Limb Driven vs Cable Driven rests

[boue15ryan]

I have been researching drop away rests for my bow (Up to now I have just used whisker biscuit). I am leaning more toward a limb driven rest, but I am a little worried about having the cord from the rest all the way either up or down on my bow. This makes the cable driven rest seem a little more appealing. My thinking "less cord = less room for error". But I know getting the bow set up with a cable driven rest can be a lot more tricky, and if something happens in the field you just about have to count yourself done. So I know there are pros and cons to each. So I am just curious what other guys with more experience with a drop away rest think. I hunt in Idaho, spot and stalk.

 

[rideold]

I moved to a limb driven because it is simpler mechanism.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

i like the vapor trail limb driver

 

[entropy]

I've had both. Chased elk across 3 states with a limb driver. Lots of whitetail and turkey hunting with both.

A lot of folks will tell you this is better for this one, that is better for that one, etc. The reality of it, IMO, is that either will be absolutely fine for 99.9% of every hunting situation you'll ever find yourself in.

If you like one more than the other, get that one. Or more practically, if you can get a better deal on one than the other, get that one. If you set them up right, either will do fine. And if you ever do find yourself in a situation where one would have been better than the other, you'll be in a very small club of people.

 

[D S 319]

Ability to fix my limb driven in the field vs the latter in the event I ever needed to is a good enough reason for me.

 

[Alpineelk]

Well I move to a limb driven several years ago . I have had zero issues with it so far and for me it's easier to set up. My ripcord was my previous rest and I had issues with it staying up and just not being consistent which made it less accurate. May have been primarily the cord attachment which was a football so tying it in may eliminate those issues but at the end of the day I can just set my limbdriver and forget about it

 

[wildwilderness]

I’ve had both. I like the cable better. I like being able to flip the rest up, less cord to get snagged in the brush

 

[billysmals]

I've had both. Both are good. I chose the limb driver (hamskea) for the fact you can "tune" the timing of the drop. By attaching the chord on the limb at various distances from the end of the limb it affect when the rest rises and falls. Closer to the tip rises and falls sooner, more towards the limb pocket it rises and falls later. This allows you to adjust how long you want arrow and rest to have contact/support. You don't have this option with a cable driven rest. Limb driver is easy to repair as others have said.

Cable driven does have the ability to flip the rest up and contain the arrow for stalking.

It's really up to your preference on what you want in your rest.

 

[Blockcaver]

I've used a cable driven rest hunting all over North America and have not had problems over the past 17 seasons. No "football" attachment though, they always moved in my limited attempt to use them.

I always tie a knot identical to the how the string loop is tied on one of the ends to attach the cord to the "down" cable. Then use string serving to set it to the right location to raise/lower at the correct time of the draw cycle and power stroke. This trick makes it very simple to position on the cable. Also if you take a twist in the cable when tuning it doesn't wrap the drop-away cable around the bow cable.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

I've used a QAD cable, Hamskea limb, and Vaportrail limb over the years. Never had problems with any of them. Currently have limb driven rests on both of my bows.

One thing that some hunters dislike about a limb driven rest is that the fork/cradle can't be locked in the up position, which allows the arrow to move around quite a bit prior to drawing. I added a fixed rubber cradle to the shelf on both of my bows to help keep the arrow more secure. That may or may not matter to you, just something to be aware of.

 

[5MilesBack]

I've used both. I still have some limb driven rests but I MUCH prefer my QAD HDX's for hunting. Never had an issue with my QAD's, and in the event of a problem in the field, I can still completely replace the cord if need be. I set the cord up going through the down cable with serving above it initially. But if I have to replace it without a press, I can just tie the new cord on below my serving with a d-loop knot. I also use a Tightspot quiver, and I like mine as close as I can get it. The cord on my limb driven rests always seems to be in the way of that.

 

[Yoder]

I've used a rip cord cable driven rest for years. I've never had a single problem.

 

[CB4]

and if something happens in the field you just about have to count yourself done.

^^^that line is exactly why limb driven is king. Buy a Hamskea Epsilon and don't look back. Until mathews or hoyt comes out with a bridgelock/picatinny floating rest that uses a fan to float your arrow nothing will beat it.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

As a relatively new bow tuner, the hamskea limb driver was way easier to set up than the qad, even though I own a press. In field use, both have worked just fine.

