what is the benefit?? soft cam vs. aggressive cam

buckeye · 01-12-2004, 07:21 PM

What is the benifit in using a softer cam bow such as the Justice, liberty or Parker eazy draw compared to a more aggressive cam like the extreme VFT, MM VFT or patriot.

If one isnt comfortable pulling 70 on an aggressive cam why not get the bow with 60 pound limbs instead of a softer cam bow at 70? I just don't see any reason besides some one wanting to say they shoot 70lbs?????? Sure you can say that the softer cam draws smooth but so do alot of the more aggressive cams.

Fill me in please!!!

Arthur P · 01-12-2004, 07:39 PM

Other than being longer lasting, less expensive in time and money for maintenance and upkeep, more accurate, quieter, more forgiving and more pleasant to shoot, there's not much advantage to soft cam bows.

Jeff K · 01-12-2004, 07:55 PM

There are advantages to both, but most go in favor of a soft cam, the more aggresive cam offers more speed usually, less forgiveness (but now they are better than they use to be!), a soft cam offers more forgiveness, less speed, more dependibility, and more accuracy!

buckeye · 01-12-2004, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Other than being longer lasting, less expensive in time and money for maintenance and upkeep, more accurate, quieter, more forgiving and more pleasant to shoot, there's not much advantage to soft cam bows

I see, well ok. I am not sure I am following you on all of these.

What makes a softer cam bow less expensive in time and money maintenance and upkeep? What extra money do you put in an aggressive cam for upkeep than you would a soft cam? How is it also longer lasting?

More accurate. If both the aggressive cam and a soft cam were both set on a 30 inch draw with a 7 inch brace height that would give them both a 23 inch power stroke. How would that make the soft cam more accurate than the aggressive cam?

More pleasnt to shoot. A 70 pounder that feels like 60-62 compaired to a 60 pound bow there really shouldn't be that much a difference between the two would there? Other than maybe a hard spot in the draw curve in the aggressive cam??? I do see you point a little here though, but not interly

pdq 5oh · 01-12-2004, 08:42 PM

I think the softer cam will be quieter, which is the big advantage in my mind. I don't think I'd call the F cam a soft cam. Just not as aggressive as the I cam. The speed of the F cam is not too shabby, given the draw force curve. I bought a 70# Liberty rather than a 60# Patriot because I think it will be faster when shooting the same arrow (375 gr). The Liberty also has less recoil and vibration, not to mention being quieter, with an added 1/2" of brace height.

buckeye · 01-12-2004, 09:06 PM

Ok for debates sake lets leave bow models and companies out of this.

What would you call the benefits of using a soft cam pulling 70 that feels like 60-62 compaired to a aggressive cam at 60?

Lets say they both for arguements sake have the same riser, axle to axle length and specs for both bows, and they are both set at 30 inch draw and a 7 inch brace height.

Would a 70 # soft cam be that much more quiet than a 60 # aggressive cam?

BOWFANATIC · 01-12-2004, 11:17 PM

A soft cam has a much smoother draw cycle. Pull back a soft cam @70lbs and you'll find it to be smoother than a hard cam @60lbs!

Other than all the benefits that Arthur mentioned , I myself choose the soft cam to prolong my shooting as long as I can! I'm sure thats the same case for alot of the shooters on here. If I had a dollar for all the shoulder surgeries that I've seen other shooters at the range and on leagues have to go thru over the years I'd be rich!

Pinwheel 12 · 01-13-2004, 04:42 AM

Buckeyebuckhntr--

Excellent post, and the answer is---nothing, you are correct.

The problem that we've seen for years is that many nimrods[8D] still believe they have to pull 70lbs to be able to throw an arrow thru a deer.(I used to pull over 85 back in the old days---nimrod #1!

) Fact is the amount of KE needed to penetrate through a 17" chest cavity is relatively minor. I know kids and women who have gotten complete passthroughs with a correctly tuned setup using sharp broadheads at 40lbs. Seeing as most people only hunt Deer and Bear and an occasional Elk in North America, no trouble IMHO, most of this focus is just a new wave of marketing hype.

The EZ draw, Legacy, and other bows with smooth drawing characteristics were thus built to allow those who pull 70lbs but SHOULD be pulling 60lbs, retain their "machismo".

These bows do produce lesser vibration, but the technology was heading in that direction anyway and I really don't know how much emphasis we can put on that and be fair about it to other designs which did not have the attributes of this technology.

I personally have no problem pulling nasty cams like the Darton Lightning cam from the 90's, or a Bowtech BK2 twin, or other such "speed" cams, provided the poundage is "comfortable" for the specific draw force curve. The early solocams with their 65% letoff and nasty force draw curves were the worst IMHO--but even they, when the poundage is dropped to a comfortable level, are not all that bothersome to shoot.

ACCURACY if both bows are of the same overall configuration will be the SAME if each bow is tuned correctly.

FORGIVENESS if both bows are of the same configuration will come from the differing nock travel attributes of each eccentric, and has nothing to do with "smoothness" of draw.

I like smooth bows, but I like straight and level nock travel and an overall geometry that offers supreme accuracy and forgiveness MUCH better.

I guess that's why I choose to shoot what I do.

JMHO. Pinwheel 12

PABowhntr · 01-13-2004, 05:07 AM

I tend to agree with Arthur and Kevin to a large extent but would like to again touch upon comparing the draw cycles of the two bows (with respective cam styles) in question.

For starters I think it would depend on the application that you plan to use the bow for. I, personally, would prefer a 70 lb soft cam/round wheel bow to shoot an activity that requires repeated shooting over a short time period as I believe the more rounded draw force curve causes less fatigue to the shooter. Though the 60 lb peak weight aggressive cam bow might reach a lighter peak weight it might also have a harsher transition up into the plateau and then down into the valley....and possibly a shorter valley to boot. In that case I do not think that a somewhat lighter draw weight would offset the effects of that harsher draw cycle in regard to the shooter's endurance.

Just something to think about.

Straightarrow · 01-13-2004, 05:31 AM

I think some people simply like the feel of one over the other. Myself, shoulder problems make the hard cams a real bear. The first 6 or 8 inches of the draw are the most difficult for my shoulder. If I get it back that far, the rest is easy. Thus, soft cams are preferred by me. I also like a good valley and the hard cams, seem to have less of one.

I've heard every cam on the market being described as "smooth". From the way the word is used on archery forums, "smooth" apparently is a word used to describe any cam you like. Too me, "smooth" means a cam that gradually peaks and gradually falls into a valley. Anything else is less "smooth". Soft cams are smoother.