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Well, after reading BigKahuna's most excellent review a light bulb went off above my head. Why don't we have one thread dedicated to sling reviews for slings that have been purchased? It just seems logical especially considering some new slingers do want to buy them but don't know where to begin. So with that in mind, here goes:

Here are the categories, all categories can have a quick 1-10 rating and then a short comment explaining it afterwards. Obviously 1 being worst and 10 being best.

Durability: From your experience with your new sling how long will it last? Are there any special precautions that need to be taken when slinging with it?

Fit and Finish: Is it pretty? and practically speaking how well will it's construction work during use? e.g. Are there sharp spots on the release cord from glue that might cut you etc.

Functionality: What is it intended for specifically and how well does it perform in that area?

Price: $$$$$

Shipping/Seller: How much was the shipping? How long did it take to get to you? Or Did it ever get there? If not, did the seller refund your money? If not, why? Was the seller courteous? Did they answer your questions quickly? etc...

Overall Rating: Between 1 and 10 8-) And a short comment about the sling.

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So to start things off here is my review for the sling I purchased from this E-Bay store. www.stores.ebay.com/Bolivia-Store

Durability: 8 I believe I can accurately rate this sling a solid 8/10 on durability even though I have just received it.

The reason is I already have one that is nearly identical to it made from Alpaca wool from a different seller that I used for many years. This sling is made from Llama wool which seems to be a little stronger and more durable just from examining it. The sling design itself can be prone to loosening of the weft thread over the years but this does not hinder functionality, only appearance and it takes years to happen if made well. This sling can comfortably sling all sorts of ammo without too much fear of damaging it.

Fit and Finish: 7

The only thing that comes to mind that I would change if possible is there is a decorative white wool yarn braided into the first 3 inches or so of this sling's inner release/retention cords that creates a nice diamond pattern. But this white yarn is showing on the end of the release cord where it had to be cut off to finish braiding. It isn't a huge deal and it doesn't affect things structurally but that is one aspect that needs work. Otherwise it is beautiful.

Functionality: 9

This sling was purchased for accuracy and the ability to be used for small game hunting if needed. In those two areas it excels. The cords are slightly thicker than what most are used to but this cuts down on the whip noise that is created when the cords slice through the air. So it throws more quietly so as not to scare game during the shot. It's colors are darker which is also good for not drawing attention. The longer pouch has been speculated by some to increase the rifling of the projectile as it leaves the pouch. It makes sense to me so I tend to agree with those who believe this way. I give this sling a 9 because some people do not like the stretchiness of a wool sling. Personally, it is the only type of sling I will really use. But it's not for everybody.

Price: 9

I spent about 20 U.S. dollars on this sling and I consider it money well spent. I know price is a personal thing but this sling will last at least several years. There are not many things that you can get that will give you years of enjoyment for $20.

Shipping/Seller: 6 While the cost of shipping was fair it took a very long time to get here. This seller is in South America so it is not their fault. They have an excellent rating on E-Bay and I feel sure they would have refunded me my money had the sling not made it to me, or if I was not satisfied with it. I believe that is in their policy. Still if you are anxious to start slinging as soon as possible this may not be the seller for you. I was told by the seller that for $30 I could have expedited shipping. No thanks.

Over all Rating: 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)

To sum it up this sling is great. It's not perfect, but it definitely is well-made and beautiful to me. I give it 7 sunglasses because of the cut off white yarn showing through and because it was agonizing waiting for 2 weeks to get the sling. ;) All in all, definitely a good buy!

here's a quickie on Naschiiti sniper's slings. http://larronstraditionalleatherslings.yolasite.com/

here are the two slings i got (directly from naschiiti snipers own pictures)

The Balearian

Durability: 10 extremely tough, both are made from nice leather, and the balearian is from ultra thick leather. if anything the cords will be long gone before the leather shows any wear. the only problem is that it is finished in a rubber cement coating (for ease of stamping), which comes off with prolonged exposure to water (submersion really). if you don't like it you can ask him for it to be not finished, so that you can add on your own finish that you can reapply once in a long while.

fit and finish: 10 just look at his site and his pictures. these slings are works of art. the constructions is great, and all rivets can be removed for cleaning, cords are easily exchanged and the design is well stamped and cut.

functionality: 7 it's a great sling, and performs well, hwoever i foudn the pouch leather just a little too thick and heavy, seriously putting down my range from 100 yards to 50. the finger loop was also only whipped, and so after some slinging the finger loop would tighten up, and i would have to readjust it. however, i added a drop of super glue to the loop and it's perfect now.

