Caring for a Leather or Nylon Bullwhip

Regardless of how a whip is made if it breaks it is going to be a problem. Some types might be easier to repair than others but whichever style you have it will be good to know that there are firstly things to do that will help prevent damage, but also that if caught early enough. A leather bullwhip is clearly going to need a different type of care than a nylon one, but there are things that they both need if you are going to keep it in the peak of condition.
Most of the things you will be told to do when it comes to looking after the whip will simply be a matter of common sense and once you have done them a few times will become as natural to you as anything else you do.
If you have a nylon bullwhip it is good news that there is going to be less that it needs than a leather one would. There is also the fact that it is going to be harder to break or damage a nylon one so this will be a good one to start out with. You can practice in the same way as you would with a leather one and if you decide that this is something that you want to do on a regular basis, then it will be time to start looking at the leather ones.
The elements will still be damaging to a nylon bullwhip but that does not mean that there is nothing that can go wrong or that they cannot break. They can get damaged or break if they are used on very hard surfaces and dirt will damage them if they are not kept clean. The sun is damaging to a nylon whip and if it has been subject to long periods in sunshine then the nylon will become damaged an leave a very ugly and ineffective bull whip. Damp and wet is not as bad, but if this happens over a long period of time it may be best to not use them as much and treat them as a new item for some time.
There is a debate surrounding how effective products claiming to help leather bullwhips really are.  As leather is not a living organism it is hard to understand how any product will be able to nourish it and improve it. As with our own skin, it will not last for ever but if there is plenty of moisturiser used along with some grease, there is no reason why you should not get a decent amount of use out of it.
If you don’t think you will have the patience to care for a bullwhip it may be best not to get involved with them at all.