Stabilisers recommend

[Meow123456]

Hi all

I'm planning to upgrade my stabilisers as my arms are getting stronger. I don't know which stabilisers I'm going to look for. Conquest, Ramrod, Axcel or Shibuya? I'm just looking for stiffness and extra weights. Which stabilisers do you have and why?

Thanks

Sam

 

[4d4m]

I've just got bog standard Cartel. At the end of the day it's a strong light tube with a weight on the end, and maybe a bit of rubber for damping. Vary the weights and lengths to suit. As long as the threaded parts are made with reasonable quality, it doesn't matter. Beyond that you're paying for a name and magic archery pixie dust. My opinion, others are available.

 

[Steve1968]

I use the WNS SAT long rod, short rods, extender and v-bar set up, very good quality, reasonable price, does the job they are designed for well. I can't fault them, they don't work loose whilst shooting, don't rattle, good at reducing vibration through the bow and bow arm. WNS make a number of different stabiliser systems, SAT is the cheapest but like I said, they do a good job. In fact I can't fault the WNS range of products, my whole bow set up is WNS.

 

[Stretch]

Depends what level you are shooting at. To be honest the latest and greatest of all of those brands are insanely expensive. If you are shooting 350 at 70m then the extra price might get you a point. If you’re shooting 300 they will make no difference other than looking cool. (So Shibuya for me ta).

Shrewd Revel are a nice compromise. I love them. Much cheaper and you get weights and damper in the price. They feel nice, aim well and are 14mm. But even they are crazy money. (But on the other hand they were used to set a world record and win a world championship). They will easily hold 10oz plus.

I also bought some cheapo Infinitec Nexus for funnies. They feel Ok (not as crisp, but heavier and duller). Are stiff enough to hold a fair amount of weight (I haven’t tried more than 7oz but they are fine at 7oz) and are 15mm. AND you can buy a full set for the price of a Shrewd short rod. Which is the cost of a Shibuya extender. Do I shoot them? No, I have two sets of Revels but I haven’t sold them either. Mind you the Revels don’t get me any points over my 30 year old Easton ACE stabilisers.

If you’re set on buying at that price, go for the ones you like the look of most. I’d order them Shibuya, RamRod, Axcel (or add Shrewd at #2- Revel or RevX). I would ignore Conquest myself - don’t see many being shot at top level outside of Casey Kaufold.

Also be warned that super stiff stabilisers are not always the most comfortable or quietest if you end up using less weight than you expected and your bow is not at the quieter end of the spectrum. But thats only a rule of thumb - some bows suit some stabilisers.

Can afford and should afford are not always synonymous

Stretch

 

[Aleatorian]

Hi all

I'm planning to upgrade my stabilisers as my arms are getting stronger. I don't know which stabilisers I'm going to look for. Conquest, Ramrod, Axcel or Shibuya? I'm just looking for stiffness and extra weights. Which stabilisers do you have and why?

Thanks

Sam

Hit me, up if you wanna talk RamRods, I'm one of their ProStaff, so I have loads of details on the range of rods

Best rods I've shot and I've tried W&W, Doinker Heros, BeeStingers and Bowfingers

 

[Whitehart]

In the end it is all about how the stabilisers wobble when you are aiming (shot cycle), whether you are in harmony with this movement or fighting against it. If you are planning to put loads of weight on the rods then they need to be stiffer. It also depends on whether you are shooting recurve or compound.

The primary objective is to remove torque and help you settle on the Gold, a secondary benefit is vibration dampening a £90 Avalon stabiliser will do this...

If recurve remember heavy is not always best, especially when you have 10 seconds left and you have just been blown off the gold it takes a lot of effort to get back again.

Personally I shoot the Gillo GS6 (colour is a marmite moment). the stiffer GS8 & 9 just did not work for me at the target, others shooting similar draw weights and bows preferred the stiffer rods and more weight.

Compound may depend on the bow you are shooting and the torque created by the cable guard.

Otherwise just buy what you like the look of and can afford.

I remember when the Blades first came out everyone went mad for them (all those wind cheating benefits), to me they seemed a bit soft for compound but that did not seem to matter for 3 months then they bought out the ES...

My first longrod was a golf club, with the head still on a 6 iron where it could be rotated to get optimal balance - we were still learning then yet my scores improved

 

[Rabid Hamster]

I have the W&W HMC+ and they have served me (recurve) well for many years. The new graphics on them look good and these were used by the ladies Korean team so doubt they would use anything duff.

 

[AndyW]

I've got a Beiter (30inch i think) just because it was cheap off eBay and its useful for resting on the floor instead of keep holding the bow all day. I've got/had loads of stabilisers and have never really noticed a difference aside from the length and weight you put on them. I would just buy what you fancy / can afford / looks ok, end of the day they've just got to be stiff.

 

[KidCurry]

I'm constantly amazed just how much manufacturers think they can charge for a carbon tube with two metal end caps. Seriously, £800 for a longrod and two side rods! Oh almost forgot £50 each for tungsten 4oz weights. But people will buy them so who am I to judge

 

[4d4m]

I'm constantly amazed just how much manufacturers think they can charge for a carbon tube with two metal end caps. Seriously, £800 for a longrod and two side rods! Oh almost forgot £50 each for tungsten 4oz weights. But people will buy them so who am I to judge

They must be really packing it in to get £800 worth of pixie dust in those narrow tubes!

