Inside Archery June 2022

serving material, which was imported ing. Many consider BCY’s HALO Serving the ERGRIP serving material is also becoming
from Japan. Though a popular material best in the industry, as it has proven to be popular due to its excellent gripping power
with some dealers and shooters, BCY felt ultra-tough. HALO serving is available in and extreme durability.
the disruptions in delivery and uncertain- .014-inch diameter, in original solid black
ty of future supplies warranted making or white and a newer black/white blend. BCY has a lot going on, including recently
this decision and shifting more attention HALO is especially well suited to creating launching a new website designed to make
to BCY-made options. super durable end servings on compound, selecting and ordering all of its products
recurve or crossbow strings, though it is easier to understand and less time consum-
The latest development at BCY is Mer- also useful for center serving. BCY’s POW- ing. Check it out, and explore the complete
cury 2 Bowstring material. This new- BCY lineup, by visiting bcyfibers.com. IA
for-2022 string material introduces a
larger diameter version of the popular
Mercury material that came before. It is
made from the highest strength Dyneema
available, which has been proven to be
incredibly resistant to creep or stretch
over time. This translates into consistent
peep rotation each and every shot, and
bows that stay tuned after hundreds, if
not thousands of shots. Mercury 2 is also
extremely strong and durable, making it
a natural choice for today’s performance-
driven compounds and crossbows driving
bolts at velocities of more than 400 fps.

While a breakthrough, this does not
make the company’s other offerings ob-
solete. One of BCY’s top performing bow-
string materials is X-99, a two-ply blend of
Dyneema and Vectran. This combination
provides an incremental upgrade to three-
ply 452X, other improvements including a
lower percentage of creep and a smaller
overall strand size. This typically means
adding four strands to mirror an accus-
tomed string diameter and ensure proper
nock fit. X-99 quickly became a top choice
for high performance compound strings.

If you are a dealer with a strong tra-
ditional archery base, the company still
offers BCY B55—which is similar to the
original Dacron—but you’ll also likely
keep BCY 8125 on hand (though beware
that there are counterfeits, so look for the
BCY label). This material has been floating
around some 20 years, but is still a go-to
material for quality recurve bowstrings,
especially those shooting Olympic-style
bows. That said, it is certainly compatible
with modern compound models.

Many take bowstring center and end
serving for granted, but cheap serving
that wears quickly, slips or separates af-
ter a few dozen shots is beyond frustrat-

JUNE 2022 INSIDEARCHERY.COM 51

MARKET TRENDS GEAR REPORT

Victory Archery

RIP XV Hunting Arrow

BY PATRICK MEITIN

M ost of the time, when choosing arrows to mind. In those cases arrow criteria but for a shaft this light
for serious bowhunting, I prefer mi- revolves around pure speed. and fast, they are as depend-
able as some arrow brand’s
Victory Archery’s RIP XV (Xtreme Ve- standard-weight arrows. Each is
also digitally spine aligned to boost
cro-diameter shafts with a heavyweight punch. locity) provides that speed—in spades. accuracy through shot-to-shot con-
sistency. Each dozen is carefully
This is Victory Archery’s lightest and hand fletched with Q2I vanes to en-
sure maximum adhesion and ideal
Consequently, most of the time, when fastest hunting-targeted arrow. It alignment.

bowhunting big game I choose Victory’s also offers the advantages that come But the performance-enhancing fea-
tures go beyond the shaft itself. Victory’s
VAP TKO or VAP SS weighing from 9.5 to through a streamlined .204-inch interi- proprietary ICE Nano Ceramic Coating
further accentuates penetration through
9.9 grains per inch (gpi) in .300 spine. or diameter (outside diameters varying reduced friction, while also making ar-
rows easier to extract from high-density
On the other hand, there are spe- from .260- to .242-inch, stiffest to light- foam targets. AAE 8-grain .204 nocks are
standard, with 7-grain unibushings or
cific big game animals bowhunted un- est spine)—including reduced wind 9-grain pin bushings offered as options.
Victory’s 21-grain SHOK Outsert technol-
der very specific conditions where I’m drift on those long pokes, and excep-
ogy is also best in class, milled from 7075
nearly guaranteed longer-than-average tional penetration due to less friction hard anodized aluminum (standard) or
303 stainless steel (optional, 60 grains)
shots taken at especially jumpy prey. while passing through animals. The RIP including standard thread pitch and a
5/16-inch diameter. Fifty- and 75-grain
Southwestern Coues whitetail, most XV’s light weight also results in extreme aluminum and stainless steel outserts
are also optional, as well as 10-, 20- and
especially, but also spot-and-stalk prai- F.O.C. (Front Of Center) arrow load, 50-grain back weights.

rie pronghorn or ultra-neurotic Texas which increases arrow forgiveness, Make no mistake, despite their feath-
ery weight, these are serious hunting
exotics like blackbuck antelope come tuning ease and penetration potential. arrows designed to provide reliable per-
formance on big game animals. Check
RIP XV are available in .250, .300, .350, the RIP XV and other Victory arrows out
by visiting victoryarchery.com. IA
.400 and .500 spine deflections, with gpi

weights of 8.0, 7.1, 6.4, 5.9 and 5.1 gpi,

respectively. This makes them one of

the lightest hunting arrows in the busi-

ness, if not the very lightest. RIP XV ar-

rows are also offered in three straight-

ness grades, including the +/-.001-inch

Elite, .003-inch Gamer and .006 Sport,

all weight matched to within ½ a grain

for added consistency.

