Whisker v. Drop Away?
Equipment
Have not been able to get mole skin coverings that stay on my drop aways for any length of time. Never dried a Whisper but know they are popular. But, just cannot get over the vanes coming into contact with something.
For hunting situations out to 25 yards is a Whisper worth going to for less fuss and maintenance? Or, any good ideas on what to use instead of the pre-cut sticky drop away rest coverings?
Thanks.
HFW if you've never tried a Whisker Biscuit by all means give one a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how well they perform and how easy they tune. They may eat up you practice vanes more than you are used to over time and on certain types of arrows they make a slight noise when drawing. I've never encountered any noise problems and I've shot Gold tips and Easton Axis through my biscuit. To answer your question YES definately worth going to for less fuss and maitenance.
I will always have at least 1 bow the a Whisker Biscuit. Can't beat simple. Shot feathers and vanes for decades. No issues.
Get the top model WB and you will be fine way past 25 yards.
You don't need that mole skin stuff on your drop away. I use a couple thin strips of medical tape on my QAD and color it black with a sharpie. Replace it as needed, every other month or so. Quiet, cheap, and noise has not been an issue for me.
Drop away, drop away, and drop away! I say this even though I do have a bow with a whisker and I take whisker when I go on backpack hunts. Drop aways to me are the best option for most use cases.
I've shot just about every styles of rest over the years. But after shooting the wb I have not looked back. I shoot blazer vanes made on my bitzenburger helical fletcher. I don't have any problems with my vanes getting weak or coming off. I get good groups out to 60yards. When I practice at 20 and 30 yard most of the time I shoot 3 arrows and at 3 small different spots on the target to save arrows, vanes and nocks from getting hit. At further distances I up my spot size (eye not as young) and shoot at the same spot with all 3 arrows.. When I shoot in a winter league I average above 280 on a 30 targets with a scoring of 5,8,10... It's just so simple to use and it works dam well.. Ed
Same argument as mech heads for me...a drop away rest is a mechanical device, that CAN fail...
Biscuit for me. I went to a drop away for 2 seasons. I tried the top of the line RipCord and another. As has been said, too each his own but I will never shoot a mechanical again. Shawn
I have had two drop aways for combined total fourteen years and zero problems.
Prefer a drop away now. Lots of mechanical things can go wrong well before your arrow rest does...
I shoot a whisker biscuit. It works good for me. I did shoot a drop away for a while. It didn't have full containment so I put the biscuit back on. I know there are drop aways that have full containment, but the biscuit was free. Someone reading this probably has one just sitting around you could get for cheap.
A whisker biscuit is much simpler. With that being said . It is the only rest I have tested that can't not shoot the same arrow thought the same hole off the hooter shooter. Out to 30 yards I don't see that this will make any difference. As for it being a mechanical device a compound bow has far more moving parts than a fall away rest. When it comes to accuracy there is a reason you don't see tournament archers using a whisker biscuit.
A whisker biscuit is much simpler. With that being said . It is the only rest I have tested that can't not shoot the same arrow thought the same hole off the hooter shooter. Out to 30 yards I don't see that this will make any difference. As for it being a mechanical device a compound bow has far more moving parts than a fall away rest. When it comes to accuracy there is a reason you don't see tournament archers using a whisker biscuit.
I dont use WBs
I use cloth 'Band-Aids' for my drop away fork. Cut to fit and it will stay
The determining factor for me was when they dont come off in the shower, I gave them a try on my drop away and was pleased.
Dont worry about the color. If an animal is close enough to see that, the arrow should be well on its way
I'm a major fan of the whisker biscuit. Turn your bow upside down and your arrow is still in shooting position. WB is as beneficial as a wheel on a car.
Been shooting a biscuit for 16 years. Finally put on a 2nd insert about 3 years ago. I can shoot fixed blade broadheads very accurately out to 80 yards which is as far as I have pins for even on a slider before I make contact. The rest is as accurate as the rest of my setup and I couldn't ask for more. I'm no tourny pro, but the biscuit is one trouble free foolproof hunting rest of that there is no doubt.
I just don't get it...a MECHANICAL rest has moving parts that can and will FAIL! We all owe it to the animals we hunt, to only use equipment that guarantees absolutely NO chance of failure! I think guys who use mechanical rests are slob hunters who don't know how to properly tune a bow. Relying on flimsy little springs and cables to achieve proper arrow flight, is just asking for trouble at some point! One thing is for certain...I know my whisker biscuit has ZERO moving parts, so there is a 100% chance it will never fail!
It feels good to use some talking points I've picked up on all the mechanical broadhead threads!! I honestly don't care what rest someone wants to shoot...there are some really great choices out there if you want to use either. I've had a bad experience with 2 QAD HDX's, but I hear great things about Limb drivers and Hamskea hunters. Shoot what gives you the most confidence! For me, thats GoldTip Expedition hunters, tipped with helical Blazer vanes at one end, ViperTricks (or Rage Hypo's!) at the other, through a Whisker Biscuit rest!
