Club Obi Wan

Whip-wise, I'm looking to upgrade. I'm allocating about $150-200 towards the purchase of a new whip. I'm looking for something 8-10 feet in length. Plait number is less important to me, but hey, if I can get an 8 or 12 plait (or 12-8 drop plait) for that price, great. Hide is also less important, since this will not be a working whip, or at least won't do a ton of working (I live in the middle of Philadelphia, so carrying a whip around, much less using it, is generally frowned upon by the local constabulary ). If, however, I can get roo hide, great. I've heard that's best quality hide, generally speaking. Screen accuracy is great, but it's gotta fit within my budget.

Now, I've already found several websites, but I'm asking this to see if there's ones I've missed that people here use, lesser-known websites, or if there's specific users looking to unload a current whip (perhaps to do an upgrade of their own). I'd also prefer to avoid a "So and so is better than such and such" "No he's not!!" debate. If you want to PM me your personal experience with a seller, I'd be very interested, but to avoid any problems with negative reviews or put-downs (not that I'd expect much here), I'd prefer to keep that sort of thing to PMs only. If you HAVE had a negative experience with someone, please DO PM me, so that I can avoid the same pitfall, but like I said, let's keep it at PMs.



Thanks in advance for the help.

My advice is to try Adam Winrich.
He does a very nice cow hide whip, which he calls his "Indy On A Budget" whip. Adam sells the whip for a very reasonable price; within your price range.

Adam is a real artist; a fact reflected in all of his work- even the less expensive whips.

-Good Luck-


www.winrichwhips.com

I agree with boggstandard, I have one of adam IOAB and it's a very nice whip.

I saw that one and was seriously considering it. Alternatively, it'd be within my budget to get an 8-foot 12-plait cowhide, although it'd be double the price. Any thoughts on 4 vs. 8 vs. 12 plait? What're the functional differences?

Functionally, nothing really. The difference is mainly cosmetic. Basically all whips are either 4, 6 or 8 plait underneath the overlay anyway. The bellies are what really make the whip good or not -- the overlay is just the outer 'skin' of the whip that shows.

~Jace

I sell whips made from nylon para cord and am about to do a run of them for members here. They are very nice looking whips and they fall in your price range. Let me know what you think. Thanks James

Adam’s IOB bullwhips are good well-made honest whips that will hold up to years of use. They crack very readily and will do the job nicely. You won’t go wrong with one.

Tyrloch is right, the strand count on the overlay is secondary. If the whip is well made the plait count on the overlay shouldn’t be the main factor contributing to how smooth the action of the whip is. What is more important is how the belly is made, with that said however; a higher plait overly does have some advantages worth mentioning. It is more noticeable with shorter bullwhips, but the higher plait count on the overly will give the whip a smoother more fluidic action to the whip as it rolls out. The higher plait count while more susceptible to damage from cuts or abrasion also aids in the overall design and stability of the whip because of the way each strand works together to flex less as its subjected to the stresses of bending and pulling of the whip rolling out and cracking. A whip moves the way it does because of stretching, flexing and compression of the plaited strands. As the whip moves and bends, the plaiting on the top of the curve tends to want to stretch and separate while the strands on the bottom of the whip become compressed and are forced closer together. In a whip with a high overly plait count, each individual strand experiences less stretching and compression and each strand moves less to achieve that curving motion compared to a whip with a lower overly plait count. The premise being that in a whip made with a 12 or more plait overly, the narrow multiple stand whip will work together to flex and bend less allowing for a stronger whip and a longer life then say a whip only 4 or 6 wider stands that will wear out and break down faster. In any case though no matter how many stands make up the outer layer; a really good whip should almost feel as if it is doing the work for you. What is important is that you know the whip is made right from the inside out and that the overlay be tight, evenly plaited, smooth and the whip be properly tapered.

Now If you’re willing to go a little on the higher end, you might want to look into one of Mike Murphy’s AWS 12-plait kangaroo hide bullwhips at www.murphywhips.com. I believe an 8-foot tan runs around the $200. It’s made to be a more affordable option, an economy bullwhip of sorts and is built with cowhide bolsters and a single kangaroo hide plaited core. Mike doesnt make them, but they are made to his specifications. I’ve played around with one, it’s lighter then the standard Indiana Jones style bullwhip and not identical to the Indy whip but it has the overall look and is a very nice bullwhip for the price.

