Fury string material

[Stump73]

What's your thoughts on it?

[Blueridge]

Just got a few Fury strings for different bows from Allen. very pleased with them.

[LongbowArchitect]

I've been shooting Fury strings from 10 Ring Strings on my recurve and longbow for a few months and am VERY impressed with them. I find the Fury strings to be noticeably quieter than my other new BCY 8125 strings. Very fast and NO stretch after it breaks in (very short period of time).

[wingnut]

We switched to this material on our strings last year and love it.

Mike

[A.S.]

Best stuff on the market IMHO    

[Rick Wiltshire]

I have few strings and have NO issues with it.

[LBR]

Not always easy to get specs from Brownell, but as best I can find it's supposed to be 100% SK90 Dyneema...same thing as BCY's 8190F.  There's only one company in the world that produces SK90 Dyneema (DSM).


SK65 Dyneema is the original "Fast Flight" (invented by Bob Destin and Ray Browne, the founders of BCY).  Back then SK65 was as good as it got.  Later it improved to SK75 (Dynaflight '97, 8125), then SK78 (Force 10), and most recently SK90.

Dyneema is DSM's trade name for their brand of High Modulus Polyethylene (HMPE).  It's a super-strong plastic fiber--the strongest man-made fiber we have.

Great stuff, it has it limitations.  I haven't used the "Fury" brand myself (I prefer BCY products), but I've studied bow strings and bow string materials for over 20 years now.  Particular materials have particular characteristics that can be researched.

The plus side is Dyneema string materials are going to be slightly more durable (Vectran is brittle) and slightly faster (due to lighter mass weight - Vectran is heavier) when compared to blended materials like 452X, 450+, BCY-X, etc.

Negatives are it has more elasticity, and will creep in higher temps.  How much depends on several variables.  That's what led to the development of 450 Premium (also invented by Bob Destin of BCY), which was the very first blended bowstring material.

Short version, a good string maker should be able to make a good string with it.

[KentuckyTJ]

Best material out there I've used.

[grouseshooter002]

LBR,
By any chance are you prejudice? Brownell has been in business alot longer than BCY and is superior to BCY in most aspects. I use both so please don't call me the same.   :(  

Regards,
Grouse

[jhk1]

I don't see how what Chad wrote is prejudiced.  He's always been very clear that he prefers and uses BCY products in part because in his experience it's easier for him to get complete specs from BCY.  All he's doing is identifying the BCY material that he thinks is most similar to Fury, and providing some good info based on his experience.  He's not denigrating Brownell, just saying he prefers BCY (not "BCY is better", but "I prefer BCY").

[LBR]

Grouse, I'm not into name calling.  I don't try to hide the fact that I prefer BCY (anyone that knows me or bothers to ask knows this), for several reasons.  

My experience has been far superior customer service (the reason I switched from Brownell to BCY almost 2 decades ago).  Always on the forefront of technology--BCY's founders invented "Fast Flight".  BCY's founders invented the first blended bowstring material (450 Premium).  BCY was the first to us SK90 Dyneema both singularly and blended in a bowstring material.  The list could go on and on.  

Yes, Brownell has been in business a lot longer than BCY.  Superior?  The market disagrees with you enormously.  Making luggage and fishing nets (Brownell has done both)doesn't really make you any better at making bowstring material, no matter how long the name has been around.  On the flip side, how long do you think the people working at Brownell's string division have been in that line of work?  


If "best" is your opinion, no problem there...but you state it as if it's fact.  You need to be able to verify to do such.  As I said, the facts can be researched.  I gave facts, not opinion.  

If you aren't biased, I'm sure you can provide facts to support your statement.  If not, maybe you will have to admit just a bit of prejudice?      

More facts to consider.  The founders of BCY, Ray Browne and Bob Destin, made huge improvements to Brownell's string making division  when they worked there.  Brownell used to be a big corporation, with bowstring being a tiny part.  BCY is dedicated to bowstring and serving materials, period (they do sell a few related products - wax, serving tools, string jigs, etc.).

