Morgan, Jacka or Strain?

[James Bond]

I want to buy my first whip to my recently started new collection.

I want it so accurate as possible. Natural Tan and 10 Feet is how the real Indy whip looks right?

In Auissesaddle.com you can buy a Terry Jacka whip but they don´t have Natural Tan just Solid Black or Antiuqe Brown.

I am thinking on a Joe Strain 10 Feet Natural Tan Whip. Is it a good and accurate whip?

What whip should I choose?

Best Regards Bond, James Bond.

[Texas Raider]

STRAIN!

TR

[tomek9210]

Definitely go with Strain. Strain's whips are so tight plaited as nothing in whipmaking world! Jacka makes SA whips but they are KOTCS whips in saddle tan or whiskey colour. And Strain's whips are cheaper than Morgan's and Jacka's.

[BendingOak]

Strain is a machine. I have one and they are fantastic. I also have a morgan and I love it as well.

I would recommend Strain out of the 3.

There are 2 others to consider. Pagey whips are so Sa and braided tight like the strain with the ruggedness of the Morgan. Best of both worlds.

The other is del carpio. His look very Sa and look like they are braided very well.

[AlexL3000]

Del Carpio makes amazing whips. he makes a better version of the morgan whip and its cheaper. He offers his in 3 different styles, Raiders style, Temple of Doom style and Last Crusade style. (the whip changed a little from movie to movie)
Strain is also a very good whip maker, and his like Del Carpio's is cheaper then the morgan.
Now if you are looking for a KOTCS whip than Terry Jacka is the way to go, but you seem like you want your whip to be like the one from the original movies, so his would not be the best option.

In the end its all up to you

~ Alex

[McFly]

It sounds like for what you want, the Strain would be the best choice of the three. David doesn't make his whips anymore and I haven't been impressed with many of the modern ones I've seen (old ones are *awesome* though so if you find a vintage one that's really good), but I've used a few Strains, and they are goooorgeous, and usually feel really nice too. Great whips!

Shane

[IndianaBravo]

I have a 10 ft. Joe Strain in natural tan purchased in September an it is a work of art. It has darkened up quite nicely and is now an awesome shade of caramel.



Bernardo del Carpio is also one to consider, beautiful craftsmanship and attention to detail. I have one coming from him in March

[WhipDude]

...use the search function. You'll realize how many times this has been answered.

Here's all unbiased info..
Del Carpio - accurate whips designed after 1st 3 films.
Jacka - Newest film
Morgan - same maker was 1st 3 films.
strain - super tight, designed very closely, great prices and good service

Del has good prices and braided extremely well. If you want top notch Raiders, go with him.
Jacka makes a good whip, but it's very heavy. It's designed after 4th film. Pricey but good.
Morgan - Way too expensive for a whip. He doesn't make them anymore and they aren't accurate. Heavy, but not bad overall.
Strain - He may not be in it for just the Indy whip like Del, but he's got experience with all kinds of whips. Some of the tightest braiding, good turn around times, good prices, excellent service. Fairly accurate to any film you want.

You need to 1st establish which film, how long, price range, and your wait.

[IndianaBogart]

I have a 10 ft. Joe Strain in natural tan purchased in September an it is a work of art. It has darkened up quite nicely and is now an awesome shade of caramel.



Bernardo del Carpio is also one to consider, beautiful craftsmanship and attention to detail. I have one coming from him in March

[DR Ulloa]

I concur Bogie. That is a beautiful whip.

John, what year did you buy your Morgan whip?

Dave

[BendingOak]

I concur Bogie. That is a beautiful whip.

John, what year did you buy your Morgan whip?

Dave

It's not that old but I have to tell you that it's one of his best that he has made in many years. I lucked out. I don't know if it's because I went there myself, or the time I spent with him. At the end he had help making the whips but the Morgan isn't made by him any more.


I have to say Morgans was the most rugged of the whips. pages is the only one who has that quality. I can't get the Starin into the whip holder


Here's something to consider.


This is how both whips coil up naturally. I can't really get them any smaller.

