and i don`t mean those cheep`os for 20-30$ which u can find on e-bay but a hand made proffesional one

I have a personal bias against artifical materials as a substitute for `real` materials, so I`m not the best to ask.

I`ve heard many good things about the Coda Aspire.

And if I had to, I`d use one, but if I don`t, I`d rather not. Same goes for saddles. My kids ride with excellent synthetic saddles (fit the horses well too) but I bought a good brand leather saddle. More work to look after, but there`s just something about leather I luv.

I think it`s the feel of the wood, the smell (yes there`s a smell!) and somehow the `authenticity.

But, ultimately I`m also a realist. If my performance were affected, I`d rather play with a good graphite bow than with a cheap wood bow.

LOL...I don`t suppose that helps you out at all does it? :D

I like them composite and carbon fibre.

Liz

Why? I`m genuinely interested...do they somehow play better? Feel better? Sound better?

I wish this forum had an edit button!

One other thing...Kakaroth...I don`t know what you mean by `handmade` ...the bows around here that are made by smaller bowmakers seem to average $7000 for some reason that I still haven`t quite figured out.

Nox about the sound and playing in general.
Well my wooden bow is a cheap one, so when I first tried my teachers carbon fibre bow i was REALLY amazed! I thought that I was a bad player or sth, but when it came to playin with the synthetic one the sound it gave and the easeness of the movement astounded me. It was really something - in just one second all of my trouble went away - the vibrating bow when positioned at the frog, the harshnes in tone etc. so right now I`m saving money to buy my self one of theese.
Then You`re right - there IS something about wood. the atmosphere and the smell [YES the smell :P]
About the price - there are many bow/violin makers in Poland so the prices are really low [also becouse of the average payment and such] so You can buy yourself a REALLY fantastic bow for 300$ at most [many of the german and italian bows can go hide themselfes and i mean it!]. Oh happy me living in Poland

Well then, why not go look for a good wood bow before committing to the composite?

There`s no rush I hope...

I have to congratulate you on your English too...unless you are English LOL...so hard to tell on-line! I have a Polish side of the family...so the best I can do is wish you

`Jean Dobre`...(spellt phonetically of course!)...:D

yeah, I know - rush only makes things worse. There are many well supplied music stores around here so I`ll take my time to go, look around and test them
No, I`m not English nor American or such :P
Nox You made me really laugh phonetically it`s exactly how it`s suppose to be congratulations! in Polish "good morning" is spelled "dzień dobry" :-) be proud of Your Polsih side, cause we made a lot of good in this world Also try cooking something that is called "bigos" [in E. "beegos"]

Simply, composite and carbon fibre bows are far better than wood bows of a comparable price.

Liz

I think, as good wood becomes rarer and more expensive, that fibre and composite bows will become the norm.

It would be nice to condemn them out of hand because they are not "proper" and as a grumpy old man and luddite, I would like to be at the forefront, but many who use the mid-range bows (which would be my level) speak well of them.

My daughter and my students are now using Col Legno carbon fibre bows. I found them offer very good value for money. They have different categories. For my daughter and students, i ask them to use the Standard model, they work well. I bought a Supreme model (wood look finish) to try. It is amazing! Better than my expensive french bow. So, now i use it to teach without worrying it may break by naughty kids!