Let's start off with a little background on me and my bow setup capabilities. I have never installed any attachment that required a press or separating a string or cable. Although I own a basic bow press and bow vise for doing this work, I have always left that work to the professionals. I have never been confident enough to install a drop away rest and often travel 60 miles one way to my favorite pro shop just to have a true pro work on my bows. To date, I have owned more than 20 different bows from different manufactures, with just as many arrow rests. The rests I believed performed the best over the years are the Vapor Trail Limb Driver , Mathews Down Force, Trophy Ridge Drop Zone, and the Octane Hostage Pro…..that is until now.

I recently purchased a Mathews Monster 7, and thought what better time to try the Octane Trip Wire rest. To be honest, I didn't install this rest; it was installed by my Pro Shop. But instantly upon shooting this rest I knew it was a high quality easy functioning rest. I hadn't owed the M7 long (just a couple weeks) and with a little luck, was given the opportunity to try another Trip Wire on a different. This time it was going to replace the Hostage Pro on my BowTech CAPTAIN…and this time, I was going to do the installing….look out!

Ease of set-up

Well here is my take on the simplicity of installing the rest. I will start off with the most negative aspect I could find, the installation instructions in my opinion should be trashed and written again. In fact, I think I can write a better set of instructions that are easier to follow and more detailed for novice archers trying to work on their own bows. The instructions lacked the simple facts that most would ask, what if I don't have a 45 degree angle for the down rope, how far is a safe distance from the cables, can the launcher arms touch the arrow shelf, detailed photos of the adjustability if someone need to make a drop speed adjustment.

All that being said, I will say this, installing the Trip Wire was a piece of cake…that is no joke. I truly couldn't believe I just installed my first drop away rest and I must say installed correctly after only one attempt…and guess what, there were no extra parts left over…most DIY guys know what I mean with that statement. If all drop away rest are this easy (and I don't believe they are), pro shops would likely lose a bit of business.

General Feeling and Noise Level

The Trip Wire is a very high quality made rest. I would say the fit and finish even surpass the Down Force rest by Mathews. All the components are built solid for long life and function super smooth. The ability to draw with the launcher arms fully up is a great advantage for us tree stand hunters…most important for us (me) that still get Buck Fever. The launcher arms fully contain the arrow at every angle needed for hunting. This is a new advantage from when the rest was first released, which I believe may have been designed more for the target shooter vs. the hunter.

When it comes to noise on my bow, I do everything possible to eliminate any noise I feel would draw attention to my position in the tree stand. The Trip Wire gets an A+ for being super quiet. Like I mentioned above, I have shot numerous drop a way rest and this is by far the best as it relates to being noise free. However, it did, and let me repeat the word "did" make a slight draw noise pulling my CE Maxima Hunters across the launcher arms. This was 100% eliminated with a small strip of felt on the inside launcher arms. I believe Octane should offer felt strips as an option for us hunters that are very picky about noise.

Tunability and Accuracy

Either I'm extremely lucky or this rest is truly what they say, and one of the easiest rests to tune. In my opining, there is not much to tune, just get it level and centered and go start replacing fletching on your arrows that you keep hitting down range. I have asked this question over and over again, what am I missing, why is this rest not being talked about like the Limb Driver, Down Force, and QAD rest that always seem to get the top recommendations from fellow archers. I truly believe it's just because most have not tried it. But when they do, they will certainly include this rest as a top choice if not the best choice. If there is something negative to report about this rest as it relates to tunability or accuracy, I just have not found it.

As an added bonus and one of the most unrecognized features of the Trip Wire Rest….it is hands down the best looking rest on the market. Even though many of us say that looks don't mean much, it's all in how the bow shoots, I believe there is a little bit inside us all that truly want our bow to not only function, but look like the Ferrari as compared to a Yugo. The OCTANE Trip Wire has the same looks, lines, and finish as a well made sports car.

To me there are 2 features a good rest must have. They must be easy to tune and have 0 clearance issues. A rest that is tough, quiet and looks nice is great but if you can't tune it or get rid of clearance problems those features don't amount to much. When I tested the new TripWire I found it to have the 2 features I prize the most plus a long list of other great attributes.

The TripWire comes with step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow and result in a well tuned rest. With a set of Allen wrenches and a bow press the rest installs in minutes. Using the bow press to install the pull cable into the downward cable, serve the cord in and you can begin timing the rest. Timing is done on the rest itself. The cord attaches to an arm that controls the launcher. By simply loosening an Allen screw you can adjust the timing of the rest by loosening or tightening the pull rope. This is simple to do but if you do not own your own bow press or have the ability to serve the cable in you will want to have a shop do this for you. Timing can then be done by anyone with the slightest mechanical inclination.

The TripWire is constructed of a durable aluminum. It has a nice deep launcher to provide good arrow support. The rest is quiet when drawn as well as when shot. The rubber pad that is included keeps the rest from making noise when the rest or your arrow contact the shelf. The rest falls away quickly and has no bounce back. These feature all help the rest with clearance. I had 0 clearance issues. With no clearance issues and a little time tuning the rest proved to be accurate. With this rest as part of my setup I am able to wad arrows together.

One of the nicest features of the rest is the ability to lock it in the upright cocked position. I like this feature but I found it to be a bit unreliable. With the launcher locked I could gently tap the red cocking mechanism and the rest would fall.

My overall experience with the TripWire has been very positive. It is easy to set-up and tune, it is accurate, quiet, and has a cool sleek design. I think the rest would be great in either a hunting or competitive situation. Octane has a good thing going with this rest. It is loaded with great features and will be a great addition to any bow.

I just finished up trying out my Octane TripWire, which I tried out on 2 bows. First being my 2010 destroyer 350 took about 20mins 2 get rest setup and ready 4 paper tune, took a few adjustments there and we went through the chrono. First chrono a 4ft long chrono shot 351fps next a 2ft chrono shot 344fps, no issues. So I then took it off and put it on my Tribute same amount of time 4 setup, paper tuned through the chrono little heavier arrow shot 299fps,no issues quiet, user friendly I will leave it on my Tribute as a year round spot shooter as I prefer a rest with containment 4 hunting. But all in all great product, quiet and easy setup. Thanks Octane and Extreme Technologies 4 letting me try out this great product.

I installed it on my D340.besides having to take another rest off it didn't take but about 20 minutes to install. I basically eyeballed everything just to get started paper tuning. I bolted the rest as far back as I could so I didn't have to move my D-loop and just move the rest.

By doing this the rest didn't fall on the bow shelf, which I actually liked. Believe it or not the first shot was almost a bullet hole through paper at 6'. 2 adjustments and I had it perfectly tuned through paper.

Fit and finish is some of the best I've seen. I like the smoothness of the edges and the fit and finish is great. Ya know these days archery has actually become some kind of bow fashion statement!! Doesn't usually matter to me what it looks like as long as it works but this one looks great on my bow!!

I really liked the adjustment marks and where they are located near or over the bolt one has to loosen to adjust. Marks are clear and easy to see even for me.(I do where readers) it made it very easy to move the rest even just the slightest cause you could always tell where you were and where you were going with your adjustments!

The craftsmanship and material are excellent!!Very easy to understand the mechanics of the rest and all adjustments are easy to see and to get to!!

As far as noise I don't really see what some are talking about it being a little noisy. I had not such problems with noise on my 340! It didn't make anymore sound than the dropzone I had on it before!!

I've never owned a rest that you could raise up and holed the arrow before firing but this one I do like. Better than the QAD and the ripchord. A couple of friends who shoot those 2 were quite impressed with the rest.

All in all I couldn't find anything I didn't like about the rest. And I'm not just saying this because it was sent for me to review. I really don't see anything I'd change about it!!