Could strain ( on the left/Morgan on the right).

Would the strain be braided to tight?

[Texas Raider]

No way! It just requires more break in time. His tight braiding means the whip is going to last forever! O.k., not forever, but a VERY long time and still be strong as an ox!

Strain= best turnaround time, best prices,spectacular customer service (answers phone every time), easy to work with, and most of all, tightest braiding around, unbelievable fit and finish! The things look like they came from another world! Conclusion- BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK,PERIOD!
You might try Winrich. Great whipmaker,too, but maybe difficult to get him to make a whip for ya these days, he's busy doing other things, travel,work etc.

TR

[BendingOak]

It wasn't a ding at Joe. I love Joe's work. It was a question thats all. I think Joe is a machine because his strand cutting is amazing. They tapper i know they do but it's almost impossible to see any difference with each strand side by side but if you look a foot down the whip they are smaller. He's not human.

[Texas Raider]

He's not human.[/

quote]

LOL!! Oh dude, that sounds sooo funny!! (but I think it's true)

TR

[ksteryous]

There are 2 others to consider. Pagey whips are so Sa and braided tight like the strain with the ruggedness of the Morgan. Best of both worlds.

Unfortunately, I was not so lucky with my Pagey whip. I bought it a couple months ago (my very first bullwhip), and there is obvious separation in the plating in a few places. The strands weren't cut wide enough I think. I've tried email and PMs, but cannot get a response. So based on that, I would not recommend a Pagey whip, although I know others have had nothing but good things to say about them.

Joe Strain is a different story. I have a stockwhip from him and the whip is absolutely superb, and his customer service was outstanding.

Regards,
Kenton

Edit: Just heard from 'Whiskyman', and he has explained that the separation in the plating should not effect the workings of the whip, but that there is nothing that can be done about it at this point.

[WhipDude]

Hate to say it as I don't make it a habit of slamming vendors, but don't bother with Pagey. You never know when he's "in business" or not. Therefore if you needed repair, don't count on it. Somebody like Jacka, , Strain, and Carpio have been in it for a while and probably are here to stay for a while.

[whiskyman]

Hate to say it as I don't make it a habit of slamming vendors, but don't bother with Pagey. You never know when he's "in business" or not.

I'm not in business and I won't be in business. No more workshop, no tools, no leather. I don't make whips anymore and am very happy about it.

kstyerous, pm sent

Morgan, Strain or Jacka? Haven't owned a Jacka, but my vote goes to Strain simply because his whips are more consistent and more reasonably priced than Morgan's - especially considering Mr. Morgan doesn't actually make the Morgan whips anymore.

[BullWhipBorton]

Hey Bond, There is a great deal of information/reviews on all three whips and whip makers here in the forum to help you determine which whip is best for you. Ideally though if you could find someone locally that would let you look at their whips it would be a big help, but since that is not always an option here are a few things to consider...

You can get Terry Jacka’s bullwhip directly thought his website http://theaustralianwhipco.com for less, especially with the current Australian/US dollar exchange rate, but there is around a 4 + month wait period for them via either company. Terry could make one in natural tan, but the hero whips supplied for the film were all done in dark saddle tan/antique brown. These are great whips, but they are much heavier and have very different action compared to the original style Indy bullwhips and as such may not be the best choice as a first whip.

Even though David Morgan himself no longer makes the 450 series bullwhips, his son Will and grandson Alex do. Along with Meagan Baldwin they are all very talented whip makers. The whips are still being made under David’s specifications and though a bit pricy, they are very high quality. They do however look a little different now compared to the whips they made for the first 3 films.

Joe Strains whips are excellent whips, and out of those three choices it might be your best option. Not only does he make them close to the specifications of the original Indy style bullwhips, He is one of the top whip makers today and also has the added status of supplying his bullwhips in saddle tan color to the production of Kingdom of the Crystal skull. Which have been confirmed as showing up on screen in a few places.

