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I own 6 bows. I tested them against each other to try to understand what to look for in a good bow. The frog was detached and the hair washed in warm water, dried, brushed, rosined with the same rosin, brushed, and used (played) for two days.
A came with the mv650 B also came with the mv650 but the silver winding was replaced with thread. They are brazilwood with ebony frog and Mongolian hair. C and E came with the two Crescent Violins I have. They are brazilwood with rosewood frogs and Mongolian hair. D came from China ebay with a hole in the stick, the hair was too short to allow the frog to relax tension. F was an Ebay purchase from Yall Store. They sell factory rejects, plastic frogs for $6.
Playing a short tune:
D Slight vibration: Ring tone on A rather than real tone, lots of bounce
E almost no vibration; good tone, but Qwerky beginning sound, lots of bounce
C " , very good tone; pressing hard gives lots of bounce
B " , " ; light weight, easy to play, lots of bounce
F slight vib, good tone, heavy, some off tones, some bounce, but okay.
A No vib, tone okay, some off tones, very little bounce
Open strings:
E did well
D one off tone
A lots of bounce
C good tone, some bounce
B very good tone, some bounce
F some off tone, some bounce
E string:
E okay but some off tone
D some off tone, but lots of vibs
B Noticed whistle, off sound at beginning of strike, little vib
A good tone, little whistle, little vib light weight
C pretty good tone, no vib, no whistle, heavy
F odd tone vibs, some whistle
G string:
D soft sound, mushy
F focused, hard, tight
B hard but has sch sound
A hard, but good tone no sch
C soft sound, sch there, not quality
E good tone no sch
My rating:
DEED
EDDF
CABB
BCAA
FBCC
AFFE
I once had 11 bows before the mites ate some.
I never had a bounce problem with any of them. I wonder if hair tension is a factor?
My bows go from good to bad depending on the stiffness. Light action works best for me.
Regulars
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my very first fiddle was a $50 Amazon outfit, I did my first 2 months on it before upgrading . The bow that came with it was HORRIBLE. the camber was so bad you had to tighten it to just over an inch string/stick gap before the hair was tight...yeah, it bounced too
There is no shame in playing twinkle, youre playing Mozart
Regulars
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I reckon that bounce 'mostly' comes from bowing technique. Speed and weight/pressure wrong at the same time. My bow bounce comes and goes on the same bow.
I have a number of bows but I only really use two. My FM CF and a snake wood baroque.
Seen it all. Done it all. Can't remember most of 
..... What was I saying???? 
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I have 3 bows.. and a fourth that I don't even consider using. I like a wood bow. I am not sure if I have a decent wood one. I got it on a dutch auction somewhere a year or so ago. I mostly use the FM CF and another fusion bow. I tend to think I like lighter... but I am going to shake things up and work with the wood one for a while. I will keep you all posted. 
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
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Most bows weigh the same. Even CF vs wood. Occasionally bow makers have an idea to make a bow that is different such as the Arcus bows that go down to around 47 grams.
Normal weights (which most violinists like) are around 60.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
I posted this to see if I am not considering something in a bow and was hopeful that someone would point that out. Like balance point, these bows of mine go from 27 cm to 29 cm, measured from the tip of the screw. Is this of any importance?
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I've never measured the length of our bows. Interesting question. Seems to me that 2 cm's is a bit much to differ. Maybe not though. I'll measure and give it some thought.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
Bow balance point should be approx. 18cm -19cm from the inside of the frog when tightened. All 4 of my bows are at 18.5cm from inside the frog, give or take a mm or two.
Regulars
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MrYikes said
I posted this to see if I am not considering something in a bow and was hopeful that someone would point that out. Like balance point, these bows of mine go from 27 cm to 29 cm, measured from the tip of the screw. Is this of any importance?
To me there are just too many variables in a bow for me to get my head around mate.
You may find some 'food for thought' in a topic that I just posted. I hope so. It opens more questions than gives answers
You will find it here.
Seen it all. Done it all. Can't remember most of ..... What was I saying????
Advanced member
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The balance point of one my bows are at 13 cm from inside the frog. Is that a problem?
Playing a piece is easy... Playing it right is not...
Regulars
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It's not a problem if you don't know. Some people like a frog heavy bow, others like it heavier at the tip. It's all about personal preference really, which type allows you to play better than the others.
I have a few wood bows, a couple of CF bows and to be honest, on some of my violins I actually can handle the bow better and it sounds better when I use a frog heave bow, but on my electric, the carbon fiber bows are the king, and I think it is because an electric doesn't require the down pressure an acoustic does to make a reasonable sound and volume.
So, try a few, maybe even take your violin to a shop and try out some to see which just "feels" better, measure it for balance point and weight and then store that info in the back of your mind and when the time comes that you're a much more seasoned player, you'll know what worked as you were learning and it will most likely be close to that as you become better and better.
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
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