# Best bowstring and serving materials and Why?



## Powhatan

If you _had_ to choose one serving material (for both ends and center), costs being equal, what would you choose and why? 3D? Halo? Majesty? Other?

If you _had_ to choose one string material (for use on current proline PSE/Hoyt/Matthews/etc. fast hunting compounds), costs being equal, what would you choose and why? BCY Trophy? 452X? 8190? XS2? Other?


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## aread

3D for serving / 8190 for strings 

But Majesty is a really great center serving.


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## Ray knight

1D for end serving, Bullwhip for cable serving (smaller diameter), Diamondback for center serving, XS2 for strings. 

String material can work fine for cables but there is not rerally a serving that works on center, ends, rollers, tight cam ends, etc. You need small serving for some areas and you need larger serving for some ares. Center serving is different as well.


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## Methane Archery

Powhatan said:


> If you _had_ to choose one serving material (for both ends and center), costs being equal, what would you choose and why? 3D? Halo? Majesty? Other?
> 
> If you _had_ to choose one string material (for use on current proline PSE/Hoyt/Matthews/etc. fast hunting compounds), costs being equal, what would you choose and why? BCY Trophy? 452X? 8190? XS2? Other?


since everyones naming off all kinds of serving ill answer your one material and serving BCY 452x and 3D probably the 2 most used on average. But its hard to use just one of each. you realistically need about 3 diff servings, center - ends - and rollers being the basic setup

JMO


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## ajoh

Ray knight said:


> 1D for end serving, Bullwhip for cable serving (smaller diameter), Diamondback for center serving, XS2 for strings.
> 
> String material can work fine for cables but there is not rerally a serving that works on center, ends, rollers, tight cam ends, etc. You need small serving for some areas and you need larger serving for some ares. Center serving is different as well.


so may i ask what to use when choice is very limited in your (my) country eg, http://www.abbeyarchery.com.au/c/stmj/STRING+MATERIALS.html
http://www.bensonarchery.com.au/index.php/en/products/tools/strings-and-serving/strings-bcy


sorry OP to butt in


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## Eric131

Methane Archery said:


> since everyones naming off all kinds of serving ill answer your one material and serving BCY 452x and 3D probably the 2 most used on average. But its hard to use just one of each. you realistically need about 3 diff servings, center - ends - and rollers being the basic setup
> 
> JMO


Definitely this. These are the most widely used materials and for good reason. Each material has its own benefit from durability, to cost, etc. But if I had to pick just one string material I'd choose 452x and 3d for the serving myself..

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2


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## Powhatan

Thanks guys! 

I guess my questions oversimplify what it takes to actually build a great set of strings/cables... I would enjoy taking a stab at building a set for my own PSE one day, but there are so many things to learn and SO many materials to choose from (by the same token, the education and tinkering is what makes it fun).

In the short term, I'm hoping to learn enough to make an educated decision on purchasing a new set from one of the builders here... Someone who insists upon using the best material for each aspect of the set.

Thank you, again.


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## Deezlin

I have tried and tested a lot of string materials and servings. I use Trophy and .014 halo. I use generally 20 strands of Trophy and .014 for loop and end servings. Now, for center serving if you added a few strands under the serving you could use .014 also. I generally use .018 62XS with a couple of strands underneath.


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## Eric131

Powhatan said:


> Thanks guys!
> 
> I guess my questions oversimplify what it takes to actually build a great set of strings/cables... I would enjoy taking a stab at building a set for my own PSE one day, but there are so many things to learn and SO many materials to choose from (by the same token, the education and tinkering is what makes it fun).
> 
> In the short term, I'm hoping to learn enough to make an educated decision on purchasing a new set from one of the builders here... Someone who insists upon using the best material for each aspect of the set.
> 
> Thank you, again.


I used to feel the same way but in all honesty its not that overwhelming or is there THAT many choices to choose from. I'll break it down in a nutshell..

String material most commonly used today and I'm going by BCY because that's what i know. Brownell has their own version of each of these..

452x
Trophy
8190

They each bring something to the table. For example 452x won't budge in any climate. Its rock solid. But the negative side is it fuzzes up a bit after getting broke in.

Trophy is basically 452x with gore incorporated. Less to no fuzz.

