Goodtimekiller
WKR
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2017
- Messages
- 1,154
Just wanting to give my experience with Firenocks before anyone has to go through what I did. To preface, I have tried several g-nock sized lighted nocks with nothing really being very durable. I've had nocks crack and break, bend, not turn on, etc. I had not tried Firenocks because they were so expensive. Someone on AT recommended them so I thought I would give them a try. After 15 minutes of sorting through and hoping I had everything I needed, I submitted my $110 order for 3 lights and 6 practice nocks. Got the nocks in the mail with 6 match weighted practice nocks. I started reading through the instructions and it was about like putting a model car together when I was a kid. I did not like putting model cars together. However, I thought these are supposed to be great so I'm gonna bite the bullet. They were out of the glue they recommend but I had some Gorilla Glue gel I figured would suffice (the instructions recommend a gel glue). So I started gluing in the end caps (also was not aware before I purchased, that I was going to have to glue things into my $200/dozen arrows, but i'm going all in at this point). So some of the end caps go in ok and some take a second or a third time to get to stay. After realizing now that 9 of my arrows have end caps and my other 6 arrows do not, I really have 2 choices (per the Firenocks owner) I could put end caps on all of my arrows or I could drill out the inserted end caps. I decided I'm all in so I order 3 more lighted nocks and 6 more weighted practice nocks, for $94. So now i'm in over $200.
I get all the end caps in and read that I should give them 12 hours for the glue vapors to dissipate from the arrow shaft or it could affect the circuit. I gave the glue 18 hours. I then placed the matched weights in the shafts so I could shoot and not worry about ruining the actual lights. So, I finally get to put the nocks on and shoot the arrows. However, the nocks are only about 1/2 the thickness of my regular nocks. So, I had to redo my D-loop. Not that big of an issue, but I had to redo the d-loop on my back-up bow (back-up for elk but primary for deer) which, when I hunt deer I lower the poundage and shoot lighter arrows. So not I'm going to have to readjust d-loop for deer season or get other thinner nocks for the lighter arrows. So, I change my d-loops cause I'm all in. When inserting the new nocks, they were extremely tight, even when adding the wax as recommended in the instructions. I used a Nockturnal tool to insert the nocks and pushed so much that now 3 nocks will not snap on string. I called the owner of the company and he said "yeah I bet they bent if you pushed hard". I asked for a few replacements and he said only if I sent in the bent nocks then he could send me the $1.00 worth of replacement nocks. I am leaving this coming week for an elk trip and explained I di not have time for the turn around and he said there was no other option. I explained I just spent $200 with his company on lighted nocks and wanted 3 replacement nocks, that's it. No go. At this point my all-in mentality is slipping away and I'm trying to think how I can just go back to my original arrows. The company owner says just leave the end caps in, it's only 3 grains in the back end of the arrow. Not what I want to do but I also do not want to be drilling in my arrow shaft.
So now I am removing everything from the arrows to send back. As I am removing the matched weights, 3 come out and 3 do not. I go to the extent of throwing my arrow onto the concrete to hopefully break the weights loose. No luck. I contact the owner again and he says it is my fault because I did not remove the extra glue with a drill bit like the instructions say. I told the owner I did use a drill bit and it did not work and now I have $50 worth of useless arrows. He says I used the wrong size of drill bit and that if the inserts were already on the arrow the .166 drill bit is a must. I asked him, if the drill bit was so important, why is the .75 cent drill bit not included with $100 of inserts? And I am not sure how using a bigger drill bit would leave more glue in the shaft.
The owner says they do not want to force anyone to buy anything so the drill bit is optional. The owner also told me they have been selling these nocks since 2012 so everyone knows to use the drill bit and how to install them. Then the owner proceeds to tell me that the .166 arrows are the most inefficient arrows and no one that knows anything about archery would shoot them.
Luckily they have a 30 day return policy so all of these will be going back, other than the parts I can't get out of my arrows. We will see how they address that.
I get all the end caps in and read that I should give them 12 hours for the glue vapors to dissipate from the arrow shaft or it could affect the circuit. I gave the glue 18 hours. I then placed the matched weights in the shafts so I could shoot and not worry about ruining the actual lights. So, I finally get to put the nocks on and shoot the arrows. However, the nocks are only about 1/2 the thickness of my regular nocks. So, I had to redo my D-loop. Not that big of an issue, but I had to redo the d-loop on my back-up bow (back-up for elk but primary for deer) which, when I hunt deer I lower the poundage and shoot lighter arrows. So not I'm going to have to readjust d-loop for deer season or get other thinner nocks for the lighter arrows. So, I change my d-loops cause I'm all in. When inserting the new nocks, they were extremely tight, even when adding the wax as recommended in the instructions. I used a Nockturnal tool to insert the nocks and pushed so much that now 3 nocks will not snap on string. I called the owner of the company and he said "yeah I bet they bent if you pushed hard". I asked for a few replacements and he said only if I sent in the bent nocks then he could send me the $1.00 worth of replacement nocks. I am leaving this coming week for an elk trip and explained I di not have time for the turn around and he said there was no other option. I explained I just spent $200 with his company on lighted nocks and wanted 3 replacement nocks, that's it. No go. At this point my all-in mentality is slipping away and I'm trying to think how I can just go back to my original arrows. The company owner says just leave the end caps in, it's only 3 grains in the back end of the arrow. Not what I want to do but I also do not want to be drilling in my arrow shaft.
So now I am removing everything from the arrows to send back. As I am removing the matched weights, 3 come out and 3 do not. I go to the extent of throwing my arrow onto the concrete to hopefully break the weights loose. No luck. I contact the owner again and he says it is my fault because I did not remove the extra glue with a drill bit like the instructions say. I told the owner I did use a drill bit and it did not work and now I have $50 worth of useless arrows. He says I used the wrong size of drill bit and that if the inserts were already on the arrow the .166 drill bit is a must. I asked him, if the drill bit was so important, why is the .75 cent drill bit not included with $100 of inserts? And I am not sure how using a bigger drill bit would leave more glue in the shaft.
The owner says they do not want to force anyone to buy anything so the drill bit is optional. The owner also told me they have been selling these nocks since 2012 so everyone knows to use the drill bit and how to install them. Then the owner proceeds to tell me that the .166 arrows are the most inefficient arrows and no one that knows anything about archery would shoot them.
Luckily they have a 30 day return policy so all of these will be going back, other than the parts I can't get out of my arrows. We will see how they address that.