Dan

For the most part, I agree with Bullwhipborton -- Especially the last part. Murphywhips is agreat way to go: I've handled one of his subbed-out whips -- they handle very nicely. Not as well as a top of the line Murphy bull, or a good bull from any of the topmakers on this site, but very good for the price. Murphy makes one of the best bullwhips around, but if your'e looking for a screen-accurate Indy bull, then his whips are not that close. Best case scenario, you're better off saving up to get a whip from either Joe Strain, Bernardo, Winrich or one of the other good makers here. But if that's not an option, then listen to what everyone here has had to say...

~Jace

I got my 8foot 8plait roo hide whip for Troy from whips tazmania t arround $200 just click the link at the botom of my sig awesome whips my whip is pic #6 on his indy whip page

Just to avoid confusion; it's Troy Horton.
You are right though, he does some very nice work, but shipping from "Down Under" can eat up a lot of one's whip budget.

Hi Solo4114,
I'm Giovanni Celeste, If you need a whip for $150-200 try to go on my site, you can choose many different style at many different price.
kind Regards
Gio

This whip is a an 10-foot 12-plait calfskin

I had a look at Troy's site, and for what it's worth, I'd be willing to make an 8-plait 8 ft kangaroo bullwhip for $215.

-Adam
www.winrichwhips.com

I got my 10-foot bullwhip from David, I believe, way back in 1992 for something around $220. I cannot believe the prices these days! It's still in great shape. A fine investment .

A pic:
http://www.stealthboy.com/images/bullwhip.jpg

Stealthboy - David who? That's the whip?

In Christ,
Shane

IndyMcFly wrote:Stealthboy - David who? That's the whip?

In Christ,
Shane

David Morgan ... at least I'm pretty sure I ordered it from his shop. It was a while ago . And this was before the intarweb. Back then I had to order it via postal mail out of a catalog (!!!).

I may be mistaken, but I believe a 10' David Morgan bullwhip would have cost more than $220 even in the early 1990s.

I acquired a number of whips from David Morgan in the early 1990s and I seem to recall that a 10' kangaroo bullwhip would have cost more like $400. But as a certified senior citizen, I wouldn't stake my life on my memory.

Back then Morgan was making snake whips and target whips as well as his bullwhips.

Ahhhh the good old days, when whips where a whole lot more affordable. Even back then though David was always a lil higher priced then others and back in mid 90s his 10 ft bullwhips where still near $400 price range. Still you could get a nice 8ft Indy style bullwhip from Mark Allen back then for around $200 to $250. Makes me wish I bought more of my whips back then.

I think the neatest thing was looking at one of Cecil Henderson’s old price lists from the 50s, one of his 8 ft, 16 plait stockwhips with a 24 plait handle ran about 14.00 AU dollars, with a 20 plait whip costing a whole 2 dollars more, of course that didn’t include postage

Dan

I think Mark Allen whips were originally a subcontractor for David Morgan, weren't they? That could explain the $200-ish price range on stealthboy's whip while still making it a "David Morgan", yes? I may be confused.

Anyway, I'm all set now, thanks for everyone's help.

I acquired a 10ft Morgan bullwhip from him around 1994, and the cost was $430 plus shipping...

~Jace

Stealthboy's whip was made by Terry Jacka, and Mr. Jacka has been supplying both David Morgan and WSP for around 20 years.

The most logical scenario I can think of is, Stealthboy purchased the Terry Jacka bullwhip from David Morgan in the early 90's, and at that time the going rate for a 10 foot Terry Jacka bullwhip was between $200 and $300, though I can't remember the exact price. I've got some older catalogues from the mid 90's lying around somewhere, I'll see if I can find them.

Regards,

Paul Nolan
MidWestWhips

That whip looks just like the one in morgans latest book.
The whip he said he based the indy whip off of.
I dont own the newer book, but I was just looking at it
in tandy.
Adam

Paul, I think you hit the nail on the head that’s defiantly one of Terry’s old bullwhips and the price he paid back then from David Morgan sounds about right.

Stealthboy. You have a gorgeous bullwhip, it looks well cared for, though it might be time to change the popper. All the best.

Dan