I will continue to shoot it on this bow for a while. I may also let the 2 fellas that were with me tonight try it out on their bows to see what they think about it. If I get a chance I really want to put it on my sentinel that I use to shoot tournaments with and really put it to the test. Not sure when that will take place yet but I'm going to try!!

At any rate, I am sure most of the other guys sent you incredibly long & detailed reviews but I truly do not see the purpose in it. Plain & simple, I do not shoot a BowTech & this is my first piece of Octane equipment that I have ever used & to say the least, I am very pleased. The rest sets up very easily, adjusts very easily & most importantly, it is VERY solid. I did notice some noise from it but I don't think it is anything that is going to spook an animal unless it is the calmest & quietest of days & the animal is right on top of you. Truth be told I am very fanatical about noise so it may not even be as loud as I think it is. My only real suggestion would be to make it a full containment style of rest. After using the QAD for so long I have grown to love the fact that I can hold my bow in any position & the arrow won't go anywhere. Usually I can find a ton of things to pick apart about a piece of equipment but as I have said, the only 2 I can single out with the TripWire is the little bit of audible noise & the fact that I think it could benefit greatly from some sort of arm/bar that would make it a full containment rest.

I found the TripWire rest to be easy to setup and tune. The instructions were straight forward, even for someone like me, who had never setup a rest that was tied in to a cable before. The rest was very sturdy and the machine work was excellent. The fit and finish were superb. The TripWire made the rest I was using before look homemade.

The "Hammer" action concerned me at first, since it seemed loud when not attached to the bow. After I installed it, I couldn't hear the difference between it and the rest that was on it before. It was just as quiet. The micro-adjustability made it easy to track and make minor changes during the tuning. After a few adjustments I had the arrows flying straight and stacking on the target. It is a definite upgrade over the rest I had previously.

If I could suggest an improvement it would be to quiet the action, because someone picking the rest up might not understand that it will be quieter once installed.

This rest is excellent! I put it on my Alien x and shot with it hundreds of times and I absolutely think it is great. I am going to put one on my wife's bow as well she really liked how it worked. I am new to setting up my own equipment, although not new to archery been shooting for 17 years. Have always had the pro shop do it for me. On this new bow I decided to do my own tuning and installing. If I had known it would be so easy I would have started years ago. This rest had clear easy to use instructions. Only took 5 min to set the rest and serve in the cord, and following the instructions the timing was a breeze. Overall this feels like a solid rest not plastic like some. Paper tuning was done in less than 20 shots (mind you this is the first paper tune I had done on my own). I had to really listen to hear any noise from this rest. I thought it incredibly quiet, arrow made more noise hitting target. Since switching to this rest my groups have shrunk considerably from 2.5 -3 in down to 1-1.5 @20 -40 yards. I like the drop adjustment on this rest previously I had drop-aways that were not fast enough. This adjustment eliminates that problem. I would say the only thing I would like to see changed about the Octane TripWire is possibly an optional capture arm for stalking. I would like to thank Bow Tech for the opportunity to test and review this rest. Must say this is my new favorite rest; look forward to testing it against Oregon elk this year.

Fit and Finish: First thing you notice when you look at this rest through the package is it's packaged very well. When I took the rest out the package I found myself saying "WOW! This rest is only $100?" I immediately set it up on my bow and think it's the best looking, and feeling, rest on the market. The quality is top notch with the anodized metal and beveled edges I can't question the thought and process that went into the design of this rest.

Set Up: I had this rest set up in 5 min shooting bullets through paper. The set up was quick painless and couldn't have been easier. I can't say much on this topic because it was literally "As easy as 1-2-3". I set the rest up on a Mathews Z7, Monster 7.0.

Tune: I went through the set up motions and with 2 adjustments shot bullet holes. I shot using Blazers, Fusions, and fobs. All of these fletching where functioning with proper clearance etc. with this rest. I then went into timing the fall away mechanism and with a few quick turns felt I had reached the correct timing and effectiveness of the rest.

Noise Level: I felt that the noise level was high on this rest but I also expected it to be with everything being metal.

Accuracy: As expected with a drop away my accuracy was great. I was consistent with a ½' group @ 20. Where my group was 1 ½" with a full containment rest.

Improvements: The only improvements I can suggest on this rest would be

1: A containment style launcher option i.e. the limb driver launcher with fins on each side.

2: A better riser pad to contain and dampen the noise.

3: An option in the camo patterns offered by BowTech/Diamond.

FINAL: I would, have and will continue to suggest this product to all shooters beginner and advanced! I genuinely appreciate the opportunity given and the pleasure I had with this rest!

Overall look and feel of the rest not mounted to the bow

At first look by the feel and look of the rest my first impressions were that it was very well put together and I could not find any weak point in the products that could possibly fail in the near future from use and gradual wear on the rest. All of the components are well machined, well marked and no visible defects in the product or the finish. When activating the triphammer there were a very distinct clank sounds when the launcher would fall but looking at the rest of the contents and looking at the launcher pad I was confident this would not be an issue.

Mounting and centershot and nocking point setup

The amount of adjustability on this rest is one of the best I have seen amongst available rests. The two Berger holes allow for great range of motion and a good platform to allow for a level to be placed on the mounting bracket to ensure the rest will be plum and square.

The Elevation settings are pretty standard but I feel the windage settings with the three different settings is a great touch and wish other rest company had this instead of just the one hole with the slider on it.

Setting the center shot and nocking point is also very easy thanks to the capability of the launcher being able to be engaged for level mounting of the nocking point. Other rest such as Trophy Takers and others you have to make multiple adjustments and manually engage the launcher to see if you're set up is correct while on the TripWire it stays engaged and takes the multiple adjustments out of the equation.

Installing the Cord

Installing the cord was the most difficult of this installation. Not due to the needing of a bow press for non Center Pivot Bows but because of the lack of clarifications on the instructions. Me being a novice archery technician if I were to follow the instructions exactly between step 2 and 4 in the instructions and looking at the figure 2 in the instructions it would appear to me that where the cord is taken through the downward cable it should be cut off and the tip of the cord should be melted to the mushroom end.

While setting this up I realized that could not be correct as there would be no slack in the cord at full draw and did not cut the cord but I could have very easily done this had I been going off the instructions step by step and not thought it through or read ahead to the timing portion. I would recommend that a foot note or something be added that the cord will be cut at the triphammer upon completing the timing section of the installation.

Paper Tuning

Paper Tuning this rest was the one of the easiest processes to do with this rest. I believe that due to the launchers ability to stay up during setup you will only need to make very minor adjustments to the rest to paper tune the bow. All of my modifications were slight adjustments to the rest and never had a timing issue or a clearance issue with the rest.

I set up 4 bows with this rest all of the BowTech bows from models back from a 2004 Pro 40 to a 2009 Admiral. The most shots it took were 5 shots from one bow to get the bow paper tuned.

Overall Impression

The Rest is built like a tank and I can see many season of usage out of this rest and with a little bit of TLC while setting it up it is a very good rest and does exactly what it is designed to do and that is to function the same every time, with good arrow support, zero contact with your arrow and quite thanks in very large part o the launcher pad. The accuracy of this rest is very good due to the functions listed above. If you miss it's not the equipments fault it's the shooters fault.

People who will buy this at the pro shops and have the pros install it will be very happy and will have a great product. People who by this online and expect to set it up at home without a bow press, without serving thread, without other basic set up tools will be disappointed and will result in a return to the retailer or a fellow archer giving a negative review to his or her fellow comrades which results in negative light for this product.

When I received the TripWire my first impression of the box, and contents were that it was very nice. I like the design of box, and how it is packaged etc. Very nice, and different.

