Limb Driven vs. Cable Driven

[Upchurch_k]

Looking at getting a Hamskea Trinity Hunter Pro, I've had a cable driven rest in the past but never a limb driven. Can y'all give me some insight into which is the better route to set up this rest, I like that it can be set up either way I'm just not sure which one is the better option and why.

 

[19hunt92]

I will probably dive way to far into this as i am an archery nut but here we go:

Cable driven:
Pro - if installed correctly is almost fail safe. the cable will always pull the forks up but drops with a spring (con) when released
- most common between the two as far as everyone having one

Cons - if fails or not installed correctly, takes a press to correct
- installation takes some basic knowledge and if you have a draw board, can fine tune to come up and stay up for a shorter or longer amount of time in the release process (A pro if you have someone that knows what they are doing)

Limb driven:
Pro - simple to install (tie to your limb, tie to rest, go hunt)
-is held up by a spring (con), drops with the limb extension
- stays up longer in the shot cycle...can be a con if you have bad form or jerk
- repair is simple if fail, retie to whatever fails and a shoe string can work in a pinch...believe me

Con - not as common and more expensive (typically)
- extra cable exposed in the bow that can get in the way of sight bars or possibly catch on limbs/sticks
- may have to be creative on how to tie to the limb depending on the type of bow you have

I, myself, am bias towards the limb driven. The forks on a limb driven stay up longer when you hit the trigger, thus stabilizing your arrow more. like a half way between a cable driven rest and a lizard tongue rest. However, if you are prone to jerk or not have the best form, it will magnify your lack of form (hit farther left/right/high/low, than you would with a cable driven). Keep in mind i am splitting hairs here, if we jerk, you probably wont hit the target with either rest.

I am also more apt to make the decision to things that are easier to repair, not that may be more robust. Things will break in my mind, the less time/tools/equipment needed to repair, the better.

The company you buy the rest from is a big thing as well. QAD, Vaprtrail, Hamskea Trophy Taker are all quality companies and I've dealt with all. Nothing against others but i have not dealt with them personally

 

[Upchurch_k]

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate the indepth info. I never had a problem with my old cable driven one but since the option is there on the Hamskea thought I would compare the two.

 

[mmcdonough]

For myself I went limb driven. It came down to a possible timing issue for me. My bow has cam stops and I thought there was a small chance that the timing would be off if I pulled back too hard on a cable driven rest. Limb driven was a super easy install and seemed bulletproof (it has been). Plus you don't need a press to tweak with it. I bought my first bow last year and put it together on my own.

 

[Topo_trekker]

Depends on the speed you’re shooting. If you’re at 285+ no reason for limb driven. I like to shoot heavy arrows and a bit slower so limb driven for me.


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[Upchurch_k]

Thanks Topo. Good point that I didn't know, I'm building some arrows now that will be right at 500gr, I've never put my bow on a chrono but IBO speed from manufacturer says 320 fps so I'd say on the conservative side I'm probably at 265-270.

 

[19hunt92]

Depends on the speed you’re shooting. If you’re at 285+ no reason for limb driven. I like to shoot heavy arrows and a bit slower so limb driven for me.


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I am always up for learning something new, why does speed differentiate what rest is needed/desired?
Honest question since in my thinking, the faster the bow, the faster a limb and cable moves and they are always relative to each other, so the affects/benefits/cons should be the same no matter the speed

 

[jspradley]

That Hamskea is sweet! I have never used a cable driven but I like the simplicity of the Hamskea, the cable rides behind my quiver so I'm not worried about it catching on anything. If it does ever break somehow I carry a little bit of d loop material and can fix it super easily

 

[5MilesBack]

Cable driven:

Cons - if fails or not installed correctly, takes a press to correct

I don't need a press to correct or fix my QAD HDX even if the cord gets cut in two. I always keep an extra cord in my pack for just in case. I don't even use a draw board at home for timing it. I draw it with the set screw loose so the cord will pull through, and then I pull the cord back out about 1/16" and set the screw. That's always timed it perfectly.

I've had an original Hamskea, Limbdriver Pro, and Limbdriver Pro V for limb driven rests, and the QAD is still my favorite rest.

 

[19hunt92]

I don't need a press to correct or fix my QAD HDX even if the cord gets cut in two. I always keep an extra cord in my pack for just in case. I don't even use a draw board at home for timing it. I draw it with the set screw loose so the cord will pull through, and then I pull the cord back out about 1/16" and set the screw. That's always timed it perfectly.

