Tods Costumes Indy Bullwhip

IndyJoey

Member
They are nice looking, and they seem like they would crack, but how long the whip itself will last is questionable.
 

indyclone25

Well-known member
Rocket Surgeon said:
Nice looking, but not made to be cracked...
hello Todd says on the site they are made to be cracked . i have bought two of Todd's whips in the past and both crack incredibly well. Todd's very first batch of whips years ago were made for show only , but now he has them made by a company that makes whips and they are made to be cracked. so yes these new whips are real whips . they are handmade but just cost less then the other guys that charge $300 a whip. you can get a good whip for a good price and in different colors.:D
 
indyclone25 said:
hello Todd says on the site they are made to be cracked . i have bought two of Todd's whips in the past and both crack incredibly well. Todd's very first batch of whips years ago were made for show only , but now he has them made by a company that makes whips and they are made to be cracked. so yes these new whips are real whips . they are handmade but just cost less then the other guys that charge $300 a whip. you can get a good whip for a good price and in different colors.:D

I got mine (10 ft) within the last 12 months and blew it out in under 50 cracks...pictures later.

The components include plastic "wire" so sure, you can crack it...but how many times till you open it up?

Its not my first whip but it does looks fantastic, unfortunately its in two pieces at the moment.
 
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Sakis said:
Has anyone a purchased one of these?
I have...

Whip_zpsb8964e0d.jpg


Sean at Todd's asked for my order number and a photo so I hope I get a replacement...thanks for opening the thread!
 

Sakis

TR.N Staff Member
Rocket Surgeon said:
I have...

Sean at Todd's asked for my order number and a photo so I hope I get a replacement...thanks for opening the thread!

Thanks for sharing that picture!!
 
Sakis said:
Thanks for sharing that picture!!
Its a nice looking whip, here is the first response I got from Todd's:

I?m sorry to hear about your whip! If you could send a picture of the whip just so we have some proof for our records, as well as the order number, we can get you squared away. Again, I apologize for your troubles and I hope we can get this fixed for you. Have a great day!

Best Regards,
Sean~
Todd's Costumes

...and after I sent the info/pics:

We are currently out of stock on the 10? tan whips, they are however going to be restocked fairly soon. I apologize for the inconvenience, but we can send you a replacement as soon as the new ones come in. Thank you, and have a great day!


Encouraging, but a bit too vague. We shall see how long "fairly soon" is...that said, thanks for getting me off my duff on this!:hat:
 

fenris

New member
I was finally able to inspect and crack a Todd's 6ft whip in person during one of our local whip meets here in the Philippines. It's owned by one of the members in my whip enthusiasts group.

Anyway, here are my thoughts:

The overall look is nice and really looks like a well-made whip... but that's about it. I found the whip to be too light and fragile for real cracking.

Even if the owner used the small tub of Pecards it came with, you could still hear the whip creaking when you try to crack it. I advised the owner to redo the process to get rid of the creaking.

The lightness of the whip, in terms of weight, makes it harder to crack. Because it's too light, you need to exert more "throw" to get a significant crack "volume" which in turn could probably break it in the long run.

:whip:
 

Goodeknight

New member
Great observations, Fenris. And thanks for those pics, Rocket.

That plastic looks terrible! Terribly cheap, and certainly easy to break. It doesn't look like it's meant to flex at all, definitely not under regular or even light use.

I'm happy to see all this. I have a 10' Joe Strain that I paid big bucks for, but after Todd's email, I was seriously considering an 8' because they're so cheap. But I really don't want a wall hanger/costume whip. I'd want to crack it regularly.

