TIPS ON PICKING OUT THE BEST SHOFAR FOR YOU ...
The Shofar Man's Shofars tips include information on the ancient Jewish Shofar, Shofar blowing, Yemenite Shofar, rams horn Shofar, how to buy a Shofar horn, types of Shofar sounds that a typical Judaica Shofar will make, different types of Shofar for sale, how to buy Shofar, different Shofar sounds, what to look for in a Shofar sale and Much Much More. If you have a specific question not covered in this section please email us at shofarorders@gmail.com

1)  Always ask questions, lots of them.  The better you are informed, the better decision you can make in picking out your Shofar.

2)  Never buy a Shofar based only on it being Small, Medium, Large, or X-Large.  Always find out how many inches a size represents.
Example:  Small = 26-29", Medium = 30-33", Large = 34-38", etc.
Without a number of inches being assigned to a size, you could get almost anything.
Example:  You order an X-Large, and you receive a 33" Shofar.  Without dimensions discussed up front, you got what you ordered - an X-Large Shofar.

3)  When buying a Shofar, the smaller the range of inches on a size, the better chance you will get the size shofar you want and the best deal.

Example:  A)  X-Large Shofar = 45-50"
B)  X-Large Shofar = 49-50"
With Example A, you may get a 45" Shofar.
With Example B, the smallest you will get is a 49" Shofar.

4)  The standard measurement for a Shofar in the U.S. is around the curve.  A 49" Shofar will measure 49" around the curve, not from tip to tip.

5)  A Shofar can be finished in several ways.  Be sure you know which way yours will be finished.
You can get:
A)  Completely Natural Shofar
B)  Completely Polished Shofar
C)  Half Polished & Half Natural Shofar
 

6)  Always ask to see a picture of the exact Shofar you will be getting.

7)  Generally, the larger the Yemenite Shofar, the more notes or tones you will be able to play.

8)  Generally, the larger the Yemenite Shofar, the larger the Shofar mouthpiece will be, and the easier it will be to play.

9)  A Shofar is not picked out by a person's size.  Many small people play a very large Shofar.

10)  The Shofar Man recommends to anyone that is serious about blowing the Shofar to get one that is big enough.  Do not buy based on your budget.  Buy based on what G-d wants you to have.  The Shofar Man recommends nothing smaller than an X-Large Yemenite Shofar 42"-42" and  42" to 43" range, for the serious person.  The Shofar Man recommends nothing smaller than a Size A Rams Horn Shofar, 18" to 20" range, for the serious person.  Remember when buying a Shofar that the smaller the Shofar, the smaller the Shofar mouthpiece will be.  The smaller the mouthpiece, the harder it will be to play.  Many people make the mistake of buying a small Shofar as something to start with and have a very hard time trying to learn how to play because of the small Shofar mouthpiece.  It is actually easier to learn on the bigger Shofar with the bigger Shofar mouthpiece.

11)  Beware of claims that a Shofar makes 8, 9 or 10 notes.  Always call and ask to hear the Shofar before you buy it.  If a claim of hitting 7, 8, or 9 notes is made, they should be able to do it for you on the phone.  If it sounds to good to be true, it is.

12)  Beware of claims that Shofars are individually fine-tuned.  With the exception of modifying the mouthpiece, there is no way to tune a Shofar.  If a Shofar was not cleaned out properly at the factory, you can sometimes clean them out a little better to improve the sound.

13)  Beware of guarantees that sound too good to be true, because they usually will be.
Example:  100% Money Back Guarantee for Any Reason, No Questions Asked.  Full Refund of the Purchase Price.
In this example, if you return it, you will pay shipping both ways.  If it's to Israel, return shipping from the USA with insurance is very expensive.  The only way to get insurance on Israel bound shipments is by Express Mail, which costs around $40 to $50.
Guarantees are only as good as the company backing them.  We have people call all of the time, saying things like, "I ordered a Shofar from a company, and they told me I could return it for any reason.  It doesn't produce sound.  I have tried to return the Shofar, but they do not answer the phone or will not return my email."
We have also had others say, "I returned a bad Shofar to a company that guaranteed my satisfaction for any reason, and I never got my money back."
Buyer Beware:  Deal only with a well established, reliable, and reputable Shofar company.  The Shofar Man's Customer Service Department is open Monday through Friday 8am to 6pm CST.  We always answer our phones.  Pick up the phone, call us, and see for yourself.