Club Obi Wan

I ordered one of his 8 foot 4 plait whips yesterday, and I should be getting it next week. I am trying to put together a decent costume for the movie premiere.

Here is his photo from the auction:

I will posts pics when I receive my whip.

I think I read that a couple other people have gotten their budget whips from jrzjoe the eBay seller I bought mine from.

I wanted to ask the experts on here what they say about his whips.

Thanks,

Josh

I have a jrzoe's 12 footer... They are OK at best... not a real whip. You CAN crack it though and it's loud... It just doesn't give you that manacing 'whoosh' sound when it goes by. The weight in handle is non existence. I think he just put in a pvc pipe or something... It's a hollow plastic. The braiding is not as tight and it will eventually come lose. As for a costume piece though, it'll work. I was almost tempted to use it to see I could swing on it since it was so cheap. If you don't have much money to spare and happy with 4 plait whips, I'd say go with Winrich whips. His 4 plait whips are awesome!! There are whole bunch of videos he put up on Youtube site... A lot of tricks and how tos he did there were with his 4 plait whips and man, they move and sound awesome. However just for a costume piece and a little show off crack here and there.. jrzoe's will do fine. It's a good starter whip and that's how I got motivated to get a better whip!! Yup, once you get into this whip cracking business... oh man, god help you. It gets pretty addictive... Well, enjoy your whip and have a good one!!

gi_canuck wrote:I have a jrzoe's 12 footer... They are OK at best... not a real whip. You CAN crack it though and it's loud... It just doesn't give you that manacing 'whoosh' sound when it goes by. The weight in handle is non existence. I think he just put in a pvc pipe or something... It's a hollow plastic. The braiding is not as tight and it will eventually come lose. As for a costume piece though, it'll work. I was almost tempted to use it to see I could swing on it since it was so cheap. If you don't have much money to spare and happy with 4 plait whips, I'd say go with Winrich whips. His 4 plait whips are awesome!! There are whole bunch of videos he put up on Youtube site... A lot of tricks and how tos he did there were with his 4 plait whips and man, they move and sound awesome. However just for a costume piece and a little show off crack here and there.. jrzoe's will do fine. It's a good starter whip and that's how I got motivated to get a better whip!! Yup, once you get into this whip cracking business... oh
man, god help you. It gets pretty addictive... Well, enjoy your whip and have a good one!!

Thanks. I originally didn't even have it in my budget to get a whip for my outfit, then I realized that I couldn't have a Indy outfit without one!

I had looked at the Winrich budget whip, but I heard that he was not taking order until June or something like that and I needed it in time for the premiere. Also, this whip cost 35, and for his it would be $100. Now I am in no way comparing quality. If you just look at his photos, you can see his are much better in every way, but I just didn't have the extra moola to spend on one.

Eventually I would like to get one of Gus's whips though. They look great and for a good price too.

Oh darn, I am already planning on getting another whip! I've all ready decided on getting a Camptown Fedora when I get the money.

darn IndyGear! lol

Josh

Here's the thing: it's leather, it cracks, it's a whip. I have that exact same whip and I'm very happy. Not all of us have the money to spend on other "budget" whips and I think this is great for those of us who are more concerned with the costume aspect of Indy Gear. I think you'll be satisfied with this whip and you'll at least have something on your belt. And I've said this a million times, but don't feel discouraged with close-enough gear! It's all about having fun and 'feeling' like Indy.

-Indy Green

lol and I've thought about a Gus whip too...Indy gear is like quicksand!

In my opinion if you are on a budget I'd get one of Gus's 8 plait whips. They look 1000 times more indy than a 4 plait and are kip, so they will tan nicely.

Plus from what I hear Gus's whips have more going on inside than Jrzjoe's whips do, so the will last longer and are more functional.

xoxo

Louie
P.S. I'm down at disneyworld and we're going to see the Indy stunt show tomorrow, I'm very excited!

I'd reccomend Gus anytime. His whips are great (I got mine today! ) and he is a really great guy to deal with.

Plus he has been making whips for quite a while! He's been making them since 2002 and he even made whips for a living for a while back in 2005. He told me he's made around 2000 whips!

For the price, his 8 ft 12 plait whip cannot be beat.