There are of course many other whip makers that can make these types of whips for you too, Del Carpio , MidWestWhips, etc. but in this case I get the feeling you want one made by one of the 3 whipmakers who supplied whips for the Indy films.

Dan

[James Bond]

Thanks everyone for the good tips!!

Like you guys understand, I wanted a good Raiders of the Lost ark whip and a 10 Feet Joe Strain whip in Natural Tan looks to be great!

[scot2525]

What about Paul or Lauren at http://www.midwestwhips.com/IndyWhips.html as an alternative?

I have never read or heard of anything negative regarding their product but it is often overlooked for an Indy whip.

PS:

Sorry BWB I see you chose midwestwhips as an alternative as well.

[jedidentist]

Here's something to consider.


This is how both whips coil up naturally. I can't really get them any smaller.

Could strain ( on the left/Morgan on the right).

Would the strain be braided to tight?

For what it's worth, my Morgan looks like the one on the left...I can't wind it any tighter.

Money wasn't an option for me when buying a whip...fortunately, I'm at that point in my life. I opted for a Morgan based on the name and "prestige". Sure, it wasn't made by David...but Wested's are made by others, and my MBA gear wasn't made by the exact same people. Nevertheless, I got them all for the name. People argue back and forth about how well a Morgan behaves compared to others...but in the end, are we using these whips for our livelihoods? No...we're buying them because they're replica props and we like to "live the adventure". Yes, some have taken the hobby to a different level regarding their whipcracking skills and are having fun with that, but in the end, aren't 95% of us getting this stuff to be as Indy-esque as possible? So with that being said, what you need to answer for yourself is do you want SA or name-brand? Do you get an Akubra, HJ, or AB? Do you get an MKVII or replica? Do you by Todd's, Wested, or save up for NH or MBA? It's a question you need to answer yourself.

[bluzharp]

Were you looking for strictly an "IJ" replica? If that's the case, I can't offer much. But I will say that whatever "style" of whip you decide on, Strain's whips are very, very good, for all the reasons mentioned before.

[rjallen70]

Joe Strains whips are excellent whips, and out of those three choices it might be your best option. Not only does he make them close to the specifications of the original Indy style bullwhips, He is one of the top whip makers today and also has the added status of supplying his bullwhips in saddle tan color to the production of Kingdom of the Crystal skull. Which have been confirmed as showing up on screen in a few places.
Perhaps you could enlighten as to where...and update the main site to reflect this info...it still says they were not seen on screen. As a proud owner of a Strain I for one would appreciate it!
Ron

[hollywood1340]

Yes, on screen, but not hero whips. Anyone who owns a Strain is a lucky anyone indeed ;D

[BullWhipBorton]

Updates for the main bullwhip page write up are coming and will include the information on Joe Stains bullwhips appearing on screen in KotCS, among other things.

At least Two scenes so far show the Joe Strain bullwhip, One in the warehouse when “Indy” grabs the light fixture and jumps up, climbing into the rafters, and two during the the Jungle chase when Indy jumps from the Duck into the Russian troop car.





Note the thin handle, thong and wide wrist loop in both photos. Now also at least one vintage David Morgan bullwhip was on set/location in Hawaii, supplied by the Lucas Archives. its possible it could have made it into a scene too, but these look like the bullwhips Joe Strain supplied and fits the information that they had been provided for the stunt personal.

Dan

[Nebraska Brad]

I own all three and would have to vote for Strain if you were only getting 1.

-Nebraska

[JMObi]

Brilliant! Thanks Dan. Indisputable evidence.

[VP]

Out of those three get a Strain. Here's my 2007 8 footer after three months of use, basically still looks like that since I haven't cracked it much due to the 12-month vacation in the armed forces last year.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/I ... -10-09.jpg

[Texas Raider]

My Del Carpio movie whip (dark) and my Strain movie whip (tan)

[Boggstandard]

Without in any way diminishing the worth of the other makers, Joe Strain would certainly get my vote.
His work is of the highest quality.

