i don't use one, but my father does. The rest contains your arrow well and the speed loss is minimul. However, I am leary of anything that comes in contact with your arrow or vanes. If you aren't shooting an ultra fast set up I would say use it. But remember the faster the bow the more fine tuned your bow has to be. With that in mind, I wouldn't want to take the chance of allowing your arrow or vanes to come in contact with your rest. my dad shoots a bear bow at around 240-250 fps. He doesn't have any problems. Now my bow shooting 300-310 fps I wouldn't trust it. I am lucky in a sense that my broadheads and field points fly identically. I attribute it to a drop away arrow rest. I wouldn't want to take the chance of messing that up. The longevity of the arrow rest will depend on how much you shoot. My dad has had the same one for close to 10 years. But he only shoots 50 arrows a season (practice and hunting combined). I may shoot 50 arrows in a practice session. If you get one, just keep an eye on it. And like you, i use to have my arrow fall off the rest alot. I taught myself to slow down on my draw. Maybe you are pulling too much weight. When you draw your bow you should be able to make one fluid motion and reach full draw. Im a strong guy and have shot bows that were set at 90 lbs. I could draw them, hold them, and shoot them. But, it was a test of strength to get them back and the motion was anything but smooth. My bow is set at 65 lbs and no problems. Always get a pass through too.