Within less than a year of owning this, the thumb leather is falling off. I don't use this bow that much and in thirty years of playing I've never had this issue with a bow before. I would urge you to not waste your money. Don't spend more than seven hundred on a bow like this. I don't relish the idea of having to take this in for repair as it's a new bow. I honestly wish I'd spent this money somewhere else.

I received this wonderful bow as a high school graduation gift from my parents. I have enjoyed playing on it very much; it has been able to stand a lot of different types/styles of playing. I know that it will greatly benefit my work in college and future career.

This bow was a serious runner-up, but in order for it to perform excellently, it required that you not "fight" it. Or, better put, the bow did well when you let it work itself. Strings crossings were even and smooth. Lovely, but more for an experienced
and accomplished player. A bit jumpy.

Since this is just a decent bow I suppose the cheap student bows I've always used were trash. I haven't used it for very long but so far I've noticed this bow had a better balance and was easier to control. The response was excellent. Even the tone of my violin was improved slightly. Passages that I struggled to play before suddenly became easier. I didn't request an in home trial so I do not know how it compares to bows of similar price. However, if you're just looking to upgrade, this bow is worth a look. It lacks all the problems I had with my previous bow.

I agree with the description saying these bows play like those costing twice as much. I am getting a much richer sound out of my violin than I have ever heard. Using this bow is making certain difficult passages of music much easier to play because of how easy the bowing techniques come.