price: 9 really great price, 12 dollars for the sling, maybe a little more for special designs that you might want cut in. the thing is a masterpiece, and i'm quite sure the leather used is almost as expensive, not to mention the price of shipping it (free shipping). i would give it an 11 if there weren't slings out there being made in south america, tibet, etc that are made for only 6-10 dollars.

shipping seller: 11 the seller was extremely nice, and it was great working out a trade between us. normally paying for it would also be free shipping. got here very quickly as well. what's more, when we worked out the trade i made a few mistakes in my wording, causing the seller to misunderstand me. he sent me only the balearian, and not another shepherds boy jr. rather than him not sending another one, or reimbursing me, he actually sent me a praetorian guard as an apology. if that ain't customer service than nothing is.

OVERALL RATING: 10/10 great sling, great man, great price, what more can you ask for? i would pay two times as much for it.

and the praetorian guard

sexy huh?

Durability: 9 again, thick (although thinner than the last) strong leather with nylon cords. normal wear and tear on the cords is expected and even stated on his site, so you might need to replace them.

fit and finish: 10 again, well and deeply stamped, the coloring in it is very hardy and no sign of fading at all. extremely smooth and just one nice piece of leather with strong evenly placed rivets.

functionality: 8 works great, and i like it a lot. only complaint is the way the cords are attached to the pouch. i prefer to have a single anchor pint that is whipped and stitched. the shape of the pouch does not allow this and it can't be helped, so i guess i'm just being nit picky.

price: 10 ten dollars for such a master piece. really great and i think this man should be an artist.

Shipping/Seller: 10 shipping was fast, and the seller was great. i ordered the shepherds boy jr, but i made a mistake i nthe transaction. rather than Mr Larron sending another, or telling me no, he sent me this as an apology. really nice guy ,and it was a joy talking to him.

OVERALL RATING: 9 really great sling and customer service. only thing i don't like is the cords attachment to the pouch. again i like a single anchor point on an eliptical pouch, and this is a square pouch with two attachment points. i'm being nit picky i know, as this cannot be helped and others might prefer it. oh well YMMV

i'll try and get one for the captain paul and the amdocraft later (unless someone beat me to it).

I agree with everything you said about the Balearian. Great sling even though the leather pouch is a bit stiff, but that isn't enough to lower the overall rating down from a solid 10/10.

Fantastic reviews Kid. Precise and to the point. How did I never hear about these slings before? They are very beautiful.

here are a few more:

pretty.....
http://www.amdocraft.com/

Durability: 10 this is made from nicely woven yak wool with the release cord (most susceptible to being worn away) being made from leather ,and the cracker from tightly twisted yak hair. i've used this for 2 years and i have no trouble with it.

fit and finish: 9 it's a beautiful sling, don't get me wrong, but the finish could be a little smoother. on the leather half of the cord there is a little brownish blackish stuff like shoe polish on one side. probably from the tanning itself, no worries in this department. however, the stitching on the finger loop is a little rough- the loop slightly lopsided (completely functional, and i didn't notice it until i examined the whole thing). the braid near the pouch is not the smoothest either. i personally have no qualms with it, so i'm giving it a nine.

functionality: 10 this here sling is hard working and probably won't break unless you intentionally try to cut it open, or something else that's stupid. it's tough, i sling with it all the time for a long time, and i've carried the thing wrapped up in my pocket while hiking.

Price: 10 7 dollars for the sling. need i say more?

shipping/seller: 9 the seller is great and all the money form these slings go to the actual yak herders so that they can afford rice for the winter, etc. you can ask klass if you want the sling like mine, half leather, or all kumihimo, and you might get a say in for the pattern (of which mine is the simplest), and possibly length. however, the shipping takes 3-4 weeks to america. although it is explicitly listed when you order it, i would not by this sling if you were in an emergency (like when you can't find your slings and are on the verge of slinging withdraw). the sling did come a little crushed out of the package however.

OVERALL RATING: 9 great sling great price great..well everything. i'm giving it a 9 instead of a 10 because of just a few tiny problems, but i would definitely recommend you to get one. when i first started slinging i had difficulty finding something that works. this, along with the captain Paul helped me learn and become the slinger i am today.