The first thing I did, contrary to most was read the directions to see how easy it would be for an average joe to figure out how to set this rest up. They were pretty good and thorough, but maybe a bit more on the cord length process could have been put. Again, it was very simple to understand, but maybe a bit more detail on the setup for timing purposes etc. Other than that, the instructions seemed solid, and made the pieces to the rest very identifiable.

Upon removing the rest from the box, it was pretty idiot proof how the pieces went. Simple to assemble etc. Even the length of the two mounting screws were pretty clear to figure out.

In my opinion, the design of the rest itself is very nice. I like how you all use the plastic (or whatever material it is) for the launcher blade. It seemed to make the arrow sound virtually irrelevant on this rest. Very nice. I'm not sure about long term durability though as I did not want to try and bend it etc in risk of breaking the launcher. It seemed solid and sturdy, but I did not really get to test that.

Setting up the rest was truly a breeze. The cord slack situation was the only one I had to think about as I wasn't fully clear on it when I read the directions. I figured it out and all the rest was smooth. The adjustments were nice on the rest as well. Very easy to get it fine tuned for center and elevation.

I tried out the rest without the launcher pad for a few shots and noticed some noise from it smacking the shelf. No big deal I thought so I put on the rubber shelf pad that was in the box. It eliminated most of the rests noise, but there was still a pretty decent click that I heard, that I suppose was just the operation of the triggering mechanism??? It didn't bother me too much, but I am not that picky, I imagine some people though might found this sound unacceptable. Again, I didn't find it too loud for a drop away, but it did have a noticeable noise. I'm not sure if there would be any way to fix it on this rest since it does use a type of triggering device to get it to go off.

There were zero clearance issues the first setup on both bows. I used it on my fathers BowTech D340 first, and on a BowTech Captain. No clearance issues either time, and I put wax on the launcher to be SURE there was no contact. I was very impressed with this as I've had many timing issues with QAD's and other popular rest (although I am still sold on the limb driver).

Overall, the rest is very nice. The design and colors are unique, and its actual design and triggering process is unique. A little noisy, but I give you all props for making a fine product!

My only critique that I can give are to possibly make the rest quieter a tad, and to eventually go for full containment. I don't find full containment a necessity, but many make it one of their ONLY deciding factors. I believe if you all made this design have some kind of fool proof containment design, people would flock to this rest because of the ease of use. The QAD has an awesome design for the containment, but I have found it s pain to time sometimes as the slack in the cord has to be perfect for tall fletching to clear.

I hope the review helps you all. I tried to find as many flaws in this rest as I could, but it wasn't easy. I appreciate the chance for the review, and loved the opportunity. I will speak highly of this rest!

First of all I want to thank Octane and BowTech for this amazing offer of being one of the finalists selected to receive and review the TripWire Arrow Rest. The opportunity to test a product and offer suggestions to the company is thrilling. There were many people at my local 3D winter league that noticed I had a different rest on my bow. Being able to explain how much I liked the rest and how I was selected excited them also. Many are going to be checking for the next review challenge to see if they are selected. Some of them were going to look into purchasing the TripWire after looking over my rest and watching it perform. I can't wait for bow season to arrive for deer so that I can use my rest and hopefully shoot a monster. I was planning on putting this rest on my BowTech Soldier for doing a comparison of my two bows. Unfortunately the Soldier hasn't arrived so my review is based off of using this rest on my Mathews Drenalin.

EASE OF SET UP

The rest was easy to set up, even without the best machining quality on one section of the rest. It fit well together just not super tight at every seam. The seam for the windage left a finger nail width gap at the top due to the angles not matching perfectly together. I'm thinking about placing a small bead of flexible silicone on it so I don't have to worry about moisture and dirt getting into the small gap and eliminating a future problem. The only area I had an issue was with my Mathew's Drenalin only having one mounting hole which prevented me from being able to slide the rest deeper into the shelf of the bow, thus not allowing the cord to have a 45 degree string angle into the cable. However, this did not affect the way the rest performed on my bow.

GENERAL FEELING

The TripWire feels very solid in your hands. It mounts well on the bow and looks sharp. After several hundred shoots without any failures it still looks great and hasn't moved at all. Not a single bolt has loosened up any. It doesn't matter if I pre-cock the launcher or let it rise during the draw cycle it has worked. Even with a fast let down the launcher remained in the up position. I was extremely happy to see that it stayed up. Sometimes in a hunting situation I have had to let down after the deer held up and had worried about the launcher dropping and my arrow bouncing off the fork. So far with my testing this doesn't appear to be an issue at all.

NOISE LEVEL

Straight out of the box the rest seemed to be slightly louder than I had anticipated. Once mounted and arrows shot through the rest the noise level subsided. When I place the rubber bumper pad onto the shelf the noise is totally gone. Even without the rubber pad I would have still shoot the rest but would have been a little concerned in a hunting situation if the noise would be heard by the animal. Once the pad was installed and the noise was gone, so was the worry about spooking the animal due to noise from the rest.

TUNABILITY

Adjusting windage and elevation went smooth. The only thing that would make it superior would be the addition of micro-adjustability for windage and elevation. My dealer even agreed with me on this!

OVERALL ACCURACY

Accuracy and performance has not been an issue at all with the TripWire! It performs great and sends my arrow down the range to the bull's-eye. I changed to the TripWire rest a third of the way through my 3D winter league. I was able to increase my personal best and my seasonal average by 25 points! Now that's something to brag about. I also picked up 3.27fps over my NAP Quick tune 360 that was previously on my bow. The first night out with this rest I shot my personal best score. And this was less than 48 hours after receiving and setting up the rest on my bow. Accuracy is fantastic vane contact isn't an issue with blazer vanes or four inch duravanes!

I received my Octane TripWire arrow rest and was very excited to put it through the paces. The packaging was very appealing and the metallic red added a high end finish that complimented the rest itself. I felt like Ralphy in A Christmas Story when he received his Orphan Annie secret decoder. The gear that I used to test the TripWire is as follows: BowTech Destroyer 350 (29" draw 65lbs) G5 Meta peep and string loop, Tru Glo 5 pin micro adjust site and a 5" Limbsaver stabilizer.

The Octane TripWire was a breeze to set up. The launcher pad was the first thing that I put onto the bow. The adhesive appeared to be very sound so I did not have any worries that the rubber would eventually peel away from the riser. My first impression of the pad was that it was soft enough to absorb the impact of the launcher without creating a lot of excessive noise or vibration. Next I attached the actual rest to the bow. Everything seemed well designed and there were no problems adjusting the launcher via the arm. Installing the cord to the cable was relatively easy as well. I usually have a professional bow technician apply my arrow rests but I was determined to do this one on my own. Following the instructional leaflet was very easy. I melted the end of the cord, marked the 45 degree angle on the cable and was able to apply the cord as instructed with relative ease. I had a friend apply the serving as he had little hands and it was easier for him. I tinkered with the set screws to adjust the timing and was ready to launch arrows.

Before I fired any arrows I took a second to admire how nice the rest looked on the Destroyer 350. The red Octane emblem and the triphammer really complimented the red twists in the bowstring. Like the saying goes if you dress for success you will be successful. The TripWire and Destroyer looked stunning together so there was little doubt in my mind that I would be producing stunning groups. A three arrow bullet hole paper tune reinforced this theory. I sighted my top pin in at 20 yards and it was time to focus on the rest in action.

The first thing that I noticed was how cool it was to draw back and let down with the launcher still in the up position. What a great concept. With the launcher "cocked" I noticed that it was marginally easier to draw back than if it were not. The only drawback, (no pun intended) was that the arrow shaft made quite a bit of noise as it slid back on the launcher. When using the cord to trigger the triphammer I noticed a substantial amount of noise as the launcher made contact with the launcher pad. While firing an arrow I didn't really notice this noise as much but knew that it was there. I was shooting fairly decently during this process and noticed that my groups were tighter than usual. I figured that this was caused by my confidence in the rest and the bow. I really enjoyed using the rest and it was evident in my shooting that night.

