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QAD Ultra Rest/Ripcord Knockoff

12K views 75 replies 28 participants last post by  Dawnbreaker  
#1 ·
I got a nearly new Bowtech Carbon Knight (60 lb nominal DW) and I needed a rest to replace the Hostage rest that came on the bow. I broke down and bought one of the knockoff drop away rests made in China. It arrived today. I haven't mounted it yet but I've been looking it over and testing the launcher drop. While I prefer to have my stuff made in the US, I have to admit that this knockoff rest looks to be pretty well made, maybe better than the QAD.

The body of the rest holding the internals and the launcher arm appears to be made from machined aluminum. The launcher arm appears to be made from a hard nylon/plastic material as does the containment arm. Both are covered with a fairly soft and thick rubber coating which is pretty effective at eliminating noise from arrow contact. The rest comes with a spare launcher and a spare containment arm. I plan on tying in my actuator cord on my down cable but the rest came with a actuator cord clamp that looks to be robust. The rest also comes with the Allen wrenches needed to install and adjust the rest.

The design of the rest and the mounting for the containment arm are very well thought out. This rest is not a simple copy of either the QAD or the Ripcord. It is obvious that whoever engineered this rest in China had both the QAD and the Ripcord rests for "how-to" references but the engineer(s) incorporated some refinements into this rest that are not present on either the QAD or the Ripcord.

This was too hard to pass up at $23.56 including shipping.

I will provide an updated assessment once I get the rest mounted, the bow tuned, and have a chance to launch some arrows out of it.
 

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#2 ·
Depends what your using this rest for...I would not count on something like this for deer season it's just to risky. I would get a 25 dollar wisker biscuit for hunting over this
 
#3 ·
Can you put the arm up, and Does the arm stay up if you let down the bow without shooting?

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#5 ·
Yes, you can put the arm up and it stays in the up position if you let down the bow without shooting. Just like the QAD Ultra Rest in that regard.
 
#4 ·
I learned a long time ago that higher cost does not equal higher quality. I've got about 6 months to practice with it before deer season. I'll keep an open mind.
 
#7 ·
Your Part of the problem that QUALITY American made products are going away along with jobs. i would never suggest to anyone to put a cheap knockoff on a quality bow or any bow for that matter.
It will come back to haunt you down the road and the wrong time. From your pictures it is very obvious how cheaply it is made.
 
#13 ·
My thought exactly. Most likely when it does fail, we won't hear about it, though. Can't wait to see the warranty replacement.
 
#11 ·
As far as buying stuff made in china well were all guilty of that but ill pass on the rest like most say but each to there own......I do like the launcher though.
 
#12 ·
We (all) use products made in other countries especially from China. If you start looking at the products in your house and garage, you are going to find they are made all over the world, and yes, including China. If you chose to buy nothing from China, Thailand, India, Philippines, and a number of other low wage countries, you would have a very limited selection from which to choose. Take a look at the car or truck in your garage. While it may have a domestic manufacturers name on it, it has less American parts and labor content than a Honda Civic or Toyota Camry. That is because the Civic and Camry have the highest domestic parts and labor content than any car or light truck sold in the US. Link below.

https://www.cars.com/articles/the-2016-carscom-american-made-index-1420684865874/

So, the next time you jump into your Chevy Silverado, remember that it has less domestic made parts and labor at 45% than your neighbor's Toyota Tundra at 70%.

By the way, I did mount the rest and it works very well.
 
#15 ·
I have absolutely no problem buying products manufactured all over the world, just products that are manufactured using of a stolen design.
 
#18 ·
I have this rest. I didn't know where it was made but I can tell you it is not cheaply made. I have shot thousands of arrows off mine and I have not had any problems. By bow season you should be able to decide if the rest is for you or not. I like mine and if I upgrade I'll probably transfer mine to a new bow.
 
#20 ·
Jimmy,

Indeed the rest is well made. I've only got a couple hundred shots through mine but it is a well thought out rest and has a couple of nice enhancements over the QAD. Unfortunately, there are a few Luddites here on AT that don't understand we live in a global economy today.
 