Less mass often correlates to less

strength, but Victory’s RIP XVs are made

from the finest 100 percent high modu-

lus Mitsubishi carbon fibers to provide

incredible hoop strength and resistance

to breakage. Are they as stout as VAP

TKO and VAP SS shafts? Honestly, no,

WebXtra ■ For more information

on Victory Archery RIP XV, please go to
insidearchery.com/VictoryRipXV.

52 INSIDE ARCHERY JUNE 2022



MARKET TRENDS GEAR REPORT

QuietKat Apex 7.5

BY INSIDE ARCHERY STAFF

I n the world of ebikes, there are defined QuietKat’s bikes
categories that most models fall under. fill an interesting

You have sport-oriented mountain and road niche, as the bikes
uniquely aren’t try-

bikes meant to replace conventional versions, of- ing to compete with

fering riders a bit of extra shove on steep climbs. sport models like, say, Specialized’s Tur- Observed Range ■ One of the longest
rides I’ve done was 30 miles and in-
bo Levo, and offer so much more ver- cluded 3,200 feet of vertical elevation
gain. That ride ended with 9 percent
Then there are bikes that are ideally satility than any commuter ebike out charge remaining, which I penciled out
to a total range of about 32-plus miles.
suited for transportation, like com- there. They really can do it all. Let’s do Another 20-mile ride included steeper
inclines and 2,700 vertical feet of climb-
muting to school or work. Finally, a quick rundown of the Apex 7.5 from a ing. It ended with 10 percent battery
life. On both rides I set mode at a mid-
there is the space Colorado’s QuietKat technical standpoint. dle-range Level 3, trying to log as many
miles as reasonable.
occupies—trail-utility and jack-of-all-
On another 18-mile ride the goal was
trades bikes. Motor, Battery, Drivetrain ■ There are to ride in the two highest power modes

two available motors in the Apex range, and really let it off the leash. On that ride,
which included about 2,800 feet of climb-
the 750W (starting at $5,499) or a 1,000W ing, I really put the motor to the test with
some very steep 20 to 30 percent grades.
(starting at $5,799). We chose the for- It was still able to pull 8 mph in Mode 5.
At the end of that ride I still had 38 per-
mer, as our intention is to compare this cent battery life remaining. Fully charg-
ing the battery requires a few hours, but
bike against a more affordable model a quick 30-minute to one-hour partial
charge will get back on the trail.
from QuietKat in a comparison test
Short rides around town on flat ter-
and see how they stack rain should only consume between 3 to
5 percent of total battery life, meaning
up. (Stay tuned for that you can do a lot of urban riding without
worrying about charging. Those think-
story.) The Apex’s motor ing of going deeper into the woods might
want to consider a spare battery and/or
is mid-mounted—as op- QuietKat’s portable solar charger. IA

posed to a hub-drive mo- WebXtra ■ For more information on

tor—with everything neatly packaged the QuietKat Apex 7.5 ebike, please go to
insidearchery.com/QuietKatApex.
on the frame just in front of the cranks.

Both Apex models feature the same

48V/16Ah battery with a capacity of

768Wh. The battery can be removed

with a keyed release, allowing you to

take it inside to plug into the included

home charger. The Apex can be ridden

as a pedal-assist ebike, or using the

thumb throttle alone with no pedal-

ing. There are five power modes in Eco-

Assist, and five more in Sport-Assist.

Power is delivered via a chain to a SRAM

nine-speed drivetrain. On our 750W

version, assisted speed is limited to 20

mph because it’s a Class 2 ebike (while

the 1,000W version doesn’t have such a

restriction). Range is between 24 and 48

miles, with variables such as tire pres-

sure, rider weight, cargo weight, eleva-

tion gain and mode selection dictating

charge economy.

54 INSIDE ARCHERY JUNE 2022



It might surprise many to learn that the Bowstrings & Accessories
advancement of bow performance is di-
rectly tied to the progress of bowstring
and buss cable fiber technology. This is
in no way meant to minimize what smart
archery engineers have accomplished in
other areas of the modern bow—which
is considerable—but it is the strings and
cables, after all, that quite literally tie it all
together. Without incredibly strong, no-
stretch string materials, we would not en-
joy the incredible bow performance we do
today, not just in cutting-edge compound
bows, but also modern traditional bows.

Think about it: some of you are no
doubt old enough to remember steel buss
cables and steel-cable cam lead-ins hold-
ing steel bowstring teardrops. The cables
of the first compounds I witnessed didn’t
even have plastic coating. Even after ca-
bles were sheathed in plastic, they were
heavy and clattery. No serious gains in
compound velocity were realized until all-
round “fast-flight” strings and cables ar-
rived. Newer string materials also meant I
could get through an entire 3D tournament
without having to adjust the brace height
on my favorite traditional bow. Yet, even
with cutting-edge string materials, proper
maintenance is still a big part of the game,
making those products vitally important.

Meanwhile, some of the biggest archery
advancements have come in the form of
silencing, and the bowstring is a huge part
of that revolution. More effective and dura-
ble string silencers have changed what we
once thought of as quiet. Of course, there
is more to bowstring accessories than si-
lence. I know of darn few compound shoot-
ers who do not employ a peep today, while
other “string things” also help us shoot
better, or simply more thoroughly enjoy
shooting a bow. This feature is dedicated to
the modern bowstring, the materials it is
made of and the accessories it holds.

