Thoughts on the super light Arcus Bows?

ARod

I see that the S series weigh around 48 grams. I have a pernambuco bow that weighs around the same.



Is it really the weight of the bow that is causing your RSI/carpal tunnel problems? In a recent discussion about this it was suggested that such problems are caused by technique/posture/bow grip, rather than the weight of the bow.



If it is really the weight of the bow that is causing your problems, is the superlight bow going to be so much lighter that it will make a difference?



I like the sound of my lightest fiddle bow (I play traditional Irish music), but I have to bear down on it hard to get volume, and I suspect that is more tiring to the hand and wrist than using a heavier bow would be. I just bought a 70 gram viola bow to experiment with at the noisier Irish sessions. It cost £35, including delivery from China!



The manufacturer of the Arcus bows makes absurd, unsubstantiated claims about the health benefits of his products. He has somehow convinced himself that the vibrations of a wooden bow at around 25Hz cause pain and fatigue, and claims that his plastic bows don't cause such problems as they vibrate at around 50Hz. I know of no scientific support for these claims, and I am considering reporting them to the Advertising Standards Authority.



The lowest priced Arcus bows cost around 20 times what I paid for my Chinese bow.