Been a bare finger shooter for a long time but now think'n a good quality glove or tab would be nice, my little fingers get tender after a few shots, maybe I'm just get'n old.
What do you use & why do/dont you like it ??
Saunders Pak-Tab for me!
Broke in out of the box, impervious to water, and slick as owl droppings!
Bisch
Damascus glove... tried a lot of different gloves and tabs but been using the Damascus for 14 years... Barely a step up from your bare fingers...
Black Widow tab.
I shoot a Black Widow tab for targets and an American Leathers Big Shot glove for hunting. Get a somewhat cleaner release with the tab, but glove is much faster to put into action in a hunting situation.
I can't get used to a tab, it feels unnatural to me. So I am using a glove. I also dont use gloves with thick fingers protection, because I want to feel the string.
Saunders mono-tab. Lasts until you lose it and works great.
American Leathers full shot glove for me....I love the nylon inserts on the stalls.
Dave
Three finger glove and since all my bows shoot off the hand, a bowhand glove/armguard combination.
Bateman cordovan glove. Slicker than snot on a door knob.
AAE Cavalier Elite tab. I used a glove for many years and shot split finger.
I switched to tabs about 3 years ago due to sore fingers. I also shoot 3-under even thought the Cavalier is for split(just don't use the spacer-works great). I like the straight frame edge which aligns with the string when I set the draw hand on the string.
This tab is more expensive than most but it is very durable.
My only mild complaint is that the frame is metal. It would be possible to scratch something if not careful. I haven't so far though.
I did just order a Bateman 3-finger a couple of days ago. It should arrive today.
I have a variety of gloves I was using. All of them eventually wore grooves in the fingers and negatively impacted my release. But the sore fingers were the biggest problem with the glove. I didn't try any of the heavier leather glove or plastic sleeves because I feared I would lose some important feel of the string.
American Leathers Big Shot Crossover glove. The Turners are great to work with and will go the extra step to make sure the glove fits. The quality of the glove is excellent. Mine is around a year or so old and doesn't hardly look used.
I used gloves for many years. I switched to a tab the past few months. I am getting smoother releases. I make my own tabs out of leather from an old boot.
Damascus glove. I've tried heavier gloves but miss the feel. I've tried bare fingers but don't like the bite. Damascus is just right for me.
Cordovan Tab
Homemade tab for me
Shot a glove for years, a buddy turned me on to a cordovan bateman tab and I have never looked back! :thumbsup:
glove here...just a bearpaw from big Jim's but does the job well imo.
I sure wish I could get used to a tab as I know it has a cleaner release, but I just don't feel in control of my shot with one. American Leathers Bigshot is the best glove I've owned. Excellent design, materials, and construction...not to mention nice folks to deal with.
tab for me. shot a glove for years and liked em, but just get a bit smoother release with the tab.
I have been using a Bear Paw glove the last couple of years.
I'm with JC on this. Tab is cleaner, but just doesn't feel right. Been shooting the American leathers Full Shot for about a year and a half - don't see anything out there I'd like better. Tried thinner full gloves prior, they haven'd been quite enough protection, and don't compare in fit and quality.
Cavalier Elite Cordovan tab for me. I shoot split finger so I use the finger spacer but ditch the chin rest.
I used a glove for years, really like the Damascus style, but I get a cleaner release with a tab. The glove is still more convenient for hunting, I just wish I shot as well with one as I do with a tab.
Damascus for me.
I shot glove for years until Dan Toelke asked me to try his tab. I have never looked back. It feels so good at release and very natural.
Ive been off and on with both for several years. Ive settled on a black widow stic tite glove with nylon. Very clean release and super fit
I found that a leather baseball batter's glove works best for me. It's very thin so I can feel the string but thick enough to protect my fingers. They're cheap too!
Glove. Middle finger finds the corner of my mouth easier.
I picked up (Neat brand name) tab after work today, dont exactly appear to be a high quality tab but it'll be ok for now, would like to try some of the better brands later on, also plan'n on a good glove & see which I like better.
Bateman cordovan tab
Cavalier Elite split tab
Damascus glove - a tab feels way too thick for me.
Damascus Glove
QuoteOriginally posted by Stumpkiller:
Black Widow tab.
X2.....I have two of them and I use my original one I've had since the mid '90s as a backup and for bowfishing. They are the "super leather" type and they are very durable but very pliable as well. Great tabs.
Well...done went & broke an arrow first thing, figured to try out my new tab, stepped out back door & just shot one from off the steps, from the angle the target sat I caught the side of the frame & it tail whipped the arrow, the back 8 inches smacked the corner edge & broke clean in two.
I shouldve known better than shoot it without a test drive, at least I can use the back piece to make one of those cool ink pens you see at the archery shops, always wanted one of those anyway.
Bateman Tab for me.
Saunders Pak Tab. I'm new at this, so my fingers are tender. I use three layers. I recently tried shooting three under and find it works just as well. Just thinking of getting rid of that finger spacer thingy.
Kustom king calf hair tab
Ben Pearson glove it's smooth black leather and I get a decent release with it. I've owned it since age 16 (35 yrs!) I shoot one over 2 under.
