Piggy-backing with the thread polling shooters as to their let-off %, I have a question. What is the relationship of let-off to kinetic energy released...if there even is one? Obviously the bow shooter gains the ability to hold the full draw for a longer and more steady period of time. But what (if anything) is lost by stepping up to the higher let-offs. Quietness? Vibration? Ability to hold a tune?
I ask this mostly because I' m going to be upgrading sometime (been saying that for 3 years now) and want to be an educated and informed hunter/consumer when I bite the bullet for a new rig.
For example' s sake, what for instance is the difference between my old wheel bow (PSE Laser) at 35% let-off compared to a bow with fast cams and an 80% let-off. and lets say they are both set at a 65# draw weight. Which is faster, which is quieter, which produces the most energy? If this has already been covered maybee somebody could direct me to the thread that covered it.

If you take two bows of the same model and all things are equal except the let off. One at 65% and one at 85% you will be sacraficing a little bit of speed with the higher let off as it would store slightly less energy in the draw curve.

Thanks bigbulls. I guess not surprised that there wouldn' t be much difference between a 65% and a 85% let-off...........But what can I expect when I jump from my 35% let-off dinosaur wheel bow to a modern cam bow with a 65% let-off?
Do you think I will have any significant change in noise, vibration etc......??

The newer bows and cams are much more efficent and store energy much better than the old bows and cams / wheels did. They will be much faster than the bows of 10 - 15 years ago. The newer bows are designed much better when it comes to reducing noise and vibration (paralell limbs, better metals, better limb materials, better string materials, etc...) than older bows were so you will probably experiance less noise and vibration.

A good example is while I was at the pro shop shooting the ither day. I have a Parker UL35 and the one other guy there shooting had a Bear bow about 10 years old. We just happend to be shooting the same Gold tip arrows. I was getting 276 fps @ 70 pounds he was getting 262 fps @ 80 pounds. My bow was much quieter also. We both had limb savers and string silencers installed as well as avtive stabilizers.

Well that does it now!!!!!!
I guess I will have to bite the bullet.
I am looking for a bow that will have excellent characteristics of holding a tune, and will also be very quiet. Speed is not paramount to me.....I' ve been doing ok each year with my old bow that barely chugs along. I have a pretty long draw length....but I know this will be less of an issue when I switch from fingers to a release.
Any suggestions on a quality bow that tends to be quiet, by today' s standards....and one that holds a tune.... and one towards the middle of the price spectrum.....
A couple years ago folks were steering me towards a Hoyt bow, can' t remember the model... maybe a Hoyt Sport?? Can' t remember

Since bows can run from about $200 to $1000 I figure about $400 to $600 is about middle of the road. There are a lot of choices out there for that money.

Parker, all of them
Mathews, some bows
Hoyt, most bows
Martin, about all of their line
Pearson, about all of their line
PSE, most of their line
Jennings, all of their line.
Reflex all of their bows

You need to decide what are important characteristics that you want. Axel to axel length, brace height, single or dual cam, weight, etc... Most all of todays bows are going to be pretty quiet and if one is a little louder than another it certainly can be made quiet with all of the accessories available today. Using a realease you can certainly go with a shorter bow and still get a good shooting bow.

The biggest thing in " keeping a tune" that I have found is the string streching. I bought a Winners Choice string and cable and have been extremely happy with the lack of tuning that I have had to do this past year.

Thanks bigbulls,
I am expecting to make a purchase in the next 6-8 months. I will spend some time in several archery pro shops " trying on" some bows for size and feel.
Heck, I' ve waited over 20 years since buying my first and only bow so far......I guess I can take my time shopping.

One caution about going to the very high letoffs is they make it very easy to torque the bow. Pick up your old bow and draw it to anchor, hold anchor then, by flexing your wrist, try to twist the handle side to side. By that, I mean like you' re facing a wall and trying to make the stabilizer point at the walls on either side. See how far you can actually move it. Then go to the shop and do the same thing with a high letoff bow with a reflexed riser.

But be careful to not twist that new one so far that the string pops out of the tracks on the cam(s).

That should give you a good feeling for how much better your form will have to be to shoot those high letoff bows well.

Thank you Arthur,
I am not planning on going to a" High' let-off bow. Course, everything is gonna feel like HIGH let-off to me after shooting a 35% let-off for nearly 22 years. I drew/held my huntin partner' s new bow last year (he just upgraded too!) and I couldn' t believe how long and steady I could stay on target. With my 35% let-off I had developed a routine where I would come up to, but not beyond my target. As I approached the desired target on the up-swing I slowed and calmed and steadied the bow. I learned to release as the pin " touched" my decired POI. It has served me well for the past 20-some years. But man-Oh-man what that 65% let-off is gonna do for my ability to take a few more shots. As it is now, if I have to hold my 35% let-off for more than 20 seconds I MUST let up and rest.

Another " trade off" on higher letoff bows, is the greater difficulty in maintaining proper back tension, when using them. When going to a sharp letoff, it can be a natural tendency to reduce back tension and allow the string to creep forward. Not only does this cause some eradict shooting, but it can put some pretty good stress on the shoulder when the newer, harder cams grab hold. Also, the reduction in back tension can lead to " punching" the trigger if you use a release.