All-Important

BY PATRICK MEITIN INSIDE ARCHERY JUNE 2022

56

MODERN BOWSTRINGS & CABLES ABB Nomad Flemish

The list of custom bowstring/cable mak- Winner’s Choice
ers has grown quite long over the years, Gas Bowstrings
all producing unbelievably high-quality Ghost XV
wares through technically-advanced
manufacturing techniques. These are Vapor Trail
strings and cables that are stronger, less Archery
prone to creep or wear, and adorned with Zebra
the most abrasion-resistant end and cen- Trophy
ter servings in the business. Sure, they cost
more, but they also last much longer and Rogue R21 Series
provide peace of mind, knowing they won’t BlackHeart Crossbow
let you down in the heat of battle—be that
on the target line or in the field. OMP
Flemish Twist
America’s Best Bowstrings (ABB) • ABB’s
FirstString X-It Wire
Nomad Flemish Bowstrings have devel-
oped a solid reputation amongst hard-
core recurve and longbow shooters seek-
ing a durable, high-performance option
with old-timey style. These bowstrings
include a base of BCY 8125 material that
helps any traditional bow launch arrows
at higher velocities, while also promising
longer life. The braided loops add to the
classic look and give these bowstrings a
cleaner finish. These bowstrings are of-
fered in a wide array of color schemes
from flashy to camouflaged, helping
single-string archers create a preferred
look or incorporate their favorites col-
ors. ABB also offers bowstring and buss
cable options for today’s modern com-
pounds, tournament recurves and cross-
bows. Go to americasbestbowstrings.com
to learn more.

Winner’s Choice Strings • Winner’s Choice’s

proprietary string-building processes guar-
antees every string strand is pre-stretched,
making strings ready for action the mo-
ment it is installed. Winner’s Choice has
a decade’s-long record of producing bow-
strings and buss cables that virtually elim-
inate creep, misaligned peeps and serving
separation. Custom options include Mod-
el 8190 made from SK90 Dyneema, Mod-
el 452x made from a Vectran/Dyneema
blend and Model 8125G made from
Dyneema materials. The 8190 option is 100
percent SK90-grade Dyneema, which holds
up exceptionally to abrasion and includes
a standard compound-string strand count
of 28. The 452x Dyneema/Vectran blend (67
percent SK75 Dyneema and 33 percent Vec-

JUNE 2022 INSIDEARCHERY.COM 57

Bowstrings & Accessories

tran) is popular with many target archers. BCY Fibers X-99, 8125, ors, including speckled. Mercury uses 100
It offers excellent speed, is stable over time, Mercury 2 and Halo Serving percent SK99 Dyneema fiber for low creep
but is not as abrasion resistant as other and slightly higher arrow speeds. Vapor
materials. Standard strand count is 24 for Brownell B50, Trail offers lifetime service and a three-
compounds, 20 for recurves. Finally, 8125 Fast Flight Plus and day shipping guarantee. Retail prices vary
is 100 percent SK75 grade Dyneema—the by options, but average around $145. Go to
material Winner’s Choice built its reputa- Diamondback vaportrailarchery.com to learn more.
tion on. It provides great arrow speed and a .30-06 Outdoors
softer shot, but does require longer break- String Snot wax Zebra Bowstrings • Zebra Trophy bow-
in time. Compound strand count is usually Scorpion Venom
20. A string set retails for around $180. Go to Anti Venom Bowstring strings and buss cables feature a new
winnerschoicestrings.com to learn more. Cleaner, Polymeric proprietary Trophy Process using ultra-
Bowstring Fluid premium blends of BCY material and 20
GAS Bowstrings • Customers looking and Polymeric years of string building experience, with
Bowstring Wax each individually inspected to ensure new
for top-quality upgrade or replacement levels of consistency, accuracy and quality.
bowstrings and cables have learned that OMP Every string is pre-conditioned to elimi-
GAS Bowstrings has a lot to offer. From a Bow Care nate peep rotation and serving separation,
lineup of stellar offerings GAS’s Ghost XV Combo Kit while boasting one of the shortest shoot-in
strings stand out above the rest. GAS rep- periods in the premium bowstring busi-
resentatives say Ghost XV Bowstrings are Bohning Grit Guard, Xccelerator, ness. Zebra Bowstrings also boast more
the most consistent, reliable and accurate Seal-Tite and String Shield string waxes than $9,000,000 in tournament-win prize
bowstrings in the bowstring business. money. Zebra Bowstrings are made in the
Ghost XV bowstrings and buss cables are U.S.A. and available in nearly 40 colors. Go
constructed from premium BCY materials to zebrastrings.com to learn more.
to provide an exceptional balance of speed
and stability. GAS Bowstrings’ exclusive Rogue Bowstrings • Rogue Bowstrings is
TTS (Total Tensioning System) building
process results in superior performance operated by a family of employees who
and zero creep, so peeps come up square to have a huge passion for archery. Rogue has
the eye after every draw cycle. A huge ar- cast away conventional string-building ap-
ray of color options are offered to produce proaches and adopted a total engineering
Ghost XV end servings, plus the center serv- approach that results in some of the best
ing is made of proven Powergrip material. bowstrings around—their best the R21 se-
A complete set of Ghost XV strings/cable ries. Rogue’s mindset is that every set of
retails for $150. Go to gasbowstrings.com strings and cables are being prepared for
to learn more. their professional shooters, including top-
grade end loop serving, engineered stretch
Vapor Trail Archery • Vapor Trail’s U.S.A.- and twist count. Rogue makes getting the
perfect set of stings/cables for any brand
made Compound Custom Bowstrings are and model bow easy, R21 string/cable sets
handmade to order to meet any archery using a proprietary blend of custom fiber to
or bowhunting need. These are top-qual- provide consistent launch and unmatched
ity bowstrings that are efficient and ex- arrow speed. They are constructed of ma-
tremely durable, incorporating only the terial developed and available exclusively
best materials and offered at competi- to Rogue. MSRP is $199.99 per set. Go to
tive prices. Material options include VTX, roguebowstrings.com to learn more.
452X and Mercury, to provide optimal
performance for specific bow makes and BlackHeart • BlackHeart Crossbow Strings
models, whether seeking pure speed, or a
bowstring that is more weather resistant. & Cables are handcrafted employing the
And Vapor Trail continues to innovate, us- ideal blends of cutting-edge string materi-
ing feedback from professional shooters. als, technology and honed string-building
Proprietary VTX is recommended as the techniques. The finished products are
material to provide reliable peep twist and crossbow cables featuring BlackHeart’s
in varying weather conditions. Industry rugged GlideLock servings and exclu-
standard 452X offers more strand-count sive DuraWeave construction. Each ca-
flexibility and a wider selection of col- ble is custom crafted to coax maximum

