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Are string silencers effective?

I was recently looking at a magazine about new bows, and I noticed none of them have string silencers on them. No whiskers, leeches, bowjax...nothing on the strings. Some of these bows have the string stop suppressors coming off the risers, but even the ones without, didn't have any kind of string silencers. I know they take away some speed, but do they do an effective job at silencing string noise? I'm curious because I plan to buy a new bow soon, (doesn't have a string stop suppressor), and wonder if I should forego any type of string silencer. Any answers...opinions?

String silencers cost virtually nothing, so you can experiment. I use them, because I think quiet is more important to me than a little extra speed.

The current theory of bow design seems to be to try to make a bow faster than the speed of sound. In that way, the arrow will get to the animal before the sound of the shot! Shooting a heavier arrow also reduces noise (and speed). I quit using string silencers long ago. The faster bows tend to tear them up. The Limbsaver products that attach at various spots on your bow (quiver etc.) seem to help a lot, although they are a little more expensive.

I like the old catwhiskers. They do quiet the bow some.

Yes, they are effective. Cat whiskers are my choice. The solid rubber versions work too but they don't last as long and cost more. I would recommend a string suppressor too.

I switched over to using monkey tails (yeah yeah Mathews accessory on a Hoyt..) I have a string stop on my Alphamax 32 but I put them on and it does make a big difference. You can play with it and move them closer to your cams and even gain some speed. By playing with mine I got 3 fps.

-personally,i use nothing on the string,and i honestly dont think i need to.-used string leeches for years,now i talk people out of buying them.why?-when you consider that two or even three sets wont even last me a year,its just too costly for that kind of a lack of durability.-i hear good things about those monkey tails,tho.-is it true they really last?

I've always had good form and release along with the right arrow. I've never had noise problems I even shoot right off the wood.

Yes, the monkey tails are very durable, I love them. I shot through the stock fuse silencers in about three weeks! And I have had the monkey tails on for nearly a year and they look brand new.

Stringbats have lasted the longest for me, but they also seem to silence the string the least. I use a suppressor, but like the added dampening of string silencers as well. If you lose 2-5fps by adding them who cares?? 5fps doesn't make a very big difference.

I second the comment about a heavier arrow. It will slow speed more than the slencers, but will quiet the shot more also. In most cases, the slower arrow still results in more KE (better penetration) as well.

I shoot all year with no string leaches as they do wear out often. Within a couple of weeks of the season starting I put some in and double check my sight marks. Also to keep my hunting set up quiet I try to stay above 450 grain arrow.

I've always used cat whiskers on my setups, but I was just curious on what you all thought. My dad has a string suppressor on his, but it always wears the serving at the contact point. Thanks for all your info...might look into Xfactor or monkey tails!

I have used an audio dosimeter to measure maximum decibels from several different bows with different string silencer and without. What surprized me was string silencers made very little difference and there was very little difference between heavy arrows and light arrows. Yet they sound different. What this told me is that thereisn't much you can do about that inital peak noise output. What I think silencers do is absorb the amount of vibration after that initial peak and or possible change its frequency which changes how we percieve the twang. I still use string silencers because I think it does make a difference in how game reacts.

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