 

[sodaksooner]

Can't say too much more but I'll add my couple of cents. I've had both. Currently on a Hamskea Epsilon, but have run QAD's for a long time. I like both. The Epsilon is a bit different with all the cord, but I am getting used to it. Once set up they are super simple and if you do have an issue, really easy to repair in the field. Never had a problem with QAD, just like to experiment.

 

[waldo9190]

Have used both extensively. Had an HDX on my V3 and now have an Epsilon on my Phase 4. Never had one issue with my HDX, but decided to flip flop to a limb driven Epsilon for giggles. The QAD style is nicer IMO for initial set-up when measuring centershot and such. I will say that when setting up a new limb driven rest, I really like to put the cable under tension before I set it up on the bow and pre-stretch the cable. Constantly having to reset the launcher and tighten the cable is a pain (IMO) to constantly be doing after it is all set up on the bow.

Also, for anyone who thinks you can't repair a QAD style rest in the field you can quite easily, assuming you don't have an internal rest failure. I've always ran my rest cable through the down cable, so if I have an issue with the cord I just cut it off, burn the end to create a "stop" and tie my replacement cable below with a d-loop knot. I always have a 12" section of d-loop material tied to my riser somewhere for emergency repairs in the field.

 

[nphunter]

I have both and would never buy a limb driven rest for hunting. The ability to lock your arrow into a QAD is priceless IMO for those last seconds if you have to move quick or make an adjustment. With a limb driver your arrows flopping all over the place, even with the little rubber saddles the arrow just bounces out unless you’re super careful. I have a limb driven rest in my target bow but honestly so for I see no advantage there either over a QAD.

Either can be easily repaired in the field and both are super easy to set up and tune if you are packing extra d-loop material and an Allen, in fact you could fix either with a shoe lace depending on where the cord breaks. Besides that is a stupid argument you hear from all these guys praising the limb drivers. “If your cord breaks or gets cut a limb driver can be repaired easier in the field” well a limb drive has, 2+ feet of cord expose which is also stretched as tight as a piano wire, a cable driven rest had 6” of loose cord, which do you think is more likely to get cut or break in the field? I’ve ran a QAD since 2009 and I’ve dragged my bow through the brush, dirt and rain for 40-50 days each fall. My last QAD was used in two bows for over 10 years without a single issue. Have them on both on my boys bows and my wife’s. We’ve shot 10’s of thousands of arrows and have hunted hundreds of days dragging them around in every condition you can imagine and have had zero failures or broken or cut cables. It’s literally a non issue, your more likely to cut your bow string than a rest cable.

Both cable and limb driven rests work, right now it’s a fad to have a limb driven rest and that is the only reason most people have them.

The football clamps also work fine or else they wouldn’t sell them with the rests. They are just ugly so people don’t like them and on certain bows you have to install them lower for cable clearance, when splitting the cable and serving them in it looks cleaner. As far as tuning goes your can tune with the football clamp and once you’re happy with the tune serve it in. Timing a QAD literally takes 30 seconds.

Both are equally accurate and it really just come down to what a person likes. Both will be equally reliable.

 

[Jethro]

Both styles of rests work. Its personal preference what you want to try/use. If the hold up on trying a limb driven is the thought that the cable will get tangled/damaged by brush...it doesn't. That's a non issue.

I have a SmackDown limb driven from back when Dan Evans was making them. I thought it seemed like a quality rest and wanted to try it. That was 10 years ago. I've never had a problem with the arrow not being held solid all the time and as far as I can remember it is still the original cable tied to limb. Maybe I changed it once in the 10 years, IDK.

 

[MattB]

Don't over-think it. If cable-driven rests were better, you wouldn't see the proliferation of limb-driven rests.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

and if something happens in the field you just about have to count yourself done.

^^^that line is exactly why limb driven is king. Buy a Hamskea Epsilon and don't look back. Until mathews or hoyt comes out with a bridgelock/picatinny floating rest that uses a fan to float your arrow nothing will beat it.

I don’t understand this line? QAD/cable driven is easily serviceable by either tying a d-loop knot or carrying the little grabber they come with in your repair kit. I don’t think that is more difficult than repairing a limb driven unless I’m missing something?
I have and shoot both