58 Continued on Page 60

INSIDE ARCHERY JUNE 2022



Bowstrings & Accessories ContinuedfromPage58

performance from customers’ specific Easton Dr. Doug’s 3-Step Maintenance Kit a larger diameter version of the proven
crossbow model, the ordering process fast Pine Ridge Z-38 Mercury original, made from high-
and trouble free. Go to blackheartgear. Peep Sight strength Dyneema. This material proves
com to learn more. Pine Ridge extremely resistant to creep/stretch, and
MICRO Silicone offers extreme strength and durability
October Mountain Products (OMP) • OMP’s Peep Tubing ideal for today’s most radical crossbows
and compounds.
Flemish Twist Strings are hand spliced and Bohning Peep It Pro Kit
precision twisted to provide traditional Worth revisiting is two-ply X-99 bow-
bows with a classic touch that is also high- Redline RL Peep Sights string material, blended from Dyneema
ly functional. These 16-strand, dual-bundle Hamskea InSight and and Vectran to provide a slightly higher
bowstrings include innovative construc- Raptor Hunting Peeps grade of material then three-ply 452X—in-
tion and the latest D97 string material. cluding a slightly lower percentage of creep
They hold quality nylon center serving. and smaller strand size. The smaller diam-
Go to octobermountainproducts.com to eter typically requires adding four strands
learn more. to maintain established string diameter.
X-99 has become popular for compound
FirstString • FirstString bowstrings are strings. BCY’s trademarked 8125 has been
around nearly 20 years, but is still a fa-
hand made in the U.S.A. by one of the larg- vorite with recurve shooters, particularly
est custom bowstring manufacturers in Olympic-style shooters. It also remains
the country. If your customer has a bow- popular with compound shooters.
string need, FirstString has a solution, us-
ing unique blends of materials manufac- Finally, for the toughest center serving
tured by BCY exclusively for FirstString. X-It around, BCY’s HALO Serving is a tough one
Wire bowstrings and cables are the No. 1 to beat. The .014-inch diameter serving is
choice of target archers, but certainly hunt now available in black/white, offering
ready. They can be ordered with any strand the same specs as standard solid white or
count desired and in a seemingly endless black. This super-tough material is most
numbers of custom color combinations. popular for end servings on compounds,
All include Halo loop and cam serving, pre- recurves and crossbows, though is often
stressed for faster shoot-in time, guaran- used for center servings. It is available
teed peep rotation and no serving separa- in 120-yard jig spools, or ¼- and 1-pound
tion, creep or stretch. A complete set retails spools. BCY bowstring materials are avail-
for $219.99 ($299.99 for all Prime bow mod- able in more than 50 colors, using nontoxic,
els). Go to firststringusa.com to learn more. non-bleeding water based color coatings.
Also note that BCY has launched a new
SPACE-AGE STRING MATERIAL website to make string material selection
faster and smoother. Go to bcyfibers.com
Those custom strings are made from the to learn more.
latest fiber technologies, just a handful
of dedicated companies keeping their Brownell Archery • Brownell produces
finger on the pulse of the world market
to bring us the stoutest, most abrasion- many industry bowstring-material stan-
resistant and low-stretch string fibers dards. Polyester B50 is the firebrand for
available to man. traditional bows, providing abrasion re-
sistance, durability and consistency. It is
BCY Fibers • BCY has been serving the extremely smooth and easy to work with.
Fast Flight Plus represents the original
archery industry for 32 years, bringing us high-performance bowstring material, of-
cutting-edge materials preferred by some fering minimal creep, superior durability
of the most discerning string crafters in and excellent speed. Rampage is a next-
the world. BCY serves as a bowstring ma- generation material offering Brownell’s
terial gold standard, harnessing the latest thinnest diameter, low creep, soft shooting
fibers to wring maximum performance and excellent performance. Rhino is the
from modern bows and crossbows. There material of choice for crossbows, a pro-
are several highlights to touch on, the lat- prietary manufacturing process providing
est the 2022-introduced Mercury 2 Bow- minimal fraying, superior strength and
string material. Mercury 2 Bowstring is greater longevity. Vantage is an excellent

