Although I have been bow hunting for many years due to an injury I am not restricted to crossbows. And I got to say at first I was not thrilled with the idea but now that I have one and have been shooting it I find it is fantastic. I really love it. But still as a newbie I have been hearing so much about this sts system but don't have any real cross bow folks around here and the shops are really scary when it comes to cross bows. as to use one in my state you have to have disability so not many shops know much. My question is do you think the STS system is all its cracked up to be and should I spend the time and money to travel out of state to have this installed on my Excalibur Phoenix.

I think it is worth it and it is a rare thing when someone does not appreciate it. The cheapest place I am aware of is David Wilkins at Wyvern Creations.
http://www.wyverncreations.com/
Read this as well http://boocustomstrings.com/importantramblings.html

I am thinking it is worth it also. Just purchased and Excallibur Vortex and plan on ordering the STS soon. I don`t think you need to travel to another state and have it installed. It looks like an easy install to me. From the pic it looks like it bolts right on.

Yes, that's why I made a set for each of my bows. Not only does it reduce vibration and noise somewhat but gives me peace of mind by potentially preventing disaster if I dryfire the bow.

I just heard that Excalibur is coming out with their own version of the STS system I can't wait till its released. I am definitely going to wait for this.

Suspect it will be a while. They move slow and do a lot of testing before producing/selling a product.

i think excalibur needs to focus on getting with the times before they get too far behind. with more and more states offering hunting seasons and people getting into the sport the competition is gonna get crazy. i know theyve built a reputation on simplicity with a recurve design but that isint such a big deal anymore. with portable presses and internet know how these days its not a big deal. i think a string stopper should be standard equipment these days. they also need to look at including an anti dri fire system because being a newbie that scares the crap out if me. also can they please start making a hard case ?. i cant believe in all the years of making these wide things they dont offer a hard case. ive only had the vortex a short time but im already looking at the new parkers and hortons for the above reasons not to mention the lighter weight and compactness. i guess you need a few of these to be happy.

I wouldn't worry about Excal getting 'too far behind'. The competition has been 'crazy'. in case you haven't noticed, in the last few years, Horton, Parker and 10 pt all brought out recurve models.

Excal expanded their factory, lol.

No anti dry fire system needed, which would drive the cost up, put two pieces of masking tape on the inside of your limbs w/ "Arrow" on one and "Dummy" on the other. That dreaded dry fire is no big deal, the worst that can happen is you splinter a limb, free replacement. Well, almost free, mine cost $7 to mail it in.

As for the cases, it's the shipping costs that prevent them from selling. There's a Canadian one available, about $150 and about $75 to ship it. Much simpler to take two screws out and use a double gun case as we've been doing for years.

You're right, Excals aren't for everyone.

Best anti-dryfire there is is between your two ears. As far as falling behind I don't think they have to worry about that too much. They just hit the number 2 in sales this month and they don't make any cheep junk like #1 with their disposal crossbows. As far as High tech. Lets take a walk. You are going to your favorite tree stand and as you get to the wood line your bow string gets caught on a old peice of barbed wire that you never saw before bur sure enough there it is, Now you string is rouined. Well no deer hunting for you tonight as by the time you get home and change out your sting on you bow press its too late. Now here I come same thing happens I pull out my handy dandy rope sting changer pull it up slide off the old string slip on the new one let it down and I'm on my way. There are a million so called high tech problems that could happen. Remember the number one rule when hunting.(KISS) Keep it simple stupid and that's just what Excalibur has done. And that's why I bought from them. And I may not be an expert and just a newbie I have been around 56 years and I have learned that that KISS system is the best advice you could ever get.

awshucks- just commenting on the new crossbow designs from all the manufactures in general not just the recurve type. although i havent owned one for that long i have through the years picked up quite a few crossbows and shot a few and they just dont compete with say the new ones ive seen. the new horton vision and team real tree ultra lights as well as the parker cyclones and tornados have really changed the fit and feel factor compared to crossbows of 2 or 3 years ago. as far as the excaliburs i knew what i was getting into and i couldnt pass on the price for my first crossbow. the whole dri fire thing may not be a problem for the long time shooter such as yourself but bothers me a as the new guy.remember though hunting accidents tend to happen more to the seasoned hunters than the new ones . hunting with my excalibur i can certainly see where an anti dri fire would be great. walking in brush to and from hunting areas or back to the truck for lunch for instance. i remove the arrow but dont let the crossbow down. the safety on mine is easily engaged on and off and can see a possibilty getting tangled in a limb or jags could set it off. also while ****ing the crossbow having an auto safety engage is priceless in my opinion.i know you have to get the routine down but once in a while its not gonna happen. i cant imagine it costing that much to implement auto safety and anti dry fire because others have that feature and there crossbows are similar in price. i guess the sts system isint such a big deal but nice to have also. if your using a fast flight or 452x material its just piece of mind. its nice to see a company would offer cheap replacement limbs do to owner error but i would feel a little guilty. interestingly when i spoke to the dealer service guy danny miller on the phone he didnt seem to like the sts stopper. basically he indicated to me thinking it was unnecessary junk and that one should stick to the regular strings but he will sell you what you want. i just recently took the bow apart to store away for a couple months. just me but i would never want to keep assembling and re- assembling the screws just to put it in a case to and from hunting. it would take too much time for me as well as the possibility of boogering up the heads and threads would happen with my luck. plano makes a hard case for compound crossbow for like 70$. maybe they will make a wider version for the limbs of a recurve type bow.
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