Noise was my one and only concern with the Octane TripWire. The noise created by the friction of the carbon shaft against the launcher could have easily been remedied via some felt or mole skin. The noise created by the launcher striking the launcher pad is excessive however and I am short on ideas as how to solve that problem. I appreciated this opportunity to test such a fine product.

I have had the opportunity to install and review your Octane TripWire rest on my 2006 BowTech Old Glory. Here are my results in regards to the following criteria. I currently use your Hostage rests and the Vaportrail Limbdriver drop-away rest on my bows, so I will reply to the criteria below in reference to these other rests.

1. Ease of set-up: Setup is fairly straight-forward and simple in regards to a standard drop-away rest. However, a bow press is needed in order to install the drop cord. If something were to happen to the rest in the field, it would be very difficult to fix on the spot. No press is needed to install or adjust my Hostage or Limbdriver rests. With the Limbdriver, if the cord were to break, a new cord could be installed easily in the field. Worst case scenario I could also shoot my arrows with the launcher arm in the "up" position. I tried this with the TripWire, and the launcher arm stays very rigid.

2. General Feeling: My general feeling is that this rest functions as well as most other drop-away rests when used as designed. However, I feel that if something adverse were to happen to the rest that the possibility of shooting would be slim until the issue was resolved. I also feel that there is a very high likelihood of moisture getting inside the trip mechanism and freezing, thereby rendering the rest non-functional. I didn't have the time to put this theory to the test, but it appears to me that this could be an issue.

3. Noise level: I have to be honest……I don't like the "clicks" that occur when the launcher arm drops. In the grand scheme of things at the launch of an arrow, it is not that big of deal. However, in the case of letting down, it is not a smooth transition.

4. Tunability: As far as tuning goes, there appears to be plenty of room for adjustability to meet the tuning requirements for just about any bow. I had no issues getting the rest tuned with my bow.

5. Overall accuracy: Overall accuracy was consistent with my Hostage and Limbdriver rests. I generally judge every piece of my equipment at 60 yards as my baseline for performance, and the TripWire rest performed as well as my others at this distance.

First of all, I am by no ways a skilled archer that shoots a 600 round. And I am not a 10 ring all the time 3-D shooter. I enjoy just shooting my bow for the relaxation from my job.

1) Ease of Setup.

Instructions are simple and straight forward. The Unit was easy to put together.

Mounting on to my 2007 BowTech Commander was easy. I had Ephrata Archery owner Paul Harting install and line up the rest using his laser center gauge. I wanted to make sure the rest was installed properly and the center line was correct. In about 10 minutes, I was shooting arrows off the rest.

For this part of the review, I would give the TripWire an A+.

2) General Feeling

The rest operated smoothly. I had no trouble shooting or turning the rest to the bow. Everything operated correctly like the TripWire says. The launcher came up when I pulled the string back and stayed up till I released the arrow or let down the launcher with the Triphammer. I did notice that if I pulled back in a hurry or jerked back the string, the arrow would pop out of the launcher. I have to smoothly draw back the arrow. Maybe to fix this would be a wider U shaped launcher. When I used aluminum arrows and drawled backed the arrow, I would get a scraping noise from the aluminum arrow over the launcher. Mole skin on the launcher would fix the problem and quiet the rest.

This is a well made rest for target and 3-D shooting. The fit and finish of the rest is top notch quality. It looks like it belongs on a BowTech bow. It gave the bow a high tech look.

3) Noise Level

This is where the rest does not shine. It is noisy! First when you pull back an aluminum arrow, it makes a scraping noise across the launcher. This can be fixed by putting mole skin on the bottom of the U shape launcher. The biggest noise is when the launcher is up and I wanted to let it down. When I touch the Triphammer it makes a loud noise. In the woods, that would be very loud on a cold winter day. I do not hear it when I shoot the bow and the launcher drops. By using the rest on my Commander I thought I would be able to hear the launcher dropping, but I did not. When hunting it would be best not to trip the Triphammer until you were getting down from your treestand.

4) Tunability

This rest was easy for me to turn once it was laser centered. All we had to do was make small adjustments and the rest tuned good enough for me. By using the laser center gauge and then an arrow level with a string level Paul had the rest set up straight and level. All I had to do was to make a couple of small adjustments on my scope; I was hitting the vertical and horizontal lines on the target I had set up at 20 yards. I like the minute adjustment feature which we were able to set the timing of the falling of the rest easy. I did do a paper turn and was shooting a little to the right, about 2 o'clock with my CXL 350. I then changed my field points to 100 grains and that fixed the problem. I am keeping an eye on my feathers and have not seen any signs of contact with them and the rest.

5) Overall Accuracy

The Octane TripWire rest really improved my target shooting score. My Wednesday night league score went from 549 to 566 out of a 600 round. With the help of adding some more weight to my field point and this rest, I am hitting my targets with more accuracy. The rest is putting the arrow were I aim, but now I have to improve my release. Now that this bow is set up correctly with this rest, I now have to catch up to it in the shooting department. I cannot wait for this summer, and the 3-D shoots. My score will improve because of this rest holding the arrow up longer. The accuracy of my bow has increased dramatically since I installed the TripWire, Thank you.

This rest is very well made and the accuracy is second to none in my opinion. For target, field shooting and 3-D this is the rest to use. For hunting it would be good but a hunter in a tree stand would have to be very careful of the Triphammer if they are to keep the launcher in the up position while they are waiting for that buck. Also the bow would have to be held in the upright position to keep the arrow in the launcher if they sit with an arrow in the rest at all times.

You have made a top notch arrow rest and have made my 2007 BowTech Commander even better in the accuracy department Thank you Octane. It was made for my bow.

After mounting the rest and attempted tuning the following are my thoughts on the rest...

First I mounted the rest on a 2010 monster 7. After mounting the rest and getting it close by eyeballing it, I proceeded to paper tune the bow. The first shot was tailing right so I started to adjust windage but the windage screw was already bumped against the rest. SO I had to remove the screw and move it to the next hole to get the proper adjustment. So now we are shooting bullet holes, but the next noticeable thing is how loud the rest is and that it is slapping the shelf. So I adjusted the elevation of the rest to get the launcher up off of the shelf, but there is no way to adjust the launchers max height back to the Berger hole when it was in the upright position. So my next step was to pull the rest back far enough to get the launcher off of the shelf. This did make it some quieter, but I don't think you should have to pull the launcher off of the riser to avoid contact.

I mounted the rest next on my PSE Omen and that flat out did not work... Brace height was too short to avoid cable/rest contact.

Mounted it on my Athens 34 and had basically the same outcome that I had on the monster. I do not have access to a high speed camera, but the video on the web does show the rest bouncing back up at the shot. Has there been any change to a "lockdown" model??

My evaluation and thoughts on the rest are as follows.

Taking the rest out of the package, I thought the rest LOOKED good. I noticed a similarity to the Athens Omega as far as mounting, windage, and elevation adjustments. I think that the slot for windage adj. is to short! 2 out of 3 of the bows that I mounted the rest on I had to take the screw out and put it in a different hole to get proper adjustment. Make the slot LONGER

Next is the elevation. I personally don't care for the launcher slapping off of the shelf. There needs to be a way to adj the launcher off of the shelf in the down position and then being able to adj. the launcher back to level with the Berger hole in the up position. I did find that pulling the rest back so that the launcher is behind the shelf did make the rest quieter.

Lastly is the ability to accidentally bump the rest and "trip it" when it is in the up position. Did not care for that At all!!

