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Firstly, I want to remind all of you that I am not a paid spokesperson for GamePlan. I am not paid to endorse any of their products. I'm just an avid hunter who wants to share with other hunters the good and not so good products I have tried. Having said that, here is my product review of the StandBack.

The StandBack is designed and manufactured by GamePlan Gear. The standback is one of many versatile products GamePlan is currently producing. Like all products, it has it's pros and cons, and like other hunting products manufactured, it may not suit all hunts.
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The StandBack offers comfort, whether it's strapped on your back or around your favorite tree. The chest and wrist straps are padded, and they take the pressure off of your shoulders and distribute it evenly.

Once in the tree, the StandBack folds out and straps to the tree. Not only does this make all off your accessories easy to get to, it has a padded backrest offering not only comfort, but it also quiets noise from clothing contact with treebark.

Possibly the best feature of the StandBack, is it allows all of your equipment to be easily reached. Once strapped to the tree, calls, binoculars, scents, and any other item needed is right at your fingertips.
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This pack is also designed to carry a crossbow, rifle, or bow. This feature may be handy in the Western Region, but in large woodlots, it's not always ideal. One advantage for these hunters is if you need both hands to drag out your trophy, simply strap your weapon in and drag away. I have found that when a bow is in the pack, my quiver and stabilizer need to be removed. A minor inconvenience, but an inconvenience nonetheless.

Overall I give this pack an 8 out of 10.

Price is not too bad. You can get this pack for less than $80. It is very comfortable and is very versatile. I can carry all my gear, bow, and extra clothing on my back without having aching shoulders. A few minor problems are easily tolerated for the versatility of the StandBack.
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When you purchase a product from Sims Vibration Labs you not only get top of the line quality, you also get the assurance that you are buying from a company that stands behind it's product. I have never had a problem with a Sims product, so I have never had to deal with their customer service. I can say this: the people at Sims that I have dealt with have all been fantastic. They answered my questions and returned my emails in a very quick and professional manner. The people at Sims have not forgotten the customer. I was surprised to learn that some of the top executives for Sims even post on Archerytalk answering questions and lending a helping hand to fellow archers. Things like that go a long way with me and that is the reason Sims has continued to have success and has grown as a company.

The first product I ever bought from Sims was a stringer for my recurve. It had the name Limbsaver on the rubber block and man did it live up to that name. This simple little product saved me the work and strain of stringing my 55 pound recurve and help to keep me from bending and twisting the limbs. The Sims line-up has expanded, but their commitment to making products that give the maximum benefit for the least amount of effort remains the same. In this article I am going to quickly cover some of the products that Sims has to offer and believe me, Sims has come a long way from the day that I bought that simple little stringer.

PRISM LIGHT SIGHT

We all know that the big boys like to cruise right at dark. Several years ago I pursued a buck that wouldn't venture out until the light was just about gone. He continued to give me the slip and continued to haunt my dreams. That buck is now gracing my wall only because I sat all day and the lure of a rutting doe was too much. I had at least a half dozen chances on him before I took him but I never could see my pins. If I would have had a Sims Prism Sight it would have saved me a lot of time and sleepless nights.

When you see the Prism Light Sight in the package you can tell it is bright. When you remove it from the package you will notice how well it is constructed. But the place you will see this sight’s worth is in lowlight situations. With this sight I was able to shoot right up to dark. With the addition of the L.E.D. bow sight light, made by Sims, and a drop light over my target, the only thing that stopped me shooting was the love for my wife and my desire to spend quality time with her. Soon deer season starts and the big boys will be stalking our dreams. With this sight I have the ability to take him down even if the light is fading.
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SIMS FALL AWAY REST

At first glance the Sims Fall Away Rest looks like others on the market, but a closer examination reveals the truth. The Sims Fall Away Rest works on a sealed twin ball bearing system. This makes the rest smooth and quiet on the draw. This also makes it more resistant to harsh weather. It will remain smooth and quiet even after a good soak. The rest is well constructed out of aluminum and is very nicely machined. Set up and timing are simple and the addition of two mini Limbsavers to absorb vibration ensures that the rest is vibration free. The Sims Fall Away Rest also comes with an arrow holder and drop pad that are made from Sims Navcom material. The drop pad is positioned below the rest arm when the arm drops it hits the drop pad. The drop pad not only absorbs the vibration from the fall eliminating noise it also keeps the arm from bouncing back up causing bad arrow flight. The Sims Fall Away Rest proves that the devil is in the details and Sims has them covered.
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SIMS STRING DECELERATOR

