Air brakes

[canoe13]

So I now have an Axe that came with Air Brakes installed.
I like my bows as light and simple as possible so should I remove them or do they serve a useful purpose? Do they help protect the limbs from breaking or just noise reduction? What say you?

[janesy]

Personally I do not use them as I to like things as simple as they can be.
However, on some of the higher power bows in certain situations I have been able to shoot matching setups back to back, I have noticed a slight difference. I would say they work to calm the bow slightly faster after the shot.

However, even with them I wouldn't say the bow is quieter, but the vibration is over faster. Which would equal less noise, by difinition. Simply put, it sounds different, not quieter. Problem is, recurves are still loud, even suppressed, so altho it may make for a better shooting experience for some. It doesn't change anything in the field.

2 pennies

[xcaliber]

If you remove them you need to reinstall with the correct fasteners for the straps. I left mine on, didn't see this as a huge weight savings.

[longbow joe]

I sent my Phoenix ibex, and vortex to woodys to get them off .They returned it to non air brake style.with new fasteners.
It wasn't expensive at all.
Wasn't worth the trouble of doing it myself. Return time was like 3 days. I find them basically useless also.
Get some dr stirrup bumpers probably do more than the air brakes.

[dithian]

I actually like the Air Brakes, but only because they lower the vibration which makes it more comfortable for me to shoot. I don't think the slightly dampened sound makes a difference where jumping the string are concerned. I hunt from a rest in a blind, mostly, so I don't worry about the weight, which isn't much anyway. I honestly haven't tried my micro without them, and I'm too lazy to disassemble the bow just for the experiment. I love the way the Micro shoots as is. I certainly noticed a difference in my comfort when I put them on my Matrix 330. After a dozen or so shots, the vibration without the Air Brakes starts to give me a headache and throws my neck out. Much less so with them installed.

[RobD]

I'm having the same thoughts the last few days. Thinking of taking the Air Brakes off my 360TD Pros, figuring the DrStirrup bumpers do a pretty fine job of dissipating the vibrations. So I went to do it last night on one of the bows and that inner voice said "Stop!". Ignore the issue about whether they help quiet the bow or not, and ignore the issue about the extra weight they put on the front end. Those two things are all up to personal interpretation.

The original poster wanted to know if they serve a useful purpose - protecting the limbs. As I look at them installed on my bows, I see that nice chunk of rubber at the shoulder bolts and think how that must be a lot nicer for the limbs to vibrate against instead of the solid limb strap. janesy says the vibration is over faster, less vibration time is less stress at the limb bolts. I think the dBKiller bumpers reduce vibration as well, that seems to be what Gaston was going for in his design of them.

So thoughts on the limb protection aspect? And I already know, everybody is going to post and so I'll save you the time and trouble.

[amythntr]

I'm having the same thoughts the last few days. Thinking of taking the Air Brakes off my 360TD Pros, figuring the DrStirrup bumpers do a pretty fine job of dissipating the vibrations. So I went to do it last night on one of the bows and that inner voice said "Stop!". Ignore the issue about whether they help quiet the bow or not, and ignore the issue about the extra weight they put on the front end. Those two things are all up to personal interpretation.

The original poster wanted to know if they serve a useful purpose - protecting the limbs. As I look at them installed on my bows, I see that nice chunk of rubber at the shoulder bolts and think how that must be a lot nicer for the limbs to vibrate against instead of the solid limb strap. janesy says the vibration is over faster, less vibration time is less stress at the limb bolts. I think the dBKiller bumpers reduce vibration as well, that seems to be what Gaston was going for in his design of them.

So thoughts on the limb protection aspect? And I already know, everybody is going to post and so I'll save you the time and trouble.

.....I only have the AB on my A360 which was recently discharged from the Exclaibur Medical Center....I do want to resight it in and will most likely do a comparison with the AXE340 vs the A360....My honest take is that I would never add them to a CB or buy one because they are on the bow....I do not believe I would remove them however!