Mouth Diaphragm Durability?

[WapitiTalk1]

To caveat on Elknuts thread which addresses your favorite diaphragm(s), which do you feel lasts the longest? Does it really matter if they don't last long considering their relatively low cost compared to other hunting gear? No rocks thrown here, just trying to spark some discussion. The one I use lasts a very long time but is a bit more difficult to use for most folks. Thoughts? How long do your favorite calls last

on an average when blowing them consistently?

[Trophyhill]

I've tried quite a few in the past including Carltons, Bugling Bulls, and Primos but there is a new kid on the block and I am impressed. I wear the Primo's dome calls out fairly quickly with regular use. faster than that though I blow the Bugling Bulls calls out in as little as a day. the Carltons calls are well made and last a long time. I have a couple that are 3 years old and still sound great.

now for the new kid on the block. Phelps diaphragms. as of right now, for me, I haven't used a better call. one in particular the Herd Wrecker! in early September this year I was bugling bulls in or at the very least getting responses starting on Sept 4th in CO and continuing on thru around the 12th in NM when others weren't hearing anything or getting responses. I've recently discovered I can call with another one of Jasons calls too. the Dragon Slayer. I haven't practiced any more or any less with the Phelps calls as any of the others. i'm able to hit the high notes with ease with these calls whereas I struggled with other reeds hitting the higher notes. and these things are durable. I was looking for a good sounding and durable reed and I found it with the Phelps calls. if you guys haven't tried them yet, you really don't know what you're missing. and last but not least is the CS. when I ordered my first round of calls to try them out the calls went out to the address on my CC in NM while I was in HI. I called him right away and he offered to send me another batch of calls to HI at no cost. I couldn't do that and paid for them but he threw in 2 Dragon Slayers for me to try. he's got a customer as long as he's making calls right here.

[BrentLaBere]

I have been only using mouth calls for 2 years now so my experience is very limited. I have had 3 calls of brand 'x' we will call it. Every time I order a new one I throw it in and let out a bugle......"that doesn't sounds right" is the first thing that crosses my mind. I might be too hard on calls to begin with and ruin the latex so over all I think my calls are fine I just need to adjust my calling. I have found that with my style of calling that all double reeds will be more durable than single reeds.
Does it matter how long they last? I don't believe it does as long as you have a back up that is broke in to your style of calling. I am still in the market for new calls and will be practicing this off season again. If I find one I like, like this last year, I will order another right away.
How long do others calls last? I went through two of pretty much everything from the beginning of last year until the time of getting ready for September. After the hunt I believe I will need to replace them again after some shop calling practice for the season to come.

[>>>---WW---->]

I use Bugling Bull calls. Mainly the Raging Bull and the Herd Master. They last me well into the third year of use. And I call a lot! I used to use the Carlton calls several years ago. I think they were called the Tone Trough. I would go through about 3-4 of them in one season.

[MLayden]

Better question...how long do you have them before you drop them and lose them? Have had a few fail on me, but tend to lose most of them. Sacrifice for the elk gods? Hasn't worked out that way yet...

[Swede]

My calls last several years. I don't call a lot and have several diaphragms so none get heavy use.
The other day I had to take the pickup to Church. Before I meet people I like to have a small piece of gum in my mouth, to keep my breath fresh. Well; in the center console I spied a half stick of some mint flavored gum. I opened it and noticed it crumbled quite a bit. I decided to go ahead and use it. "Waste not want not." I surmised it would be rejuvenated with some saliva and some chewing, and I still had five miles to get to Church. Well I was wrong. In my mouth it turned to powder, and would not come together as gum. Finally, I had to open the side window and spit it out. I keep my diaphragms sort of like I keep my gum.