60 INSIDE ARCHERY JUNE 2022

choice for compound bows and crossbows, grease, without harming string fibers. This
and recurves built with reinforced limb provides a fresh surface to apply Polymeric
tips. This blended HMPE and VECTRAN ma- Bowstring Fluid, which makes string colors
terial is ideal for archers who expect the pop, penetrates into string cores to reduce
most durable and creep resistant blend interior friction and offers waterproof pro-
available. All are available in 17 colors, in- tection. Finally, Polymeric Bowstring Wax
cluding black, white, grey, blue, bright yel- can be used like conventional string wax.
low, bronze, medium brown, dark brown, The screw-top can includes a leather patch
golden yellow, hunter green, purple, red, to make it easy to apply and mess free, just
silver, fluorescent green, fluorescent or- a little going a long way. This product also
ange, fluorescent pink and fluorescent yel- penetrates deep to help reduce friction be-
low, and in ¼- and 1-pound spools. tween individual string strands and will
not become brittle in cold weather. All of
To finish things off, Brownell’s Dia- these products are 100 percent odor free
mondback center serving material is the and retail for $11.99 each. Or, customers can
company’s most popular. The blended opt for Scorpion Venom’s 3 Star Bow Main-
material offers superior grip for minimal tenance Kit, which retails for $29.99 and
separation and excellent durability. It can includes Anti-Venom String Cleaner, Poly-
also be used for larger diameter end serv- meric Bowstring Fluid and Cam & Servicing
ings. It is offered in black and black/white Lube. Go to scorpionvenom-archery.com
and .018- and .022-inch diameters on jig to learn more.
spools only. Go to brownellarchery.com to
learn more. October Mountain Products (OMP) • Oc-

STRING-CARE ESSENTIALS tober Mountain Products’ Bow Care Combo
Kit allows bow techs and archers to keep
The best bowstring and cable material on bowstrings and buss cables and high-per-
Earth is only as good as the care it receives. formance bows in perfect working order,
Back in the day a basic lump of bee’s wax helping them last longer and providing
was standard archery tackle-box fodder. optimum performance. The kit includes a
Today string-care products have become 1-ounce Bow Lube Pen, “hunter-size” Bow-
even more advanced to compliment to- string Wax and .25-ounces of String Serum.
day’s advanced string fibers. Go to octobermountainproducts.com to
learn more.
.30-06 Outdoors • String Snot by .30-06
Bohning Company • Bohning offers a large
Outdoors is one of archery’s best-selling
high-performance bowstring wax. The pre- variety of string wax options for every ar-
cise blend of wax, lubricants and high-tech chery need. Original, natural-based Tex-
oils provides superior protection to tradi- Tite offers a tacky feel perfect for tradi-
tional wax-based products. String Snot is tional or modern strings. Xccelerator Wax
100 percent odorless, waterproof and goes is another natural-based product made
on clear. It helps promote better perfor- for classic or modern strings and offers a
mance and provides protection while pro- soft feel. The odorless wax offers quicker
longing string life. The nontoxic formula fiber saturation and greatly reduces abra-
won’t gather dust and debris and is made sion and friction around slides, wheels
in the U.S.A. It is offered in a single clam- and rollers. Newer Seal-Tite is a silicone-
shell package, 48-count for counter display based product providing a silkier feel
or 144-count bulk packaging options. Go to more suited to modern synthetic strings.
30-06outdoors.com to learn more. The odorless formula remains soft even
in cold weather. String Shield is another
Scorpion Venom Archery • Scorpion Ven- silicone-based product made for synthetic
strings. The odorless liquid formula offers
om offers a complete system to ensure ultra-fast fiber saturation, penetrating in-
bowstrings and buss cables perform at peak dividual strands for long-lasting protection
performance and last longer. This starts and performance enhancement. Finally,
with Anti Venom Bowstring Cleaner, craft- there is Grit Guard, a hydrocarbon-based,
ed from the finest chemical components to non-tacky formula ideal in dusty areas, as
cleanse away all dirt, grime, old wax and

JUNE 2022 INSIDEARCHERY.COM

Bowstrings & Accessories

it prevents dirt from collecting on strings. OMP Retna Peep Sight available in 3-foot lengths for individual
It, too, is odorless, and perfect for classic sale, or 50-foot lengths for shop use. Go to
or modern strings, while also containing TRUGLO GLO•BRITE and pineridgearchery.com to learn more.
premium conditioners that restore sup- CENTRA XTREME Peeps
pleness to old strings. Go to bohning.com Bohning Company • Bohning’s U.S.A.-made,
to learn more. Radical Archery Designs GlowPeep
time-saving Peep It design, which requires
Easton Archery • Easton’s Dr. Doug’s 3-Step BowJax UltraJax II String Silencer no serving to lock securely into the bow-
and String Sleeve Silencer string, now comes in a Peep It Pro Kit. The
String Maintenance Kit retails for $36.99 package includes six biasing apertures and
and includes everything to keep bowstring Pine Ridge three strengths of clarifiers (two additional
and cable in top-notch shape. String Clean- Wishbone String lenses sold separately). The low coating in-
er is included to remove dirt, old wax and and Cable Dampeners dex eliminates distortion and any form of
contaminants from the bowstring. Bow- rainbow effect. With the elimination of the
string Revitalizer helps restore color and Mathews bending of light, arrow impact isn’t altered,
penetrates to the core of the string for Monkey no matter the angle of the light. Bohning’s
reduced friction and maximum life. Full lenses promote increased light transmis-
Synthetic Bowstring Wax was formulat- Tail sion for excellent visibility in all lighting
ed to protect longer and more effectively conditions and offer improved color ren-
than conventional string waxes. Go to Vapor Trail Archery dition for superior target definition. The
eastonarchery.com to learn more. String Bats Peep It Pro system allows changing clari-
fiers and biasing apertures separately to
PHENOMENAL PEEP SIGHTS APEX Gear fine tune the sight picture. A plunger is in-
Doubledown cluded for easier lens installation. Options
Like many bowhunters of my generation, String Silencer include black, red and blue 37-degree, and
I ignored peeps for decades. When I did black, red and blue 45-degree kits housed
finally give them a fair shake I discov- in a sturdy screw-top steel can. Go to
ered my groups tightened, my maximum bohning.com to learn more.
effective range expanded considerably,
and my “off-days” became much less Redline Bowhunting • RL ¼-inch and 3∕16-
frequent. Most archers today, save hard-
core traditional shooters, have adopted a inch Peep Sights by Redline Bowhunting
peep for all their shooting, making them are designed to ensure archers are looking
steady sellers. through a perfectly round aperture every
time while at full draw, and at every draw
Pine Ridge Archery • The Z-38 Peep Sight or axle-to-axle bow length. They are CNC-
machined from top-quality aluminum, all
from Pine Ridge Archery is proudly made in exterior edges radiused for a super-smooth
the U.S.A. and built to last. They are milled finished product. They are easy to install
from rugged 6061-T6 aluminum in 1∕8-, 3∕16-, with the use of a bow press and will not cut
7∕32- and ¼-inch options, and anodized in or fray bowstrings. They come in screw-
green, red, blue or black. This peep includes top tubs of 50 perfect for shop use, with an
a deep string channel that keeps it securely MSRP of $259.99, or about $5.20 each. Go to
in place for precision shooting, even af- redlinebowhunting.com to learn more.
ter thousands of shots. The deep channel
also prevents the peep from rotating, and Hamskea Archery Solutions • Hamskea
the 38-degree angle aligns perfectly with
the eye when at full draw. All edges are engineered the InSight Peep with aero-
cleaned and polished to prevent bowstring space-inspired anti-glare baffles to be the
wear or and fraying. lightest tubular peep around, and includ-
ing the highest-grade optical clarity lenses
Pine Ridge’s MICRO Silicone Peep Tub- for better shooting. The InSight peep pro-
ing, for use with peeps holding stems, is vides unmatched target clarity through
tougher and more resistant to rotting and light baffling technology that eliminates
UV damage, but thinner to introduce less glare around the peep edges so there is
weight. Its elastic properties allow it to fit no halo in poor light. Hamskea chose the
standard peep sight stems (like the com- highest quality glass for their lenses, add-
pany’s Nitro Peep Sight) without popping ing a hydrophobic/oleophobic coating to
off.  New MICRO Silicone Peep Tubing is repel moisture, smudges and glare. They