Larrydawg
American leathers crossover glove fits the bill for me. Just the right amount of protection while still providing some feel of the string. I need to get a back up just like it.
I started out with a cheap glove and hated it. The tips of my fingers weren't fully covered, and the string flying by em didn't feel so great. My next glove was a PSE King Series. I loved the full finger design and the face that there was leather on my palm as well as the back of my hand. The deerskin that it was made of held up great for years, but eventually wore through. My third glove was a Neet, it was way overbuilt and cumbersome. It didn't fit well even after significant modifications.
At this point I started shooting tabs again. I had messed with them a bit in between gloves, and hadn't liked them then. For whatever reason this time I loved them. I found that having my fingers exposed made if far easier to anchor consistently. Tabs also made me aware of whether or not I was pinching the nock.
I have tried a black widow tab, but found it way too thick. I cut out the rubber layer (leaving 2 layers of leather) as well as the floppy little finger fenders. Once that was done I found it shot well from my 70# but not so much my 50#. I just couldn't feel the string well enough on my lighter bow. One other thing I found with the black widow tab was that its body is quite stiff, and you gotta swing it to the back of your hand to pull arrows. That kinda bugged me.
Currently I shoot a home made tab, I sewed a second layer of leather onto a simple Martin Archery tab.
Bateman cordovan tab.
Been very impressed with Black Widow stick tite all-leather glove:
PROs:
-(After brief break-in) It is just barely a step stiffer than the damascus/martin deerskin. So I still get the "feel" BUT with better protection.
-Just stiff enough to get you a better release than softer gloves, while probably not quite a tab.
- Top quality leather yet amazing price- $18.
-Can not hardly appreciate the design until you use it a bit. Comes from a European style- it actually DOES stay tight on your fingers. Feels really secure.
CONS:
-Needed to trim the stalls a little to better fit my fingers.
-Glove compared to tab.
-Honestly can find NOTHING negative about this after you break it in (Which takes little time- perhaps 100 arrows or so)
Cordovan Tab
I'm leaning toward tabs. Shooting 2 under I had given up on both and installed slicks on my strings and shot bare fingered. But I'm moving up into mid 50 ' draw weight and even with slicks I need some protection after a long session.
Along came Dan Toelke thinking outside the box. I've adopted his 2 finger style and he came up with a slick 2 finger tab. I made a couple, one is real soft but thick 7 oz buffalo hide the other is 4 oz stiff tooling leather. I'm liking the buffalo better we'll see how well it holds up...
(http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h312/pjriss/Mobile%20Uploads/20140118_122414.jpg~original) (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h312/pjriss/Mobile%20Uploads/20140118_122048.jpg~original)
I shot a glove for over 30 years. Last year I started using a tab thinkin it might help with the crooked index finger I have, keep me from pinching the nock.
I went back to a glove recently but I got use to the tab with no restrictions to my fingers, that I just cant seem to use a glove anymore...well, I can but the tab lets me control my fingers better.
Unless you give one or the other an honest try, you wont really know which one will work the best for you.
I've gotten so use to the tab I can nock and fire an arrow off just as quick as with a glove...but that's just me.
Im shocked to see soo many people shooting a glove. I thought to see tabs over gloves 4-1. Shows how much I know.
I shoot a tab because I cant seem to get as tight and comfy with my anchor using a glove. It seems the leather at the end of your finger tips doesnt allow it and then my left and rights are off.
Damascus Glove here for many Moons. :archer2:
The Bateman arrived yesterday. Put a couple of shots through it this evening. I ordered a small...should have ordered medium! Stings the tips of my fingers because it is a tad too short.
Oh well, I have 4 grandsons and the 10-year old will get this one.
I have to say that I like my Cavalier Elites better because they are more supple from the very beginning.
I know some think that sore fingers with gloves mean the fingers aren't being set correctly. Maybe for some but that wasn't the problem for me.
I even had to go to a hand specialist after shooting the glove about a year. Turns out I had "Trigger Finger" a couple of my fingers were catching or locking up. It was very painful and a bit scarey-weird! Cortisone shots and advice to "stop doing what I was doing" fixed the problem.
I did like the simplicity of the glove. I had a bit more use of the drawing hand with a glove compared to a tab. The glove is more difficult to lose or drop out of the tree as well.
I was a tab guy for years until I recently tried the Buffalo Big Shot Crossover glove by American Leathers. It's truly changed the sport for me. I can't recommend it enough.
Here is a review I did on it a while back:
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=134570
I have shot a glove for 30 plus years. For me the feel just can't be beat. I like the American Leathers in buffalo.
MAP
I generally use a American Leathers glove-and I cant recommend it enough..
I just got a Black Widow tab and am trying that-but pretty much a glove user.
GDPolk : Really good evaluation, sounds like you covered all the bases, love the fact they're American made & take customer service seriously.
Seed planted.
I still love my EFA three under cordovan tab. Well tabs actually, I have to keep a few of them around cause they seem to walk off and get temporarily lost on occasion.
I used to use a glove. Dan Toelke convinced me to try tab for the cleaner release. I got a cordovan tab ( with a second layer of leather) with finger spacer. After I got used to it I ended up cutting off the inner layer to make the tab thinner and more sensitive. Love it now. And it never seems to show wear