Spine Tester is an Eye Opener!

[Arrow4Christ]

I received a Spine-O-Meter as a birthday gift this week and have been having fun playing with it. It is very consistent in checking the shafts I have, as I've checked the same shaft multiple times on it and it always reads the same. It has readings for carbon, wood, and aluminum spines. It was funny to put a 2216 on it and see the reading bounce right up to 2216    Some of the shafts I checked weren't nearly as consistent, however. The Arrow Dynamics Trad shafts I have had 7+ pound spread between 6 of them, and most had at least 5 pounds in spine difference around the diameter of the shaft...there were basically two groups of shafts within the ADs, shafts that were between 94 and 102 pounds in spine around the diameter and ones that were between 90 and 95. However, all carbons are certainly not equal    All 6 Carbon Express Heritage shafts I have read either 94.5 or 95 lbs on the tester. My Grizzlystik Safaris were better than the ADs as far as spine goes. Three read 120 lbs, two read 118 lbs, and the other was 114. I weighed them all, however, and they have at least a 15 grain spread in weight  :(  I also tested two of my Surewoods that were in the 90-95lb group (they came in a test pack), and they both came out to exactly 93 lbs, and they were within 5 grains of one another on my scale...I like them a lot so far  :D
The Surewood shafts actually surprised me with their consistency around the shaft. Most only had a 3 to 5 pound spine range around the diameter. I have so many arrows I plan on checking with this thing..I'm anxious to see how my Axis shafts fare. I think it will be a valuable tool for separating hunting from stumping arrows  

Craig

[Bill Carlsen]

One of the reasons I don't shoot AD shafts is precisely because I found what you did...way too much variation in spine. Having a spine tester and grain scale are really two things every archer should invest in. They open a lot of eyes that would prefer to stay closed

[Arrow4Christ]

I was very disappointed in the ADs AND the Grizzlystiks for my personal needs...I honestly think I'll be able to get the Surewood shafts matched better...looking forward to seeing how the compressed cedar shafts fare as compared to the Surewoods.

Craig

[WESTBROOK]

It can also give you the reason why "that one arrow  just wont fly right"

Eric

[Guru]

Without a doubt!

I came to the same conclusion as you....some carbons are not well matched at all!


Also made me realize that my wood arrows were as well or better matched that a lot of the carbons on the market.

[SlowBowinMO]

You can learn a LOT with a good spine tester.  Many shooters will weigh their arrows but far fewer will spine check them, especially if they're not shooting woodies.

[wtpops]

All the above is why i shoot aluminum. You buy a 2216 a year from now and it will be the same as the one you bought yesterday.

[Bjorn]

Love my spine-o-meter! Use it all the time.

[wtpops]

Originally posted by wtpops:
All the above is why i shoot aluminum. You buy a 2216 a year from now and it will be the same as the one you bought yesterday.

Now im not putting down anybodys choice of arrow but for me and the little man in my head that bounces all around my skull when my arrows dont match, my wife named him the little anal guy, i will shoot aluminum to keep him quite.

Man i wish i could get rid of him i just love shooting wood.

[jacobsladder]

I dont have a spine tester...what are you coming up with on the carbons...how would you rate goldtip, carbon express, easton..etc....

[Arrow4Christ]

jacobsladder,
I intend to test a bunch of Eastons in the next few days, but from what I've checked so far, the Axis arrows seem consistent. All 6 Carbon Express Heritage shafts I tested were within 1/2# of each other in spine, so I would rate them VERY highly. I also have some Goldtips I'll mess with and get back to you.
Craig

[jacobsladder]

thanks!

[Tatersalad]

have you done any goldtips yet?

[BWD]

My limited experience says carbon express heritage and beman ICS have tighter tolerances than gold tip traditionals.

[jacobsladder]

ive heard of issues with goldtips.... anybody test the gold tips..and how do the blems rate...?

slight variances probably wouldnt show on a fletched arrow with a field point....but could definitely show with a broadhead attached or a bareshaft with a consistant release.

[amar911]

It would be interesting if the arrows could be shot from a bow that was mounted in a stationary device with a mechanical release to see what difference variations in spine make on certain arrows. I have found that changing point weight (which changes effective spine) has little impact on the way my AD arrows fly. Changing point weight has a much greater impact on the way my aluminum and straight walled carbon arrows fly. I'm not sure the variation in spine from one AD shaft to another is significant for arrows made from tapered shafts like that, especially when we are dealing with trad bows. However, I have insufficient empirical data to support such a conclusion. I have no doubt that some arrows are more consistent and that consistency leads to better accuracy, but what I am not convinced of is the extent to which spine variations affect particular designs of arrow shafts.

Allan

[DesertDude]

When Kevin was making the first Spine-O-Meter, we tested every type of shaft we could get our hands on. Like most have found, some carbons are all over the place. I have a custom one he made me with a few options I wanted. this is by far the best tester I have used. One tester that can do all type of arrow shafting... Alot of time and thought went into it.   I'll never get rid of mine, I'll just past it down to my son....

[Bill Carlsen]

For what it is worth I'll try to relay what I have learned and why I think every archer should have both tools. When carbons first came out I was making custom arrows. i did a lot of buying and trying. I tested as well with  the spine tester and scale. Initially carbon arrows were very difficult to get matched. AD's were the worst of the bunch. In addition, every year each mfgr. would come out with a new "model" which meant that the inserts, nocks, etc. would not work from year to year with the same mfgr.

Fortunately things are getting better. What I have concluded is that the old standby, Easton,  had the best quality control and as an established company I felt i could depend on them for the same shafts year after year. That has proven to be true. Even though they make changes and improvements they basically have he same shafts and components all fit and work well. i would say that Carbon Express made excellent shafts as well.

I have not been in the arrow making business now for almost ten years but I still find that the Easton/Beman line and CX to be very reliable. Before the advent of the Axis shaft I was ready to shoot just wood or go back to aluminum.

I would say this, however. I do think that the carbon shafts are still in the developing stage. I would encourage every bowhunter out there to shoot their carbon hunting arrows with broadheads before you go off to hunt. Some of  the unexplained bad shooting sometimes comes right back to a poor arrow. This is one area where aluminum seems to me to have the upper hand....consistencey. If you cannot be very careful about your shafts and check them with the proper tools stick with the aluminum or make the investment in a spine tester. It may cost a few $$$$ but I, for one, cannot put a price on confidence in my equipment. On the large auction site I got a digital scale for less than $10 and it does a great job and it  is small enough I can carry it in my shirt pocket if I needed to.

[snag]

Surewood Shafts come through again!!!  

[Gator1]

This is a very interesting thread, with a great deal of valuable information, regarding arrow spine.

Thanks for the updates and input....