Mike,
I'm not super carefull with my bows nor do I bang them around carelessly. I shoot mine every day and don't have a scratch on either one of my ACS-CX's. I don't think the likelyhood of nicking or cutting one is very high except around sharp rocks or sharp metal edges. I've bumped mine a time or two and satisfied myself that they aren't as fragile as they might appear. On the other hand, I have tossed longbows down from my treestand before, but I have'nt quite brought myself to try it with my CX's.