I've got an uncoloured one. Over here in he UK these things are cheap. Now I know the exchange rate puts up the price but $140 stikes me as a bit much for something that cost me £50. At £50 you can't go wrong. I've got a £400 pernambuco bow and although it's a lot better it aint no-where near 8 times better. Neither were bows up to £700 that I tried but I have to add I ain't Edger Meyer and I normally play piz although I do quite a bit of bow practise.
The bow is lightish, plays better than you'd expect, isn't finished to the very highest standard (but look at the UK price). I'm told the tips (which are gued onto the round stick shaft - not that you can tell) have been know to come appart but I think it unlikely. I've given two of them (one got nicked) considerable albeit unintentional abuse. One thing I did do was overtighten the bow and bend the brass thread within. It hasn't hampered its operation but won't unsrcrew fully now.
One thing that it is is easy to grip - sound an odd thing to say but true, and is mainly due to the chamfer of the octagonal (it might even be hexagonal) section of the bow between the winding and the frog being quite pronounced.
For initial learning and playing in dodgy pubs and as a back-up these are fine. You'll have to ask someone else about this, but it seems to me that it's pointless getting a mid-priced bow until you have the capacity to judge whether it workds for you. Of course, if you've lots of dosh you'd be fine but you wouldn't be looking at these bows I guess.
They sell lot of them and their re-hair kits to schools in the UK (no suprises) and as I got told - its genuine horsehair - no nylon or other artificial hair (even if the odd person likes such).
I don't know what the exchange rate is at the moment but $100 would be more like it. Have a look at
http://www.violinvaluations.com/trolleyed/83/ and see the UK prices.