#26 ·
does it have a bounce back inhibitor?

my experience with knock off chinese stuff is mixed. bit of a crap shoot.

a few have been really good. the truglo updraft is a totally workable cheap stand in for a smack down pro..less refined but seemingly solid...otoh i have seen truglo red dot sights not last 10 shots.

I wouldn't write something off just because it came from china..thou i tend to avoid anything complex mechanical in design which is why i'm surprised by this review. a limb driven design is just harder to f**k up if you copying it but a cable ctivated job with no bounce back is a bit more mechanically complex.


To OP really interested to see how this lasts...
 
#27 ·
Yes, as I understand, the rest does have anti bounce back. I would note that I've had no vane contact after a couple hundred arrows through the one I have. Of course, I don't have any problems with the two QADs I have on other bows either.
 
#29 ·
It's not a matter of buying Chinese goods. There are lots of things we use everyday that aren't manufactured here.

My issue is buying Chinese goods that you know are illegal copies of american products. The Chinese don't have to follow our patent laws and they have relentlessly copied american products. Not just archery but in many industries.
Until Americans stand together and support american companies nothing will change.

Ever stop and think why the Chinese are able to make products so inexpensive?
1. they don't have to spend time and money actually designing a product since they just copy it.
2. they don't pay the wages we do, China is a communist country you know. so child and slave labor are the norm.

I personally know the folks at QAD and they are not as big as you might think. Small company, just trying to make a quality product and feed their families, live the american dream.

Next time you show off your "knockoff" purchase, think about that. Think about what you are supporting with your hard earned cash.

I dont really care if anyone dislikes my opinion. Just sayin'
 
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#30 ·
that might be a strong argument. i wonder how close in design these things are. the shwackers are certainily designed to appear exactly the same (the chinese ones are crap btw. the blade cut outs which house the folded blades collapse if they are shot through solid material...ie bone compresses them and makes reuse impossible even after blade replacement)

but then again how many US designs rip each other off?

it is a vexxed question.
 
#31 ·
At least here in America the original designer/ patent holder has some repercussions against infringement via a lawsuit.
When the Chinese rip off a design there isn't anything to do about it.....except not buy it.
 
#32 ·
Chinese knockoffs are a bit of a crap shoot. You never know what you are going to get. Hey, this may be an exception and actually be a good rest. Me, personally, wouldn't use it on my hunting bow. I'd rather use a rest made by a well known company that has a reputation. Not because I'm against buying something made in China, but because I don't trust it. Now, knock of Rage Hypos, I'll use those in a heartbeat. :)


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#35 ·
Bow junky just addressed this issue today.

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#37 ·
its not illegal in china, it may be unethical, but thats a can of worms for someone else. the idea that you need to spend $165 to have a drop away rest on your bow is very unreasonable to some, at the end of the day you need people shooting or there will be nothing for anyone.
 
#53 ·
If you cannot afford it then you don't need it.
I cannot afford to live in a mansion or drive a Lamborghini. So I don't.


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#39 ·
yeah and you can also get one for $24 TYD on ebay. the only difference is either your happy or the manufacturer is happy. then the argument of the local shop losing out on the sale. it all goes around.
 
#40 ·
Kind of interesting if you look at their website. North America 70%of their export, less than 5 people in R&D/Research, do not need to many people to just copy something. Not sure on how well it could be made or the quality of materials used when you can buy it for less than $10 if you buy in bulk. No information to be found on warranty.

http://www.topointarchery.com/
 
#41 ·
My neighbor works for Newell Brands as an account executive. Newell is a conglomerate that owns a bunch of companies (Irwin tools, Label Maker, Coleman, Marmot, Shakespeare, Penn, etc.). Were were talking one day about all the stuff made in China, Korea, Brazil, and other countries. He gave me the example of a butane grill lighter (and gave me a couple of them). The grill lighter has a well known US brand name on it and sells for $9.99 in Lowes. It costs Newell $0.74 to have it made in China. Essentially all of the Irwin tools are made outside of the US. He gave me a really nice 60 tooth carbide 10" chop saw blade that Newell has made in South Korea.

Most of the stuff we use in our jobs and daily life is not made in the US.
 
#43 ·
No thanks! Ive had awesome service through QAD. I can pick up the phone and talk to someone who I can understand. If there is an issue, full replacement, no questions asked.
They have earned my business, I will pay the extra money on this one.