Artino PM-01 Practice Mute VN/VA

I bought it along with the violin as I never playe dbefore violin and didn't know how much noisy would it be.

I play 100% of the time on my home, and when there is my partner, i put on the mute, it fits quite nice and I got really astonished how much quieter it sounds. I can play it next to my partner while she's watching TV and I do not disturb her.

It is made of a very sturdy material, it has fallen to the floor several times and it looks like the first day.

As a con, what I don't like it is that it sounds different, but I guess that it happens with everyother mute as you are putting something on the bridge.

I was afraid the sound was going to be awfull, having read this complaint in some reviews, but I actually found my Stentor St II ( + thomastik strings ) sounds better with it.... :O
The sound is warm, very precise and I found it helped me A LOT with playing in tune and with "subtelty" playing, playing anything that would be a little more subtle than I usually would ( well, Could ).
I decreases the violin sound by an extraordinary amout, even typewriting on my computer is now louder than my violin, which, at my begginer level, is indeed a very good thing.
It also helped a lot with the headaches I got from my very bad playing. Now I can just focus on the notes, the way I produce it and overall, on my technique <3.

I am also very happy to be able to play for hours long - I can play on the sofa right across our bed without waking my wife up.

What a practice mute should do is to strongly suppress the sound of the violin. Metal mutes like this one are best in this regard. This one is covered with rubber so it may do less damage than regular metal mutes when it falls onto the instrument. Overall, this is a well made product and it does what it does well.

The change in tone is inevitable when using practice mutes. Rubber mutes tend to produce a better tone but will not reduce the sound as much as a metal practice mute.

Practice mutes also makes it impossible to bow very near the bridge. Practicing too much with a practice mute can change bowing habits so use one if you must, but don't overuse.