Ray Browne and Bob Destin invented "Fast Flight", which revolutionized the bowstring market (and Brownell's bowstring division).  They did this when working for Brownell, so Brownell owns the rights to the name.  BCY still offers the original formula in 652 Spectra.

Bob Destin further revolutionized bowstring material when he invented 450 Premium, the first blended bowstring material.  This led to 450+, 452X, and BCY-X.  BCY-X is patented.  That's why Brownell hasn't come out with a copy of it--by law, they can't.  452X is still the benchmark in the wheel industry.

If Fury is SK90 Dyneema (I've had no luck getting specifics from Brownell.  BCY lists what their materials are made from on their web site), then it's the same material as BCY's 8190F.  BCY was the first to use SK90 Dyneema in a bowstring material (8190 Universal).

In a relatively short time...approximately 25 years...BCY went from absolutely nothing (Ray Browne and Bob Destin didn't leave Brownell to start BCY--it came about a while after they left) to being by far the largest and most respected name in bowstring material in the world.  You don't do that by offering "second best".

Allen, no disrespect to you.  You are obviously a phenomenal string maker, and as such you can make a great string from most any decent material.

I love this stuff (strings and string material).  I love to talk about it, I love to study it, and I love to put the facts out there about it.  I'm not the least bit intimidated by being "called out".  I don't claim to know it all, but I try to stay up to date as best I can.

I welcome any questions, either on the board, via pm, or e-mail ([email protected]).  BCY is also easy to talk to, with tons of info. at  www.bcyfibers.com  .

Chad

[LBR]

jhk1, thank you!

In honor of "full disclosure", I admit I am prejudiced on a personal level.  As I said before, I've preferred BCY for the last 20 years or so, but in the last 5 or 6 I've been honored and blessed to be able to work with BCY at some of the larger archery venues, and Roger Browne has become one of my best friends.  Through
BCY I've met some of the world's top ranked archers and coaches and attended some of the world's most prestigious tournaments.  In other words, living the dream!

That being said, I try to avoid giving opinions when facts are needed;  or at least if I give an opinion I'll label it as such.  Remember, the first 15 or so years I was strictly BCY was without any relationship with them other than as a regular customer.  Even though that relationship has changed, my attitude towards strings and string materials hasn't.  Before I would offer BCY-X to my customers, I tried it for myself.  I even bought a new bow specifically for testing it (a Samick "Journey").  I figured if it would make that cheap bow shoot, it had to be good.  That was going on three years ago, and I'm still shooting that Journey--because with a BCY-X string, it's a heck of a shooter!

The facts I give can be researched, and I'll be glad to help.  I won't be the least bit insulted if someone wants to verify what I've said--heck, I encourage it!  Just like I encourage people to learn to build their own strings--it's easier to figure out what works best for you that way.  I'll even help you out with material and serving to ease the costs.

So, if you are a bowyer, professional string maker, or just wanting to get your feet wet and learning to make your own for yourself and/or for friends, feel free to let me know and I'll be glad to help if I can.

Chad

[JRY309]

I too am a fan of BCY products,been making my own strings for around 20+ years.I just build for myself and a few friends,and one thing I liked about BCY was they offered their strings in smaller sizes,you can get their strings in 1/8# spools.Brownell has just started recently  offering their products in 1/8# spools.Which is less costly for the home builder.A couple of 1/8# spools can make quite a few strings.I have used the original Brownell Fast Flight and then with D97,8125,8190,450+ and now BCY-X has become my favorite.I do have and use Brownell Ultra Cam,it's a good string material but has been discontinued.Another thing I like about BCY products,I get all my string material from Chad.Great guy to talk with about strings and to deal with!

[LBR]

Thanks JRY!

Ok, what Grouse said about Brownell being "superior to BCY in most aspects" has been bugging me.

I guess I'm impatient--I'd love to hear some sort of basis for this statement, but in the meantime I did a little research.