62 INSIDE ARCHERY JUNE 2022

also include a precision optical center, tion in low light easier. The glowing green
14-grain all metal housing 45 percent light- insert is adjustable to three different set-
er than similar peep systems, 2-grain in- tings. The polymer peep comes with align-
terchangeable anti-scratch polymer aper- ment tubing to ensure proper positioning
ture and a proprietary coating to eliminate at full draw. It includes an MSRP of $14.99.
string fraying. Go to truglo.com to learn more.

Hamskea’s Raptor Hunting Peep elimi- Radical Archery Designs (RAD) • The
nates glare through a patented baffling
system and offers both 35- and 40-degree GlowPeep is based on Radical Archery’s
string groove angles to accommodate dif- Super Duece 38 anodized peep sight. They
ferent length bows and resulting full-draw are then coated with GlowPeep photo-
string angles. The Light Baffling prevents luminescent technology. A 2-plus minute
off-axis light from reaching the shooter’s charge from a bright LED light (60 lumens
eye, providing clean and consistent sight or more) or exposure to full sunlight can
pictures in all light conditions. The pro- yield up to a 12 hours of afterglow. For ap-
prietary Teflon coating ensures a smooth proximately the first 10 to 20 minutes the
surface that protects the string from wear. GlowPeep will glow especially bright, but
All-aluminum construction ensures speed will quickly fade to a faint glow for up to 12
without sacrificing strength. Weight var- hours. The faint glow is ideal for bowhunt-
ies from 16 to 24 grains in 1∕16-, 3∕32-, 1∕8-, ing in low-light conditions or even full
5∕32-, 3∕16-, 7∕32- and ¼-inch options. MSRP is darkness (such as after-hours hog hunting,
$19.99. Go to hamskeaarchery.com to learn where legal). Brightness can be manipulat-
more. ed by charge time or light brightness. They
are offered with 3∕16- or ¼-inch apertures.
October Mountain Products (OMP) • The Go to radicalarchery.com to learn more.

Retna Peep Sight by OMP is offered in new- ADVANCED STRING SILENCING
for-2022 dealer 12 packs that are ready for
bow-counter display. These peeps feature Once upon a time we tied yarn puffs (which
a machined 6000-series aluminum body, gathered burrs) to our bowstrings to calm
deep string grooves and a serving groove the guitar-like twang following release.
to securely hold the peep in place. They Next came rubber string whiskers, which
are available in black and OD green, the are still quite viable when made from ma-
aperture design providing a clear, round terial that holds up to dry rot and UV dam-
sight picture, even when slightly cocked. age. Today you are more likely to see solid
They are available with 1∕8-, 3∕16- and silencers on bowstrings—and buss cables—
¼-inch aperture diameters. Learn more at less prone to moisture accumulation or
octobermountainproducts.com. falling apart after prolonged shooting,

TRUGLO • TRUGLO offers two unique peeps BowJax • UltraJax l String Silencers are

sure to appeal to many of your custom- the product that put BowJax on the archery
ers. The CENTRA XTREME Peep is a small, map. The split design is designed to install
featherweight polymer design including without a bow press for instant applica-
an attachment stem and alignment tubing tion, placed on the string and anchored
to ensure the aperture comes up square to with the supplied zip-ties. BowJax UltraJax
the eye after every draw cycle. These make ll String Silencers are a one-piece design
ideal peeps for youth bows holding lesser that has become more popular with bow
string material prone to slight stretching companies and pro shops, as they require
and serious adult rigs alike. Black versions a bow press for installation, slipping over
are available with 1∕8- and 3∕16-inch aper- loop ends and slid into place. Both are ultra
tures; 3∕16-inch peeps also offered in black effective at silencing any style bow. Testing
50 packs (MSRP $98.99) and in pink. has revealed the addition of UltraJax usu-
ally increases arrow speed 1 to 3 fps when
TRUGLO’S GLO•BRITE Peep follows the placed correctly. The super-soft but durable
company’s path of brighter aiming solu- rubber silencers weigh only 19 grains each
tions. The 3∕16-inch peep aperture is sur- and come in black, red, silver, blue, pink,
rounded by four glowing dots at 12, 9, 6 and
3 o’clock positions to make peep acquisi-

