If you have confidence in your product why on earth would you even consider sending it off to someone to review it for you...If you send a brand new whip off on the rounds for various people to review it and crack it all you'll get back if you get it back at all is a second hand whip, can't think why you'd even consider that
I'd say stick to your guns and keep going forwards as you are, if your product is good, if it's priced fairly and if you provide good customer service (which it would appear you do) then eventually your whip will find it's way onto the quality budget whip list in the same way the budget whips on that list already got their place there.....
That's been my attitude since the beginning. But it seems that my whip is not gaining much ground with this hard-core bunch (no pun intended). That's why I am considering this.
We should not forget that even though this Deluxe whip current price is within the budget level ($200), Todd offers it on his website as an alternative to high end whips when he says "If you have done any shopping at all, you know that most whip makers charge 400+ for an 8' 12 plait bullwhip."
I will re-word that. I didn't mean for it to be taken that way. This whip is not as good as a $400 whip in finish and appearance. My intention was to let the inexperienced know that whips are expensive. The most common reaction I get is shock at the high price. As a former English teacher, I should know that it's always good to have someone else proof-read your work...
Which brings me to this point. This whip costs $199. It's not meant to compete with whips twice the price. It is a screen-accurate looking whip that is also functional. If comparisons are to be made, it should be with whips in the same price range.
A guy from Switzerland contacted a while ago saying he needed a new whip, since he had gotten Todd's deluxe whip, and the whip had broken at the handle-core junction (the transition zone) after a little use. He said he needed a real whip, made out of leather in the conventional and proven methods. Now, I don't know if that story is true or not, as I haven't seen the whip in person or any photos, but it illustrates the point of the durability issue in Todd' offering.
Actually, that was one of my "prop" whips. The confusion is that when I introduced them I called them "deluxe" whips. Of course, he was given a full refund as he obviously had a defective one. Has no one ever gotten a bad leather core whip?
Also keep in mind that not all whip makers use kangaroo for the bellies or bolsters. You're basically getting a cowhide whip with a kangaroo overlay. How many whip makers use solid kangaroo?
We need to know its durability. Does it break over time? how about stretch? One of the great benefits of a braided belly is that it holds it shape longer than say a core made of strips of leather. How the polyurethane core compares?
Very good point. How long does a leather core whip last? Don't tell me "forever" because I know that's not true. I'm sure it varies with the quality of the leather, but leather does not last forever, no matter how you care for it. Some of you whipcracking pros that have had whips for 20, 30 years, can you tell us how long the average whip performs well before it begins to deteriorate and needs to be replaced? No anecdotes about the best whip you ever had, just the "average" low-priced whip.
Let's just be comparing apples to apples here. Will my $199 whip be cracking strong long after other $199 whips have turned into noodles?
This is a new idea. I sourced the best material available - the toughest industrial urethane with the longest life and the best mechanical properties from a company that is 125 years old and the industry's leader in liquid plastics. They estimate that the urethane should last 20 - 25 years based on my application before it's mechanical properties begin to degenerate. This product is usually used for bumpers, rollers, and stamping pads in heavy machinery, and in those applications, of course, the life-span is shorter. A light string to swing through the air should be childs' play for this material. Since I haven't used one for 20 years, I can't confirm that. But that the information I have been given and I put this product out in good faith based on that information. I'm not sure that a three month test will put this issue to rest.
And remember - a leather core usually ends several feet short of the end, so the outer plait is getting the brunt of the stress anyway. (am I wrong about that?)
Is this the best whip in the world? No. Is it worth $199? I think so, but ultimately that is up to the individual to decide.
And speaking of apples to apples - are there other vendors of whips in this price range that are willing to have their products compared? Or am I the only one?