Topic: The Best Arrow Rests of 2022 (Read 39 times)
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Why It Made the Cut
Hamskea sets the standard for limb-driven arrow rests in the target world, and they brought a lot of that target technology over to the Epsilon, which is sleek, solid, and silent.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Product Description
There is a segment of the archery co*munity that believes limb-driven arrow rests are the most reliable drop-away arrow rests and they are the fastest to drop. And nobody does limb-driven rests better than Hamskea. Their rests are used by several of the best target archers in the world. And while those target archers can use the Epsilon, a lot of the features Hamskea built into this rest were done so with bowhunters in mind.
The Epsilon features a full-containment arrow cage so a nocked arrow cannot fall off. However, the containment isn’t as secure as a QAD. The whale-tail launcher is wide at the ends, so it can pick up the arrow from any spot inside the cage and then channel the shaft to the center of the rest for every shot. That allows the bowhunter to focus on the target, without worrying about getting the arrow to the right spot on the rest.
It’s a narrow rest that hugs the back of a riser, leaving plenty of clearance for even the tightest bow-mounted quivers. The Centershot Optimized Rest (COR) technology includes different mounting points to account for different riser thicknesses so that the rest is automatically mounted with a center shot of 13/16 inches from the riser. This is a standard starting point for the rest position to get a bullet hole when paper tuning. Often, this is exactly where the rest needs to be for perfect left-right positioning.
The rest can be converted to attach the draw cord to the top or bottom limb. Included is Hamskea’s rebound dampener, which allows the draw cord to be pulled beyond taut to ensure that the rest is pulled all the way down to the riser shelf when the bowstring is released. This dampener enabled Hamskea to eliminate the spring used in previous rests, which easily bends.
Why It Made the Cut
This is arguably the simplest arrow rest on the market. It holds your arrow securely in place between three sections of nylon bristles. Put an arrow into the V, and forget about it. Simple as that.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Product Description
The Trophy Ridge Whisker Biscuit V arrow rest is ideal for the bowhunter who likes to keep things simple and wants to build a bow without breaking the bank. The Whisker Biscuit rest has proven its reliability and effectiveness in the bowhunting world. This V version simplifies the platform and negates the need for different-sized biscuits depending on arrow diameter. The V notch holds everything from a 4mm up to a 2712, if for some reason, you choose to hunt with one of the fattest arrows made.
Sections of nylon bristles around the arrow form the V. Simply load an arrow into the V, and the bristles push it to where it’s supposed to go. The arrow is held there until you shoot or pull it out. This is a full containment arrow rest that’s ideal for spot and stalk hunts. Just nock an arrow and go.
The question with biscuit-style rests is, “Do they affect arrow flight?” The bristles touch the arrow through the shot, and the fletchings have to punch through the bristles. That has to have some affect, right? At the most co*mon bowhunting distances (under 50 yards), you’re good. If you see any impact variances, they’re going to be minor. Beyond 50 yards, you could start seeing some arrow impact variances, and hand-torque issues are likely to be magnified.
Why It Made the Cut
The Apex Surge is a well-made drop-away arrow rest that costs less than $75. It’s cable driven, which means it is activated by the down cable on the bow, can be cocked in the up position before the shot, and has a full-containment cage.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Product Description
The Apex Surge is a simple, cable driven drop-away that has some of the features of the more expensive best arrow rests, yet it costs less than $75. Many drop-aways in this price category operate by having the launcher rise and fall as the bow is drawn and let down. Having one that can be cocked in the up position for full arrow containment adds a lot of value.
The windage and elevation are set simply by loosening screws and moving the rest to the desired position. This can make the setup take longer than rests with micro-adjust knobs, but again, it runs at a fraction of the price of high-end rests. The Surge clearly has some less expensive co*ponents, but it still doesn’t feel cheap, especially for this price.
Why It Made the Cut
The Hoyt Super Rest is used by Olympic archers, and the Hunter Rest is a beefed up version of that simple but accurate rest.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Product Description
The Hoyt Hunter Rest is a plastic, stick-on rest that installs easily in seconds. Some of the best recurve bows allow archers to use a cushion plunger, which is a device installed in the riser next to the rest to cushion the flexing of the arrow as it flies out of the bow. Bowhunters who choose to use a cushion plunger will use a rest, and they need a rest that allows for mounting the plunger. Such rests don’t co*e any simpler than the Hoyt Hunter.
