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Step 1
Choose a fiberglass or brazilwood bow if you're a new or less experienced player. Fiberglass bows are more durable than wood bows, which tend to warp, according the writers at Cascio Interstate Music. Both are rather inexpensive. A fiberglass or brazilwood bow can start at about $30. Makers include Glasser and Klaus Becker.
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Step 2
Purchase an intermediate bow if you've been playing violin for a few years and plan to continue. Bows of this sort tend to be made of brazilwood. They can start at about $75 to $100. Makers include Klaus Becker and W. Seifert, among others.
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Step 3
Get a carbon fiber or pernambuco bow if you're an advanced or professional player. Pernambuco is a Brazilian wood, and bows made from it can start at $400, depending on the retailer. Carbon fiber bows may start at $90 and are durable since they're made from synthetic material. The music company Shar sells fiberglass/carbon fiber "fusion" bows, which retail at $40.
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Step 4
Know some of the makers of advanced/professional bows. These include Klaus Becker, Heiko Wunderlich, Johannes Finkel and L. Seifert. Advanced bows have a high degree of tone quality and durability. Even though they are expensive, they can be a very sound investment for a serious player.
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Step 1
Choose a bow that fits your violin. When selecting a bow, bring your instrument to the shop so you can play both together. According to Shar, players with a soft touch may do well with a lighter bow. Those with a heavy-handed approach to playing may do well with a heavier bow, which can produce a brighter sound.
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Step 2
Make sure that the weight distribution of the bow is comfortable to you. Play scales using long notes, double-stops and chords to determine how comfortable the bow feels, if it seems top-heavy or has any other idiosyncrasies that you don't like.
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Step 3
Play other types of notes and passages on the violin using the bow. These may include harmonics, arpeggios, spiccato, marcato or part of a piece that you may be working on. Play col legno also. This is a technique in which the bow stick is tapped on the violin string. Techniques such as this and spiccato are very important since they test the lightness and flexibility of the bow during potentially challenging musical passages.
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Step 1
Know countries where high-quality bows are produced. Germany has a long history of bow-making, and German bows are at different price-points. Other bow-making countries are France, Switzerland and England. According to the writers at Shar, countries in Eastern Europe, such as Romania, and Asian countries, such as China, have quality bows on the market as well.
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Step 2
Understand the difference between the baroque bow and a modern bow. Violin bows from the Baroque era have a more exaggerated point at the tip, tend to have less detail at the frog and generally are somewhat straight in the stick.
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Step 3
Note that there are Baroque bows of varying types of wood, such as pernambuco, snakewood and brazilwood. They can start at approximately $100.