8190 is the new version of the older 8125. It may be a bit faster, no fuzz, offer a softer and quiter shot but it can be affected by climate somewhat. Not by much though if built properly.

These are the main three materials used today with your string building companies. Like I said you can match these up with Brownell as they have their own spin on these similar materials. (Astro, etc.)

With servings you're looking at two main categories. End servings, center servings and possibly a smaller diameter serving if you choose so for the end loops. Most use tag ends of the layed out string material to finish the loops for a few reasons. Less material used, it saves time and why not? It works and looks good.

Halo serving (offered in various diameters) is mainly used for stubborn cables that tend to get serving seperation and wear. Its great for this and mainly used for just this as its not cheap. It may be used for center servings as well. Halo .014 is your most popular end serving used for this.

3d serving can be looked at as your main go to serving. Its durable, strong, perfect diameter, as well as priced decently. Its a great end serving and can be used for just about everything from center servings to tying in peep sights and rests.

62xs is a braided center serving and the most commonly used. Its very strong and durable and really grips well. Its my personal favorite. Halo can be used as well for center servings but is more popular for finger shooters due to it being a smoother serving for a cleaner release.

In reality there's more than what I listed to choose from but these are the meat and potatoes to today's custom strings and cables. Hope this helped to simplify it a bit for you. 





Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2


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## FS560

I do not use just one serving but if I had to use only one string and one serving, it would be 452X and Majesty.


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## Powhatan

Eric, thank you specifically for your outline. Tremendously helpful!!!!!!



Eric131 said:


> I used to feel the same way but in all honesty its not that overwhelming or is there THAT many choices to choose from. I'll break it down in a nutshell..
> 
> String material most commonly used today and I'm going by BCY because that's what i know. Brownell has their own version of each of these..
> 
> 452x
> Trophy
> 8190
> 
> They each bring something to the table. For example 452x won't budge in any climate. Its rock solid. But the negative side is it fuzzes up a bit after getting broke in.
> 
> Trophy is basically 452x with gore incorporated. Less to no fuzz.
> 
> 8190 is the new version of the older 8125. It may be a bit faster, no fuzz, offer a softer and quiter shot but it can be affected by climate somewhat. Not by much though if built properly.
> 
> These are the main three materials used today with your string building companies. Like I said you can match these up with Brownell as they have their own spin on these similar materials. (Astro, etc.)
> 
> With servings you're looking at two main categories. End servings, center servings and possibly a smaller diameter serving if you choose so for the end loops. Most use tag ends of the layed out string material to finish the loops for a few reasons. Less material used, it saves time and why not? It works and looks good.
> 
> Halo serving (offered in various diameters) is mainly used for stubborn cables that tend to get serving seperation and wear. Its great for this and mainly used for just this as its not cheap. It may be used for center servings as well. Halo .014 is your most popular end serving used for this.
> 
> 3d serving can be looked at as your main go to serving. Its durable, strong, perfect diameter, as well as priced decently. Its a great end serving and can be used for just about everything from center servings to tying in peep sights and rests.
> 
> 62xs is a braided center serving and the most commonly used. Its very strong and durable and really grips well. Its my personal favorite. Halo can be used as well for center servings but is more popular for finger shooters due to it being a smoother serving for a cleaner release.
> 
> In reality there's more than what I listed to choose from but these are the meat and potatoes to today's custom strings and cables. Hope this helped to simplify it a bit for you.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2


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## NCBuckNBass

Has much changed in the two plus years since this was posted?


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## 60X

Yes there are new materials that have come out since this topic was posted.


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## NCBuckNBass

What are the best ones and why?


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## Earle J's Custom Strings

NCBuckNBass said:


> What are the best ones and why?


to properly answer this question one must first know what the intended purpose for said materials. For example what you want as a shooter, also the bow. 

That being said..... 

as far as stability of a string and cable set one must look at various compositions and blends of raw materials. The number one mowstring material main ingredient today is Dyneema. Also known as HMPE, UHMPE. There is also Spectra, but we will leave that out for now because Spectra fiber produced by Honeywell isnt really available in yarn sizes suitable for modern high performance string material.