JUNE 2022 INSIDEARCHERY.COM

Bowstrings & Accessories

Pine Ridge Pine Ridge QAD Ultra-Nok II TRUGLO Flex-Fletch
Nitro Speed Bomb Slide On Kisser Button MICRO Kisser Button KBS Kisser Button

purple, brown, olive, orange, fluorescent super durable and effective at taming the four-piece set but offer huge vibration re-
green and yellow. They retail for around vibrations and noise of high-performance duction and string silencing action on any
$7.99 per four. crossbows. They require a bow press (pro bow design, including crossbows. Tough
shop recommended), as they are inserted rubber-molded Vapor Trail String Bats
BowJax String Sleeve Silencers and Super between string strands and lightly served packs are supplied with two large Bats (17.6
String Sleeve Silencers are more stream- at each end to keep them in place. They grains) for the bowstring and two small
lined, in fact doubling as speed buttons come in four packs and are made to be long Bats (11.2 grains) for buss cables. A bow
if needed. They are what they sound like, lasting. Go to bowjax.com to learn more. press is required for installation. They are
tubular rubber sleeves that are pulled over currently in stock and ready to ship. Go to
bowstring or cable ends while employ- Pine Ridge Archery • Wishbone String and vaportrailarchery.com to learn more.
ing a bow press. String Sleeves are more
streamlined, Super String Sleeves includ- Cable Dampeners from Pine Ridge Archery APEX Gear • APEX Gear Doubledown
ing a middle bulb for additional vibration are another tool that helps significantly
control on more radical bows. They are of- reduce bow noise and vibrations. They are String Silencers are sold in four packs and
fered in the same colors as UltraJax. Final- super-easy to install and do not require a offer nearly instantaneous installation to
ly, BowJax Crossbow String Silencers are bow press, so can be put in place in sec- any bowstring or buss cable. They include
onds. They weigh 14 grains each, so will a post and loop design installed by wrap-
not erode bow speed—in fact with proper ping the silencer around the string/cable,
placement they can actually increase ar- feeding the stem through the loop and
row velocity. The Wishbone lineup mirrors pulling through until locked. They require
other Pine Ridge Archery offerings by being no bow press. The patented dual-arm de-
offered in 12 colors, plus clear. Clear Wish- sign offers twice the dampening action.
bones add a nice touch to custom strings They are offered in black, pink and red,
by not masking string/cable color, allow- with an MSRP of $7.99. Go to apex-gear.com
ing them to show through. They retail for to learn more.
$10.45 per pair. Go to pineridgearchery.com
to learn more. MISCELLANEOUS STRING THINGS

Mathews, Inc. • Mathews’ Monkey Tails re- Large among “all the rest” in regards to
string accessories are string or D-loops,
tail for just $14.99 per four-pack and allow and all kinds of “buttons,” including kiss-
nearly instant installation without a bow ers, brush and speed buttons.
press. Just wrap around the bowstring or
a cable, poke the tail through the provided Pine Ridge Archery • If it goes on a bow-
loop and pull tight. They stay in place and
last for hundreds of shots. Mathews says string, odds are Pine Ridge offers it, and
four Monkey Tails will result in a veloc- that includes their new Nitro Speed Bomb.
ity loss of just 1 to 2 fps, while eliminat- Like other recent Pine Ridge introductions,
ing virtually all string and cable noise they are molded from durable rubber, of-
and vibration. Monkey Tails are avail- fering a dual-purpose speed button and
able in nine colors to match any outfit’s string silencer in one—an approach I’m
color scheme, including lime green, blue, fully behind. Nitro Speed Bombs weigh
purple, pink, red, orange and yellow. Go to approximately 23 grains, making it the
mathewsinc.com to learn more. perfect stand-in for three brass clamp-on
nocking points, and eliminating the need
Vapor Trail Archery • String Bats by Va- for heat-shrink tubing. They also allow
fast but secure adjustability while seeking
por Trail Archery retail for just $8.99 per

