The Merlin shoot-throughs currently have some of the best arrow clearance of any of the shoot-through systems available today, the measurement between the cables is a full 2" , so you have roughly 7/8" an inch on either side of the string. The only time any of my customers get any trouble with arrow-pass cable contact is when they run a " log" with high-profile vanes or feathers, or have an induced-torque problem. (which is their problem to repair, not Merlins) Otherwise, they are sweet.

Loading arrows are a snap, you simply have to learn how to do it correctly, takes about 10 minutes. You grab the arrow from the middle, and feed in the nock end first, then lay it on the rest. If you have a whisker buscuit, you' ll be better off with the one that is v-notched. No biggie.

I mentioned the 7" of clearance because that is what you need to clear you arm with any hunting clothing on due to the cables being wider than the string. The upside is that even if you do hit, it is not like a " string smash" because the cables go up/down instead of a full powerstroke forward/back, so it is at most a slight " brush" should you have contact, and if you were to ever have an occasional cable contact, it would probably not be enough to throw the shot off much anyway. I have never had a problem with contact, even when shooting 3D' s in colder weather and being all bundled up. Again, over 7" of brace height is a must.

Bottom line is that the attributes far outweigh the negatives. Try one and see. Only currently available on a twin cam, tho some solos have their own variation of " 1/2 shoot-thru" , but as of yet no-one has built a " full" production shoot-thru for a solocam or hybrid, tho I know Martin is currently working on their version for their solocams, and a few other companies are working on things also. Good shooting, Pinwheel 12