Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games series surely managed to awe and enthrall the audience with her exceptional skills with the bow and arrow. Of course, in the olden days one would have to rely solely upon their skills rather than the equipment itself, due to the lack of materials and technology.
However, fortunately for us who are living in the 21st century, technology has improved and advanced by leaps and bounds, so much so that if your skills were not up to par, the equipment would more than make up for it. It’s almost the same as using a lead sled shooting rest for your gun.
In this scenario, we are talking about an arrow drop away rest. Basically the rest drops away as soon as the arrow is fired. This is especially good and beneficial to the hunter in all hunting situations.
If you are in a hurry, you can check out the comparison table below. Key details are listed side by side to help you compare the 5 best arrow drop away rest in this article.
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| PRODUCT | EASE OF USE | QUALITY | PERFORMANCE | PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Truglo Arrow Rest | Good | Very Good | Very Good | $$ |
| Quality Designs Ultra Rest | Very Good | Very Good | Very Good | $$$ |
| Archery Apache | Average | Good | Good | $$ |
| Quality HDX Arrow Rest | Good | Very Good | Very Good | $$$$ |
| Ultra- Rest Quad Hunter | Very Good | Average | Very Good | $$ |
Truglo Down-Draft Drop-Away Arrow Rest Black
First of all, the affordability of the product itself will have you smiling and relieved that there will be no holes in your wallet. So if you are a beginner or taking up this hobby temporarily, this might be the one for you. It also comes with a quick and easy installation, and by that I mean there is no bow press required. Can life get any easier than that?
According to another customer review, this only took 15 minutes to set up! For the people who just don’t find it acceptable reading the manual over and over again and taking lightyears to set up something, you may as well do yourself a favour and purchase this. Quality wise, it is a very solid rest and the sealed bushings increase downward speed at launch.
However after shooting 500 arrows or so, you might begin to see a little wear and tear on the pad. To be fair enough, at the p rice it comes at, it is not something to be disappointed about, for its ability for being able to shoot 500 arrows or more implies that it will last you quite some time.
Moving on to its performance, it is claimed by the manufacturers to have high quality performance simply because the arrow is shot dead straight. Also, the technical rubber dampeners installed silence the arrow loading, which is perfect for keeping your hearing in intact.
In some instances however, when the rest is in the down position, the arrow moves around inside the rest. It is limed well, so the rest doesn’t make any noise, but the containment system is so open that the arrow starts making noises on the riser. No worries because this simple problem can be solved by applying a little moleskin around the edges. It is suitable for both left and right handed bows.
Quality Archery Designs Ultra-Rest HDX, Mossy Oak, Right Hand
The price is definitely a little on the pricier end so that would only mean that this product has to be really good right? Well lets have a look. In terms of ease of use, you can easily adjust the timing cord with a Clamp or a Cord Lock and it has a sleek curved capture bar for more versatility. The included set up DVD is an added point for it has very clear and easy to follow instructions which makes setting up a breeze.
A little tip, use a serving string and a D-loop knot to tie it onto the bow string (google it and you’ll find a ton of instructions on how to).It’s name itself is quality and for a very good reason too. This is because it is made out of Precision CNC aluminum, stainless steel and delrin conmponents, which means it will be sticking around for a long time and less likely to suffer from wear and tear.
Performance wise, this product seems to be very highly regarded and does exactly what it claims. It comes with total arrow containment which means that no matter how you turn your bow, the arrow will not fall out and the slow release feature works great too. Also, it is important to note that, when properly aligned, it allows for complete fletching clearance and it is super easy to set a arrow in, to allow for quick reloads and smooth action
.You can also expect perfect arrow flight every single time. Honestly, how much better can this get? To top it all of, this arrow drop away rest comes with noise reducing laser cut felt and cubber dampeners to silence all the noise.
Apparantly this product is so satisfying to the point where it is well received among majority and had close to no criticisms about it. Definitely seems like a winner to me.However, it is only meant for right handed bows though. In conclusion, if you are the archer that demands nothing but the top of the line, with all the bells and whistles, then the Ultra-Rest HDX is for you!