 

[AJBrady]

I'm still using an Arten long rod from the 80s; I'd still be using my old twin stabilisers too if they hadn't changed the threads on everything from 1/4" to 5/16"!

 

[Steve Ruis]

Getting a valid recommendation will be hard in that most archers have used only a small number of different stabs and can only comment on those. I had a friend, a compound archer, who used an old golf club as a long rod stabilizer. The approach I give my students is simple: start cheap and light. Often youngsters add way too much weight to their bow and end up spending all of their practice time drilling in shooting with a too massive bow. The Cartel carbon rods are a good place to start as they are both cheap and light. Start with just a longrod and then shoot until you are comfortable with that. (A proper length can be determined by screwing in a test rod and then letting your bow hang at your side (stab tip down). You should have a very slightly bent elbow when the bow is balanced on the long rod.)

Don't use end weights or really and weights, although a plastic cap is fine to protect the threads at the stab tip. After you are comfortable with a long rod, try some side rods. When comfortable with the side rods, explore adding small amounts of weight, at little at a time. This then provides a baseline. Your next set (buy used if you can) can be compared to the cartel set. If it is not better stick with the Cartel set. When you find one that feels better, helps you group better, switch to it and then that becomes your standard of comparison.

 

[jerryRTD]

The problem with using just a long rod and and slowly increasing the weight is that the whole balance of the bow will change when you put the V bar and twins on the bow. Better to start with a complete set up with light weights to start. Normally I would not recommend E Bay but as carbon stabs are usually robust so the risk or buying some thing damaged is much less.

 

[Steve Ruis]

The problem with using just a long rod and and slowly increasing the weight is that the whole balance of the bow will change when you put the V bar and twins on the bow. Better to start with a complete set up with light weights to start. Normally I would not recommend E Bay but as carbon stabs are usually robust so the risk or buying some thing damaged is much less.

I don't know how many times Butch Johnson went to the Olympics and WCs but it was quite a few occasions and he shot only with a long rod. Taking a piece by piece approach gives the athlete a chance to feel what those parts actual do for the stability of his/her shot, which is, I think, more important that the "we know what is good for you, do this approach." This is along the lines of only make one change at a time, so that any effect has a clear cause.

 

[Stretch]

I don't know how many times Butch Johnson went to the Olympics and WCs but it was quite a few occasions and he shot only with a long rod.

Not entirely true. He shot a longrod and a backweight. A fairly large and heavy backweight. So it gives a similar forward/back balance just without the sticky out bits at the sides.

It may be apocryphal but the story in the 90’s was that it made the bow feel more like the compounds he was used to shooting.

Stretch

 

[jerryRTD]

'We know what is good for you do this' is the basic fundamental principal of coaching. Why worry about the feel of the bow in a configuration that you are not going to use to any great extent? The over whelming number of archers end up with a long rod v bar and twins because that works for them.

 

[Stretch]

I think the overwhelming number of archers end up with v-bar and twins more because everyone shoots them not because they worked out it works best. They’ll end up with 8”, 10”, 12“ or 14” depending on what someone recommends or what they saw someone else with on YouTube. They’ll end up with an extender/no extender solid/adjustable based on what someone else tells them.

Semantics I know.

I’d never recommend putting a v-bar on a bow until the archer is shooting consistently enough to see a positive or negative impact. Many archers end up with very poorly balanced systems because they just add to what they have go without understanding the full influence of the change they made. Unlike a longrod a vbar is a non-essential bit of kit. (Olympic Recurve of course)

I frequently strip everything off and go back to longrod and back weight - especially if I am having a struggle-stick moment. Helps me see the wood from the trees.

Stretch

 

[Steve1968]

Another stabiliser system that works well is the flat system, this was very popular back in the 70's and 80's. If I remember correctly, some top archers were shooting really high scores with it. It is hardly used or mentioned these days. It's basically a longrod in the usual position and then a shortrod in the top and bottom limb bolts or were the limbs join the riser, this set up makes the bow jump forward cleanly and gives good arrow flight and clearance, however it is not very forgiving on a bad/poor release, also does not stop or reduce side torque in the hand or during/after release. I believe people use the v-bar to try to eliminate the side torque and also because a v-bar is more forgiving on the bad shots. I believe v-bar set up is affected by the wind less than the flat set up as well.

 

[jerryRTD]

The problem with that system is that you can only a very nose heavy balance. I tried that set up and could not get on with it. I then fitted a V bar and twins as well . plus an extender between the V bar and long rod problem solved.

 

[Steve1968]

That's true but I read somewhere that's why the v-bar set up was developed, to give a better overall balance and reduce sideways torque. I personally prefer the v-bar set up, but I shot just as well with the flat set up. I think the flat set up is good for beginners to move onto after using just a longrod, that way they get used to the extra weight in the hand, then when they feel they are ready they can buy a v-bar and see which set up they prefer.