I've had an original Hamskea, Limbdriver Pro, and Limbdriver Pro V for limb driven rests, and the QAD is still my favorite rest.

I am talking in regards that the rest string is tied into the cable and not clamped on (i think the clamp is junk) and the slack needed in each bow is different in regards to how much cable is wrapped up in the cam. You can make it simpler but it opens up more doors for failure.

 

[5MilesBack]

The clamp IS junk, tie it onto the cable with a d-loop knot.

I will admit that I put my cord through the cable for normal use. But if something happens to the cord in the field, it's easy to just tie it on with the d-loop knot below the serving I already have above it.

 

[theleo91386]

Limb driven:
- stays up longer in the shot cycle...can be a con if you have bad form or jerk

While this can be true, it doesn't have to be. You can time them by where you tie the cord to the limb. The closer the cord is to the axel the longer it stays up and supports the arrow. The closer to the riser you go the sooner it will get out of the way.

The reason Topo made the comment about speed is that with a fast setup cable driven rests can be finicky about providing enough support for the arrow and getting out of the way in time to avoid vane contact since the speed of down movement for the launcher arm is controlled by the internal spring. Since limb driven rests are always out of the way when the limbs are extended, you don't run into that issue since the launcher is down the instant before the arrow comes off the string.

 

[19hunt92]

While this can be true, it doesn't have to be. You can time them by where you tie the cord to the limb. The closer the cord is to the axel the longer it stays up and supports the arrow. The closer to the riser you go the sooner it will get out of the way.

The reason Topo made the comment about speed is that with a fast setup cable driven rests can be finicky about providing enough support for the arrow and getting out of the way in time to avoid vane contact since the speed of down movement for the launcher arm is controlled by the internal spring. Since limb driven rests are always out of the way when the limbs are extended, you don't run into that issue since the launcher is down the instant before the arrow comes off the string.

A copy that, due to the spring force down on the rest once the cable is released can be too slow and the arrow can be coming through the fork opening before full down position is achieved. Makes sense if you go for a speed freak.

And i am assuming the limb driven is tied to the rear of the limb (by the axle) due to some bows having minimal limb deflection and you need the most movement in the limb to actually get the full relaxation on the rest (rest all the way up). But this can vary as well depending on the bow.

 

[Topo_trekker]

I am always up for learning something new, why does speed differentiate what rest is needed/desired?
Honest question since in my thinking, the faster the bow, the faster a limb and cable moves and they are always relative to each other, so the affects/benefits/cons should be the same no matter the speed

Yes I’ve heard some specific cable driven rests may not get out of the way of the fletching with a really fast setup like mentioned above. I never had this happen.

I have however experienced the opposite. My QAD was fine with a fast light arrow. No problems except for a contact issue from bounce back which was happening with the Blazer vanes I had, common issue. I fixed it by switching to lower profile VaneTecs in a 4 fletch. Then I switched to a heavy arrow 600gr and noticed a crazy drop was happening. I couldn’t move my sight down far enough to get all my pins to work. I had heard about the benefit of limb driven holding the arrow up longer so I tried one out. Problem solved.

What I think was happening is that my light arrow was moving fast enough that the cable drivens’ spring mechanism was still supporting the arrow up near the back, maybe about the same place as a limb driven...or it was just moving fast enough to not be effected by the blade drop. I can’t really tell a difference between rest types with a lighter arrow. When I switched to the heavy arrow and the slower speed 265, the cable rest is either dropping halfway down the arrow or the slower speed would cause the arrow to drop sooner with the blade. Don’t know for sure but the limb driven rest fixed the problem.


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[dittydogood]

Just YouTube limb driven vs cable driven rests. A limb driven rest WILL drop faster than a cable driven, that’s how they are designed to function. The limb has no lag vs a cable and spring setup. I’ve used two models of limb driven rests both ripcord, as they are the only ones that fit on my PSE Xpedite. I’ve never been a fan of QAD but it’s not up to me to decide what you like. I say that because I was getting arrow contact/kick with the forks. It could have been a form issue which I admit it could have been, but unless a cable driven is set up perfectly you’re gunna have issues. Both limb driven rest were basically plug and play. I would have a hamskea if it fit, but I’m very happy with my ripcord lok right now.


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