For competition sake you do not need limbsavers. But, limbsavers do quiten the bow a little and stop some of the limb vibration. When I got my very first set I was shooting an MQ1 and I shot 10 to 12 shots with my eyes closed and then put the limb savers on and shot with my eyes closed and could tell some difference. I hunted with an Apex last year and with a Sims stabilizer, Limb savers, string Leechs and one set of the CSS things on the bottom of the limbs the bow was very quiet and vibration free, but that is a little overkill for a comp bow.