This review is on a number of Limbsaver products that will be commented on individually as the review progresses. I will start by saying that these products do work. The first item that I will discuss is the Sims "Stealth Split & Solid Limbsaver". These mushroom like rubber accessories fit on the limbs of the bow near each end and claim to reduce noise and shock. As the bows tested do not have a problem with shock I will not be addressing it here. I attached a set of Stealth Split limb savers to my bow and began to shoot. There was an immediate reduction of noise. Next I shot a string thru the chronograph to see if the added weight had any effect on the performance of the bow. Nothing had changed, I was still shooting at the normal speed I had before Installing them,302fps. The noise reduction was there!
The next items I tried were the "STRING LEECHES". These are a new style string silencer that resemble the letter “Z” and are made of the same “navcom” material as the stealth solid and split limbsavers with Kevlar added to increase their life expectancy to approximately 300 to 500 shots. Instalation is simple and easy but does require a press to allow the string to be separated. There was a further reduction of noise now and I was beginning to believe that these things work like Sims claimed. We all know that when we add things to our string there are consequences. Sometimes they are good, sometimes they are bad, and usually the price we pay is in lost speed. This is when its necessary to have a chronograph to see what is happening with our bows. I shot another string and instead of the expected speed loss I actually gained 2 FPS. This gain is not significant other than that I expected to see a loss of about 4 fps. I will point out that placement is the key to the results that I received. They were placed at the location where I had previously installed speed noc’s, and had found the correct location by trial and error with the use of a chronograph. Randomly placing anything on the string may have a speed gain or loss and this can only be determined with a chronograph. With the life of 300 t0 500 shots these leeches are a worthwhile addition at hunting season when noise is a real concern.
The next product tested was the Teflon cable slide. I had long ago replaced my original slide with a roller slide that had given me a few extra fps and was expecting a speed loss again, after all a slide is a slide when they all look alike. This time I was sure that the chrono would prove me right but the results surprised me again. The speed was the same as the roller slide. This was good news and the slide was quieter than the roller that it replaced.
Next I installed a pair of “CABLE DAMPENERS” on the cable guard rod. These were placed to act as a slide stop also and the reduction in bow noise was immediately noticeable. The bow was becoming quieter and quieter with each accessory that I added.
The next product that was tested was the “MINI LIMBSAVER” these are a smaller version of the “STEALTH LIMBSAVER” and are designed to be placed on the sight, rest or quiver to reduce noise and absorb vibrations. Again the product worked. There was a further reduction in bow noise. The last items that I tested were the Stabillizers.This became like a shopping spree as I had received an “ENHANCER 2000” and a “MODULAR SYSTEM” along with a “STABILLIZER ENHANCER”. The combinations to try were seemingly endless with these components. The choices became primarily one of balance and looks. With each combination I tested the noise reduction was as promised. This bow was dead quiet. I tested the “ENHANCER 2000” alone,with modules and with a generic stabilizer. It worked well with all combinations at reducing noise to a whisper. The modular system was also tested with the same results whether I used 1 or 3 modules .The more modules I used the more noise reduction I achieved and the balance was changed as well as more front weight was added. The “STABILLIZER ENHANCER” topped off a good quality sound reduction system that will definitely silence any Bow that it is put on.
Pete Ward “Welcome to my outdoor world”
The following coments are from Randy Inberg,A good friend and hunting buddy that allowed me to equip his new bow with sims products for this review.
Is your set-up humming like a tuning fork, buzzing like a deer fly or cracking like a whip? The solution to all of your vibration/noise problems is out there and you do not have to look any further than Sims Vibration Laboratory for the answer. Vibration is damaging to your bow and accessories and vibration causes noise. Sims provided their Solid LimbSavers, String Leeches Mini LimbSavers, Stabilizer Enhancer and the Enhancer 2000 for a gear review. My set-up before the using the Sims products included only a silicone stabilizer (brand name quality stabilizer) for vibration/noise reduction on a very fast BowTech BK2. I was content with the low level of noise coming from this bow.
STEALTH SOLID LIMBSAVER I had used this product before [old model SOLID LIMBSAVER} on one of my bows and after shooting in extremely cold weather (-25 degrees) they had both fallen off. Sims has addressed this potential problem by dramatically increasing the adhesive pad surface area. LimbSavers are probably the single most important product in reducing vibration/noise on your bow. With this product, less vibration is transmitted to your bow accessories as well (sight, quiver and rest). Without LimbSavers, I was frequently tightening my dovetail-mounted sight. With LimbSavers installed, my sight did not require tightening down, even after hours of shooting.
MINI LIMBSAVERS I had not used this product before. Mini LimbSavers were attached to my sight (Trophy Ridge Flatliner) and arrow rest (Muzzy Zero Effect). The Mini LimbSavers are small enough to find a place on both of these items without any interference in their operation. If you suspect your accessories are the cause of unwanted vibration/noise, try these and you will not be disappointed.
STRING LEECHES I had used a variety of string silencers in the past (mostly the rubber strand and yarn puff ball type) with varying success. On one bow the rubber strands grabbed the buss cables (after releasing the string) and caused inconsistency in accuracy and the yarn type did not perform well in wet weather for obvious reasons. Until now, I had given up on string silencers. The String Leech is overly simple to install, does not effect accuracy and string noise is history, when this product is installed.
ENHANCER 2000 Some archers are concerned with hand-shock, especially when shooting high speed/lightweight bows. While I cannot say with any certainty that I have experienced hand shock, I am sure that the Enhancer 2000 will eliminate this effect. Even the most discriminating archers will appreciate the vibration/noise deadening qualities of the Enhancer 2000. The Enhancer 2000 mounts on your riser (standard 5/16 stabilizer tap) and can be fitted with any number of additional modules for additional balancing weight and/or vibration/noise deadening. The Enhancer 2000 also accepts other stabillizers ,enhancing their effectiveness as well.
STABILLIZER ENHANCER This product will fit onto most any stabilizer (including the Enhancer 2000) that is tapped (5/16) on the front end.
Summary The above-mentioned products were installed one-at-a-time. With the addition of each new product, the vibration/noise level was audibly reduced. With all of these products installed, the only noise I heard after releasing the string, was the arrow penetrating the target.
PETE WARD