New Archery Apache Drop Away Arrow Rest (Camo, Righthand)
Firstly of course, the price of this product is a definite plus point for it is very affordable and appeals to the majority. With that being said, its ease of use is somewhat average for it takes a bit to get setup though and you might want to read the instructions a few times and ask for some expert advice for the final setup despite the manufacturer claiming that the Apache does not require any wrenches or other tools to make adjustments, just set it and forget it. Once it is setup however, you shall like it very much for it works flawlessly then.
Due to its affordable price, one may tend to overlook this product and consider it the underdog. However, this is not the case for it has extremely high quality since it is made from rugged all metal construction which shows that it is built for any weather conditions, including rain or shine. Metal construction is pretty serious stuff for not only is it extremely durable but very highly resilient too.
This arrow drop away rest has a very sturdy build too. Such a bang for your buck! Moving on to its performance, it has a super quick operation along with 360 degree sound dampening which means whisper quiet operation, no matter what, perfect for hunting wild animals as you will have to be very quiet and still.
This product comes with some cons however, one of them being damaged packaging and missing items. It turns out that cord that raised the rest was missing and the felt on the arrow rest itself was torn and coming off in places. Apparently, it was also missing the foam pad that goes on the riser to keep the arrow from rubbing on it. For the price it comes at however, the pro’s definitely outweigh the cons.
Quality Archery Products HDX Arrow Rest
This may be deemed the most expensive out of the lot, but as its name suggests, it has amazing quality and credibility. So if you are jet set on getting this, do make sure your hobby is long lasting and you are making the most out of it, otherwise this great creation shall go to waste. Let’s delve into a little deeper on its added features and criterias that you should consider.
With its sleek design and extra versatility with the latest bows you will not be disappointed. It is very easy to install and comes instructions, both paper and the dvd type. The most appreciated features of it would be the graduated side-to-side and vertical adjustment.. This makes it easier to set up your center shot and rest height (a blessing if you are worried about having your arrow shaft go through the berger hole).
As to its usage,you can even quickly adjust the timing cord to the proper length even after it is clamped to the buss cable. Its high quality is due to it being made out of stainless steel which means that it won’t rust and will last for a very long time before even showing the slightest amount of wear and tear.
In addition to that, it comes with a limited life time warranty, so should you encounter any problems, you can return the product ( not that this happens often ). With features such as, Advanced Vibration Technology, Lock Down Technology and Velocity Drop Away Technology, the mounting block design is more compatible than ever before and the advanced vibration system forces peak vibration amplitude to a minimum while durable molded rubber creates a quiet comfortable field. The accuracy of this arrow drop away rest gives high credit towards its performance.
The only disadvantage of this product would be, the clamp that holds the timing cord to the bow cable is poorly designed,because the bow cable is much thicker than the timing cord, the cord doesn’t get the proper clamping power and can slip out. However, its other technology advanced features surpass this surely.
Ultra- Rest Quad Hunter
This arrow drop away rest comes at a slightly affordable price range, depending on the model and it’s design of course. It is fairly easy to set up and install with simple step by step instructions, although you may find screwing in the little bolts quite annoying. It can be adjusted to shoot shorter arrows and works with arrows up to 4″ shorter than competing designs.
As per quality wise, since this product is half made of plastic and not metal, it probably will not last as long as you would expect it to be since it will be susceptible to rain and shine. Performance wise however is a different thing altogether. This arrow drop away rest comes with drop-away rest technology and is built for serious performance.
Unlike other drop-aways that use inertia or vibration, the Ultra-Rest uses the velocity of the forward movement transmitted by the timing cord attached to the downward buss cable. This Velocity Drop-Away Technology (VDT) is an Ultra-Rest exclusive. This indicates that it will stay cocked even on slow letdowns and will only drop away if the bow is fired and on top of that,totally captures the arrow for easy use while stalking.
Thanks to rubber bumpers and laser-cut felt, it provides a super quiet operation.In addition to that,you can also engage or disengage it with a thumb switch. An added plus is that many seem to have reported that they had had zero malfunctions through hundreds of shots lending this product huge reliability.