Doesn't seem like such a great deal after all. And based on the emails Rocket shared, it also doesn't appear they've made any design changes that would solve that crappy plastic problem.
 

indyclone25

Well-known member
i have two of todd's whips and had them over two years (one over three year) now and both have stood up very well to summer's of constant cracking and being taken on adventures to comic conventions . they still look good , i just put conditioner on them whenever they start to creak a bit .
:whip:
 

fenris

New member
indyclone25 said:
i have two of todd's whips and had them over two years (one over three year) now and both have stood up very well to summer's of constant cracking and being taken on adventures to comic conventions . they still look good , i just put conditioner on them whenever they start to creak a bit .
:whip:

I actually wanted a whip from Todd's before because of your reviews. I cannot really afford a high-quality leather whip and Todd's seemed to be a good option. Even after I got my first nylon bullwhip, I was still interested in a Todd's whip.

I didn't believe the others' opinion that Todd's whip was not made for cracking as I've seen a lot of people who actually crack their whips from Todd's. I was actually planning to purchase one and was fortunate enough to meet someone here in the Philippines who actually had one.

I was actually disappointed when I saw and got to crack one in person. I do love how it looks, though. It does really look like an expensive well-made whip.

In the cracking department, though, it was sorely lacking. It will crack, and it can crack loud, but you have to muscle it more if you want a louder crack (which can lead to the whip failing).

Still, it's a great costume piece. :whip:
 

Goodeknight

New member
indyclone25 said:
i have two of todd's whips and had them over two years (one over three year) now and both have stood up very well to summer's of constant cracking and being taken on adventures to comic conventions . they still look good , i just put conditioner on them whenever they start to creak a bit .
:whip:

But what about all that plastic?? Unlike leather, bend plastic back and forth enough (near the speed of sound) and it will weaken and break.

Rocket, if Todd's only wanted pics, your best case scenario would be they send you another whip and just write off the old one. Then you'd have a new whip, and the old one purely for display. Look forward to hearing their decision.

Anyone here have *both* a Todd's whip and a high end whip?
 
goodeknight said:
But what about all that plastic?? Unlike leather, bend plastic back and forth enough (near the speed of sound) and it will weaken and break.

Rocket, if Todd's only wanted pics, your best case scenario would be they send you another whip and just write off the old one. Then you'd have a new whip, and the old one purely for display. Look forward to hearing their decision.

Anyone here have *both* a Todd's whip and a high end whip?
The plastic would bother me so much if it were simply bulk filler, but for the whip to rely on it as sinew isn't wise.

I've thought of that myself!:)
 

InexorableTash

Active member
goodeknight said:
Anyone here have *both* a Todd's whip and a high end whip?

Yes. Among others, I have a second-generation 10' Todd's as well as a 9' Del Carpio 'roohide - his David Morgan style. I bought the Todd's purely for review purposes.

If you are signed up for IndyGear's Club Obi-Wan, the thread is here: http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=47898

Todd's whips have gone through three phases. At first they were purely decorative, and you might get one or two cracks out of them before they exploded, revealing the paper inside.

The second generation was apparently made like a "real" whip with leather bellies and bolsters. The whip was shipped bone dry, with super-thin leather that felt like paper to the touch:


Todd's 10' Whip by inexorabletash, on Flickr

The weighting is terrible - ideally you want the balance point of a whip to be several inches forward of the handle. On this whip the handle weighs nothing so the balance point is a couple of feet down the thong. This means that throwing the whip takes a terrific amount of energy.

The fall is also extremely heavy, so that the base of the fall is heavier than the end of the thong, and not particularly aerodynamic.

Shortly after acquiring it I was spending time in sunny Oregon and over the course of two days melted about 4 oz of leather conditioner into the whip which it drank up thirstily, also giving it a nice suntan:


Todd's 10' - 2 weeks later by inexorabletash, on Flickr

This made the leather feel much better, but the weighting is still terrible. I've also swapped on a leftover lighter fall. The end result is a whip that I can crack but don't take very seriously. You have to crack the whip, rather than the whip cracking itself. It's a nice length, and fun for wraps, but it is NEVER the whip I reach for at first.

