Since this post was started by a person that is seeking information to make a decision, here is the other side of the story.

1. You do not need your shaft to be encased in a rest to prevent the shaft from falling off your rest. The question that needs to be asked is: is your arrow being forced off your rest by an incorrect draw or a result of torque on the bow and/or string? If so, a " Whacking Basket" will not correct the problem, the " WB" will only HIDE the problem.

2. The fact that assuring that vane/feather is not contacting anything when released, is and always has been a primary consideration for proper tuning. How do you get around the fact that when shooting through a " WB," contact will occur on ALL the vane/fletch? I know that the users of the " WB" say you prevent the problem by cutting out bristles to allow exits for the vanes/feathers. I say, ' Show me." How can you cut an exit for a shaft that may start rotating before it is clear of the bristles?

3. Rest tension must be considered and often can be the only tune aspect that is affecting your arrow flight and grouping. How do you adjust tension on paint bristles, especially as they lose temper and begin to bend and develop memory? How do you know when the reliability of the bristles have peaked? When you take a shot at that big buck?

4. Regardless of how many users say they love the rest …..and it is an individual call…. and that the " Basket" is easy to set up and tune, how do you then explain that the troubleshooting and tune threads on the " Basket" are almost perpetual and outnumber the troubleshooting threads on a standard rest many times over? I have noticed that the common recommended replacement of the bristles seems to be around 100 shots. I guess it depends on shaft type and vane or feather as to how fast the bristles wear. How many shots do you take during your practice period? Now you have to replace the bristles and start all over again? []

If keeping your arrow on your rest is the single true advantage of a " WB," I would go the route of a good arrow holder -and there are good arrow holders, and use a reliable rest that can be easily tuned, and forego the (seemingly) complexity of the " Basket."

It is your call.