 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Kev
Date: 2004-10-02 18:47
I'm not sure what the formal name is for the "fuzzy stick" swabs, but I've been using LaVoz Pad Guard swabs for a while. They come in a pack of two and you're supposed to leave them inside the clarinet where they supposedly protect the pads and continue absorbing moisture. After hearing so much discussion about pull-through swabs and erosion and whatnot, I was just wondering what you guys think about this kind of swab. I can't seem to find any discussion about them with the search tool.
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Author: hans
Date: 2004-10-02 18:54
Kev,
They are called pad savers and they are NOT a substitute for careful swabbing. If you pull one out and it is wet, then the clarinet was not properly swabbed with a pull-through type.
A search for pad savers will find much on this topic, since opinions vary.
Regards,
Hans
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-10-02 19:09
Pad Savers® (pad destroyers??) are the equivalent of keeping a wet rag in the bore of your instrument. I seriously doubt that they even make contact with the pads.
Over time the lint from the pad saver sheds into the bore and tone holes.
Kept in the bore for extended periods inhibits air circulation, which can cause moldy pads and a most unpleasant aroma in your case.
Whenever a new student shows up for a lesson with a Pad Saver® that mom got talked into buying, I immediately suggest that it be returned for either a quality swab or a box of reeds.
A better use for them is to put it by a drafty door or window to stop the air from coming in the room...GBK
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2004-10-02 20:40
The twisted wire on the end of the "sponge on a stick" type is sharp and scratchy and can do damage.
Wanna swab? (tell me u didnt see this comin' a mile away....try this one http://www.doctorsprod.com/
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Author: LeeB
Date: 2004-10-02 23:55
I know some excellent players who use pad savers. From the directions, they're not supposed to be used in place of swabbing. That WOULD be a mistake. They're supposed to be inserted after the instrument has been thoroughly swabbed out. They supposedly wick away any residual moisture from the instrument and pads. You would never want to stick them in a wet clarinet.
Personally, I'm just an amateur clarinetist, but I've had good luck with them. I have not had any of the side effects mentioned in other posts. They don't seem to generate any lint. Since I've been using them, I've also not had any problems with pads sticking. I definitely won't let them get dirty. I'll replace them before they do. I might also try sticking them in a mesh bag and running them through the wash when I wash my swabs and cleaning rags (my clarinet "laundry").
BTW, the brand I've been using is called PadGard (made in Germany and distributed by La Voz), not "Pad Savers." Perhaps the PadGard brand is made out of better material that doesn't shed lint. The end caps on the rod are very securely fastened, and to me it looks like it would take a concerted effort to pull them off.
This might be a YMMV situation. If I ever do notice any damage or symptoms, I'll stop using them. So far, though, my instrument seem to be doing better with the PadGards than they were doing without them.
Post Edited (2004-10-03 00:48)
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Author: Ray
Date: 2004-10-04 13:15
My experience is the same as LeeB's.
When you swab your bore you remove most of the condensate from the bore, but you do leave some water in some of the tone holes.
I believe that the pad saver fibers can reach into the tone holes, where the swab does not. It can wick water away from the pad, thereby preventing the pad from getting soaked.
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Author: saxlite
Date: 2004-10-04 15:15
Ditto to LeeB and Ray's comments above. Some folks knock PadSaver (or Sax Swab) products as "leaving the moisture in the horn"....but, if the moisture stays in the swab, it's NOT in the horn. Over many tens of years, I've had no problems with any of my many horns using the swab first, store with Pad Saver process.
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Author: hans
Date: 2004-10-04 16:43
Many products that are used incorrectly cause problems and some, like padsavers, may be more easily misused than others, leading to bad reputations.
I have had good success with them, having had to replace only 5 pads in 16 years, by taking care to clean my instrument as well as possible with a swab before inserting the "stick" (just for that I expect all my pads will fail immediately...).
Chacun a son gout.
Hans
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Author: Ed
Date: 2004-10-04 17:37
Use a swab. Don't waste your money on those pad savers. They are junk.
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