I was 12 years old and beginning to work at my family’s archery pro shop in small town Wisconsin when my eldest brother removed a brand-new, never-fired bowstring and cable set from his bow, which the UPS-delivery man had dropped off earlier that day. He grabbed a package with a new bowstring and cable set, then installed it on the bow.
At the time, the act made little sense. “Why did he do that?” I wondered. I thought strings and cables were only to be replaced when worn and frayed. But, knowing how successful he was at hunting and tournament shooting, I dared not pop the question aloud.
After helping set up bows for customers in the coming months, I soon learned that stock strings and cables – the ones that came standard on bows – could be very problematic. I saw customers constantly bring back bows that had only been shot a couple dozen times with separated servings or twisted peep sights. The matter was perplexing. It didn’t make sense to me that someone should experience such strife when they’d just spent $500-1,000 on the bow. I didn’t understand it then, but many, if not most, of these bows were outfitted with low-quality, mass-produced bowstrings and cables.
Will custom bowstrings really improve your bow’s performance?
Today, stock/standard bowstrings and cables are improving. Some bow makes even come with a custom set installed, which simplifies everything. Custom bowstrings and cables are simply better. The folks who make them focus on perfecting one product category: building the highest quality bowstrings and cables possible so you can experience your bow’s peak performance.
Whether you’re buying a new bow that has mediocre strings/cables or the ones on your existing bow are due to be changed, I want to suggest going the custom route. When you do, the following merits will result.
Your Bowstring/Cable(s) Won’t Stretch
Stock bowstrings and cables are made more cheaply – lower quality fibers and no pre-stretching – than custom ones, which is why they tend to stretch. Further, the processes and equipment used to produce them aren’t as detailed. The result: they often wear out within a year or less (if you shoot and hunt frequently). When you have a custom set installed on your bow, it reduces or even eliminates many issues, which we’ll discuss next.
Your Peep Sight Will Align
A properly installed custom bowstring ensures proper peep-sight orientation. (Photo by Rebecca McDougal)
Ever draw back on an animal to find that your peep sight was crooked? I’ve heard countless stories of such circumstances, and can only imagine how frustrating it must be to pass up a perfect shot opportunity over such a fixable matter. When I worked at my family’s shop, people came in constantly with crooked peep sights and stories of how it cost them.
With a stock bowstring and cable, this problem tends to recur, even after fixed, because low-quality bowstrings and cables continue stretching throughout their life, causing peep-sight rotation.
On the contrary, custom bowstrings are made from more durable fibers and are pre-stretched under hundreds of pounds of tension. When I install a custom bowstring on my bow, I can set the peep-sight orientation once, then forget about it. In my eyes, that’s a huge benefit.
Your Cams Will Stay Synchronized
Cam synchronization (timing, in layman’s terms) plays a huge role in a bow’s tunability and overall feel. With stock strings, which are prone to stretching (also called creeping), cams easily lose synchronization, causing erratic broadhead flight and the feeling of a double wall at full draw. Thus, your accuracy and consistency will suffer.
Once again, a custom bowstring and cable set solves this dilemma. As with a peep sight, I set my cam synchronization once after installing a string/cables, then forget about it; again, a major benefit.
Your Servings Won’t Separate
America’s Best Bowstrings offer class and performance worth every penny. (Photo by Rebecca McDougal)
Custom bowstring and cable servings, unlike those of stock strings and cables, are wrapped tightly. As a result, they don’t separate. Some, America’s Best Bowstrings, as an example, are even guaranteed not to separate. This alleviates the possibility of an emergency serving fix during archery season; one less thing to worry about.
Your Accuracy Will Improve
In order to shoot your best, your equipment must be working optimally. Since a properly installed custom bowstring and cable set solves the dilemmas I mentioned earlier, you can’t blame your bow if you shoot poorly. Instead, you can examine yourself for flaws, and more quickly identify hitches that are holding back your shooting potential. Don’t shoot equipment prone to let you down. Shoot trustworthy equipment.
You Have a Back-up Set
When you remove a brand new or lightly used bowstring and cable set – many of you likely rely on a bow technician to handle this – from your existing bow, keep it in your archery possibles/tacklebox for emergencies. Accidents happen. Should you accidentally slice a few strands of your new bowstring with a broadhead or other sharp object, you can easily take your back-up set and your bow to a local shop for a quick repair. During bow season, the ability to do a quick fix like this is priceless. It’s almost like having a back-up bow, but less expensive.
You Can Choose Your Colors
Finally, who doesn’t love to personalize their bow? I do, and I can’t think of a better way to do this than to order a custom, two-tone bowstring and cable set. Most manufacturers offer all colors of the rainbow and many more. And, once you pick strand colors, you can normally choose custom-colored servings, too. I’ve always liked this option.
The color options are nearly endless when it comes to custom bowstrings from America’s Best Bowstrings.
Putting new strings on your bow is a great way to customize it to your personal color preference. Platinum series bow strings from America’s Best Bowstrings seen here are available in a variety of colors from bright and loud to dark and stealthy.
Closing Thoughts
We live in an imperfect world where Murphy’s law waits to steal opportunities without warning. The best way to fight back is to streamline your equipment, eliminating components that are habitually problematic. One, in particular, is your bowstring and cable set. Have a custom set installed to lift many burdensome worries off your bowhunting back, and you’ll shoot and hunt more confidently and effectively.
America’s Best Bowstrings Product Spotlight
There are several well-known custom-bowstring manufacturers in the business. This year, I selected a Platinum Series bowstring and cable set from America’s Best Bowstrings (ABB). Of the 45 colors in ABB’s string-fiber color palette, I chose speckled silver and speckled florescent green with black servings for a personalized flavor. The Platinum Series is constructed from BCY 452X bowstring material – the best in the business – and wrapped with Halo servings. Thus, it comes with three important guarantees: zero stretch, no peep rotation and no serving separation. Plus, ABB incorporates customized nock-serving sizes for optimal arrow-nock fit and departure. Since installing the set, I’ve shot frequently, and it truly lives up to ABB’s three-part guarantee. Ordering your custom Platinum Series set is as simple as visiting www.americasbestbowstrings.com.