The Captain Paul

i swear by this

durability: 10 great sling and extremely tough, with cords either using hammer cord of paracord, and attached to the pouch using stitching and a little whipping. however, some slingers out there wear through their cords after an hour of slinging because of their technique (C_A), and required special modification to the pouch to make reattaching the cords much easier.

fit and Finish: 10 extremely well made and flawless. everything is stitched and whipped, and i think there is a little wax on the whipping as well. all cord ends are melted, and the pouch is well cut.

functionality: 10 this is one of the best working sling i have. the pouch is nicely cupped, and while it is deep it releases any size of stone very well. it is light weight, and as you can see it can be wrapped up into a tight package around the size of a Gatorade cap. the finger loop s re-adjustable, and is extremely comfortable.

most people know that slinging is almost entirely based on good gut feeling. and that holds true for when you use a sling. the captain paul feels perfect in my hands. although it is lightweight, i can fire it 'dry', or unloaded compeltely fine, and obviously loaded as well.

Price: 10 when i first started slinging, like many other people, i had a lot of difficulty finding a good working sling. one captain paul noticed my predicament, and dropped me a pm. he gave me this great sling for free, it's worth infinitely more than that.

shipping/seller: 10 shipped to me in around 2 weeks from when he first offered me it, came nicely packed in a UPS box. the seller himself is great. did i mention that he sent it to me for free? well he sent it to me for free.

OVERALL RATING: 10 (i wish i could give it 20 ba-jillion though) one of my most favoritest sling ever. it's extremely reliable and tons of fun. i use it on a near daily basis for a longgggggg time. i learned to sling with this, and i swear by it even to this day when i can make fancy braided and woven slings. i'm quite sure C_A can agree to this, and using his mod powers might even allow me to give it a more accurate overall rating (like the 20 ba-jillion i mentioned earlier) :). love the sling really do.

I'd quibble with that durability 9 on the cap paul kid.
As far as I know I'm the only slinger on the forum who wears out release cords, in quite this manner.
So definitely not typical. I do tend to to throw harder on average than the majority of slingers anyway.
Every other aspect of my cap paul - and it's still my everyday carry sling. Is good as new.

So what 4 -5 years ? of fairly heavy usage. And still only on the third release cord. But that's the case for every sling I use a lot - so no fault of pauls :-)
And you can give the sliding leather finger loop an 11 ! ;)

Here is a review for a sling purchased from Marcin (Mrn31). This is a reproduction of a King Tut sling made from linen (My Tutankhamen's slings for sale). After seeing photos of these slings I mentioned how nice they are and commented that I will have to buy one when more are available. Marcin PMed me back that he still had some available, so I went ahead and got one.

Durability: 8 It is a natural fibre, so will eventually wear out. However, linen is very tough. Since this is a very nice sling it will spend more time hanging on my wall looking pretty than being used (I save paracord slings for regular abuse).

Fit and Finish: 10 Excellent. See the photo below, Marcin has gotten the construction of these slings down to an art.

Functionality: 9 I was a bit concerned that the deep pouch would not release smoothly, but I did not have any issues throwing mini-tennis balls this afternoon. The sling is a bit longer (80cm) than the ones I usually use, so I can't use it for underhand throws (note that Marcin will make a sling to your desired length if you ask). There is no release knot, but the cords are thick enough that they can be easily held.

Price: 10 - $25 (including shipping). Considering how long it takes to weave a sling like this, this is a very reasonable price.

Shipping Seller: 10 - I did not have any issues. Marcin and I worked out details by PM. I send him money by paypal and the sling arrived a short time latter. I don't recall how long the shipping took, but I do not remember it being unreasonable for something coming from Poland to Canada.

img_3438.jpg (140 KB | )

having used davids bolivian sling I'd change a couple of the previous scores

fit and finish has to be a solid 9
And durablity goes up to 10 - can't envisage even me wearing out a round braid.

It's probably also the best braided sling I've used. Though it does rub a bit on the fingers. But then that's what callouses are for :-)

Thanks for doing that review Rueben. I've always wanted a Tut sling but never wanted to make it myself. Consequently I've been fairly interested in these slings. $25 is a great price as well, considering the amount of work involved.

Great reviews,good idea Morphy!
Me also wear trough the cords quickly....I always blame the crappy jagged mountain rocks around here.And hemp can't take it for too long.
But i'm transitioning to being a clay slinger. Buying is expensive for me,and i like to make my own.

i can send you a jute rocklaric for free ;D but you MUST write a review on it here. also, do you live in the lower 48 states?
I can only ship in the US
sorry.
i might start selling slings for things... like instructions on how to make stuff or cordage

I await your rocklaric with great anticipation and promise to give it a review the same day!

oh dont worry youll get it soon US Postal service doesn't like letters thicked than a few mil so i had to remail it

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https://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl General >> General Slinging Discussion >> Purchased Sling Reviews https://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1313462184 Message started by Morphy on Aug 15^th, 2011 at 10:36pm