I make my own too and replace them every year. When I didn' t it might go two years. Don' t think just because you get a Winners Choice string (if you do) that you don' t have to replace it almost (if not as much) as much as other quality strings (you may want to check out their website and see what their recommendation is). (my opinion only) They are under more tension when made so should have less " give" . When a bow is shot it transfers energy to the arrow, string, bow and limbs. Take away the give in a string and more energy is absorbed by the rest of the bow and causes more stress. I used to use S4 and it seemed to be more brittle and have less give. When it went it just went without any warning. I like and use BCY' s 450 Plus now and don' t have any complaints about it.