Difference between bullwhips

Posted by D.Borton from A030-1476.FLNT.splitrock.net on December 12, 2000 at 16:19:19:

In Reply to: Difference between Mark Allen and David Morgan? posted by Austin Powers on December 11, 2000 at 05:17:22:

: This is for those who own both a Mark Allen and a David Morgan bullwhip:

: Are there any obvious differences between the two, besides price?

: I own a 10ft 12-plait David Morgan and to me it seems stiff. Maybe I haven't used it enough or perhaps oiling it might help loosen it up.

: But I was wondering if the Mark Allens are less stiff out of the box. When I see Indy's whip in the movies it always seem so "fluid" in the way it moves(particularly in Temple when the Thugee's whipping Indy). I heard someone recently say that perhaps a 16-plait whip was used when it was needed to wrap around things.

: So would a 16-plaiter be more "fluid"?

: I've tried to wrap my 10ft DM around telephone pole sized tree trunks and it just slides off. I have a cheap swivel-handle whip that is nowhere near 12-plaits, but it's much more "fluid", it's basically ropelike because it's so loose. But I can wrap this whip around things quite easily.

: I guess my question is would a 12-plait Mark Allen be identical in weight and looseness as a 12-plait David Morgan?

: Has anyone ever seen/used both, and which is preferred? Which would be better for "wrapping"?

: Thanks,
: Austin Powers

They are similar but not identical, both work fine for wraps. Yours probably just needs a little more breaking in. Most high quality hand-braided whips are a little stiff out of the box and need breaking in to get that fluidity like you see on film. While a 16 plait whip will be a little more flexible than a 12 plait, the notion that 16 plait bullwhips were used in the Indiana Jones films is just speculation, all the traditional whip work they did in the films can be been done with a 12 plait bullwhip.

Dan

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: : This is for those who own both a Mark Allen and a David Morgan bullwhip:

: : Are there any obvious differences between the two, besides price?

: : I own a 10ft 12-plait David Morgan and to me it seems stiff. Maybe I haven't used it enough or perhaps oiling it might help loosen it up.

: : But I was wondering if the Mark Allens are less stiff out of the box. When I see Indy's whip in the movies it always seem so "fluid" in the way it moves(particularly in Temple when the Thugee's whipping Indy). I heard someone recently say that perhaps a 16-plait whip was used when it was needed to wrap around things.

: : So would a 16-plaiter be more "fluid"?

: : I've tried to wrap my 10ft DM around telephone pole sized tree trunks and it just slides off. I have a cheap swivel-handle whip that is nowhere near 12-plaits, but it's much more "fluid", it's basically ropelike because it's so loose. But I can wrap this whip around things quite easily.

: : I guess my question is would a 12-plait Mark Allen be identical in weight and looseness as a 12-plait David Morgan?

: : Has anyone ever seen/used both, and which is preferred? Which would be better for "wrapping"?

: : Thanks,
: : Austin Powers

: They are similar but not identical, both work fine for wraps. Yours probably just needs a little more breaking in.  Most high quality hand-braided whips are a little stiff out of the box and need breaking in to get that fluidity like you see on film.  While a 16 plait whip will be a little more flexible than a 12 plait, the notion that 16 plait bullwhips were used in the Indiana Jones films is just speculation, all the traditional whip work they did in the films can be been done with a 12 plait bullwhip.

: Dan

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