I went with two comparable materials--the two that, as far as I know, are closest as far as the raw material goes:  BCY's B-55 and Brownell's B-50 (both polyester) and BCY's 8190F (100% SK90 Dyneema) and Brownell's Fury (supposed to be the same).

Ok, with a few quick searches here are the comparisons I found.

Although B-55 is made with a slightly higher grade of polyester, it retails for $10.25.  B-50 retails for $11.99.  This is from the 3 Rivers site.

For Fury and 8190F, I had to use a different site that I can't mention here.  I'll just say it's a very large archery equipment retail/wholesale store.

Brownell's Fury is $62.99 for 1/4#.  BCY's 8190F is $55.99 for 1/4#.

How about colors?  I looked on the respective web sites for a list of colors.  Brownell lists 24 solid colors.  BCY lists 31.

Variety of string materials offered?  Brownell has 8 on their site.  BCY has 10.  

Serving?  Brownell offers 11, BCY offers 12 plus nock tying thread.  BCY offers a wider variety of sizes and colors as well.

Customer service, I can only speak from my own experience.  Absolutely no comparison between the two--back when BCY sold retail to the public, they always treated me like a million dollar customer even when I was getting started and my orders were embarrassingly small.  Brownell told me in no uncertain terms that I wasn't worth their trouble.

Nowadays that last one is a moot point for most, as they will buy from a retailer...but I haven't forgotten it.  Customer service is a big deal to me.

So I ask sincerely...in what aspects is Brownell "superior"?

Chad

[Hankem]

Ok.... We've got a gentleman that asks what we think of Brownell Fury string, and we get 1000 words on BCY products & why they are a better company from a prejudiced string builder who won't even build a Fury string....                

This is kind of strange.....    

I for one love the Fury string, and think Brownell is a great company.

[LBR]

Hankem, if you care to look it wasn't my post that sidetracked the discussion.

I said in my first post on this topic I prefer BCY.

For the record, my first reply is very much on topic.  No, I haven't used the Fury brand, but I have used SK90 bowstring material.  Changing the brand name of a material won't change it's characteristics.

If there's a problem with any of the facts I listed, please let me know so I can make corrections.

Chad

[slowbowjoe]

Let's not become another Leatherbrawl. Things begin to go that way on (fairly) rare occasion; a mature and respectful observation should be enough to keep the level of civility here what it is.

And, I aim this at no one particular; just see too much of it elsewhere. And I have called folks on it elsewhere when I reached my personal limit; have never had a need to do that here, which I believe is something we all appreciate.

[DanielB89]

I have held Fury, watched strings being made with it, shot bows with it on it, and I think you'll like it. I, along with Chad, use BCY materials, but I don't knock someone for using Brownell.  

Allen makes a great string. Want proof, just search "10 ring strings" and you'll see more praise than any on person should receive!

[Stump73]

Sorry fellas for starting a sore topic. I've got some fury string material coming and wanna start making my own strings. So I was just wanting to know some about strings on how they faired.  Could someone tell me how to figure out how many strings you should use on different bows?

[LBR]

Shed, for my part don't sweat it, and I apologize if I gave information you weren't interested in.

Like a lot of other things in archery, strand count is mostly a matter of personal preference, especially with the HMPE materials.  They are strong enough to go low if you want, but in 20+ years of tinkering I don't know of a good reason to do that.  

I can't make a well made "skinny" string do anything I can't make a moderate strand count do...except stretch/creep more and wear faster.  I don't know them all, but of the people I know that make a living shooting bows accurately, I don't know a one that advocates "skinny" strings.  To the contrary, most go with what I consider a little bit over-built, i.e. Brady Ellison shooting 16 strands of 8125.

That's just me though.  One of the great things about being able to build your own strings is you can experiment and see what works best for you.

Back to the question...for me, depending on the type nock I'm using, 18-20 strands works great for me with 8190 so it should be the same with Fury.  With 18 strands I can get a great fit for an X nock with .014 Halo, with 20 strands .024 Halo or .025 62XS fits a Bohnning Classic just right.

Chad