I might use the rest as is for target shooting, but would NOT use the rest as is for a hunting rest. Noise, lack of adjustment, and sensitivity to bumping and tripping the rest are the reasons for me personally not wanting the rest on a hunting bow... On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being best rating, I would give the rest a 4 overall...

First off I wanted to say thank you for choosing me to be one of the few to test the new Octane TripWire. I really enjoyed this rest and being able to try it out on my bow and my buddies. I set it up on a Mathews Switchback which is 60 pounds with a 28.5" draw length and a Parker Trailblazer XP which is 70 pounds and a 29" draw length.

Ease of set-up: I found this rest to be very easy to set-up. All of the adjustments were very ease to move to make the rest perfect.

General Feeling: I really like how the rest was all made of metal. This, I believe, makes the rest stronger. Not having to worry about any plastic pieces failing will also give the buyer the peace of mind that he/she will have a rest that will not fail them in any situation.

Noise Level: I did not experience any noise with the rest. I thought it was very quiet. I also like the fact that there was an included pad with the rest. This will prevent anyone from having to buy one just in case they feel they need to.

Tunability: This is where I feel this rest stood out from many of the competitors. I really liked how all of the marks on the rest are easy to see. The rest did not move at all when it was set into place. The adjustments could all be made with one size Allen wrench which is good in case of a field adjustment. I found that the instructions were perfect for setting them up. I had my buddy set the rest up on his bow. He has never set up a drop-away rest before.

Overall Accuracy: I never had a problem with the rest coming into contact with any of fletching. The rest stayed up a long time and always dropped out of the way with about 5" of arrow left.

Suggested Improvements: I would have liked the rest to have a locked position on it. This would be good for hunters who cannot always draw a bow straight back and are sometimes in an awkward position when drawing on an animal.

In conclusion, thank you again for picking me to test this rest for you. I really enjoyed the rest and it will be on my bow for a long time. I really believe that this is one, if not the best drop-away arrow rest on the market today.

Let me just start by saying "Thank you" for this opportunity. All of the information I am going to submit is based on a non-biased opinion. I will start with the pros, the initial set up was quite easy, and directions were simple to follow. I was getting great tears through paper in less than ten shots. Being somewhat familiar with the older style launcher I would say this new launcher is a much better fit for this rest, especially since it does not rise to a complete vertical position. With that said a deeper cradle was a plus. Cosmetically this is good looking rest, top of the line components help sell items in a pro shop/box store, and good marketing strategies which you all practice. I am really impressed with the speed at which this rest trips, most drop-aways I have shot there have been some clearance issues with Blazer vanes. I have had no contact what so ever with the TripWire. I also like that this rest will now stay up during slow let-down, that is a must for hunters. Now for the cons, one thing that I think must be addressed is the noise. I have tried many different approaches at quieting this rest and have failed. The noise from my particular rest is not from hitting the shelf, but from the start of the fall, that initial surge when it is tripped. Another concern is the ease of pre-cocking; you need two hands to complete this task. There are some competitors rests that pre-cock with a push of the thumb, that would be something worth incorporating in any future changes made to the TripWire. I also believe that you could appeal to a broader range of consumers if you offered this rest in different color combinations or camo. I know this is based on personal preference but the looks of the black and red on my Diamond Marquis is not what I would purchase. I don't know how much manpower or technology is involved in the production of the TripWire, but it is definitely priced as a high-end rest. Your average Joe might not be willing to spend this much money. Overall I would rate this rest a 7 out of 10.I hope this review has helped in some way, shape, or form. Octane, I believe has a solid place at the table but in a downed economy some mid-range priced accessories would be a plus. Thank you once again for letting me share my opinion.

The TripWire rest has worked excellent on both my Elite as well as on my Switchback. The set up was a breeze; it was easy to get dialed in. It was set up and shooting great in about 20 minutes. The rest is very accurate, no issues with my CX 350 hunters or my Easton ACC 340's. It falls away perfect no fletching contact what so ever, it falls fast. The only issue I came across was the noise of the launcher slapping against the rubber glued on the riser, but some soft fleece helped out dramatically with that. The only other thing I would suggest is some sort of a containment system. I now that is not what everyone is going for, but it is a nice feature. I can say that it is one of the best rests I have shot as far as setup and accuracy. There's nothing that would keep me from suggesting it to friends, family and fellow hunters. Thanks again for the opportunity to try the TripWire; I wish more companies would use this technique for research and development. I feel honored that I was chosen to the TripWire and pass on my opinions.

I received a Trip Wire drop away rest from you do conduct a review of this rest. I was able to test this rest on a 2010 PSE AXE6 and a 2010 PSE Vendetta XS. I would like to thank you for this opportunity to test your product. I would gladly assist you with any future products as well. My review is as follows:

GENERAL FEELING

As soon as I looked at the rest in the package I observed the packaging to be very appealing to the eye which is usually a good selling point. I removed the rest from the package and found the instructions and all the parts to be there. The instructions were very easy to follow and understand. I felt the rest was well built and again appealing to the eye. I really like the fact that this rest can be let down without dropping the launcher. I also really like that this rest can be cocked up prior to drawing the bow. I found this rest to hold up very well. I liked the material that the launcher was made out of. It seems like it would hold up very well over time.

SET UP

The rest bolted onto the bow very easily. The first problem I ran into was I was putting this rest onto a 6" brace height bow with only one Berger hole. This caused the rest to stick back to far and almost contact the cables. I continued with the set up anyway. I felt the way the cord went into the red hammer so to speak was a great system. I was able to tie in the cord and not worry about making it too long or too short since it could be adjusted at the rest. I liked the fact that the cord does not pull hard on the cable so it would not cause any timing issues. Following the instructions for set up where again easy to follow and I had the rest set up quickly. I placed the older style launcher on first followed by the newer wider launcher. The wider launcher is a big improvement over the smaller one.

TUNING

Tuning the rest as per the instructions was an easy task. I liked that there was the option to fine tune this rest to fall sooner or later in the shot cycle. I was able to get the rest tuned and to shoot bullet holes through paper. Again I found the newer launcher to hold the arrow a lot better during the draw which I tested by drawing the bow back several times in a row. This caused the arrow to fall off the older launcher after a few times drawing the bow. I did run into a problem with the cables striking the back of the rest on the shot because the rest sat back too far for a short brace bow. I also set it up on a bow with a larger brace height and this was no longer a problem.

NOISE LEVEL

I ran into a problem with the noise of the rest. It seemed to have a rattling sound to it when I would tap against the side of the bow. It sounded like something was loose inside the rest. I believe I found it to be the red cocking hammer would rattle back and forth. The launcher also was pretty loud when hitting the bow shelf but I believe that was due to the fact that the bows I tried it on would not allow me to set it up so the launcher would fall flat with the shelf but on an angle. L also found putting the rubber pad on the shelf helped with this noise.

ACCURACY

I found this rest to be as accurate as many other drop away rests that I have tried. I was able to get it tuned to where I had no vane contact using 2" Blazer vanes.

Here is my review of the Octane TripWire arrow rest. Rest arrived in perfect condition, and had all parts present except the set screw for locking down the rest. Directions were straight forward and easy to follow. Some more detailed info on the fine adjustment for timing would be great. I.e. how much to turn the adjustment screw 1/4 or 1/2 turns?

Set-up was simple and straight forward. This was the first rest I installed by myself and I had no issues. I eyeballed it up and went out to fling arrows. I walk back tuned it and was good to go. Plenty of adjustment in this rest, although it would be nice if the fine adjustment markings were numbered for reference.

