In the combination of density, availability, and price, scrap tungsten carbide insert cutters win. Practically any machine shop and many wooddorking shops use carbide insert tooling, and most dispose of it when dull. There are many shapes, most of which have at least one hole in them.
I just received a similar bow which was just over $130 and weighs 158g. After about ten swipes of Pops it pulls a very loud and dark tone out my German flatback strung with Spirocores. That impresses me because getting a consistent, weighty tone out of Spirocores on this bass isn’t easy. My Sam Kolstein is a bit smoother but lacks the low end and volume of this cheap stick. It’s 20g lighter though. I also recently picked up a cheap braided CF bow and put black on it. At 127g, it is very well balanced, quick and has a great bounce, although it is a bit bright.
I don't know if you ever met Shaun at STL Strings, but his rehairs are first rate. With a good, pro rehair of jet black hair, both of these bows perform at a much higher level than they should.
If I met Shaun for the first time at a party, I would guess that he's a luthier!
I agree that his rehairs are good. I'm going on a year with my last rehair, by him still going strong.
My guess is that they'll cost more! As to whether it will encourage domestic production of musical instruments ... I have doubts. I'd be happy to see some production in Mexico, but my understanding is that they'll have the tariffs too. The only good thing I can see from new tariffs is a possible benefit to the environment due to reduced shipping and abusive exploitation of natural resources in other countries.