This product is the one that hands down made the most difference in noise and vibration. I put the String Deceleration an older bow that was not originally designed for one. It took seconds to set up and made a huge improvement to the bow. The String Decelerator is as close to being universal as they come. If you have a threaded insert on the front or back of your bow this product will work for you. It is the same thread as all stabilizers and is completely adjustable to fit your bows brace height. The recoil pad is made from Sims Navcom material and absorbs all the string shock, keeping it from transferring to your bow or to your hand. The string decelerator is available in black or in Next camo. Combine these beautiful finishes with a product this effective, and you have a fantastic product.
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SIMS LIMBSAVER ONE PIECE QUIVER

The Limbsaver One Piece Quiver is very attractive with it's Next Camo and innovative yet simple design. It holds 6 arrow tipped with either field points, mechanical, or fixed blade broad heads. The arrows are helped in place with a unique Hood Gripper System that is made from Navcom. This design holds them securely while absorbing vibration and reducing noise. The quiver is light weight and has a ton of adjustment up and down as well as the ability to position the quiver at different angles. This allows you to customize the quiver to best fit your bow and hunting needs.
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SUMMARY

The products I have mentioned in this article are all new products in the Sims line-up. Along with these great accessories and the continued improvements to products like the X-Coil stabilizer, the Limbsavers, String Leeches, and Tentacle wrap, it is not hard to see why Sims is a cut above the competition. Sims is a company full of fantastic people that are committed to making top rated products that will make your day in the field more enjoyable.

You can see some of Sims fine products in the video previously posted and watch for more Sims products in our future videos.
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The 360 Extreme Release is a duel caliper release with a 360 degree rotating head in front of the trigger. The rotating head allows you to find a more comfortable and repeatable anchor position. The 360 head rotation also eliminates string or string loop torque.

The 360 is one of the most adjustable and versatile releases out there. The 360 has an adjustable trigger pull that ranges from 4 to 22 oz. It also has an easy-to-use length adjustment. A right hand turn makes it longer, and a left hand turn makes it shorter. This allows the shooter to custom fit the release and obtain the perfect spot for maximum comfort.

One of the most unique attributes of this release is the buckle fold-back strap. The buckle strap is very comfortable, and easy to put on and take off. The release also has the capability to fold back completely. This allows your hand to be free, enabling you to climb into your stand, reach for accessories or do countless other things without the release making noise.

The 360 seems to be designed with hunters in mind, but works well for 3D or indoor shooting. The release is very comfortable and quiet. The overall design and craftsmanship make this one of the best releases out on the market today.

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When I purchased my first Ripcord I was very impressed with the design and craftsmanship. After I got it home and set-up I was blown away to say the least.

Ripcord Arrow Rest is a new breed of rest. It's a fall-away and containment rest combined. With this rest you get the best of both worlds- zero contact and full containment. Ripcord is simple to install and comes with step-by-step instructions that are easy to understand and follow. A bow press is not required. The only tools you will need are a set of standard allen wrenches. This makes the Ripcord easy for beginners and Pros alike, and will help you avoid a set-up fee if you do not have a bow press of your own. Windage adjustments and an offset cord make timing a breeze. Internal dampeners help to keep the rest quiet. The rest can be shot from the down position or locked into place. Either way you choose, you will still achieve the same point of impact.

As a bow hunter and a competition shooter, the Ripcord allows me to have my bow set-up for either situation. Whether I am shooting flesh and blood or foam, the rest performs flawlessly.

In a hunting situation, the rest is ideal. When in the locked upright position, it is a full containment rest. When the arrow is released, it falls away allowing 100% clearance. It is quiet on the draw as well as on the shot. Zero contact makes the rest quiet and allows you to shoot with your cockfeather in the location that best suits your needs.

For 3D or indoor shooting, what more can I say? Easy to tune, no clearance issues, makes for better flight which equals better accuracy.

Whether I am heading to the woods or to the range, the Ripcord is the rest you will see on my bows. I only see good things for this company and look forward to collecting my trophies- the horned kind and the shiny kind- with my Ripcord.

-Ike

The video below shows the installation and timing procedure for the Ripcord Arrow Rest.

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Battledrum arrow wraps are without a doubt some of the best arrow wraps on the market today. Battledrum offers standard colors and custom wraps. The custom wraps are unbelievable. I contacted Battledrum and gave them a vague idea of what I wanted and let them run with it. They got it spot on in no time with very little feed back from me.

Customer service was outstanding. Price was very affordable. One dozen custom wraps for $15.90.The wraps are made of a high quality material and as you can see in the picture they look great too.

