Mizrab, Wound, 4 Pack

They are the best.

I have been using Mizrabs as finger-picks on multiple stringed instruments for decades. I have previously purchased this exact same product from Banjira in the past, and have been pretty OK with them- out of a package of 4, I can accept that 1 is unusable due to fit. I don't have fat fingers or whatever, but I am larger than the India folks I knew while in India. The problem with the current shipment is that the company has either lost the process for making a usable product, or is OK with shipping garbage rejects to unsuspecting musicians. Each of the 4 Mizrabs I received had huge variations in the lengths of the wires of the finger socket and the plectrum itself. They are like off-axis distorted triangles, and would not even work with the smaller fingers of an Indian Sitar player- the distortion is too large. Some numbers:Good units from same company a few years ago: Socket wires = 17.15 mm, variation 1.4 mmBad units: Sockets range from 12.6 mm to 15.6 mm, making the sockets very off-axis and far too short.Plectrum wires: Good units 23.75 mm to 25.15 mm, variation 1.4 mm- a little off-axis, but OKBad units: 21.3 mm to 24.3 mm, variation 3 mm, making them unplayableA little trigonometry with these numbers will show the fact that no-one, of any size, could possibly use these to actually play an instrument.I would return them and firmly request replacement, but there would be shipping costs that exceed the value. In addition, the exact same units cost $4 US a couple of years ago, and they are now $14.This company has lost a decent user, and I DO ask for a replacement, free of all charges.

Things I like:-pulls a nice sound off the strings-for better or worse it sits VERY securely on medium sized finger tips (NOT for large hands)-economicalThings I don't like:-even after adjustment, it's painful to wear - finger tip goes completely, painfully, numb in minutes and I do not have large hands (distal joint in this finger's case is US size 3.75, and this mizrab cuts into my skin (despite being sufficiently callused), so I have to use guzheng nail tape around my finger under the mizrab to avoid more damage.-the wire wrapping helps with comfort, but the ends of the wires are outward and not polished to be smooth, nor are tucked back sufficiently to avoid getting stuck to the strings if you accidentally reach too deeply to grab or push the string. Especially on the chikari strings.---Admittedly, I'm an intermediate level player, so I know that isn't helping matters. But I should not be afraid to lay notes outs for fear of my mizrab ripping strings off my instrument, and I have enough experience to know that this isn't how a mizrab is supposed to be.Either the wire ends need to be tucked into the wrapping and thus kept out of the way, or else they need to be polished back in such a way that they are less likely to grab a string and get stuck. And it wasn't just one from the pack, it was all of them. I'm pretty good with metal, so I took a small stone and filed back the sharp exposed wire ends and that improved the situation, but it's still not great.These have the potential to be really nice, but they need some tweaking from the maker for that to be so. Would gladly pay a little more for a more finished/refined product. But until then, if you buy these, you better have absolutely flawless right hand technique and/or a healthy string budget.

Good!

The mizrab are good. It seems there are slightly different sizes to accommodate different finger size, though that makes it lack in consistency. They are all relatively the same size though, so they should all still fit just fine and are quite comfortable for being metal wound as well. All around, great mizrab, just shy of five stars.