I love how you have attached the cord to this rest, it couldn't be simpler to adjust or replace. The launcher is nice and deep, yet not too wide like the Limbdriver. I have not installed the rubber shelf arrow holder yet as I haven't needed it. The launcher is noisy when drawing the bow. Up or down it doesn't matter, I have not tried anything to help silence it. Overall noise I noticed no difference from my Ripcord.

This is a very accurate rest. My scores have increased since installing this rest. In fact I shot my best score ever with the TripWire. I've attached a picture of a tubed arrow. I thought I could shoot groups at thirty yards. I guess not.

In closing I am very happy with this rest. Accuracy is above expectation. I thought I would miss the full containment but I haven't. I will be keeping this rest on for the foreseeable future.

Overview:

It seems the TripWire is marketed to the Hunter although I feel it could be a capable 3D rest as well or even indoor. I like the concept of having little to no interference with the buss cable as well shooting it cocked or not.

Set-up:

It wasn't hard to do. The instructions seemed pretty good. I like the idea that it set's its timing then you simply adjust the set screw.

The instructions lacked information on the timing screw located at the bottom side of the rest. This was crucial for me because I was getting a low tear and could not seem to correct it until Jamie Coleman showed me that adjustment... Had I not known about that adjustment I probably would have been frustrated with the TripWire. A slight twist on the screw kept the rest up longer making tuning allot easier. The instructions talk about the small screw located in the red striker but I did not mess with that.

Fit and Finish:

Very nice appearance overall however my rest had an issue with the (3) threaded mounting holes that needed to have a tap ran to make them work. Granted you gave me the rest but as a consumer just spending $100.00 on it I think they might be upset. (Maybe mine was a demo prior?) Otherwise the product presented well.

Observations/ Suggestions:

The new launcher is a big improvement with the bigger size. I have added some sticky felt to the black plastic prongs and I like it even better . Not sure why it just draws nicer and I think adds a bit more quietness to the prongs landing on the riser shelf. I'd like to see a few choices of launchers. Spring Steel with the black plastic prongs (I feel like some the flex adds forgiveness like the Limbdriver or a lizard tongue) for hunting the new launcher is a great improvement over last years.

The shelf pad is nice but the holder wings need to be a bit higher especially for hunting, actually I'm using the NAP version with my TW with much better results.

I have the TripWire on my new Destroyer 340 and I am very happy with the set up. It tuned easy (again keeping the same settings with the bottom screw that I used on the tester Mamba I had) It shoots great so far. Bare shaft hitting fletched groups at 20 yards and Softball size groups at 70.

I hope I gave you some good information, I really do like the rest but I may not have tried it had it not been for this opportunity mostly because I didn't understand the concept as a consumer. I thought it was just like most other drop-aways using the down buss with full pressure. I'm not sure how you would get that across better to the buying public or maybe I'm just dense.

The new Octane TripWire arrow rest is an improvement over the previous models. One very noticeable improvement is the redesigned launcher arm. Previous models had a shallow V for the arrow to rest on and at times the arrow would jump off the launcher during the draw cycle. The deeper V of the new launcher arm eliminates this issue.

Installation of the TripWire rest is a simple and quick procedure. The installation instructions provided are very easy to follow. With one exception, the installation instructions followed word for word will facilitate ease of installation. During installation of the TripWire on my PSE Mossy Oak X, I modified the installation of the cord instructions to make it easier to install without the use of a bow press. Take the cord and tie it to the downward cable in the same manner as a D-loop is tied on. Tie the knot tight enough that it will still move if needed and draw back the bow. Once the cord is in the proper location tighten the knot and serve in place above and below the knot. This also allows for easier adjustment to the cord timing without having to unscrew the set screw holding the cord to the trigger and risking stripping it out.

Thanks in part to the pre-marked reference lines for elevation and windage, rest center shot and height are a breeze to setup. The marks allow for precise minute adjustments to both elevation and center shot without requiring a lot of guess work.

Range testing reveals that paper tuning adjustments are easily accomplished with the aid of the pre-marked reference lines. Having those lines assists in making the required small adjustments sometimes required in paper tuning a bow. Having the ability to draw and let down is a benefit greatly appreciated in this rest. More so in a hunting application than a target application, this feature allows the archer to preload the rest while on stand, thus eliminating much movement when drawing down on a wary Pope and Young buck.

A disadvantage discovered during testing, is that in a hunting application this rest is quite noisy during both draw cycle and firing of the bow. Upon drawing there is an audible click when the trigger sets. The audible click is again heard during firing as the rest drops out of the way. The click during draw can be eliminated by preloading the rest before hand while on the stand. I'd say some type of redesign is needed to quiet the rest down during the firing cycle. In the quiet depths of the woods, this noise sounds like a firecracker going off. Any wary buck within 50 yds will be able to hear it.

Overall the TripWire rest is an excellent rest. It is easy to install and simple to adjust for tuning. Of the arrow rests on the market that are able to be locked in the up position the TripWire is the leader in this area. Most arrow rests that lock in the up position do not work well with the super fast bows on the market. The TripWire design has overcome this problem and will be an excellent rest for today's superfast bows.

I tested the TripWire rest on my 2010 Strother "Vanquish." It was set at 64lbs. and 29" draw length. The specs are as followed: 31 3/16" Axle to Axle and 7 11/16" Brace Height, IBO 333fps. Arrows used were Carbon Express Maxis 350 Black Shaft, 398gr. And Aluminum Easton Game Getters #2117, 500gr. Tested indoors and outdoors.

o General Feeling: The rest is build strong and tough. The appearance is top quality. The new titanium launcher looked outstanding. The quality and precision is above any other rest I have seen or used. I normally use either the Limb Driver or QAD HD rest.

o Ease of Set-Up: Set-up was a breeze and any archer from beginner and up will have no problems, unless they cannot read. The instructions included are very helpful and easy to follow. I like that there is a diagram with numbers describing the components of the rest.

"I leveled by bow in a vise and then mounted the mounting bracket, using a level. After securing the mounting bracket I then loosely mounted the arm and launcher assembly. With the rest in the down position I adjusted the height needed, so that the launcher would slightly contact the shelf pad on the shot. I then positioned the launcher in the up position and centered the arrow and set the nock height. I then tied my nocks and checked all settings, tightening all the rest mounting screws (3). I then pressed the bow and burnt one end of the cord, then tying it into the down cable at a 45 degree angle, verified by an angle gauge. I then loosened the set screw to the point that the cord would cock the triphammer, but still allow the cord to slide. I then drew the bow, setting the timing and then tightened the set screws. I then adjusted the timing screw so that when tapping the rest it would not fall. When I got the rest a slight bump would set it off."

o Tunability: Tuning this rest was very easy. The Allen screws to move the rest either vertical or horizontal for paper tuning are very easy to get to and use. I had this rest shooting bullet holes in minutes.

o Overall Accuracy: I had zero accuracy issues with the TripWire rest. I tested with 3" and 4" Duravanes. Clearance issue with the launcher was not an issue.

o Noise Level: This was my first concern. When I initially set the rest up there was noise from the arrow contacting the launcher, while drawing back with both arrows tested. I tried felt and heat shrink over the launcher, with no success. I then removed the launcher and filed it down slightly with a very fine file. I then dipped the launcher and put a very thin coat of liquid rubber, which was softer. This seemed to remedy the noise and the rest still performed flawlessly. There was zero noise that I can hear on the shot. I tested indoors and outdoors.

Conclusion: Over all I am very satisfied with the TripWire rest. The setup and tunability is easy and it is build very well. The shelf pad is nice and the rest has no noise on the shot that I can hear. The noise issue on draw back I corrected. The only down fall for me is when letting down without shooting the arrow comes out of the rest.