Battledrum offers a wide variety of wraps for stabilizers, Fob’s, arrows, and they also do custom decals. For more information about these products visit www.battledrumwraps.com. You will not be disappointed.

Big thank you goes out to Melissa at Battledrum for getting my wraps perfect with little to go on it.

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It turns out even I can be wrong. When I reviewed the Archer Range range finder I found a few thing I did not like. It turns out it was operator error combined with not reading instructions. I know none of you guys have ever been guilty of ripping a new toy out of the box and running to the woods with out reading the instructions first but that is exactly what I did with this product. If you check out the following web site www.ArcherRange.com you will find helpful tips on how to best use this product. I was using the crank to try to pull up my gear and that isn't what it is designed for. I also reported that the product was not good for uneven terrain but if you check out the website it will tell you how to handle this problem. I also failed to mention that the Archer Range requires no batteries and will sustain alot of abuse. The case is plastic but very tough.
Contact Billy with any questions about the Archer Range. I have been in contact with him and he has done a great job of answering my questions and correcting my mistakes. Updated score 10 of 10 based on quality and customer service.
IKE

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The Archer Range rangefinder's name suits the product perfectly. This rangefinder can only be used out to 50 yards, and only from a treestand 15ft or higher.

Don't ask me to explain the science because I failed college algebra 3 times. There is some triangulation and geometry involved I am sure. Even though I cannot explain how it works, I am smart enough to operate this device. Acutally I think my 8 year old nephew could probably figure out how to use it. Simply climb into a stand at the set height: 15, 20, 25, or 30 yards, point it at the base of a tree, hold a button for 1 second and release. Turn the rangefinder to the side and you will find a range chart. Choose the height you are hunting, (the Archer Range  has a convenient built-in tape measure) and you will find a needle pointing to the range of the object. Easy as pie.

There are a few drawbacks to the Archer Range, though. To measure your height, you have to anchor the tape measure to your bag or bow. I anchored to my bag and tried ot use the built in crank to bring it up, but no dice. My bag is not very heavy, but I ended up bypassing the crank, and pulling the bag up by hand. Not a big deal though, still worked out very smoothly.

The biggest drawback, and it is a big one, is that it is not accurate on ranges not level with the bottom of your tree. That means if you hunt draws and valleys, leave it at home.

Overall, the Archer Range is easy to use and very accurate on level ground. With a pricetag of under $50, it is affordable even if you hunt the occasional downward slope.

I give it a 7 out of 10. I would have scored it a little lower, however, the price makes it worth a little hassle.

-Ike

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First and foremost, I am a feather shooter. So when the Blazer vanes hit the market, even though I loved them, I did not make the switch. I'm very set in my ways on some items. I still shoot cut on contact 2 blade broadheads and feathers, and I probably always will. When I discovered the Gateway Rayzr, I was instantly interested in trying them out.

I fletched an arrow with the Rayzrs and did some comparison shooting. I used an identical arrow on each set up: 28" 55/75 Gold Tip. I shot one with a 4" vane, 4" feather, Blazer vanes, and one with Rayzrs. I shot each through paper and target shot each from 10-20 yards

Each arrow paper tuned the same- perfect bullet hole everytime. Each arrow grouped the same. But here is the main difference- Silence. I have an indoor range, and if your bow makes a noise, you will amplify it indoors. My bow is ultra quiet. The only noise you can hear is from the feathers. Drawing back, the very front of my feathers drag on my whisker biscuit and in flight they have a slight whistle. The Rayzr eliminates this. Actually so does the 4" vane and Blazer, but we are discussing the Rayzr so I will not get off the subject.

For me, the Rayzr is the answer to my prayers. They give me the silence of the Blazer and the guidance of a 4" vane, but I still get to shoot feathers. The other thing I like about them is they look great. They are shield cut, so they have a traditional look ingrained with modern technology. Gateway cuts these from a very specific part of the turkey feather, making them very durable and very easy to work with.

I give the Rayzr a perfect 10. I can guarantee I will be shooting these next season.

-Ike

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Upcoming Blogs 11/25/2008
 

In our upcoming blogs we will not only be telling about upcoming sales and new items we will also be doing product reviews. These reviews will be unbiased. I am not paid by any company to endorse their product so these reviews will not be the typical reviews found in magazines and other websites. If the product is great we will say so if it is not we will tell that as well. We will discuss the good and the bad of all the products we review. If the product doesn't do well it will not be in the store or web site. We sell it because we would use it. We will be doing reviews very shortly on Game Plan's Standback backpack, Archer Range rangefinder, Steelforce broadheads and Blazer vanes.

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