I like to use only the number of strands I feel is necessary. for example, I use 10 strands for bows around 30#, 12 strands for bows around 40#, 14 strands for for 45#, and 16 strands for 50# and so on. Those probably wouldn't be considered "skinny" to some, but I like to use force 10 or 8125 and those are quite thin. Can they be a benefit? It depends on the bow design. On some of the heavily D/R hybrid designs or recurves, you might not notice much, you may even hear a bit different noise, or a higher pitch that may seem unpleasant. But on a D/R longbow or ASL, they can reduce hand shock, add performance, vibrate less. You even get more positive results when you eliminate the crimp-on styled, metallic nock points, and use something of lower mass, like silk thread, or of no mass, like a paint marker, to indicate you nock point.