String silencers-------> performance??

[archer66]

How do string silencers such as the rubber "cat whiskers" compare to a product like Hush Puppies as far as sound dampening and performance.

[Shedrock]

It probably depends on bow and string type. I don't use the rubber ones as I just don't like the looks. Fur and the yarn type work well for me. As far as losing speed, I dunno, and don't care if I lose a couple fps. I would shoot one of those things with wheels if I wanted speed.

There was an article in TBM several issues ago about several types of silencers and there performance. You might look that up. Pretty good article. I don't remember what issue though.

[archer66]

Thanks!!!  I don't care a whole lot about speed either or I wouldn't be shooting a bow that's 40 pounds at 25 inches!!  lol.

[Bjorn]

By and large heavier will rob more performance especially as it moves toward the middle of the string.

[Flying Dutchman]

My Cari-bow Peregrine with SBD string needs no silencers at all.... spookey quiet..

[Night Wing]

With the human eye, you won't see any noticable loss in feet per second between rubber cat whiskers and yarn wool puffs.

But, my ears can hear the difference from when I was using cat whiskers and yarn puffs. The yarn puffs made my bow quieter than with the cat whiskers upon arrow release.

Food for thought.

[Shedrock]

The string silencer test is in the June/July 2009 issue of Traditional Bowhunter Magazine. The author tested several types of silencers and listed the decibals and fps in a little chart.

Rubber whiskers were only .7 of a decibal quieter than beaver fur, but the beaver fur silenced bow was a tad faster. (6 fps)

He used the same bow for all his tests. Pretty interesting article.

He also states that a shooters form and release can have an impact on bow noise.

[Hopewell Tom]

The TBM article favored the Cat Whiskers, I think. Don't mean to hijack the thread, but does the length of the Cat Whisker make a difference? Mostly everyone trims theirs, but is that for looks or performance? Placement is supposed to be important, with the 1/3 placing better that the 1/4 position. More to it than just material?
I like the sound (pun intended) of no silencers, Dutchy.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

I'm quite partial to beaver silencers myself and make my own from strips of tanned beaver pelts. I'm going to try raccon and see how they hold up as well. I'm just kind of a fan of all natural material I guess? I like using what God gave us whenever possible.

[TxAg]

I've got rubber whiskers and like them. Although, it helps that my bow is pretty quiet to begin with.

[mrjsl]

I use the hush puppies on a 59# 'curve, and when I go to a tournament, everyone raves about how quiet my bow is. These are people who have nice, new, very high dollar trad bows. I do not use anything in the string grooves, and no brush buttons - just hush puppies.

Of course I shoot a 600+ grain arrow and a B50 string too. But I'm sold on the hush puppies.

[awbowman]

I like the rubber cat whiskers.

In terms of speed, I will take quiet over speed any day.

[graybarkhunter]

i got my SBD string in the mail yesterday with 2 puff balls and yarn on both ends and its rrrrrridiculoulsy quiet. the string i took off (replaced)had 2 rubber cat whiskers and it sounded like a wheelie when i shot it. sure both will work but im sold on my SBD!  my 2 cent

[LBR]

I like cat whiskers for several reasons.  They don't hold moisture, scent, or burrs.  They work better than anything I've tried--SVL has made a fortune (literally) from silencing products made from rubber.

Two big mistakes I see with cat whiskers:  One, people leave them way too long.  Too long can produce it's own noice.  Two, they aren't installed properly.  They should be tied on around the string, so they can be tuned.  Moving the silencer up or down the string just an inch or so can make a big difference with some bows.  The silencers have a "sweet spot" just like the brace height--you tune them for the best results.

Properly installed and tuned, it normally only takes a small set for great results.

Chad

[d from phx]

I use and favor CAT WHISKERS. I use " Cool Cats" they come in 14 colors so they can match any set up.

[Swamp Yankee]

The heavier the silencer, the more it will slow the string down; but I've never been able to see any appreciable difference.  I don't like all the movement with cat whiskers; maybe I had them too long.  I do like wool puffs or string leeches; both work equally well for me at 1/3 points.

[Kapellmeister]

Originally posted by archer66:
How do string silencers such as the rubber "cat whiskers" compare to a product like Hush Puppies as far as sound dampening and performance.

Just a little something else to consider in overall performance tuning... in the instructions to his dynamic spine calculator, Stu Miller points out,   "If using multiple or extra heavy string silencers on your bow then the required dynamic arrow spine will be slightly reduced.  Subtract 2# from the bows required dynamic spine number."

[Terry Green]

Here's the kind of performance the gals at BowHush like to hear about their Hush Puppies....

     BowHush - Hush Puppie Performance Charts

[Kapellmeister]

I love my Hush Puppies!... they're on all my bows...  I'd trade 1 or 2 fps for a quiet shot any day!

[PaddyMac]

I've tried a lot of different things, from spiders to otter to wool. Wool works best for me. I still have a little string slap "thump" that I want to quiet down, but it's already pretty quiet.