Customer Reviews

Hodge Clarinet Silk Swab

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Disclaimers: I just bought this item. I have used it only twice. I have never owned a silk swab before. I shall come back in 90 days with an update.
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Bias: For decades, I have been a hanky swab sorta guy!
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I recently learned about Hodge Products having bought their reed cases. On a lark, I started researching silk swabs. I knew that oboists liked silk. But it wasn't or isn't too common for clarinetists. I thought I'd try one.
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Very fine silk, "fine" in both senses of the word. The swab is cut as a long, isosceles triangle, if you like, like a thin piece of cheese. The edges are finely hemmed; there is apparently no possibility of lint. The drawstring is a polyester/nylon lanyard. The weight is a plastic paint-coated lightweight metal. There appears to be nothing to scratch the inner bore or leave lint.
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I have used the swab a few times now. The silk is VERY absorbent. Compared to cotton hankies, the silk is much lighter and less dense -- yet absorbs its weight of moisture and then some! The shape of the swab itself does a good job of swabbing and cleaning. The drawstring is long enough and of enough diameter and substance that it won't whip back on itself and tie itself in a knot [n.b. I clean each joint separately!].
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My only reservations about the product are the string attachment method and how will silk hold up with use? The drawstring is single-stitched onto the silk. It appears pretty sturdy; but then again, I haven't used it much. And secondly, I don't know how silk will hold up in the upper clarinet joint [with its register vent]. Will prolonged use tear or weaken the silk? I can't say yet.
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Like the old time movie serials ... stay tuned!
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P.S. Four weeks later, I can now relate my unqualified comments: I should have converted to silk years ago! The silk does a fine job of absorbing moisture and gently polishing the bore. It has not ripped on the register vent, nor detached from the pull cord. The only weakness is drying the sockets. I do not think any product can stand up to this kind of task. Thus, I shall keep a few Q-tipsa in my case from now on. I'll use the swab for the bore and Q-tip for the sockets. Again, I am reviewing the Hodge Swab; I am not endorsing any other manufacturer. Also, I swab each joint individually and deliberately. As an Oboist friend of mine told me years ago: it's a swab, Mate-y, not a Sabre. Slow and deliberate.

I like the silk swabs best for their absorbency and non-abrasive qualities.
Also, This was delivered in 5 business days! fast!

I am asking myself why we didn't get this sooner! It is far better than the other types of (linty) cleaning swabs my daughter used for her clarinet. She loves it, and, being that it is silk, it does a much better job! Definitely recommend!

Purchased for my daughter who needed this for band.
Works great, and was priced right.

As I know silk absorb water pretty well, but this product is not cleaning inside of my clarinet that well.
Almost not working at all.