Before I begin posting any information, let me preface with a few things to keep in mind.

First, not all wool are created equal.

Placement and size of silencing material on string will vary results.

I do not use a shooting machine, but I do have a DL mark on my arrow and Staci instructs me on when it's appropriate release.

I'm using a pro chrono with an indoor lighting kit.

I don't have a meter to read sound, just judging using human ears.

Additional, keep in mind that I'm going to experiment with size and placement throughout the test.

Thank you!

Excited to see your results Ryan!

The first thing I had to do was to find a way to weigh the wool silencers before applying them to the string. This took some experimenting and time, but I found something that worked.

I ended up tying the individual strands together. Two at a time, and yes when I do things, it's a little "overkill"          

 

For my initial test, I wanted to build them as recommended by the instructions, yet find a way to compare them to my current cat whisker set up.

I counted the amount of strands in the Hush Puppy and it came out to 34 individual strands. I tied them two by two with an overhand knot. Right over left, then left over right. I tied, then weighed, tied, then weight, just to get an estimate. By the way things were going, it looked as if I could use all the strands.


 

Finally when I was tying all 34 strands in groups of two, I cut them at the shortest recommended length which was 3/4" from center. So the center length came out to little over 1 1/2" and the width came out to 1 1/2". It doesn't look like an 1 1/2" for length because the wool flares at the end, but I measured from the first knot to the last.


 

It weighed 39 grains each.

Now for some comparisons.

My 1 1/4" cat whiskers are 8" and 14" from the end of that specific string as I did a recent test. Each cat whisker weighs 17 grs, so combined that would be 34 grs.

My Hush Puppies are 12" - 13 1/2" from the end of the string and weigh 39 grs each.

So now, I have some slight differences. First, the amount of silencers, two small cat whiskers vs one longer Hush Puppy on each side. Next weight, the Hush Puppies are 5 grs heavier per side and the total weight distribution per Hush Puppies are closer to the center of the string.

Here's what the silencer looked like after a couple plucks and left strung for a day. Another reason why I tied them at the center is because this was my first attempt and although fibers will fly out, I didn't want any strands flying out, in turn skewing my results.

 

Before attaching the silencers, I shot the bow through the chrono again. I consistently got speeds between 160-161 fps, same as with my cat whisker test that I posted.

So bare string 160-161 fps.

After attaching the Hush Puppies, I ran it through the chrono. It was a consistent 158 fps. Same as my cat whisker set up from before.

Now keep in mind, the Hush Puppy was 5 grs heavier per side and in terms of weight distribution, a touch closer to center. Two things that will typically slow a string down.

So for my initial speed test, they're the same if not a hair better than my cat whisker set up and only robbing a mere 2-3fps as compared to a bare string.

Now for the sound comparison...

Just a reminder...

At this point, I did not switch out the velcro in my limb string grooves for the Bow Hush. I prefer to test one thing at a time. I will get to that in the upcoming days.

I took two strings and the main difference between the two was the silencing materials. I kept the silencing set ups as described above. I shot 6 shots with one string, unstrung the bow, then shot 6 shots with the other. I repeated this process a few times.

I didn't have a sound meter, just human ears. The first thing that I noticed was that the wool seemed to create a different tone. If I could describe it, I'd say it was more muffled sound. The next thing that I noticed was that it deaden the "string buzz" quicker.

So which one was quieter? I'd have to say, given the two (how I set them up) the wool slightly edged out the cat whisker. This was without the addition of the Bow Hush.

Now this is where the test got interesting for me...

Let me start by saying. I totally agree with Terry. If you're going to test for wet weather, you must soak all of your equipment. Plus this test is tough because you can never control the amount of water that will be or is absorbed in that given time.

I will also say, I can't remember the last time I shot an arrow while it was pouring rain. Before yes, after yes, but during, I don't recall.

Some have told me that wool will absorb water like crazy and significantly decrease arrow speeds.

So here is what I did. I soaked each Hush Puppy full with water. Did they absorb water? Yes they did.

     
Dripping wet wool


Can you pluck your string a few times will out in the field? (After a hard rain or after dragging your gear through wet vegetation.) Yes you can.

     
Plucked a few times


So I soaked each Hush Puppy till they were dripping wet, plucked the string a few times and removed the excess water from the limbs. Then I immediately took it to the chrono and ran a few shots.

First shot was 157 fps. 1 fps slower than the dry wool average. Immediately took another shot, 156 fps. This was still good news...

Because I was taking consecutive shots I forgot to do one thing... What was that you ask??? I took another shot and it went down to 155 fps. What was going on? The Hush Puppies were getting lighter as all the water was being thrown from the wool.

Now here's where it got interesting and I want to try this again. I forgot to wipe down the limbs on those shots, so I grabbed my rag and wiped the limbs. Shot through the chorno again. Right back to 157 fps. Was this a fluke? I need to shoot wet limbs again...

     
Interesting results with wet limbs.


The main reason for doing this was to settle some insight that I was given about a significant loss of speed.

So two things learned. As Terry mentioned, water will affect all your gear, not just wet silencers. Secondly, if you pluck your wool silencers a few times before being shot, speed loss is only 1-2 fps slower (based on silencers built like mine).

Will wet wool silencers significantly lose speed? Not from my specific test and set up.

Now for the unexpected bonus I got from soaking my silencers. While shooting them in, I was trying to get it to round at the edges. Sort of like a short cattail. It would not happen.

After I soaked them and shot the shots through the chrono, they puffed up perfectly! LOL!


 

Now for the true test! THE HUNT!!!

All of this is in preparation for a new bow, but until I receive it, I'll be playing around with a few more things to get the silencers just how I want it.

New bow, new strings, new silencers and still debating on new serving...       :D        

I'll keep you guys updated on the addition of the Bow Hush and future test and or set ups here on this thread.

 
Here's what the current Hush Puppy set up looks like.

Aloha!
Ryan

Well done Ryan.......

Well done indeed!...very interesting results.  Surprising as well, the speed difference is very minor, plus you get the added benefit of quiet.  Even wet, they performed nicely.

Thanks for taking the time!

Thanks for taking the time and doing the tests. They are a great product.

I see a run on Bow Hush and Hush puppies! Great test Ryan.

Thanks guys! Still got a few more things to try. Hopefully I'll get to them shortly.

I can't wait to see this one!

Nice job bud, looking forward to more...

I enjoyed your test Ryan. Thank you for sharing the results.

Looking good cant wait for the rest of the results.