This rest will be staying on my bow and I will continue to adjust and test the functions of this rest. I was hoping to be able to also test it on my 2010 Strother (SR-71, IBO 353fps.) I have on order, but it has not arrived. But, when it does I'll see how it does on a speed bow.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to test your product. I can see by the quality of the product that any problems or concerns will be addressed and I can't wait for it to happen.

o Ease of set-up: The trip wire was very easy to setup on my bow. I have a 2010 Mission Eliminator II 55# 27.5dl shooting Easton Epic 400 n fused cut to 28 inches. The only problem I encountered is that the string from the rest needs to be served into the string on the down cable. I do not own a bow press and was not able to do this. Luckily my local archery shop had a screw type clamp that attached the wire to the down string for me. This worked out well. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the easiest to setup id rate this a 9 only taking 1 point away for needing a bow press to serve the string in.

o General Feeling: The general feeling of the rest is that it is made well and that it will hold up to a lot of abuse. It's made solid and felt real sturdy on the bow and off. Overall I liked the feeling of this rest.

o Noise level: The rest was surprisingly quiet! I had my dad alongside me at the archery range and at every shot I made him listen at different spots to make sure it wasn't making any noise, and it wasn't! Two thumbs up here I thought I was going to have to tweak a few things in this category but didn't have to touch a thing.

o Tunability: The tunability was very easy, I put the rest on the bow and it was immediately shooting bullet holes when I paper tuned it. The only thing I had to tweak was the let down so when I let my bow down without firing the rest would not let down. This took a little bit of tweaking but finally got it where I wanted it. As for tunability this thing is great two thumbs up!

o Overall accuracy: The overall accuracy of this rest was great. Just had to tweak my pins a bit and I was rocking it. I actually shot a few X's at the range at 20 yards. Being new to compound archery this really surprised me and was very happy with the way this rest worked!

Ease of Setup: I am not a tech type. Nor do I have a bow press. I do however have enough knowledge and tools to set up a basic rest. I had the TripWire mounted and shooting in a matter of minutes.

General Feeling: I'm not sure what this means. But the feeling I got was that the rest is solid. Very well made.

Noise Level: I was alarmed by the noise at first. Even with the rubber on the shelf I thought the rest was loud. I shoot a Hostage Pro so noise is not something that I am used to from a rest. Which could be the explanation for the noise. I moved it so it did not contact the shelf and there was still a bit of noise internally in the rest.

Tunability: I played with the position of the rest and the position of the drop cord. I did not have to tune the drop timing. I thought that was perfect the way it was. Overall, it was very easy to tune and shooting very good with minimal to no tuning. There was no fletching contact at all.

Overall Accuracy: I found the accuracy to be very good. I thought it was a big improvement over the Hostage Pro. Or at least I shot it better.

I thought the setup was easy. I really like the two set screws for setting up the rope, awesome! After I got that done I installed the shelf pad, another awesome products, a lot of people who saw the pad want one. Eye balled everything and headed out to the backyard to do some paper tuning. 5 shots and the fatboys were shooting a bullet hole at 3 feet. I checked 6ft, 10 yards and then 20 yards, perfect. Then I got out the hunting arrows (xt hunters) 3 slight moves and perfect again. The only negative thing I see is that there is a little noise with the shot, when the hammer hits. With that said I think the only other improvement would be to shorten up the bar a little to make it easier to tie in and maybe even make it a micro adjust.

The ease of setup was perfect. It mounted easily and took very little time to get it installed on the bow, cord set, tightened and ready to shoot an arrow. When I first took it out of the box I took my time to look it over and see how the rest worked before mounting it on my bow. It looked simple and solid where I have no concerns about it wearing out over time. One thing that did trigger my interest was when snapping forward there was some noise so I was definitely interested in how this would actually show up while shooting. But overall I liked the design. So now it comes time to shoot. Drawing the bow, the rest operates as it should but the arrow makes a small "squeal" when moving across the prongs for that short distance. I found the same issue when letting the bow down. I definitely liked the fact that your rest stayed in the up position when letting the bow down, its one thing I don't like about the G5 Expert II that I originally bought with my bow. But my arrow would make a noise rubbing against the prongs. This was a big downfall for me. I am not a fan of adding felt to things so I'd rather it just be sound dampening when I buy it to begin with. So after shooting a couple dozen arrows to get used to the operation and dialing in my field point, I decided I'd try to broadhead tune it. From the first shot my arrows were only 1" or so to the left. A few small adjustments and everything was tuned. The rest tuned like a dream. I don't have the ability to papertune, but for hunting purposes out to 40yds tuning was simple and enough for me with the broadhead.

Overall I really liked the rest. My biggest downfall is the noise. I know the shelf arrow holder helps eliminate the noise by the drop of the prongs, but the arrow moving across metal just makes too much noise and the part that moves the prongs up and down slamming back and forth is a little loud also. It would be perfect for target or 3-d but as a sole hunter I'd rather see something quieter, which was my only complaint really.

This is an awesome rest! It was very easy to set up and tune. I really liked the way the rest looked on my bow. The "full containment" style of the forks was great for hunting practice. The way the rest doesn't drop on a letdown was awesome! It locks into place and stays there until you fire your bow. It guided the arrow throughout the shot and that made attaining accuracy very easy. When this rest drops away it doesn't "bounce back" like some rests. It goes down and stays there! If there was one thing id change about the rest it'd be that the forks would come to a more vertical position when the bow is at full draw. But that's it. All in all this is the best rest I have shot and it is staying on my bow and replacing my QAD as my go-to rest. Thank you for the opportunity to try this product and I hope I can be of service in the future!

Appearance: The first thing that I noticed about this rest was the solid craftsmanship, by far the best "looking" rest that I have ever put on a bow.

Setup: Setting this bow up was very simple and not complex at all, within 15 minutes I had everything centered and installed. However, one of the button head screws had an unusual drive size and I did not have an Allen wrench anywhere that would fit it, very annoying.

Noise Level: I really liked the fact that I can put the launcher in the upright position before the shot that makes me feel much more comfortable in hunting situations. However, I wish that the rest would have came with some type of felt or silencing material for the prong because drawing was extremely noisy for hunting, for 3D this would not be an issue. I did not notice any type of noise during the shot, very satisfied at the lack of noise at the drop of the rest.

Tunability: I had no problems tuning this rest; actually it is the easiest drop-away that I have ever dealt with, no vane clearance issues at all.

Overall accuracy: This rest will shoot as good as the shooter, no problems at all with accuracy.

Overall I would give it an 8.5 out of 10, I will be trying it on a couple of more bows, if you would like more feedback I would be more than happy to send it your way. Thanks, and if you are satisfied with my review please keep me in mind for future testing.

The fit and finish of the Trip Wire is great. Assembly and installation is no problem even for a somewhat novice like myself. The adjustability of the rest when trying to tune it was easy and anyone could fine tune this rest. The one thing I did not like is I could not raise the rest before drawing the bow and leave it up (I do use this feature on the ripcord rest that I have) I do like the fact that the Trip Wire arrow holder (not sure of the proper name) is wider that the one on the ripcord. The Trip wire also seemed faster than the ripcord (I had no way to time it but it did seem faster). To summarize The Trip Wire is a very effective drop away rest that is without a doubt the best looking rest on the market. I will recommend this rest to others without hesitation. I do hope that in the future you will consider manufacturing a target style prong or blade rest.