Indiana Green wrote:lol and I've thought about a Gus whip too...Indy gear is like quicksand!

Yeah. That's how it starts. When I SERIOUSLY started, I had an 8 plait cowhide, 6 foot "Indy" style whip, (I'd had a 12 foot, 4 plait swivel handle bullwhip for years, but it doesn't exactly count.) Then, I tried an 8 foot, 12 plait Kangaroo hide one, (a Strain.) Then I BOUGHT an 8 foot Strain. Then I got a 6 foot Kangaroo Jacka, then another Strain, then traded that for another 8 ft. Nolan, and picked up a couple cowhide "beater" whips, and just yesterday I won an old stockwhip from eBay, (happy birthday to me!)

I've got plans for at least one more 8 footer, a couple 6 or 8 foot Nylon whips, and a couple short, lightweight "routine" stockwhips. Plus anything else I run into that tickles my fancy.

It's not quicksand, it's a bloody sinkhole big enough to swallow Cleveland!

But at least we're in good company! ;-)

(By the way, Indiana Green, whereabouts in Ohio are you? I'm down in the Southeast "Corner that time forgot:" Athens. P.M. me if you get a chance!)

All the best, and happy crackin'!

-Dan

haha fish, I go to OU! GO BOBCATS

Wow! I TEACH at OU!

Go Bobc...Nevermind that, GO TO CLASS!

OK, Seriously. I teach on a regional campus, but I live in Athens...

You can often find me throwing whips around on College Green at random times during the week, (over by Mem Aud,) and typically on Tuesday evenings around 7-8PM out in front of Walter Hall, (by the bizarre Installment Art "Punch Card" lawn,) if the weather is nice.

Look for the red-haired guy in the hat with the whips on his belt ;-)

See ya round!

-Dan

gi_canuck wrote:I have a jrzoe's 12 footer... They are OK at best... not a real whip. You CAN crack it though and it's loud... It just doesn't give you that manacing 'whoosh' sound when it goes by....

A buddy of mine has a nice 4 plait prop whip. But he said the same thing when I was cracking my 8ft Strain, because his didn't make that same noise that mine did before it cracked. Until then I didn't know there was a difference, and thought all whips did that.

So what causes that sound?? I had always assumed every whip made that 'whoosh' sound from the fall and cracker cutting thru the air before it cracked. Now I'm confused and curious as to the difference.

I just bought one of these mainly to use as a display whip with my costume until I save up enough to get a really good one!

I wonder if it's because of the tighter plaiting maybe???

Wow 2000 whips in 6 years Gus! So you've been making 1 whip per day since you started making whips, without taking time off for holidays or anything? Lol, does that include whip hatbands or something?

Bluzharp,

A quality whip can't be compared to any other costume whip. A kangaroo hide whip, like your Joe Strain, has many layers of plaiting and solid leather in the internal construction that are tightly packed in together to form a dense solid leather thong. It has body to it and weight and a good taper that responds lively to your minor movements, and that is what makes a whip crack really well, and quite loudly. It is a fine tool that takes the small amount of kinetic energy you put into a whip(say you throw your arm at about 1mph), and accelerates it down the length of the whip to the tip(which will end up traveling at about 750-900mph). A costume whip will likely have limp rope, or paper(even newspaper), plastic trash bags, even just a few strips of leather, and the overlay is made from a cheap leather that isn't very dense or compact, and on top of that it is braided very loosely compared to the roo hides. So the construction doesn't lend much to physics. Granted you can get it to crack, but it won't be as loud, and you will have to put more effort into it, and work harder to get it to crack(which is the exact opposite of what a good whip is designed to do)

There really isn't anything better than a well made whip!

Hi Josh,

You asked for it, so I am going to give you my honest opinion, straight up:

From a whipmaker/whipcracker standpoint: "Jrzjoe" whips are complete rubbish. If you are wanting to learn whipcracking, and think that these whips are a good inexpensive way to start, I would suggest not to throw your money away on one of these whips. The best proof is to find someone in your area with a well made roo hide whip and compare them side by side. You should be able to tell from just seeing them side by side, or picking them up in your hands. If you crack them both then there definitely will be no doubt left in your mind. Adam Winrich's 4 plait IOAB whips are the best quality "budget" whips you can buy. And I think the main reason is that he makes high quality roo hide whips as well. He knows how to taper and weight a whip properly so it has a similar action to the roo whips. If you are looking for a "budget" whip that is good to learn with before going to a roo hide, then it is well worth saving up a bit more for a IOAB.

