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Your Views of Mark Allen?
Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2002 12:48 pm
by Cooler King
I'm just wonderin what you guys think of Mark Allen whips and stuff like that.
I got my first whip from his company and I must say I was extremely pleased. Very nice, well made whip. But I do know that David Morgan made the original whips for Raiders, yet his prices are just a bit too high. What do you guys think? Is there a quality difference, or are they really the same whip, just different makers?
Just curious...
~Aaron
Re: Your Views of Mark Allen?
Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2002 2:09 pm
by Sergei
DrJones56 wrote:I'm just wonderin what you guys think of Mark Allen whips and stuff like that.
I got my first whip from his company and I must say I was extremely pleased. Very nice, well made whip. But I do know that David Morgan made the original whips for Raiders, yet his prices are just a bit too high. What do you guys think? Is there a quality difference, or are they really the same whip, just different makers?
Just curious...
~Aaron
Joe Strain is the whip maker for Mark Allen Indy style whips. In my opinion, young Joe is tops. The only downside to the Indy style whip purchased from Mark Allen are the very slight differences in the whip design. Mark did the design change out of complete respect for David Morgan. So Mark requests his bullwhips to be made by Joe Strain with some slight design changes:
- the knots are slightly different (not as bulbous on the heel)
- the strands or laces of the whip are slightly narrower
These are slight differences, but done on purpose like I said. Having said high praise for Joe Strain, there is another complicator. Joe has suffered a major problem with his hand. As a result of braiding 500 to 600 hundred whips a year for the past few years, have resulted in 2 bad tendons on his left hand. He was forced to take some time off to let his hand heal. He will be coming back to making whips again this coming January however at a very reduced production (~ 2 per week).
So my guess just due to supply and demand, Joe Strain whips should go up in price. His reputation is getting up there with David Morgan as verified by the movies his whips have been in as well as his whips are often requested by the professional performers. All I can say, for those that currently have a Joe Strain whip, you are lucky you have one and especially at the relatively inexpensive price you paid. I know I consider myself lucky with my 5, Joe Strain's.
Hope this helps.
-S