Encore50

I have used Easton aluminum arrows from day one. Been thinking of going into carbon since they seemed to be thearrow of choice these days.

Anyone care to give me the pros and cons? Or, should I just stick with aluminum? Always betterto hear straight from the sourcerather than to be swayedby some marketing brochure!

Germ

I used aluminum up until about 3 years ago.

My reason's for switching:

1.Aluminum arrows were straighter
2.Aluminum arrows were heavier
Now I used Carbon Express Terminator Hunter Selects. Why?
1.Just as Heavy at 11 gpi
2.There straighter then carbon in the past, still not up to Aluminum standards, but close.
3. Stiffer and tougher
4.Carbon Express coatS their arrows with Buff Tuff, makes the arrows really smooth. Combine that with drop away rest and the felt I use, and it is dead quite when I pull back!

mobow

This topic gets beat to death here about every 2 months. Do a search, you'll get plenty of reading material. You can ask 100 ppl, and 50 will say carbon the other 50 will say aluminum. I split the difference and shoot A/C/C's.

OhiobowHunter56

i've shot aluminums since i've started.. this past year i referred to my 2413 xx75's as my telephone pole setup...i switched to carbons and will never go back unless i absolutely have to... i cant find any disadvantage to em.. no bending and are alot lighter and faster..... just IMO

Shootstuff4570

i used carbons my first 2 years, then when i got a new bow i bought carbons and like em alot more than aluminums. they gave me a better group(jus may have been my old aluminums). alot faster for me too.

bowtech die hard

carbon

aeroslinger

Pretty much the same as ghemry. Started with aluminums. Went to carbons last year. I still love aluminums but carbons seem a little more durable. Main reason I switched was because I was getting a little noise drawing the alums thru the whisker biscuit. No noise with the carbons.

stillhunt04

I guess I'm going to be the only guy who shot carbon, and then aluminum, and liked aluminum better. In my experience they've been straighter, and they give a lot of kinetic energy.

Arthur P

No, you ain't gonna be the only one. Yeah, this horse has been beat to death and then stomped on, but I never mind giving it another whack or two. [8D]

I tried desperately to learn to like carbon arrows but wound up detesting the things. The ones in the price range I can afford were not straight, often not even to the sloppy tolerances in the factory specs. They were not consistent in weight. They were not consistent in spine, even at different points around the same shaft my spine tester gives different measurements. Even my old dogged out cedar arrows are straighter and more consistent than the junk I tested.

Also, the shafts' internal diameters were inconsistent. Very tight fit on the nocks and inserts on some, loose and sloppy fit on others. I could never get any of several different brands to shoot broadheads as well as I expect.

And then, say yougo on a trip to a tournamentand forget to pack your carbon arrows. It happened to me. [&:]You go to the local store to buy more and, sonuvagun! they don't carry the brand you're all tuned up for! [>:]

That's no problem with aluminum. You buy an aluminum arrow in New York, you'll find the same aluminum arrow in Fairbanks.(If the store still carries aluminum. Quite a few are dropping them. [X(])

Aluminums are straighter, more consistent and more accuratethan comparably priced carbons - and I'd venture to say better than most all of the very expensive carbons as well. Very rarely does an aluminum arrow not shoot well with a broadhead. Aluminums can bend, certainly, but the problem has been overstatedto a ridiculous degree. Usually they can be straightened right backto factory tolerances with a $20arrow straightener.

"Carbons are straight or broken." A myth. Laughable joke. Maybe they seem that way to guys who only shoot a few dozen shots a year. To someone who shoots all the time, they know better. Carbon arrows don't bend but they do warp. They will also lose their spine after some amount of use. Some sooner, some later, but all doeventually. It's subtle and sneaky.

One day you suddenly realize your accuracy - with field points - isn't quite what it was. You spend a frustrating week trying to retune your bow with no effect. Finally you buy another batch of the exact same arrows and bingo! The accuracy is back. Put those old arrows on a spine tester and thencheck them for straightness and you'll see exactly what the problem was.

The only thing carbons are good for is shooting fast. You can get a very light arrow in stiff spines with carbon.

With aluminum, you've got a lot of options on weight but, generally, the stiffer spine you need, the heavier your arrow will be. But I don't mind shooting slower arrows when I get reliable accuracy andeasy tuning - especially with broadheads.

You could always do like mobo does and shoot ACC's to get the best of both. My pockets aren't quite deep enough to buy ACC's though.

livbucks

Many say that carbons are too expensive. Over the course of about 7 years I figure to have saved a couple hundred bucks buying carbons due to the fact that I never bend or kink or break any arrows. Unless you hit a piece of steel, they last indefinetly for me. I have had a few of the older Bemans take a split along the seam, but they were several years old at that point. I recently upgraded to Easton Axis and love them. I had no problems glueing the inserts in at all. They work perfect for me. I have refletched the older Beman Hunter shaftsseveral times now and still practice with them. I killed two bucks with aluminum arrows, so they do work (duh) but I prefer carbon myself. Once you shoot carbon, launching an aluminum arrow will seem like shooting a tree branch out of your bow. The trajectory cannot even be compared.