From an Indygear standpoint, For $35 bucks you have a whip that will look great on your belt as a costume piece! Of course it is not completely screen accurate, but it will do it's job for opening night, and the average movie goer(read that as non-COW member) will think it looks spot on!

So I would say you got exactly what you were hoping to get out of it, and I hope that this encourages your enthusiasm for whips and whipcracking. Have fun at the premiere!!!

Regards,

Paul Nolan
www.midwestwhips.com

Yeah Paul lots were hatbands and beltwhips. Yeah I don't really take any time off. One day I would like to be as good as you. Lol. Might take a class with you sometime. Would like to step up my 12 and 16 plait to 24 plait. Laters.

Paul,
Being an Ohio native, I couldn't help but wonder: Whereabouts is Fairborn?

It's right around Dayton. Very near Wright-Pat.

The Whip Studio, (and sorta the Society of American Whip Artistry,) is hosting a "Indiana Jones Premier Party in Fairborn on the evening of May 21st.

For details, check out: http://www.thewhipstudio.com/indyparty08.htm

And by the way, Paul...After the browbeating I received from you for saying that I wasn't going to make it, and then hearing that both Nick Ammann and Chris Camp were gonna make it, I've been pressured into making an appearance myself.

The peer pressure from you guys! I swear! Forcing a person to come and hang out with friends, throw around whips, dress in IndyGear, and watch a midnight showing of the movie together? Jeez! Such hardships I endure for you guys! ;-)

I'd offer you a ride if you needed one, IG, but I'll be leaving from Lancaster after work, and will most likely be heading back TO Lancaster the next day to teach before I get back in to Athens.

But if you CAN make it, love to meet you!

As always, all the best, and happy crackin'!

-Dan

Maybe Paul could shed some light on this matter since he's the real expert here...

The whoosh sound in my opinion could be caused by the weight of the whip. The jrzjoe whips are very light and 4 plait whip with a low quality light leather binding wouldn't give too much weight to it. It's like swinging a plastic bag around... you wouldn't get that whoosh sound from a plastic bag. If the whip is properly weighed in the handle and has a bit of weight to it, it'll make that menacing sound even with the slightest movement of flicking your wrist while the whip is on the ground. (You can see that happening from Winrich's videos on youtube) I bet, Gus' whip does the same thing. A quality production whip, whether it be 4 plaits or 8 plaits, still IS a whip vs. jrzoe... like I said is a good costume piece, nothing more. Like someone said above, yeah, it's a whip. You can do tricks with it, you can crack it, you can wrap with it... it's just that it's not a GOOD whip.

If you want to look cool and just walk around looking like Indiana Jones, jrzjoe's is perfect. It's cheap and it looks cool... from the distance haha... Most people wouldn't know the difference from jrzjoe's whip to the real thing anyway, so why bother get the real thing? However you will often hear people going "Wow, is that a real whip? Do you know how to use it or is it just for a show?" ( <--- You wouldn't believe how many people ask you that question as soon as they see you. ) Then, you are in trouble... (Whip cracking, in my opinion, is an ultimate form of Indy tribute... anyone can look like Indiana Jones, but not everyone can ACT like Indiana Jones) because whether you can crack it or not, it just wouldn't give you that cool Indiana Jones whip sound everyone's familiar with... Nonethless they will be impressed with the loud crack, but slightly disappointed with it not being able to make that cool whoosh sound and go "Meh, it's cool, but I guess the whips don't make that whoosh sound, they must have made that up..." and you are busy trying to explain people that the sound IS real, but it just didn't make that sound due to the poor construction... blah blah... By that point, in my case, I was like "Hey, I really have to get a good whip, I am giving Indy a bad name with this!!" Believe me once you get the real thing and start cracking with it, people just aren't impressed with its performance... they are AWED by it.

