Lets say price was the same, and customer service was the same. If you had 4 people to choose from and they were all using the same 452X string material, what is done during the assembly process to make a set of strings and cables better than the other?

The builder that doesn't consume a 12 pack within the two or so hours of the process.

someone's opinion makes something the best.

Very good answer. And as truthful as one could get.

Just so you know...I have not learned a thing from this thread. I was hoping to hear something along the lines of pre-stretching string to a certain poundage before serving, special equipment to make the string the best it can be, asking each customer how many twists per inch do they currently have on each factory string or cablewith bow tuned, not drinking a 12 pack beforebuilding a set of strings and cables...etc. I take the comment back about customer service being the same.

[quote]ORIGINAL: MilDotMaster

not drinking a 12 pack beforebuilding a set of strings and cables...etc.

Not a big deal, I was just being funny. I usually don't joke around much and when I do I usually end up*$%#@! somebody off. Thanks for reminding me once again what happens when I joke around.

there's different opinions. looks is one, if your serving doesn't fly off, that's good. if your peep does the same thing every time, that's good for obvious reasons. if you go out hunting and its cold, and 2 hours up a tree you see a deer, and your peep isn't flipped around the other way because of the temps, that's good. if after a reasonable amt of time, whatever that is, your bow stays where you put it, that's good. how long that period is, in my opinion, is misunderstood. with 452x its just not very long, period. with 8125 or ts1+ there are ways to make that period just as short. whether or not this is good, in the opinion of many buyers of strings, yes, its good, in my opinion, and that of a few people i talk with about strings, its not good. yeah, 8125 needs to be stretched out or you'll find the culprit of serving seperation is generally elongation of the string, how much, how long, that's debateable. people like it if you put it on your bow (talking 8125 here only), take 30 shots, and that's pretty much it. i like it if you put it on your bow, and about 3-4 days later you need to adjust it, and that'll be it. that way i don't have to stress it too much, at too high a poundage, which i don't like to do. 200# 10 minutes, up and down a few times to the tension, good, and i didn't damage any fibers. that's how i see it. 800#, bad. there goes your elasticity. that's my opinion, and a couple of the better string makers out there i occasionally ask questions. i don't think it makes it right, the proof is in the puddin'

the folks who know the most about the whole thing as far as customers go generally shoot 150-200 times regardless of who made it, or what the material is, before even putting in a peep.

I do not like unserved yokes on buss cables, like Winners choice and Vapor trail. I also like strings that fit into the grooves on the cam so the string does not protrude past the cam profile.

In my personal opinion since I deal with this every day, is to cater to the customer and explain to them the pros and cons of different material. as a custom string maker there are alot of variables that go into a string. every bow is different, older bows can only use 1 or 2 different kinds of material, do you want absolutly no creep, with slower speed, a small bit of creep with higher speed, i've never had problems with peep rotation under any kind of temps so I don't know what that was all about, if a string is served under enough tension it won't twist and the serving will compress when the tension is let off, the average string I build is 1 1/4" under tension than static, most bow manufactures recomend setting string length at 100lbs of tension, most archers don't have the means to preform that, most string factories don't have enough quality control to inspect them all. that's where a custom string builder can answer your questions, meet your expatations, and probaly and another archer to thier customer base.

In my opinion, there are a few important aspects of string building that are important when you're making it for someone else.

String creep is elongation of the string, that is NOT due to stretching of the string. This is slack in the string fibers and from the construction method, that show up down the road with the string gradually getting longer. When this happens, your nocking point will generally move a bit, especially on a single cam. It will also affect your draw length and draw weight. All this, makes string creep enemy number one. I can tie a string, so that creep is less than 1/8" over a year on a 100"+ string. I've measured string creep of near 2" on strings many times. Which would you want on your bow?

Serving quality varies greatly. The ideal serving is strong, stable and fits the cam groves. Although the last point usually has more to do with the manufacturer of the cam. A good serving won't separate or wear too fast. Once again, this is an area where there are great differences from different string makers. If your serving separates or your center serving moves, it can affect your bow tune. It can also expose your string to wear if the separation is severe.

Peep stability is another area where many people are going to look critically at. I don't use a peep, so it means nothing to me, but most peep users want a peep that stays put without having to resort to rubber tubing. This is tricky and often the problem is with the archer, not the string. However, a string can be made to have minimal or no twisting, while others are constantly moving.

Most archers want a string that not only doesn't require much time before they can tune the bow, but they want it to last for at least a year of heavy shooting. This is tricky, because prestretching can weaken fibers, yet not prestretching, will allow for more of the dreaded string creep and a much longer time breaking the string in. That's why you have to take 30-200 shots - to get the string creep out. This means the string is now a different length - bad! I've personally made many strings that were prestretched in the 400-500 lb range, with absolutely zero problems with durability or string creep. You can pop your peep in and start tuning immediately. Zero string creep and no break-in time.

So, yes there is a difference in string makers and you can only evaluate one by talking to some knowledgable shooters who have used the strings long term. Durability, and string creep cannot be meaningfully evaluated short term. Creep can only be detected by someone who measures the string under pressure, both when it's new and when it's replaced. I record this for all the strings I make.