Magnoli Bullwhips v Todds Bullwhips

[Obi Sean Kenobi]

Hi all,

I'm interested in a screen accurate, useable bull whip in a more, ahem, affordable price range. While I'd love a higher end whip, that extravagance is not currently in the budget.

Ideally, I'd like a screen accurate (in appearance) whip that I can "play" with a bit (take out in the yard and crack from time to time) and that makes a nice display piece.

I've been contemplating a Todds now that they are back in stock, but I'm also intrigued by Magnolis new offerings.

Thoughts?

Regards,
Sean

[riku1914]

Between the two.... uh... todds. But neither are really useable. Todd's are more screen accurate than magnoli whips, but both are definitely not made for use. Strict costume pieces. If I had to choose one to use, it would be a todds, however if you want a whip that will last you with any sort of use ( more than just once or twice ) you'll have to save up and get a better whip.

[Charybdis]

Is this true? Are they both strict costume pieces? I thought you could use them at least alittle bit...

[riku1914]

A tiny bit, yes. But neither will crack like a proper whip or hold up anything like a proper whip. Their price is their selling point, not their quality. That's something I always try to emphasize; for the price Todd's whips especially are amazing for what you get. But they are not made to be like a real whip. It's no the whip to get for a real use whip.

I can't remember what's in the internals of a Todd's, but I do know that the magnoli whips have a rope inside. That's about the worst thing you can put in a whip, from a performance perspective. It's done because its cheap and quick, making the whip cheap. Please keep all that in perspective when shopping around for whips! It's not a piece of gear you want to skimp on if you want it to last and function like it should!

[Charybdis]

Well, that's alright. My most important criterion was the price point. It's not like I'm going to be spending four hours each day trying to crack the thing!

I just want it to look pretty good hanging on my belt with my costume...

[Canuck Digger]

Then you've just answered your own question...

[CatsMeow]

My boyfriend has a 6 foot from Todds Costumes he bought on a whim a few months ago. Compared to our good whips from Western Stage props, Midwestwhips and Simon Martin it’s pretty chintzy but it does basics cracks and hasn’t fallen apart. He used alot of picards on it and switched the fall per BullwhipBortons recommendation which helped it a lot. Maybe riku got an especially bad one IDK but ours is usable and looks like Indys. If you ever want to really learn how to use a whip there are better choices even if you had to save up but Todds would be great for cosplay. To me Magnolis don’t look as much like Indys in the details and I know whips with rope inside them aren’t usually very good. I would probably avoid those.

[Charybdis]

Just got the Magnoli whip. It looks real nice. Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to get outside and practice a bit with it, but we'll see how this budget whip does and see if I can get it to crack a little bit!

[Cajunkraut]

I can't remember what's in the internals of a Todd's, but I do know that the magnoli whips have a rope inside. That's about the worst thing you can put in a whip, from a performance perspective. It's done because its cheap and quick, making the whip cheap. Please keep all that in perspective when shopping around for whips! It's not a piece of gear you want to skimp on if you want it to last and function like it should!

Edited for correction: Todd's whips are all leather construction. The plastic you see is artificial waxed sinew used to hold the leather bolsters in place during braiding:



From personal experience, I think that Todd's whips are (strictly) beautifully made SA costume pieces. Heck, they even darken with age, Pecard's, and sunlight like the more expensive ones:



See the related thread for the attached pics:
http://raven.theraider.net/showthread.php?t=22789

[Puppetboy]

Just for clarification, our whips are all leather construction. The plastic you see is artificial waxed sinew used to hold the leather bolsters in place during braiding.

Our whips have improved a lot in the 7-8 years we've offered them. In my opinion, our current whips offer enough functionality for the price to satisfy most casual hobbyists (like me!) But maybe I'm biased...

Todd

[Cajunkraut]

Just for clarification, our whips are all leather construction. The plastic you see is artificial waxed sinew used to hold the leather bolsters in place during braiding.

Our whips have improved a lot in the 7-8 years we've offered them. In my opinion, our current whips offer enough functionality for the price to satisfy most casual hobbyists (like me!) But maybe I'm biased...

Todd

[Solent MKIII]

From personal experience, I think that Todd's whips are (strictly) beautifully made SA costume pieces. Heck, they even darken with age, Pecard's, and sunlight like the more expensive ones:

That whip looks great!

[Paul_B]

I must have an older Todd's whip... the end knot is more squared and is larger that the ones I see here...

[Blake Bruning]

I have had both....I prefer Todd's....but then again the one I had was when he still made kangaroo.

[Zuiun]

I prefer Todd's....but then again the one I had was when he still made kangaroo.

I also have one of the kangaroo whips in my collection.

As for being usable, the one I have is surprisingly light weight for its length (8 foot), and the braiding is severely twisted down the length. It's certainly usable for single cracks and a few non-complicated combinations.

But the light weight and twisting tends to throw it off its "line" when it comes to any sort of accuracy. It also makes it pretty easy to over-muscle the whip if you aren't careful.

I'm not trying to knock Todd's whips, because they are clearly intentionally made at a price point to be more appealing for costume use more than anything. So I wouldn't expect $600 quality or anything like that. I wouldn't trust them for heavy usage, but throwing every now and again in costume? Definitely.

And who knows? Maybe the newer offerings have gotten better yet.