So by now, you want to ask yourself a question... Am I just doing this for a show, or am I am doing this so I'd not only look like Indy, but I can actually pull it off being like Indy?... If the answer is the latter... then yes, you need a better whip. Nothing wrong just slapping that whip on the side and just enjoy celebrating the new Indy movie with all the gear on though. It still says "I am a HUGE fan"... some may giggle and point at your direction going "Hehe, there's an Indy geek!" (I don't think there's such a thing, since Indy gear isn't exactly like wearing stormtrooper armor all over the place) , but as soon as you get the whip out and show them what you can do with it... You will soon know that those people's smirk turns into a genuine admiration... and don't tell me you'd mind that... especially from the ladies around you... haha... That's my two cents... Enjoy!!

To my experience, Canuck is certainly on the right track, but it's not so much the weight. You could load a junk whip down with lead and bolsters, and it would still just go "Thud!" It's all about the Conservation Energy and the efficiency of tight plaiting, and taper, and mass.

All of those things contribute to the whip being an extremely efficient energy transfer system.

the dense packing of tightly plaited leather allows the kinetic energy transfered from your hand very little outlet except out the end of the whip, and the constant, steady taper from the handle to the popper create a "funnel effect" that makes it go faster and faster.

You just don't get that with those long, cheap whips. With the loose plaiting on those e-Bay whips, the leather strands are just sort of sitting against one another, somewhat slack, allowing a lot of energy loss when you try to crack it. Kind of like a lose guitar string, it may generate a tone, (not talking about tuning here. We're talking amplitude, not freuency,) but it won't be loud. Tighten it properly, and the sound is greatly amplified.

That's REALLY what we're talking about when we most of us say "Don't Swing on your whips! You'll damage them!" We're not saying that it will break. Lord knows that stretchy, well-plaited kangaroo hide will actually HOLD your weight, (unless you spend just WAY to much time in front of the computer with Cheezy-poofs!) We're making hairpin turns in the length of these things while accelerating them past Mach 1, for cryin' out loud! Those are some pretty DARN HIGH stress tolerances! They WILL hold the weight. But what happens when they do? The strands stretch, and don't flex completely back. Continue this type of use and gaps in the plaiting occur, and suddenly your $400 piece of quality craftsmanship has the energy transfer efficiency of one of those $40, loosely-plaited eBay jobs.

That little "Quip" or "Whoosh" sound that Indy's whip makes on the upswing is ALL about those things. Plait count doesn't matter. Look at how JrzJoe's 4 plait whips compare to Adam's 4 plait IOAB, or Mike Murphy's fantastic 4 plait stockwhips. THERE IS NO COMPARISON.

Kinda like listening to a Aijitsu practitioner practice a cut with a cheap Katana ground from stainless steel bar stock, and then listening to them do it with a real, hammered, forged-formed, differentially tempered carbon steel blade. The thing literally sings.

That's not to say that Joe's whip's don't have their place. They do. They fill a niche. Take 'em out, crack them, cut targets with them, swing on them...Great!

...and Canuck is also right about the IndyFan vs. the Stormtrooper Armor wearin' guy. We are often just overlooked rather than looked over. I dressed as Indiana Jones at work on Halloween this past year. Thing is, my normal work wear consists of khakis, a button down shirt, and often my trusty Akubra. No one really noticed, save for my 8' Indy whip on my belt.

I walked around all day, and when I saw fellow faculty in the halls, I'd joke that "had they heard anything about any Archaeology Department positions opening up at the University." They just sort of blankly stared, oblivious to the joke, (was even pointed out that we don't have an Archaeology department. Just Anthro. Which I knew!)

I walked around all day, and when I saw fellow faculty in the halls, I'd joke that "had they heard anything about any Archaeology Department positions opening up at the University." They just sort of blankly stared, oblivious to the joke, (was even pointed out that we don't have an Archaeology department. Just Anthro. Which I knew!)

That's golden!! Got a good chuckle out of that. Thanks for sharing that story with us.