This may not be the case in some situations however, for it is quite possible that after some usage, the screw holding the bracket together, which clamped the arrow rest and release apparatus, comes loose and may need to be tightened a couple of times. Secondly, the rest is capable of not dropping fast enough and the felt tends to get destroyed on both sides of the perch. Although, this is only a minor setback, clearly the advantages outweigh this.
Key Considerations when purchasing an Arrow Drop Away Rest
Therefore, lets have a look at all the main criteria that are important in selecting the best drop away arrow rest.
Price
Undoubtedly, this is going to be a major consideration when it comes down to purchasing a product. Arrow drop away rests can range anywhere from considerably cheap to extremely expensive. As much as I would like to sugar coat this, I feel that it would be best if I were to be perfectly honest instead. Most products out there on the market right now come with a price tag that might burn a hole in your wallet.
However it is safe to say that these products are some of the best out there and will not dissapoint. Thus, one has to be realistic, that in order to obtain the very best, you will have to be willing to fork out some money. Although if you are just beginning, you might want to consider something that is on the affordable end just so you can get used to it and test out your skills on it first.
In that case, there are plenty of affordably priced arrow drop away rests that will be able to do the job just fine. So, at the end of the day, it does come down to your experience, budget and personal liking. If you were to feel that this hobby might be sticking around for some time, then you might want to consider something that is averagely priced or a little more expensive.
Ease of Use/Setting Up
Handyman or not, you’d want to be able to set up these arrow drop away rests perfectly fine on your own. Therefore, in choosing the best one out there, it is very critical to ensure that is easy to set up and use at the same time. Otherwise, the product will just end up being a burden and a complete waste of money, not to mention leaving you feeling helpless and angry.
In that case, do not to fret for this article has got you covered. Some of the key features to look for in the description of the product will be total arrow containment, ease adjust of timing cord and so on. These will make using/ setting up the arrow drop away rest a total breeze, for in this day and time, no one can afford to waste precious time on a mere piece of equipment.
Also, you will want to ensure that the rest stays locked and loaded until you decide to unlock it, otherwise it may pose a dangerous threat to you or whomever is around. Another hint I choosing the best arrow drop away rest to assist will be, to ensure that every bow you own will be able to be mounted on the rest. Otherwise, if you are an avid archer and own many bows, you may encounter some difficulties in singling out the bows that can fit and the ones that cannot.
Quality
The key to making your arrow drop away rest to sticking around for a long time lies upon its quality of course. Since most of the activities will be taking place outdoors, an arrow drop away rest that is durable and doesn’t give way easily has to be taken into consideration. At best, it would be deemed wise to choose one that is made out of stainless steel and not so much plastic, as stainless steel will not rust on exposure to water and has better endurance and strength.
On top of that, neither will it corrode and is extremely resilient to heat, a plus point if the customer lives in a hot country. As aforementioned, arrow drop away rests can be quite pricey, so you would want to be sure that if it is indeed pricey, its of good quality and not some sort of hoax.
Speaking of hoaxes, keep in mind to only purchase a product from a trusted and certified source such as amazon.com, for many dealers claim a lot of things, but only very few are able to deliver.
Performance
Naturally as a customer, you would expect the product to live up to it’s claims. So, I strongly advise you to do a full research on the product itself. I shall further enlighten you in detail on what exactly an arrow drop away rest is supposed to do.
The drop away arrow rest is designed to drop out of the way, and eliminate concerns about fletching clearance. At full draw, it holds the arrow firmly up into position, but when the bow fires – the drop away rest moves completely down and out of the path of the arrow. This allows even the largest helical fletchings to pass by the arrow shelf without the slightest bit of contact.
Most arrow drop away rests have large notches or prongs that cradle arrows much better than Shoot-Thru rests (very familiar among hunters), so there’s less chance your arrow will fall off . So theoretically, it gives you the best of both worlds. Having said all of that, you will want to ensure that its performance is up to standard and serve you for a long period.
Conclusion
If you have some extra money to spend, it’s good to invest in better drop away arrow rest as they will impact the way you hunt as well as your overall hunting experience. Now, do you prefer drop away arrow rest or whisker biscuit?