I have shot QAD HDX on my Elite for 2 years...numerous rounds of 3D, countless rounds of 300 and 450, thousands of shots on the practice range...plus hunting. I trust my rest. My rig is a do-it-all rig, but first priority is hunting...I require full capture and prefer the least amount of contact with the arrow from the rest as possible.

For pure competition though, go with the blade.

The biggest advantage over the blade that the QAD UR has is full capture...which is 100% not necessary in competition shooting.

I don't see you gaining anything significant over the blade with an ultra rest.

 

In my opinion, a limb driven rest is much less likely to fail, as most of them have a much "less complex" system of moving parts. However, should something fail on you, a limb driven rest is going to be the simplest to fix in the field. I've even cut my activation cord on purpose in the middle of a 3D shoot to prove to people how easy and quick it is to repair. I've installed limb drivers on peoples' bows in the middle of their shoots and had them come back and say they shot the best round they'd ever shot.

A limb driven rest is also, for the most part, more accurate downrange because of it's ability to stay up longer during the shot cycle, and, if it has a free floating head with adjustable spring tension like ours, it can eat up any small errors or inconsistencies during the shot cycle.

Good luck on your search!

 

Agree 100%...limb driven is superior to cable actuated in every respect. I've used blade types and cable actuated drop aways before switching to limb driven and I'll never go back...

 

I would wager that a good majority of bowhunters that have taken up the sport in the last 10 years have never used a non fall away arrow rest and have never had a problem.

 

For my hunting bows, I love my QAD HDX, but for 3d and other target activities, I use a Trophy Taker Smackdown Pro, which is a limb driven rest.

 

Not really a QAD lover and what few reports of failure doesn't help. 5 years with Limb Drivers and spring tension needing adjusted once with my oldest, I'll stay with Limb Driver. I have 3 VT LDs

 

While I don't shoot competition tournaments I've used a Limb Driver Pro rest for several years with absolutely no problems with it EVER. It's always provided a consistent, reliable and accurate arrow rest. The same rest was installed first on my '08 Martin Firecat Pro-X in '09 and most recently transferred to my current bow - '14 Bear Agenda 6 - and has continued to perform flawlessly. One thing I added on my Agenda is a Hamskea 3/4” Limb Clamp, priced at $27.99. This clamp allows my activation string (provided with this clamp) to be located about 1-1/2" from my upper cam axle so I get good activation of the Limb Driver rest AND it has a built-in stainless steel spring designed as a dampening coil. The dampening coil prevents the cord from stretching and acts as a shock absorber when the shot is fired and manages the launcher rebound so it doesn't bounce back up and possibly make contact with the arrow fletchings that could cause erratic flight. I found mine at a local archery shop but I'd imagine you could find it online as well. You can check it our here (http://www.hamskeaarchery.com/shop-hamskea/products.php?id=24&p=1&cat=). BTW, I have no affiliation with Hamskea - I just like this product.

 

Thanks guys. Appreciate the responses.
I will look into the limb driven rests. I was just looking to gain some experience with something new.
Not married to anything right now. Just very comfortable with the blades.

 

Although I'm biased towards Vapor Trail, obviously, I am simply giving my opinion on ALL limb driven rests and the advantages of them. Some have different options that can make them perform better, but overall in my opinion a limb driven rest, no matter the manufacturer, is a better choice than cable-driven. Just trying to help out!

 

OP,

I'm not into the same type competition as you, so take this for what it's worth. My competition is with wild and wary critters. I don't know much about 10 and 12 rings, but I can relate to double lung shots.

I've taken game in 6 states, one Canadian Provence, and taken game on 3 trips to Africa.

I've never used a blade, but have used most everything else from plunger/flippers, biscuits, spring loaded prongs, QAD's, and Pro V's. I've got a QAD on one bow and Pro V's on 3 others.

If a dropaway is in your future I'd surely recommend something limb driven ( seems my choice is evident). Limb driven (my only experience is with Vapor Trails) don't, can't, won't mess with your tuning. Surely, even limb driven rest can fail, but that would surely be less likely that any rest that relies on being "cocked". The VT Pro V arm is held up by a spring that allows it to act much like the long popular spring loaded rest if the chord should break. Seems to me that the chord breaking is a once in a century type thing.

I'm not saying that it's right for you, but it surely is right for me.

Best of luck with your choice.

 

l've put QAD Ultra Rests on 4 bows, shot 8-10K shots, never a hiccup, burp, fart or fail. Can't see a reason to even TRY anything else......