As for me, so far I've had alot of people commenting on my AB hat about how cool the hat looks and all, but haven't really been getting Indiana Jones connections up until recently when more and more movie related stuff were coming out for promotions and whatnot... However me being an asian kind of helped it too... no one really connected dots because of that. One person did say "My...My... Short Round is all grown up and taken up his mentor's job..." or something like that. Got referred as "Asiana Jones" or "Koreana Jones" sometimes too. Actually come to think of it... that Koreana Jones has a nice ring to it... I think the name's already taken by one of our members though...

thefish wrote: I dressed as Indiana Jones at work on Halloween this past year. Thing is, my normal work wear consists of khakis, a button down shirt, and often my trusty Akubra. No one really noticed, save for my 8' Indy whip on my belt.

I had the same thing happen to me at work. It kind of made me afraid for my personal safety that someone could wear a holster and whip to work and the main comments were "Oh, you're wearing a hat!"

(I did like all the "I never realized how much you look like Harrison Ford" comments. Maybe we should have an HF look alike contest.)

Montana Plains wrote:Maybe we should have an HF look alike contest.)

I think that Aeris would win hands down.

Talk about Harrison Ford look alike... Check this kid out... spitting image of young HF... Well, more like Teenage HF, but oh man, this kid is great... Enjoy!!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=bba_wPdLxp4

http://youtube.com/watch?v=PIZLmWtfrJc&feature=related

Throw him some Indy Gear and we've got ourselves a new Young Indy!!

that first video must be a son of Harrison.he is spot on!
give him 10 years or so and he could be the next Indy!

Holt

http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRat ... 879&page=2

Top Response on pg. 2 ;-)

-Dan

Niice. Did you ever show up in the class with Indy's professor suit on? (Grey suit with bowties and all) If I were a college prof, I'd definitely do it just to see anyone picks up on it... and quote some stuff from the movie... "In real life, X never ever marks the spot..." haha...

I believe the first day that I had the full-time position, I started class with:

"'Neo' meaning 'New'...and 'Lithic'...I, T, H...I, C....Meaning 'Stone'...."

I didn't have any cute undergrad girls blinking at me with "Love You" on their eyelids though...

It might have been the first day, but I know I did that at some point early in my teaching career...

No one got it, though.

-Dan

I went to a review session for a history class once and the teacher's aid who was doing the the review made an Indy reference/joke and I chuckled aloud...by myself...I looked around at all the blank stares and then at the TA who just smiled. He must have appreciated at least one person getting it.

gi_canuck wrote:Talk about Harrison Ford look alike... Check this kid out... spitting image of young HF... Well, more like Teenage HF, but oh man, this kid is great... Enjoy!!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=bba_wPdLxp4

http://youtube.com/watch?v=PIZLmWtfrJc&feature=related

Throw him some Indy Gear and we've got ourselves a new Young Indy!!

Wow!

Dave

yeah I know he is amazing....but lets get this thread back on track again

bests
Holt

well, I've ordered a whip from Rhett's whips(it got shiped to my parents house, so should be here in a couple of days), and also am on the waiting list for a whip from Bernie (from em whips), and I too have fallen prey to a whip from eBay. I have yet to receive it, so I don't know how bad my buy was, but I just couldn't pass up owning a 20ft whip(silly, I know). Mostly because I just wanted to hear how loud it would crack. Though I don't think that it will be that loud because of the looser braiding. I'll just have to wait and see how it does. Also, having a 20ft whip is just cool(well, in my opinion, lol) something to just have some fun with. I mean, where else can you order a 20ft whip for under $120 shipped? If anything, I will get really good at my wraps after playing with this thing, lol. I'm sure that I'll get myself into a tangle or two before the day is out. I'll keep posting about my thoughts on the whip when it arrives, till then,
Nick

I got my whip on Monday, and I have been waiting to post anything about it. As others had stated, the whip does feel very light, and it is very lightly braided. It will work perfect for my costume though. But now I seriously want a nicer whip. I am going to probably save up for either a 8 plait or 12 plait whip from Gus.

I don't think I need to post any pics since my whip look pretty much exactly like the photo I posted at the top except the knots were different.

I guess the jrzjoe whips are good if you want a cheap 4-plait, but what rubs me the wrong way is the way he includes pics of the Indy costume, Indy whip, and even titles the auctions "INDIANA JONES tan bullwhip". Very misleading. He should just say it like it is, and not try to convince people it is just like an Indy whip.

