Gear Review: KTECH Designs Stabilizers
KTECH Designs are Churning Out Some Amazingly Designed and Well Thought Out Stabilizers. (Photo Courtesy of youtube.com)
How many of you have stabilizers on your bow right now? How many of you went online and grabbed the first one you saw just to maybe make your bow a little quieter? Ya, I was that guy too. Fortunately, I'm here to tell you there is a family-owned and operated outfit making top-quality stabilizers right here in the USA. They make stabilizers not only to take a couple of decibels off your shot but to actually stabilize your bow and improve your accuracy. I acquired some stabilizers from
KTECH Designs is based out of the state of Michigan and wanted to give you a rundown of my experience using them.
From the KTECH Designs website:
"...everything KTECH produces is 100-percent CNC machined from 6061-T6 aluminum, ensuring the peace of mind serious archers and hunters demand from their equipment. KTECH has teamed up with Limbsaver to provide a NEW dampening technology for all of our products."
I was fortunate enough to test one of their Offset Bars, DX Hunter Series Stabilizer Bars, and Hex Series Stabilizer Bars.
The furthest distance between arrows on each of the three rounds were 4 3/4", 4 3/4", and 5".
Summary of Test Results
While this was not an overly scientific test I believe it did demonstrate the real world and showed recognizable results. What I wasn't expecting to see was the magnitude of improvement in my grouping by using the KTECH offset bar and DX Hunter vs. no stabilization. I assumed there would be better consistency, but with a minimum reduction in variation being 1" and the maximum being 2 1/8" I was blown away. With just the Hex Series Stabilizer, I don't know that I can say there is statistical significance between the end results but, the grouping seemed to err on the tighter side vs. no stabilization.
Notables
In both cases with the KTECH Stabilizers, the balance of the bow felt much better than without. Obviously, with the offset bar and DX Hunter Series, the bow felt much more controllable due to the additional weight and its distance from the center of mass of the bow. It also helped that the offset bar was opposite my quiver so that worked to my advantage. Without having an accurate measuring system for noise I can only tell you that the bow shot quieter with either combination of stabilizers than without. It was an observation, but one I feel confident in stating
Final Thoughts
I was extremely pleased with the improvement in my grouping at 40 yards with the KTECH Design Stabilizers. Do you need a stabilizer to kill a deer? No. Will an offset bar and front stabilizer improve your accuracy? Per my test, yes. Do we strive to be as accurate as we can in order to ensure a swift kill? I do. Will I be hunting with KTECH Stabilizers this fall? You better believe it. For the stand hunter in the whitetail woods, I would go all out with the offset bar and front stabilizer. I realize that for the mountain bowhunter, conscious about the weight he has to carry, may not want the added ounces but I would at least consider a front stabilizer to give you even a slight edge with accuracy. So if you've never tried a stabilizer or just have a short run-of-the-mill style, give KTECH Designs a consideration for your next upgrade.
Disclaimer: I received these KTECH Design products at no charge in return for an honest review. Whether you chose to buy one or not has no impact on my financial well-being or lack thereof. I ran this test at home on my archery range and did my best to create unbiased results. I feel that I succeeded and was really surprised with the results. As you can see by my groupings, I need all the help I can get and will really be hunting with the KTECH Stabilizers.