These things are so inexpensive, you can carry multiple rests with you in case one breaks or the sticker loses its stickiness. Just pop the old one off and stick a new one on.
But don’t be fooled by the ease and cost of this rest. It does the job. Olympic recurve archers use the target version of this rest–that’s how well it does its job. The Hunter is simply beefier than the target version because hunters use heavier arrows, and they’re taking their bows into rougher conditions. Archers who don’t use a cushion plunger can still use the Hunter Rest on their hunting recurves.
Type of Bow
Whether you hunt with a co*pound or a traditional bow will take you to two totally different categories of rests. There really is no cross over here. There are rests designed for co*pound bows and rests designed for recurves and longbows. I have seen recurve archers try to use some of the simpler co*pound rests on their bows, and it never works out well.
Adjustment
Just like the best bow sights, arrow rests can make tool-less micro-adjustments. The alternative is to loosen a set screw and manually move the rest into position. Micro adjustment is best suited for archers that want to tune their gear because it allows you to make barely perceptible adjustments that can yield noticeable differences in accuracy. If you are going to have a shop paper tune your bow and then call it good, you don’t need a micro-adjustable rest.
Range Limits
How far do you plan to shoot with this rest? If you’re planning to strictly hunt with your bow setup, and you don’t take shots over 40 yards, then which rest you choose isn’t a grave issue.
But if you plan to take long hunting shots, or you want to take your bow to a Total Archery Challenge event, where you might have to shoot targets out to 100 yards, then you want precision equipment. Hunters often look to the target world when it co*es to identifying precision gear. In target archery, co*petitors use equipment that gives them the absolute best chance for success. You will not see a single, even moderately-successful (let alone top-end) target archer use a biscuit-style rest. You will, however, see plenty of cable-driven and limb-driven drop-aways.
Does this mean biscuit rests are “no good” for long-range shooting? Not necessarily. It means target archers have identified better options.
Containment
How you hunt can impact your rest-selection decision. If you are strictly a tree-stand or blind hunter, having a rest that fully contains the arrow while it’s nocked might not be critical. You don’t have to worry about brush or limbs knocking your arrow off the rest.
If you are a spot-and-stalk bowhunter, you’re going to hate not having full containment. If your arrow keeps falling off the rest as you make those last few critical sneak moves to get into shooting position, that’s a problem.
This is arguably the biggest question facing co*pound bowhunters when they choose a rest, because it takes you down one of two very different paths. The drop-away rests promise precision accuracy because there’s nothing to create arrow-contact problems. But the fixed-position rests have no moving parts to potentially fail in critical back-country situations. I mentioned what target archers do, but is precision, long-range accuracy relevant to you? Where you hunt, how you hunt, and how far you plan to shoot will guide you to the right choice.
If you’re a recurve or longbow hunter, rests don’t cost much at all. The Hoyt Hunter costs less than five bucks, while the most expensive recurve rest listed on Lancaster Archery Supply’s website is the Zniper at $99, but that’s more of a target archery rest.
If you’re a co*pound bowhunter, the price range shifts considerably—$25 to around $300. As you might expect, features and quality adjust the cost of rests considerably.
Not necessarily. The main tool you will use is a set of Allen wrenches. The special tool that could co*e into play is a bow press for co*pound bows. Any of the cable-driven rests require the rest’s draw cord to be connected to the co*pound’s downward buss cable. You can connect that cord to the outside of the cable with a clamp, or you can run it through the buss cable below a section of serving and tie a knot in the cord to keep it from pulling back through. The latter method requires a bow press.
Like many things in archery, there is more than one style of rest to accurately launch your arrow down range. Sure, there are plenty of opinions about the best arrow rests. But when there are supporters for all styles, you know the “right choice” co*es down to personal preference. So, it’s up to you to consider your hunting style, equipment expectations, and budget to find the best one for you.
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