Sure, for a 8-foot whip it's cheap, but I just don't like the tactics used to sell them. Just my humble opinion.

stealthboy wrote:I guess the jrzjoe whips are good if you want a cheap 4-plait, but what rubs me the wrong way is the way he includes pics of the Indy costume, Indy whip, and even titles the auctions "INDIANA JONES tan bullwhip". Very misleading. He should just say it like it is, and not try to convince people it is just like an Indy whip.

Sure, for a 8-foot whip it's cheap, but I just don't like the tactics used to sell them. Just my humble opinion.

He only within the past week or two added all the Indy related images and such to his auctions. Actually, he is selling replica 12 plait Indy Whips that I first saw the all the Indy pics and such used on.

I think he just makes one template he and slightly modifies it for each auction. Thats what many eBay sellers do.

I have to agree that it may be misleading. But for the most part, if you are a person looking on eBay for a whip, you probably don't really want either the wait or the price for a good one. He is targeting and getting the people that just want to be able to say they have a real whip like Indy, but without having to give up your first born to get it.

He is just doing exactly what every company that sells something that vaguely Indy-esque does, advertises his items as such.

Seriously, you'd be stupid if you didn't use ploys such as that to help raise your companies sales.

swcrazyfan wrote: Seriously, you'd be stupid if you didn't use ploys such as that to help raise your companies sales.

That's a good point. I guess people who really know what they're looking for will find it all obvious.

I think we need to be careful about our Ebay prejudice, and not paint with a broad brush.
I have purchased on Ebay whips made by Strain, Morgan, Murphy, Schultz, and Nolan, among other fine makers. Even Chris Barr will sometimes list his outstanding whips on the "E."
The bottom line is that you need to be cautious, know the makers, know something about whips and be willing to pay the price for good quality. I have never gotten something for nothing.

I Have A BullWhip From Him ...
A 10ft / 12 plaids ... A Kangaroo Hide ... And I'm Very Happy With It ...
It Cracks Well & I Have a Lot Of Fun With That Whip ...
At Last ... He's a Nice Guy To Deal With & a Good Seller ...
I'm A Happy Customer ... =)

~§~

I ordered on from him because I simply could not yet afford a good roo whip or most of the other 'budget' roo-like whips.

It is what it is. A decent whip, looks ok. Plaits are a little looser than I expected. A bit hard to crack (I'm new, so that could be mostly me). I can get it to give a fairly good crack side to side, or straight up and down at my side, but nothing overhand, swinging, or anything like what Indy does in the movies.

I've used Pecard's on it a coule times, and it is softening up a bit, getting a little easier to crack.

I did notice that when I trimmed the fall to be almost as thin as the popper(his falls are replaceable, and wide), it seems to crack a little easier.

In any case, it will have to do for opening night. I'll save up for a decent 'budget' whip before October.

I also have one of his whips. Bink and I just spent a good hour trying to get it to crack properly and couldn't. It is just a costume whip. I tried Bink's Winrich whip and cracked it easily on the first try. So it's not me, it's the whip.

We did some surgery on it and after trimming a great deal of the fall got it to crack with a lot of effort.

My 2 cents: jrzjoe looks good hanging on your belt and that's about it. I'm getting a Winrich as soon as I can.

I used WSP swivels for the longest time. I was allowed to hold one of Karen Quest's matching 4' Morgans and that was it for me. You can't beat quailty. If it functions as well as it looks you've got a good thing. If not, better rethink your priorities. With the Jzjoe....yeah, it functions about as well as it looks. I'd not even call it a costume whip. If you spend x amount trying to get the bag strap right, why skimp on a whip that looks only vaugely like an early 1980's Morgan? Save up a bit more and you'll be better off in the long run.

One of the other reasons I had to go with him was I only got the money last week, and I didn't have enough time to wait to get a nicer whip for the premiere.

I'm glad I found this thread, as I really want a decent looking whip for the premiere. I'm hoping he'll next day mail it to me if I purchase it. It was described as a Bull Whip 20' 10p Brown Bullwhip.

Does this mean 20 feet long?!

Yes, sir.

Dave

That's huge! I may try for something a bit smaller.

Yeah, you shouldn't need anything longer than 8 feet to hang on your belt. I'm warning you, though: You're gonna want to crack it, you're not going to be able to easily, and you'll just end up later on buying a better whip.