[Solent MKIII]

Glad to see the Strain whips actually got some screen time. I found out about Joe's whips after I had purchased a Morgan. Had I known then what I know now, I would likely have gotten one of his instead - great looking whip, and not as much of a STRAIN on the pocket book ( I couldn't resist ). That said, I am more than pleased with my Morgan!

[bluzharp]

Without in any way diminishing the worth of the other makers, Joe Strain would certainly get my vote.
His work is of the highest quality.

I will preface this with Boggstandard's statement about "not diminishing the worth of the other makers." I feel the same way as I speak about my experiences when I was making a decision about purchasing a bullwhip. Plus I don't want my post to be mistakenly construed as a "biased advert"

A few years ago when I first decided to buy a quality whip, I was surprised/naive at the price of a top-notch, quality bullwhip. I'm an IJ fan, but I was not looking specifically for an "IJ" movie replica. I just wanted a high quality whip that was "range worthy", but also was a functional piece of art that I wouldn't be afraid to get dirty.

I figured out my budget first, and did a TON of research; both here on this site, and with some very accomplished, world famous whip crackers. (Thanks Mr. Camp.) I quickly discovered that a Morgan was out of my price range. However, I was lucky enough to have had access to most of the well known whip maker's examples, including Strain, Jacka, and Morgan. Soooo, I had the opportunity to throw some of the best current whip makers "braids" out there. When the news filtered down that David was "going into semi retirement", it made my quest a little easier. (Although, if it was 10 or 15 years ago I might have ended up with a Morgan)

After talking to Joe Strain, I had him braid me one of his LoneStar bullwhips, and I couldn't be happier.

They say there's no substitute for youth, and Joe is going to be around for quite some time, consistently making high quality whips. And when he stops, well.. that will be sad. Just as it was when Morgan stopped plaiting.

Oh by the way, go with a Strain.

[Redinight]

I have only one issue with the Joe Strain 10', at it's handle base... Where the wrist loop and the handle come together, it's not as accurate on screen of Raiders as the one you see sitting on the table at the Imam's house. The rest of it is very accurate except for that extra single loop of leather on the wrist loop. However I prefer that off. Really it's not that big of a deal, perhaps they weren't all the same such as the jackets.

Besides that it is awesome!!! I broke it in too much though as I wrongly believed it took a lot of muscle to crack it at first.....

[knibs7]

I have had both a Strain and a Morgan (current) and I would say that price wise, Strain is the way to go. As for quality, it depends. The newer Morgans (2003- present) aren't crafted well enough to be worth the price. I'm not saying they are bad whips, but you are mainly paying for the name now. Strain on the other hand has wonderful quality whips. The only reason I would pick my Morgan over the Strain i used to have is because it is an older Morgan. Both are highly respectable whips though

Nibs

[Indiana County Jr.]

I have to back Knibs on this.... I have one of the newer morgans (2006) and if I had not got it at a "good price", I would have went with the Strain hands down. I like others seem to have an issue with the hitch coming loose, I ended up tying it up "aussie style" and it has not come loose since, not sure why that became a problem to start with . I still like it though very much and enjoy cracking it, but in the end it just depends on the situation.


Crack On!
Allen

[Texas Raider]

STRAIN!

TR

Like I said at the very beginning

TR

[bluzharp]

I have only one issue with the Joe Strain 10', at it's handle base... Where the wrist loop and the handle come together, it's not as accurate on screen of Raiders as the one you see sitting on the table at the Imam's house. The rest of it is very accurate except for that extra single loop of leather on the wrist loop. However I prefer that off. Really it's not that big of a deal, perhaps they weren't all the same such as the jackets.

Besides that it is awesome!!! I broke it in too much though as I wrongly believed it took a lot of muscle to crack it at first.....

Hey Redinight, just curious; why do you think it's "broke in too much?" I'm asking because I thought I did the same thing with mine after 75 or so throws. Joe consoled me, and I realized I didn't hurt it at all. Now, 2 yrs. later, and after 3 falls, and 50 crackers, it's like butter! I learned to replace the falls myself, and make my own crackers. Lordy! I have had SO MUCH fun with mine!