38" shaft length (?)

Don't reckon it will be too hard to make something taking all these factors into account.

Tell me if I'm getting it completely wrong. What features would you like to see?

I want it to pass and score for me ;)

Personally i really like how my DIY mallet handles, ie no complaints. but the above sounds about right...