Whats with the skinny string phase?

[lpcjon2]

Ok I may be a little slow so whats with the skinny string thing going on ?Whats the benefit with the thin is in thing?

[Killdeer]

I dunno.
Everybody is saying that they are the bees' knees, but having used them (boughten strings, I have never twisted up a skinny string, myself), I have gone back to using 12 strands in my 8125 strings. Those I make myself, my nocks fit and I am happy.

I don't like the feel of the 8-stranders on my fingers, and I have watched four of them stretch out on bows that I have had hanging strung in my house. Freaked me out the first time, looking up and noticing that my Morrison ACS had the bottom limb looking unstrung and the top one looking strung. I thought the thing was damaged!

I am not really heated up about trying to gain 5 fps by using them, and I have not noticed a kinder, gentler bow upon release. My release is not the smoothest anyway, so my results may vary from yours, gentle reader.

Killdeer~ "There is no such thing as being too rich or too skinny." Karen Carpenter?

[GMMAT]

I may be missing something, too.  Are they quieter?  I thought we prided ourselves in not getting hung up on speed (so, that can't be it).  Last longer?  Pretty (lol)?

I'm not making light of them.  Heck, mine's probably 16strands (I honestly don't know).

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

less material  means less drag, less noise,  faster speed

 yes the skinny string is a little hard to get used to but after reading the reports from men with engineer type minds I gave them a try. Now they are on all my bows and all of them perform better.

I like em

[Jeff Strubberg]

Way less noise, and some speed gain.

I'm using an 8 strand D97 string on a 52# bow and not seeing this stretching problem?  Dunno, maybe I am doing something wrong.

[razorsharptokill]

I love mine. I noticeit being faster and quieter. Maybe the quietnes is just a different tone or frequency of vibration?

[bowmofo]

I'll give up some speed for a litle piece of mind!

[LBR]

Are they quieter?

Maybe.  Jury is still out on that one.  I haven't owned a bow yet I couldn't get hunting quiet, although there's a debate now on how much difference a quiet set-up really makes when hunting.

   

I thought we prided ourselves in not getting hung up on speed (so, that can't be it).  

Speed is a dirty word.    :p     Performance is the word to be used.       In general, from what I have learned from testers using Hooter Shooters and chronographs, there's usually little to be gained in the performance/speed dept. with most bows (if you compare apples to apples).

   

Last longer?

No.    

   

Pretty (lol)?  

If you think super skinny is sexy, then maybe?

Along with reduced durability, there's a couple of other shortcomings with super small strings.  One, it can be tricky getting a decent nock fit.  Two, you pretty much eliminate one of the main benefits of flemish strings--adjustability.  A tiny string isn't nearly as adjustable.  A good string maker can get the length right, but what if you don't know what the exact right length is?  Everyone is different, and bows tune differently for different shooters.  Archer "A" may find the sweet spot at 7.25" brace, while Archer "B" finds the sweet spot at 7.75"--on the exact same bow.  Good luck adjusting a tiny string 1/2".

'Course they have their positives too, at least with some folks.  As my favorite bowyer would say "Everything is a trade-off".

Chad

[George D. Stout]

Nothing wrong with any string material, as long as it works for you.  Here I am, a hard-headed, curmudgeon, who hasn't got a huge inclination to experiment with new stuff.  For a lot of years, over forty, I used dacron B-36, B-43 and B-50 with dedicated fervor...bullheaded you might say.
Recently I tried a few skinny strings...with padded loops, and serving the same size as bigger strings.  Made a new bow out of my old one; quieter, dead in the hand, and yes, a bit faster.

What I really liked was the quiet mmmmp of the shot, and the quiet of the bow...not vibrating after the shot.  It's more fun to shoot, and appears to allow a cleaner release.

GMMAT....What us old coots "pride ourselves in", is our ability to hit the target when we shoot at it.  We also don't mind trying something new now and then if it makes the experience better overall.  Not just faster son, better.

I also thought the quest was only for more speed, but I was biased from forty years of being bullheaded 8^).   Once I gave it a fair try, I found that there is much more to the skinny string than a simple fad.

I've been doing this "trad" thing since the mid 1950's, so I'm pretty dry behind the ears.  Pretty faces don't turn my head that quickly any more, there has to be more substance.  Consequently, I believe the skinny string is more than a passing fancy since we now have the material to make the process safe.  Don't knock it, until you try it.

I still have a bow or two that simply likes the old dacron best, so that is what I use on them. I also have two that really like the skinny 450 that a friend made for me.....6 strands, 12 strands in the loops.  Room for all I suppose.