In contrast, here's my Del Carpio, fresh out of the box:


9' "Heritage" Roo-hide Bullwhip by Bernardo Del Carpio by inexorabletash, on Flickr

It's aged quite nicely since then.

Anyway, in terms of recommendations, I've said this before: if you just want a belt hanger, Todd's are fine. Assuming 8', if you only have $100 to spend and want something to crack, you don't have many other options and they will work but you're getting what you pay for. If you can spring $200 you can find a great nylon whip or maybe score a cow-hide. Once you hit $300 you can find some makers who'll do a nice 'roo-hide overlay, and at $400 you're entering "real whip" territory, although the prices still go up and you may be paying for the name rather than the quality.
 

fenris

New member
InexorableTash said:
Todd's whips have gone through three phases. At first they were purely decorative, and you might get one or two cracks out of them before they exploded, revealing the paper inside.

The second generation was apparently made like a "real" whip with leather bellies and bolsters. The whip was shipped bone dry, with super-thin leather that felt like paper to the touch:

What's the third generation? :hat:
 

Goodeknight

New member
GREAT info, Tash! Many, many thanks for that.

With a 10' Strain at home, I may save up for a high end 8 footer, rather than spend $100 on a cheaper whip. I love the feel and movement of the Strain.

It's actually the second high end 10 footer I've owned. Another met an untimely end. I had thought it was a Strain, but it turns out it was made by Paul Nolan. Comparing the two, I actually prefer the Nolan, though the Strain is more screen accurate. The screen accuracy actually detracts from the use of the whip, IMHO. The handle feels a bit thin and short. Nolan's whip had a more substantial handle that felt better in the hand, and handled a bit better. And only a die hard fan would notice the differences.

I'm all for screen accuracy, but I prefer a whip that is made to be the best it can be, rather than made to look like the original.

That said, I love my Strain whip. Fluid motion, easy cracks, great sound, and built to last. Strain's and Nolan's are both pieces of art, obviously made with care and respect for the craft.

I'd like a good 8 footer to go with the 10 because I know the 8 would have a much faster action. Cracking the 10 almost feels like you're moving in slow motion. Might be a good thing at my age! :whip:
 

InexorableTash

Active member
fenris said:
What's the third generation?

Oops, knew I forgot something.

A few months after my purchase, Todd indicated that his supplier had upgraded the whips again. I have no hands-on experience with these, so really can't say much.

Anecdotally, though, the whips are goatskin and came from the same supplier in Pakistan as those sold briefly by whip cracking showman Robert Dante at his WildWestWhips.com site (although he no longer appears to sell them). I did pick one of those up on a whim - a 4' which I altered into a circus train whip (dye, paint, cut off loop). So you really can't judge the whip much by how it looks:


Young Indy-ified Whip by inexorabletash, on Flickr

It came shellacked, but still far too light to "crack itself". Even with a desperately needed lighter/thinner fall it's still not a great whip. Dante apparently listed these for sale because he wanted to get people cracking, and a $400 entry point for a bullwhip is a little steep for people who may not even like the hobby. These are just acceptable enough to give people a taste without breaking the bank.

That's generation "two and a bit," circa 2 years ago.

...

As far as third generation, though: Apparently, starting about a year ago, Todd's suppliers upgraded again, using high quality cowhide that gives the whips much more heft. Todd (Puppetboy on COW) was quite surprised and didn't expect the whips to be available for long, but keeps getting shipments in although they sell out fast. Again, I have no hands-on experience with these, nor have I heard anyone who's got a "high end" whip that has picked one up for comparison. (I'd do it but with recent family/life changes I have had barely any time to crack the whips I already have so it's hard to justify the expense.)
 

fenris

New member
The owner of the whip I handled bought it around early or mid 2012. I wonder which generation whip he had?

Maybe it was from the 2nd generation, as you said the 3rd generation had more weight to it.

...or I'm just too used to my heavy nylon whip that any other whip seems light! Hahaha!

:whip:
 
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