# Review: Fivics Saker Plus EP Finger Tab



## JMartin589 (Jul 17, 2014)

http://www.lancasterarchery.com/fivics-saker-plus-ep-finger-tab.html

I purchased and received the above finger tab from Alternative Archery about a week ago, and this review is of my first impression after having taken the tab to the local indoor range for two shooting sessions. 

*Packaging*

My first impression of the packaging was very poor. Apparently the one I received had already been opened as the factory seal was broken and the contents were jumbled about in shipping. Luckily, nothing inside was damaged. This is the fault of Alternative rather than Fivics, so take that for what its worth. 

Once I got past that little problem I noticed that the packaging for the finger tabs components was very well organized. Individual modules for adjusting the tab were in separate plastic bags which were labelled with numbers corresponding to the diagrams in the instructions. These included the weight system, pinky hook, chin ledge/rest & top plate, angle adjustment, and balance control (I think that's all of them).Customizing the tab was an extremely simple process with this organization, as you could simply choose which number combination looked best to you from the diagrams. 

Tools were also included for everything, as well as a good variety of screws for different combinations of the components. 

My only complaint with what was provided is that only one weight for the weighted adjustment system was provided, but it seems as if these would be fairly easy to get a hold of - even a weighted washer could be used with the system easily. 

*Build Quality*

Like the other Fivics products I own (stabilizer and quiver before this) the quality is top notch. I could find no flaws in the machining of the components or in the holes along the tab. Its a weighty and well constructed tab, but for the price I expected nothing less. 

The Cordovan leather is high quality and provides the expected protection for the fingers.

In terms of quality this tab meets or exceeds the quality of my AAE KSL Tab - to give a reference point. 

*Customization/Use*

In certain respects this tab is wonderful and in others it fails to meet my expectations. 

As I noted above, the "weight control system" is really just a large washer you can attach to the base of the angle adjustment of the tab. Since you are only given one weight and the screw given can only accommodate either the weight or the angle adjustment - I found no use for the weighted part of the system. I plan on experimenting with it more in the future. 

Chin rest and the top plate of the tab operate as expected. Installing these and adjusting the position is easy and both are well constructed. I have shot the tab both with the chin rest and without; finding the rest very comfortable. If you take the rest off and add the thicker plate to the top it adds considerable weight to the tab. Some shooters will probably appreciate the added weight more then the chin ledge. Since the tab is so easy to play around with to find the right setting, I imagine there will be very few shooters who would not find some way of setting these features at a comfortable place. 

Balance control on this tab is interesting. It really amounts to a pad that sits at the base of the angle adjustment arm against your palm. It really makes the entire tab feel solid and well placed in your hand. Ultimately it feels good, and I see no reason to shoot the tab without it. If pressed I might even say this was the highlight of the tab for me, as it really makes the entire tab feel nice against the palm in a way my other tabs don't. 

One area I was let down by is the angle adjustment. If you look at the picture of the tab on LAS there are painted notches all along where the angle adjustment screws down. My pre-purchase impulse was therefore that this was somehow a free floating system where the angle could be set along any of the notches to find just the right spot to sit the bar across the lifeline/palm of your hand. This was one of the primary reasons I purchased this tab. 

However, in reality the painted lines/notches are deceiving. The angle adjustment has about four different preset positions where it will sit down properly to be screwed down. If your setting doesn't fall in at these angles, then you are out of luck to fine tune the angle to your hand. As attempting to set the angle anywhere else makes it so the bar doesn't sit down correctly in its housing. I found that I was able to get comfortable with the angle set at the mid level which had it almost sitting across my lifeline like I wanted, but if I could have moved the bar a few degrees south I could have gotten it perfect. If the bar only has preset degrees it really should not have painted notches all along making it seem as if you could set it anywhere along that spectrum. 

Another point of concern might be the finger spacer. It is made of a slightly malleable squishy material, which has advantages and disadvantages. When you apply pressure to it at full draw it seems to mould to your hand ever so slightly giving good response providing confidence that it is doing its job.

The concern, however, is that it is also quite uncomfortable (at least for me). The top ledge of the finger spacer protrudes outward from the main body of the spacer. As the spacer bends slightly to fit to your pressure at full draw this ledge can press against your fingers. I noticed after about half an hour of shooting that at two points along my middle finger I had two red pressure marks which were quite painful from where this ledge was pinching my finger at draw. To fix this I will probably just wrap the finger spacer in some electrical tape like I did for my previous AAE KSL - which also hurt my fingers with its large metal spacer. (Maybe I just have overly sensitive fingers?)

On the whole this is a minor complaint, but I think the slight malleability of the spacer will take some shooters time to adjust to. 

*Final Thoughts*

I am happy with the purchase of this tab. After some tinkering I enjoy the balance system and the quality the tab brings to the table. However I expected too much from the customization of the tab that was advertised, and I am not sure how much difference the features make to my actual shooting. While the tab is comfortable I cannot say with confidence that the customization made that much of a difference on the whole to the feel or results. Some may be left with the impression that the additional features are gimmicky rather than functional. 

Would I buy this again if I lost It? Maybe. It is comfortable, fun to use, and provides enough features to be interesting. 
If you are looking for a finger tab with a little extra customization to get closer to a perfect fit - this tab might work for you. Just don't get too high of expectations like I did! 

Hope this review was helpful. If you have any questions please let me know either in this thread or by PM.
I can also provide some pictures of the tab and its components if there is enough interest.

Note: I also did not use the pinky hook which came with this tab. I cannot speak to how well it functions and I don't have any plans to use it.


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## erickatgta (Apr 22, 2013)

thx for such detail review. I can not decide this tab or win win WIAWIS EZ R Finger Tab, they seem very close on design


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## tooold (Jul 26, 2015)

I have been using the Fivics Saker Plus EP Finger Tab for a while now and IMHO it is the best tab I have ever had, for the simple reason that the top part of the tab that goes along the chin line is square and the feeling under the chin is really comfortable and solid. I too was thinking of buying the Win and Win. I did hesitate as the shape of the Win and Win is much the same as other high quality tabs on the market with a few added parts to play around with.

These extra parts, which presumably are designed so that they fit comfortably in the palm of your hand, don't really achieve this purpose (at least in relation to the Saker Plus). I have quite a long extension on the tab at the moment and I hardly notice it at full draw. What I think would have worked better is if this extension was curved so it fitted into the palm.

These problems notwithstanding, I think the tab is great as the solid feeling at full draw is better than any tab I've ever shot.


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## JMartin589 (Jul 17, 2014)

I was also choosing between the WIAWIS and the Saker Plus EP. I ended up going for the Saker because of the added features like the balance control and the weight system. Plus, the shape of the Saker is, as tooold already mentioned, quite nice and the extension for the angle adjustment is miles above the ring that comes on the WIAWIS (imho).


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## vajicek (Jul 24, 2016)

Nice review. I am thinking about the purchase.

However, I cannot find any exact tab plate dimensions. There are 3 basic size classes (S, M, L). I would like to know, at least, height of the tab plate (between left upper and bottom corner, side closer to fingers) of a particular size class. And maybe some length measurement between well defined points.

Could you please provide these for your particular piece.. or send some relevant reference?

Many thanks!


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## Mengtian (May 5, 2016)

> Note: I also did not use the pinky hook which came with this tab. I cannot speak to how well it functions and I don't have any plans to use it.


Does anyone use the pinky hook? My wifes tab has one and she junked it. Good review.


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## carothg (Sep 6, 2005)

I use the pinky hook, works fine.


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