Growing up, I was taught to have as little friction on the shaft as possible so, I cant get past that to even try a WB. I have used a drop away for so many years with zero problems. Shaft noise is not an issue. I used to have mole skin on my rest but, it does wear out. One thing to consider, if you are tearing the mole skin, maybe the rest is not dropping fast enough for the arrow to clear it. For the naysayers, if you do regular checks on your equipment, you can eliminate failures even though, I have never had an issue. Also, it would be hard to use a drop away on a trad bow which, you guys must shoot since, you don't like mechanical thingys.
I like my WB, but wont badmouth drop aways as I have heard good things about them.
"I shoot a compound bow, but mechanical broadheads and drop away rests are mechanical and can fail" huh? I shot trad gear for simplicity, I also shoot a compound but like to keep it simple. I have used mechanicals and a drop away rest in the past. I like the simplicity of the WB, and the WB is more accurate than I or any of you guys. No need for a drop away for bow hunting, IMO.
Joshua,, You ever get to northeast part of the state look me up, I'll buy you a drink. . Your above post is the best post, since mechanical heads fail and mechanical rests can never fail as long as your shooting a fixed head.. :)
"Slob hunter" is like saying someone who uses a car is a slob traveler...
And never fails "you don't do what I do so you must be stupid".
Thanks for all of the input. After getting back from my bear hunt I may put a WB on one of my bows.
The problem was the string going from the rest to the cable was too long and not allowing the rest to stop in the full up position. Dim wit me failed to catch this right away.
I agree with those who think a "mechanical" rest can fail, but also agree that I am skeptical of vane contact. Based on input here I should try it so I know.
Thanks again guys!
WB are cheap, give it a shot.
Personally, I never could get consistent arrow flight out of a WB. Tried everything
I like simple, which is why I shoot recurves & Longbows as well as a compound. But everything can fail, even a longbow.
PAbowhunter1964... your argument is silly. You can't blast mechanical accessories that can fail and also shoot a compound, which is the ultimate mechanical accessory. Guys who use drop seats are not slob hunters looking for a shortcut. You're being Hypocritical
Just my 2 cents
md5252,,,, `Pabowhunter1964 is being sarcastic..He was just repeating what guys have said about guys that shoot mechanical heads. Basically some say it's ok to shoot mechanical rests, but not to shoot mech heads, because mech rests can never ever fail. ED R
I've shot both, killed numerous animals with both also. I currently shoot a simple trophy taker drop away. It's timed good and shoots straight arrows. My wife on the other hand, I like to simplify for her. I'm also afraid she might pop an arrow off of the rest when coming to full draw and not be able to recover. So, she will be shooting a WB again.
Question for WB shooters... what helical are you shooting out of yours, if any? I've got an Arizona EZ that has a pretty good helical that I'll be using to fletch her arrows. Are you concerned with too much helical or do you shoot just a slight offset? What's your opinions on this?
Embry, my kids and Nichole have shot max helical out of their WB's for years, no problems. You may see some marks or wear over time on the vanes but that is all. Never had any issues with arrow flight or tuning.
If he was being sarcastic my mistake and I apologize ??
Embry, I shoot 4 fletch Flex-Fletch 360's with as much helical as I can get on mine. No issues at all.
That's good to hear Brotsky and buzz... that's the direction I'm going to go back to with my wife's bow, next week. Thanks for your input, appreciate it!
Pushing 10,000 arrows out of my current QAD - works great.
I looked at using the WB as well and was concerned about contact issues, other than wearing out fletching/vanes they shot great. I now shoot the NAP 360 rest, it's a capture rest as well, with a lot less contact than my WB, and the 360 works very well to.
Teeton is correct...I was just trying to point out the head-scratching phenomenon that occurs when discussing mechanical broadheads vs. mechanical rests. MBH's are time bombs destined to fail, and MR's never fail...and if they do, well, then they were set up wrong. As the last paragraph in my thread states, I honestly don't care what anyone shoots/likes/hunts with, as long as they have the utmost confidence in there setups. Sorry if I offended anyone, with my smart-a$$ery.
EmbryO-klahoma - I've been shooting Blazer vanes fletched with my Arizona Mini extreme helical through my WB for about 2 years now, and couldn't be happier. I think you'll be pleased as well!
I've been using a quad hd for a few years now and really like it. With that being said, I really miss my WB. I also use an Arizona mini fletcher and blazer vanes. Never had a problem with the helical going through a WB.
Right now after adjusting the chord my drop away is doing great. This thread helped convince me to try a WB when I get back.
Currently my three bows all have the same Hoyt drop away. I will put a WB on one of them, and set the extra DA up to the same settings as the one on my main bow so I will have double protection for a mechanical failure;)