Dyneema is incredibly strong. It is branded The World's Strongest Fiber. Dyneema and spectra both have very high strength excellent chemical resistence and is not really affected by UV Light. 
There are different grades of Dyneema fiber and each has different Properties. 452X and Trophy material, as well as Dynaflight 97 are made primarily from SK75 Dyneema. The former 2 materials being blended with Vectran, and Dynaflight 97 is 100 percent SK75 Dyneema. SK75 Dyneema is very strong, but has a tendency to creep more than some materials when subjected to a static/permanent load, to answer this dilemma manufacturers began blending Vectran fiber with the dyneema to make it more stable.

Vectran is another type of synthetic material similar to Dyneema, but with a separate set of properties. For example Vectran is a little more stable than dyneema. By a little i mean a little. When blended with dyneema the stability of the vectran coupled with the superior strength of the Dyneema makes for excellent material for bow strings. We do however have other properties of vectran that can compromise the integrity of the string or cable if improperly treated. Under normal loads and conditions vectran and dyneema together are great, but put any blended material under too much tension and you will see that the vectran indeed does have lower strength than the dyneema, and when tension is relieved it will be apparent that the two materials are no longer optimally blended, because the vectran does not has anywhere near the elasticity of Dyneema, so when stressed enough to move the vectran will recover less than the dyneema when the load is removed thus causing a ropy texture or wavyness of the string. Vectran is also a bit harder than Dyneema and the constant rubbing of the two materials among one another causes the breakdown over time of the dyneema. This breakdown is the fuzzyness you see with 452x. It is really not a problem, but does look less than attractive. Also it is worth noting that since the elasticity of Vectran is lower than Dyneema, materials with too much vectran can be brittle and rarely break when a dynamic load such as the sudden release of energy from the cables when shooting a bow. Ultra cam From Brownell had a few problems like this, and it was 56 percent vectran. Lastly Vectran also has a much lower tolerance to UV light than Dyneema so materials that have a high percentage of Vectran could degrade and become more brittle when exposed to UV light. I am talking a lot of UV exposure, most bows dont see that much sun really, but if exposed to the suns rays enough would do it.

Newer, Higher grade Dyneema such as Sk78 and SK90 are much more creep resistant than SK75 as well as having a higher tensile strength. So...... It is my opinion that materials made with SK 78 or 90 Dyneema, as long as the material is spun together properly really eliminate the need for Vectran as a stabilizer. BUT, But Dyneema is not stable like Vectran.........

Lets look at that a little closer. SK 78 and SK 90 Dyneema will creep at a rate of 2.2 percent of the overall length when subjected to a load of 50% of its tensile strength, Vectran respectively clocks in at 1.8 percent creep when subjected to a load of 50% of its tensile strength. That is only .4 percent difference between the two materials, and given The considerably higher strength in the dyneema really does not make that much of a difference when the material is properly stretched. So it stands to reason that when subjested to an identical load within normal limits. 100% Dyneema strings will take longer to fully elongate considering their superior strength, and blended materials will seem to stretch faster because once the dyneema has stretched to the limit of the vectran under that normal applied load it will move no more.

Now when the higher grade 100% Dyneema materials are used and they are not stretched properly they will creep on your bow, But When the builder does his job properly, It is my opinion that non blended materials are superior bow string materials. I dont mean to portray the idea that blended materials are no good. On the contrary they are fantastic materials, but modern 100% Dyneema string materials really are a better choice. 

My 2 favorites being BCY 8190F, and Rhino material from Brownell


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## NCBuckNBass

Thanks very much for the explanation. I always get the feeling the string maker is selling me what he has in stock not what's best. My priority is stability----I want the bow tuned and to stay in tune for a long time.I want zero creep. It's confusing for a non string maker to keep up with all this.


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## mfr22

I have been building almost exclusively with BCY Trophy. I find it to be easy to build with, very stable, no creep and keeps a bow tuned exceptionally. That, and with proper care, they will look great for 1 1/2-2 years without a problem!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Earle J's Custom Strings

mfr22 said:


> I have been building almost exclusively with BCY Trophy. I find it to be easy to build with, very stable, no creep and keeps a bow tuned exceptionally. That, and with proper care, they will look great for 1 1/2-2 years without a problem!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yep, Trophy is my favorite of the blended materials.


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