[pdk25]

Originally posted by GMMAT:
I may be missing something, too.  Are they quieter?  I thought we prided ourselves in not getting hung up on speed (so, that can't be it).  Last longer?  Pretty (lol)?

I'm not making light of them.  Heck, mine's probably 16strands (I honestly don't know).

Most people feel that they are quieter.  While we may pride ourself in not getting hung up on speed, many choose to put more of the bows energy into the arrow rather than the string and wind resistance.  Others would rather not take what they perceive as chances regarding stretch or failure.

[Bjorn]

Where you guys been hiding out? There has been a ton of discussion about this ever since around the time EFOC came along.
Lots of exchange here, you can do searches and decide what's right for you.

[George D. Stout]

Bjorn, it's the same on all of the forums.  No one researches anything, nor do they use the search functions.  Reading is also a thing of the past, unless it's on the screen of a computer monitor.  
 :confused:  

But alas that's what it is. We must repeat ourselves, over and over; even then, no one pays much attention to us old pharts....I like to blame it on the "no child left behind program."  What the hay do we know anyway?    
 

[Bear]

As always, George has already said what I was thinking. Except for any reference to being old.   :D   Grey-"ing", not yet "grey".

[LBR]

I'm an admitted string nut.  I've made and studied them for near 20 years.  I've talked to hundreds, if not thousands of people about them, along with lots of other string makers, and talk to a manufacturer regularly.  Although I've personally built thousands of strings, I don't consider myself an expert by any stretch--I'm still learning.

Along with being a (string?) nut, I'm also a skeptic.  This comes, in part, from researching strings and string materials all these years.  

Although I'm comparatively young (coming up on 41),I've seen quite a few "fads" come and go.  A few materials--that some very recognizable names seemed to think would revolutionize the sport--didn't stay on the market until the water got hot.  When the "new" wore off, or even worse when they had been around a little while and major flaws were discovered, they vanished.  However, up until that point, you would have thought they were the greatest thing since sliced bread or pockets on t-shirts.

I sure don't want to aggravate any of my customers, but I'm not going to post one thing while I believe something else.  I don't doubt that some folks have gotten positive results--and I know that others have not.  I know there are positives and negatives, and I try to look at both sides of the coin.  At best, these aren't a "one size fits all" kind of thing--like pretty much everything else in this sport.  

I'm not about any kind of sales pitch, I want to make the best string I can, period.  When I'm doing research, I have to categorize what I find.  It's either verifiable proof, or it's opinion.  Even then, results often vary--it can be tough figuring it all out.

I'm not trying to come across as negative, just objective.  Just wanted to get all of that out in the open.

Chad

[lpcjon2]

George,Bjorn, I listen to you guys for thats how I learn.I have FF on my bows that are quit I won't change them!Just wanted to know what I was missing ,I saw a lot of talk about them and it is easier to ask you guys than to spend to much time on finding the experiments.This way I have more time to spend gaining all of your wisdom.Oh and your not old, your just well seasoned.  

[Bjorn]

Way to go George! You spoke my mind.      

[Old York]

Nuthin' wrong with skinny...ya only need one end   :D  
 

[lucky strike]

I originally had an 18 ff on my bow
.It was quiet but a little slow-so I started to experiment and went down to an 8 then a 10 and so on back up to 18.
What I found was yes, more speed on less strands but on 8 and 10 I was getting the shaft hitting the riser. I changed point weight and shaft sizes and brace height to no avail. I progressed to a 14 strand ff,actually to 15 strands because I didn't have any d 97-all I had was good old ff+ (001 smaller).
The bow shot faster than 18 strands ,was quiet almost needing no silencers, no having to go nuts with serving diameters and arrow flight was perfect with no riser slap.
I personally think it's a matter of finding the right string for the particular bow and optimum performance and not just going to the skinny string because everyone is doing it-IMO

[MSwickard]

Taking a George reference from another thread, when it comes to turkey hunting, some use 2-3/4" shells, others use 3-1/2", but most use 3".  

A lot of good info here, but a gain of 3-5fps is not gooing to make me do backflips.  

Mike

[James on laptop]

Well fad or not I like them.Of course I have never used any string over 12 strands so never got used to useing the ropes some like on a bow anyway.  

You walk up to a dealer and look at two bows that look just alike.One is 50lbs and the other is 45lbs.He tells you they both shoot the same arrow the same speed but the 45lb bow is a quieter.The same nocks fit both strings just rightbecause the serving has been sized to do so. He asks which one you want.I guess a lot of you will say give me the 50lb bow.There are others of us that will go with the 45lb bow instead.That is pretty much what useing good strings does for me.Shoot what you want for any reason you want because the rest of us always will be doing the same.