Pros:
· Very appealing look
· Lighter and less bulky than my DropZones or Limbdriver
· The design/concept of having the rest stay up after letting down and the inertial release mechanism is great!
· Super easy to install (as compared to both the DropZone and Limbdriver rests I have)
· Super easy to tune
· quiet during the shot
· clear instructions (but see below)

Continuous improvement issues:
· I had a chance to shoot the TripWire on my Marquis for a couple of days with the "Y" shaped launcher before Chris sent me a new "U" shaped one. NO WAY would any hunter ever buy that rest with the "Y" shaped launcher. I know BT fixed it quickly, but I hope not too many people were negatively impressed before the change was made.
· I don't think the rest came with a set screw. If it did, it fell out of the package and I didn't see it. Also, the instructions do not mention anything about using set screws. I personally don't like to use set screws as they mar the riser. I wish the slot on the TripWire slot was a tiny bit longer so that I could put Allen head bolts in both Berger holes, thereby obviating the need for a set screw. (like the DZ's slot). The TripWire's slot is a tiny, tiny bit too narrow to do this. As it is with one bolt, the rest is easily "rotated" around that bolt even when that bolt is snugged down. I don't think the In-Velvet finish on my BT's helps that situation either as it is a bit slicker than most finishes (which I really like by-the-way!)
· I ended up buying a set screw in to hold the rest in place as like I said, it easily rotates out of tune with only one bolt holding it onto the riser. The set screw went in 1/8" or so and stuck! There must have been some machine filings or something in there, but I had to drill out the set screw! No big deal, but I will be much more careful next time!
· While the rest is quiet on the shot with the pad in place, I've noticed that the arrows still "click" on the launcher during the draw. Even after installing some moleskin on the new "U" launcher, when I draw back, the arrow moves around a bit and "ticks" on the bottom of the rest (where I did NOT put any moleskin). In most situations while hunting, the rest will be in the "cocked" position and this won't be too much of an issue, but why not coat the launcher with a thin material that would silence it completely instead of having the buyer have to put moleskin all over the launcher to silence it?
· It would be nice if the rest had a little "cocking bar" on the left side where the shooter could reach up and cock the rest up while the bow is in shooting position. As designed, you have to grab/pull the cocking string to do this, which is a bit awkward.
· I wish that the "u" shaped rubber pad on the arrow shelf was a tiny bit taller to better hold the arrow in place. I realize that fletching clearance is paramount, but I don't think it would be too much of an issue for another millimeter or so of height which would help keep the arrow in position better while hunting.

Last night I was hunting with my Captain. When I hunt, I often like to lay my bow in my lap rather than on a bowhanger in the tree. The reason for this is that as I get older, it becomes more difficult for me to twist around and quietly remove my bow when it's hanging on a hanger on the trunk of the tree. In my lap I can easily and quietly lift the bow, with a nocked arrow in place, up and into shooting position.

Because of the way the fork in the launcher is designed, the arrow easily slips out of the fork and onto the shelf when I ease the bow down horizontally into my lap. However, as I did this last night, it dawned on me that if the launcher had just a tiny "bump" built into the ends (see the crosshatched area on my illustrative masterpiece drawing), the arrow would slide down to the bump and stop unless it went way beyond horizontal, which it shouldn't normally do sitting in someone's lap.

I don't think these little bumps would interfere at all with the falling of the launcher and subsequent clearance of the arrow shaft.

Just a thought, but I think it would help keep that arrow in position until the "moment of truth"!

When I received the Octane TripWire I was very impressed with the machining of the rest. After installing the rest on my 2009 Mathews Drenalin not only was it extremely easy to setup but paper tuned extremely well in 3 shots. Bow has been shot thousands of times in indoor shooting, and outdoor 3d tournaments. The only downsides of this rest are as follows: the rubber pad pulls the labels off my arrows, and a slight ping noise when the rest falls. On short brace height bows this rest will not work very good if at all due to it sitting so far back off the riser. I have recommended this rest to quite a few guys and even they agree it's a great product. I had my bow serviced at Carter's Archery (Crackers) to have new strings installed and he was impressed with the new launcher and tweaked the rest to an even better setting and faster dropping. Compared to my NAP quicktune rest that I previously had...this Octane TripWire blows it out of the water. The ability to hold the arrow in position after let down is a must in a hunting situation and this rest has it. The launcher still shows ZERO wear after thousands of shots. THE BEST ARROW REST THAT I HAVE EVER OWNED...My indoor scores were 299-298, and placed in 1st or 2nd in the last 6 of the local 3d tournaments. Thank you Octane for the opportunity. Let me know if there's anything else I can do.

likes:
mostly easy to set up, simple to put together, quiet on the shot, fast release, really nice and a great product!

dislikes:
it was a little bit of a pain to tune, and get the centershot right on. One thing i would recomend is a set screw, there seems to be a hole where one can be put, but no actual screw, also, though it is not necessary, it would be really nice if it was a full containment rest, similar to the QAD ultrarest. this is not a big deal, just would be convenient to hunters like myself. Another thing, it would be nice to have some sort of silencing material on the launcher itself, to eliminate noise on the draw.

overall:
i absolutley love the rest! i would definatley continue to use this rest in the future, and reccomend it to other people. i would like to thank the folks at Bowtech for offering this opprotunity to me. i enjoy using your products and will continue to use them in the future. thank you once again,

Initial Impressions:
The quality of the rest is apparent as soon as you take it out of the box. It seems to be solid, no loose parts or rattles when you shake it. It has some weight to it, and I like that. I don't want my drop away to feel like it's made from crepe paper and bubble gum. The overall fit and finish of the rest is outstanding. That quality carries over into the appearance of the rest. I'm a person who not only obsesses over bow tuning, but bow appearance as well. This a smooth looking rest.

Installation:
I will be testing the rest on a 2009 Bowtech 82nd Airborne. I spend a lot of time tinkering with bows and I usually just discard the directions and go it on my own. For the purpose of this test I will be installing the rest by following the included step-by-step instructions. The installation was very simple. I think even a novice could do it with the proper tools. Timing the rest via the included directions was fast and easy. Just for the sake of comparison, I installed the rest with the cord served as far down as possible using the entire cord and I tried it with the shortest possible amount of cord. The rest timed and performed flawlessly both ways.

Tuning:
I timed the rest according to the instructions that came with it. After it was all set up I grabbed a random fletched arrow and shot it through the paper tuning rack. I had to make one small move left to right and it shot a bullet hole. No fletching contact at all. That was a pleasant surprise, sometimes you have to spend a bit of time fighting even the best drop-away rests to get rid of fletching contact. Not this one.

Range Time:
After the set up it was time to see how the rest performed at a bit longer distance. The first group I shot with the rest from 20 yards cost me a fletching. The second group cost me a knock. I backed up to some longer distances and the rest continued to operate flawlessly. I would say the rest was more accurate than the shooter.

Torture Test:
The rest dropped every time I fired the bow, and stayed up every time I drew and let down. I wanted to test it and find what might happen if it didn't. The worst case scenario for a hunter is to climb into the tree and discover that your drop-away cord has slipped, or been tugged out of place. I locked the rest in the up position and removed the cord. I took a shot at 20 yards. The rest was a little louder, but it dropped and the arrow still hit its mark. I had the same result from 30 yards. There was no damage to the rest, and it still performed flawlessly when I hooked the cord back up and re-timed it.

Summary:
I'm one of those people who enjoy tinkering with bows and accessories. In the last year, I've probably tried a half-dozen different drop-away rests just to see if I like their performance. After each one I've went back to the same rest. This is the rest that could change that. It is easy to set up, built like a tank, performs flawlessly, and works in less than ideal conditions. If there is one downside to this rest, it does make a bit of a "click" or "thunk" when it drops. However, it is by no means the noisiest rest out there. In fact, it is quieter than many of the other rests that I've tried. I think it's important to use some dampening material and ensure that the launcher is not slapping the shelf.
The local archery shop that I frequent has always stocked this rest. After watching me set it up and shoot it, they now have an empty spot on the shelf because they're sold out. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this rest to anyone in the market for a new drop-away. Thanks to Bowtech and Octane for the opportunity to test the Octane TripWire Rest.