The 6 Best oboe swabs (2023 reviews)

The jim dunlop oboe swab is long-lasting, rigid and fits well with your regular usage like a dream. It is easy to use and pulls in and out of the clarinet with ease. It fits into the clarinet case and also comes in the cleaning kit. It is made of synthetic chamois cloth. They wash very nicely,soap and water.

Why We Like This:

Great all around, definitely recommend for clarinet players
Comes with a plastic case that neatly fits into clarinet case
Keeps the sqweeks down with a clean clarinet

Best Swab: Vandoren oboe Swab

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The vandoren oboe swab is satisfactory and appropriate and fits well with your regular usage. This swab is perfect and works amazingly. It's got a really long, weighted cord (and the weight is covered so it won't damage the insides of your instrument), and a large square of a silky microfiber fabric for thorough wiping. The fabric fills the bass clarinet bore and does a thorough swab. After a couple washes, the color starts to come out, the logo fades, and it becomes highly absorbant. It is dry, every time and also works for tenor sax too.

This is a nice replacement for the old swab that comes with the instrument. It is quality made with good materials. The gentle fibers are specially designed to thoroughly clean your instrument while protecting the delicate finish.

Why We Like This:

Washable and will last for years
Good quality "rag" with long cord and absorbent material
Highly recommendable by a seasoned musician

Best for both professionals: Hodge another Swab

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If you are currently in the market looking for a reliable swab for your daily usage, you cannot go wrong with the hodge another swab. The Hodge silk swabs are the best. It delicately whisks away the moisture from inside of your clarinet with all of the class and sophistication due to this instrument. It looks and feels pretty awesome. It also compresses enough that it will fit through a mouthpiece without fuss. The metal weight at the tip is covered but it will still make a small "ding" noise if you let it go.

It does the job, & it dries quickly.

Why We Like This:

Very easy to pull through the instrument and mouthpiece
Works great and gets the job done
Just the right size to pull through easily

Best woodwind Cleaning cloth: Yamaha oboe Swab

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If you often find yourself confused about appropriate and satisfactory swab, yamaha oboe swab is your end point. This Microfiber cloth feels and absorbs like silk. It is not "super" absorbent, but it is "very" absorbent. The weight is covered in cloth, to prevent scratching the inside of the instrument. The register (thumb) key has a tunnel drilled in a few millimeters, so any swab can get stuck here. The swab and cord feel made of silk. This one is slick and slips right through it. It is encased in fabric, making cleaning scratch and damage free. They will serve you well for a long time.

Why We Like This:

Silky, not bulky, absorbent, a pleasure to use
Very high quality, when compared with other clarinet swabs available
Traps moisture and grime much more effectively than traditional fabrics

Best cloth: Jiayouy oboe Swab

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The jiayouy oboe swab should be able to handle its purpose and duties with ease. This may be perfect for your oboe if you don’t need silk. It is designed for all sorts of oboe and other wind instruments. It is made from pure silk, a very effective material for removing moisture. It is suitable for compactly passing through a disassembled section of flute, so that it can wipe the saliva stains of the flute more closely.

These have a safety cord on the back end, so that if there were a knot in one and it gets stuck, it can be pulled back out the way it goes in. The cloth is easy to use but needs a bit heavier end to drop in without catching. It works well and is a pretty color. It is specially designed to not pass through all flutes at once.

Why We Like This:

Absorbent, wicking moisture out of the instrument quickly
Compressible enough to pull through the entire instrument
Nice cloth for cleaning after a session
Great suited for flute, clarinet, saxophone and flute and others

Best Easy to use: Hodge oboe Swab

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The silk bass clarinet swabs are made with a large plastic coated lead weight allowing the swab to drop through the instrument without hanging up in the large key holes. Because of the bass clarinet's length, the swab is designed to clean the neck separately. The cord and the weight are quite long and durable. The swab is wide enough and absorbent enough to clean out a bass clarinet with two passes through. It is capable of cleaning the entire instrument.

Why We Like This:

Durable, efficient, cost-effective, lots of colours, prevents stinkiness, easy & fast to use
Good investment for long term