String silencers?
 

OK, I have another question. What is the best string silencer to use? I tried T.R.U. spiders but didnt notice much difference between them and nothing. I am using leetches now and they seem to do a good job, but how about cat whiskers, are they any more effective?

RE: String silencers?
 

I've found that cat-whiskers do a slightly better job of reduing string oscillation, but the leeches do OK. There is the cost to figure in also. Leeches cost about $9 for four. Cat-whiskers are abour $1.50 and usually outlast leeches 10 to 1. Cat-whiskers slow the bow down a bit more, but speed is something that is blown way out of proprtion for hunting distances.

That being said, most newer bows tend to be very quiet. It's usually some piece of plastic accessories on the bow that'll do most of the noise making.

RE: String silencers?
 

The Leeches are clearly THE best string silencers. The new improved Super Leeches that come with the new 05 Hoyts are great! A great improvement by eliminating the "tabs" so there is no longer any breakage and wear is very minimal.

RE: String silencers?
 

I second IL-Cornfed's comments. I put a set of the "Crossbow" leaches that Hoyt is using on my Allegiance. There are a ton of shots through them and they are holding up like a champ. The original silencers Bowtech put on blew off in about a 100 shots on the top.

I do have a notion to give the STS system a try. Seems like it would work even better.

RE: String silencers?
 

String leeches will shear off after a little while, I put the wiskers on, but it has to be done through the string not just tied on. The cheap tie on ones get tangled and slip.

RE: String silencers?
 

I like the leeches except I have the old style and they are starting to come apart on me now. I do however have a couple of thousand shots on them.

Thankfully I bought the pack at Wally world in their reduced bin for around $3.

RE: String silencers?
 

I've used cat whiskers for a LONG time, and I don't see myself going to anything else. I think the string leeches are far overrated, especially at their cost and life span.

RE: String silencers?
 

Just stop putting speed robbing rubber on your string and get an STS. Problem solved.

RE: String silencers?
 

I would also vote for catwhiskers as the best silencing for the money. The newer leeches are much better than the older ones, but they still can break off. As far as the STS goes, I guess I have strange ears, or am one of the few who is not all that impressed. I initially thought it did a pretty good job, but recent experience calls that into question. I put the STS on my Darton Tundra, and it is the only bow I have that I can use it on, since I got the rear mount unit. I will say that the STS eliminated the vibration, though my stabilizer combo already got rid of most of that. Other than that, the only real benefit I can see is the elimination of string/arm slap with heavier clothing. I have tried setting the STS right on the string, to 1/4" away. There is still a significant slap when the bow is shot. When I had catwhiskers on the string, it was tough to tell whether the bow was any quieter with the STS, it just made a different noise. I tried taking the catwhiskers off like many have suggested. The bow right now, IMO, is too loud to hunt with. It was very quiet with nothing more than catwhiskers and no STS, so at least for my bow, the STS is no where close to the effectiveness of $1-2 catwhiskers. The bow may be a tad faster, but any difference in speed between any of the 3 products mentioned is pretty much irrelevant to me. Personally, if the bow is too loud, I would try the most cost effective method first.;)

RE: String silencers?
 

Like some of the others mentioned, get a STS system. It may seem expensive at $40, but you will never have to worry about replacing string silencers again, also it does a much better job at removing noise and vibration from a bow than any string silencer I have tried, not to mention the added bonus of tighter groups (not a myth, but the truth). I just put one on my Allegiance and I am in love and wonder why I didn't get one sooner. I was able to remove the factory vibra-blocks and string silencers, which helped me pick up some speed. I put on a 4" Stealth stabilizer and Limb Saver Ultras along with the STS system and I have a bow that chrono'd a 393 grain arrow at 311 f.p.s. that is whisper quiet and dead in the hand. It doesn't get any better than that!