What Bill Turner said. Cut them so they just hold the string in the groove. It holds the string in place when stringing, and protects the tip. They don't change arrow flight, dynamics, speed, or anything else if installed properly. All positives, and no negatives for me. Why do you think Black Widow provides a tip protector with ALL their bows? They are made to fit their bows, so you may need to cut them to fit yours. Just don't change the natural string angle when the bow is drawn.