 

And if you search AT for folks that have had issues there are tons...myself included.

 

Cord or limb driven, tried them all, still use them all, and could not tell the difference in accuracy and/or mechanical failure if set up correctly.

Doubt you will be able to tell the difference.

 

I use the Limb Driver for competition and the Pro-V for hunting. Works for me.

 

I have 3 QAD HDXs on 3 bows and that adds up to many thousands of shots and a bunch of icy, cold, rainy, dirty hunting days as well as a bunch of range time in all kinds of conditions. I've never had a failure of any kind. Even if I do, I know I have a great lifetime warranty to fall back on and a great company who will replace my rest if needed. I don't see a reason to try anything else. That said, I'm setting up my first ever indoor bow with a blade, just for fun. Who knows, it may get an HDX on it later on.

 

I understand that ANY MECHANICAL DEVICE CAN FAIL As long as you truly understand this, don't worry!

I've used QAD HDX rests on every bow I've owned over the last 6 years. They are on my two sons' bows and I've put them on a bunch of friends' bows as well. They are an awesome piece of equipment and backed by as good a customer service as there is in the industry. QAD rests are guaranteed for life, and they mean it. I had an unfortunate incident 10 days ago when I guess I had a brain cramp and the Carter Honey release that was in my hand flew forward and smashed the release into the launcher arm and bent it so badly the rest was unusable. I called QAD, told them what happened and that it was not the rest's fault in any way, but I needed to send it in for repair. Long story short, I have a new one on my bow right now. (Incidentally, Carter Enterprises is sending me a new release as well! Unbelievable customer service!)

I have never used a limb-driven rest, but will not say anything negative about them other than the only time I've ever seen a rest cause a problem at a 3D shoot was one time a friend of mine who has one installed on his Hoyt, was having that rest cable wrap around some part of his bow (I can't remember exactly where) and that was not good! Having said that, the problem could have been due to improper installation, but my friend had been using these rests for a long time and he shoots a lot! I would submit that 99% of the complaints you read about here on AT for QAD rests are due to improper installation as well.

Bottom line, in my opinion, is that is you like the QAD concept, buy it, install it properly and move on. It will be as dependable as most other pieces of equipment in your archery rig.

 

Rip Cord for me. 100% worry free, just install and forget its even on the bow.

 

Not as fan of QAD. Only rest of theirs I've tried went bad within 6 months. Was even on my backup bow, which doesn't get shot a lot.

 

I am a huge QAD HDX fan. I think the Hunter rest kind of sucks, but any rest above that is great in my experience. I shoot daily year round and I do not baby my equipment when hunting.

 

For 3d I would get a limbdriver pro style where you have the spring adjustment option, with most of the drop aways the launcher is a solid piece that has no give in it and then it gets sprung out of the way really quickly so it isn't on the arrow shaft very long. So while it is on the arrow it is stiff and solid and then it gets sprung down and isn't even on the arrow for a high percentage of the shot.

With a limb driver pro you have a flexible launcher and the arrow is being supported by a preset amount of spring tension that you personally set so you have the best of both worlds there. On top of that the launcher is going to stay on the arrow for a good portion of the power stroke and then at the last moment it gets jerked down to let the fletching go by.

 

I got my first and only limbdriver in early 2010 and it has been used on more than one of my bows ever since and is currently on my 3d bow, it has had a set screw that came loose when I first started shooting it in 2010 and I had to tighten it once. I did have two of the blades break back when they were one of the prongs broke off, funny thing is that I stripped off the black stuff and used my dremil and reshaped it and it won many tournaments for me and then became my spare. I ended up giving it to my buddy Jason and he actually won metropolis asa with it in open c and won out of open b last year using it so the one thing that broke on my limbdriver is still winning tournaments.

 

My buddies all get their limb drivers out of the used box at my local bow shop for about 30 or so bucks and we order from lancasters the target launcher and are good to go so there are people that for some reason didn't like them. Usually the hunting crowd doesn't like them because they weren't a true full containment rest and that is why limb driver came out with the pro v to make the hunting crowd happy. As far as a good rest that shoots and tunes really good the original limb driver is hard to beat.

 

I've had limb drivers, Trophy Takers, Rip-cords and QADs.

I still use the QAD. Never had a problem with it.

 

The only issue with a QAD is that it drops instantly which can make accuracy suffer. I would get a limb driver because it's slower.

 

limb driver... i have no like for issues with rests,,, and i don't have any with the limb driver pro v

 

Limbdriver, I have them on both of my bows. Spots and field