64 INSIDE ARCHERY JUNE 2022

the arrow-speed sweet spot. Nitro Speed best string-loop material in the business. an MSRP of $3.99, or in 50 packs for $177.99.
Bombs come in nine standard Pine Ridge Go to pineridgearchery.com to learn more. These kissers are molded from soft, du-
colors (black, red, blue, orange, lime green, rable rubber, the split design and nocking-
pink, purple, yellow and turquoise), plus Quality Archery Designs (QAD) • The Ul- point-style clamps allowing installation
three newer “Earth Tone” hues (tan, olive in seconds. They are offered in black, red,
green and brown). They retail for $8.99 tra-Nok II MICRO from QAD is lighter and blue, pink and green. Go to truglo.com to
per pair. Twelve-package bulk options are smaller than previous models to promote learn more.
available for dealers. higher arrow speeds and eliminate cable
and overdraw interference. It is designed Flex-Fletch Products • Flex-Fletch offers
Pine Ridge’s Slide On Kisser Button is to be used with trimmed standard nocks or
molded from a unique blend of materi- Quality Archery Designs Tune-A-Nock F/S. three quality kisser buttons, including the
als that make it softer than comparable They ensure an evenly balanced release Small Archery Kisser Buttons KBS (single
products made of hard plastic. This al- point directly behind the arrow for im- kisser, MSRP $8.99) and Small 149 (three
lows them to flex into position for added proved consistency, while eliminating dis- pack, MSRP $18.99), which are 1cm/19∕32-inch
comfort. Though soft, the material is su- lodged arrows and serving wear. The Ultra- in diameter, and Large (MSRP $9.99 each)
per-strong. The larger 11∕16-inch/17mm) di- Nok II MICRO includes four anti-vibration that are 1.4cm/ 9∕16-inch in diameter. These
ameter is great for bowhunters who wear screws to securely anchor it in place. They kissers are ultra-soft and help improve ac-
a facemask. Slide On Kisser Buttons slide are offered in blue, red, gunmetal grey, curacy by providing a more reliable anchor
right over the end of the string and remain pink, green, orange and bright red and point. They are especially popular with tra-
in position without clamps or serving. The retail for $14.03 each. Go to qadinc.com to ditional archers, but also compound shoot-
soft, 11.6-grain kisser also helps eliminate learn more. ers. They are easy to install and smooth
bowstring noise and vibrations. They are and soft for ensured shooting comfort.
available in eight colors, including black, TRUGLO • TRUGLO’s Kisser Button is a split They can be served into place or anchored
red, blue, orange, lime green, pink, purple, using the included string clips. They are of-
yellow and turquoise, with an MSRP of just design that is easy to install and requires fered in 15 colors from bright to subtle and
$6.05. Pine Ridge offers many other bow- no bow press. The patented design fits all are made in the U.S.A. Go to flexfletch.com
string accessories, including some of the bowstrings and comes in several popular to learn more. IA
colors. They can be purchased singly, with

JUNE 2022 INSIDEARCHERY.COM 65

INSIDE THE INDUSTRY INDUSTRY 5Q

Five Questions with X-Factor Outdoor Products

X-Factor Outdoor Products is a leading provider of high-quality American-made stabilizers with a bow for 42 years! It is simply
and dampening accessories. We spoke with Todd Williams, founder of X-Factor Outdoor my passion. I have shot professionally
Products, to learn more about his company’s philosophy and recent developments. in the past, and for the last 20 years,
I have exclusively hunted every game
W hat are some of your newest utmost quality, and it also helps us animal with my bow only. To say it’s
products for 2022, and how my passion is actually an understate-
have they performed so far? ■ Our ensure on-time delivery every time. ment. Bowhunting is the reason I live
new products have really been a hit. and breathe.
It’s well known that we have been a We are not waiting on products to be
top performer in the industry as far as I have also said since day one that
dampening is concerned for a while shipped from overseas, and it also al- we are listeners, and we listen to
now, but we have also seen that a lot other passionate archers and hunt-
of hunters are transferring over to lows us to back up all the products we ers. We listen to our dealers and their
more balanced bows for longer shots. customers, and we take the customer-
I really wanted to help them as well, sell with our “Lifetime Guarantee.” is-always-right approach. We listen to
so we came out with our X-Factor their cares and concerns, and I believe
Xtreme Balance Stabilizers. These sta- The driving philosophy of X-Factor
bilizers are the best of both worlds— the combination of that feedback and
balance plus sound dampening! Also, Outdoors is to make the best archery our own experiences gives us a unique
we did away with screw-on weights ability to create revolutionary prod-
that keep vibrating loose and causing products on the market. Our goal is ucts that address the problems they
extra vibration in your bow. are having with their bows.
not to just make that claim, but to
In general, when I am looking to What makes your employees and
improve existing products or create actually prove it in the colleagues exceptional? ■ First things
new products, I always try to be as first, we create American-made prod-
objective as possible. Being a pro ar- shooting experience. Our ucts that put Americans and local
cher, hunter and an aerospace engi- people to work! I believe that if we are
neer, I take all of the experience and dedication to American making and selling products in the
knowledge I have from these fields U.S., then Americans ought to be mak-
to produce something that is second manufacturing ulti- ing them and American communities
to none. I am a problem solver, and ought to be benefiting from them. Our
when I encounter a problem with mately brings us closer employees are committed to making
something archery related, I’m deter- the best products available, and they
mined to fix it and fix it right! to our products and their take great pride in what they build for
fellow Americans and the archery in-
What role does American manu- development. We have a dustry at large. IA
facturing play in the business, and
what advantages does this provide more intimate connec- WebXtra ■ For more on X-Factor,
you with? ■ Being American made
and using the best materials is the tion to their creation and usage, and including the extended interview, go to
only way we have full quality con- insidearchery.com/X-Factor.
trol over our products. This gives us a that means we don’t just “talk the
huge advantage over our competitors
that import from China. Making all of talk” like other companies—we ac-
our products in the U.S. ensures that
our customers receive products of the tually walk the walk by backing our

products up with a complete and un-

matched satisfaction guarantee.

What’s your general outlook on the
approaching hunting season? ■ I
don’t know about you, but I am excited
about getting some tree time in! The
outlook for the industry is good from
our standpoint. We have grown every
year for the last three years. I believe
that archery is on the rise among
hunters, and it is going to be a good
year for the archery industry. Also, I
have some big deer on cameras that I
can’t wait to chase this year!

What role does your love for archery
and hunting play in the business? ■
Well, that is where it all started. I have
been shooting archery and hunting

66 INSIDE ARCHERY JUNE 2022