The Great American Shoot-off: String Material Week
- Julie Bergen
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Can archers really tell the difference between string materials? That's what Diane Cochran set out to determine when she contacted me proposing this testing late in 2024. For those who don't know her, Diane ranked first in her barebow category last year and just made the 2025 U.S. Archery Team, so she knows how to shoot. Being that all of her knowledge of strings was from a few online videos and word of mouth, she wanted to find out for herself what worked best for her in a more scientific way.
Questions posed:
Can I really tell a difference between materials, if I don’t know what they are?
Would different materials actually give me appreciably different scores?
Can (or should) I ditch certain materials just because I don't like the colors?
Planning the test
After a bit of discussion, we agreed to focus on string materials for this test. I built her 6 strings that were identical in every way, except for the string material. All strings had the same:
Center serving (material, length, position, and nock fit)
End serving (material & length)
Finished outer diameter (as close as was possible)
The weights could not be the same as they were different materials being testing, but all were within 11 grains.
All strings were tested on her 25" W&W ATF-DX (left-handed) with Uukha SX+ medium limbs pulling 40 lbs and using Beiter no. 1 nocks.
Testing procedure
Diane was very meticulous about this testing. She described to me how she very carefully removed each string from the bag while only touching the serving so she would not be influenced by the feel of the string material. For each string she:
Shoot 310 arrows over a 3-day period to break them in
Re-tuned for each string
Shot 4 Vegas 300 rounds with each
Evaluation
For each she evaluated:
Creep (elongation until she got to a consistent brace height)
Arrow speed (with no crawl)
Average score (of 4 Vegas 300 rounds)
Draw feel
Release sound
Perceived speed
Follow-through
General notes
In addition to these I also evaluated the following from the string build of each:
Mass weight
Fiber
Outer diameter
May the odds be ever in your favor!
And with that the testing began. She sent me details as she was evaluating each material. I had a pdf key for what each material was sitting on my desktop and each time she commented on a string, I had to go back and check which one it actually was for context. I considered printing and and including it an a sealed envelope with the strings like a game of Clue, but I didn't want it to be too tempting. Mutual friends who knew what we were doing kept asking for hints, which they did not get. We didn't want to ruin the test!
The BIG reveal
Diane needed to know which string was which the second she finished her last scoring round! So here are the materials included in the test:
* Bloodline fibers originally made Glory Pro with a Z twist (built into each individual strand). In mid-2024 they switched twist direction to an S twist. Since I still had both versions I wanted to see if an archer could tell the difference. So it was included in the test.
Analytics
Here are how the strings materials stacked up against each other.
It's interesting that 4 of the 6 strings tested are actually made up of the same fiber, which is SK75 Dyneema®. While being the same fiber, they definitely performed differently! Here's how they differ:
Size: D97 is the largest, followed by 8125, and Glory Pro. Both Glory Pro materials are the same size.
Coating: D97 and 8125 are waxed materials while Glory Pro (both version) have a wax-free coating.
Impressions
Here are Diane's characterizations and notes about each material from her testing:
8125 “less forgiving” “have to be perfect to get good scores” “X count is low” "had a tough time getting this string to tune out well" | 652 “super soft” “less forgiving” “marginally better score” “never hit som many 10’s in my life” |
D97 “feels like shredded coke bottles spun to make a string” “feels absolutely terrible to shoot” “I don’t like this string" “very unforgiving” | Glory Pro Z “lots of vibration on strong shots” “have to set the string against me after I follow through" |
Glory Pro S “feels like a goldilocks material” “would probably recommend this to others" “shoots fast, feels middle of the road and minimal creep during shooting” “crawl deeper than others” | ASB Majesty Pro “normal feeling string” “some vibration on release with strong shots, but not too bad” "shot my highest score of 277 with it" |
Results
Here are the results in Diane's own words.
Overall winner: Glory Pro (S twist)
"It felt good and crisp to draw, with a little give, and normal to soft on the follow through. The speed of the string felt fast, which held up under the chronograph but without a lot of the feel that faster strings had. Along with some great scoring rounds, it’s hard to have anything to complain about. If I had testing this string before nationals, I probably would have brought it."
Overall runner up: ASB Majesty Pro
"Felt a lot like [Glory Pro S], but a bit slower and with a bit more vibration on release. All in all a solid choice, and I shot my highest score of 277 with it. In a lot of ways, it could be a toss-up between this string and [Glory Pro S] for which I might choose."
Honorable mention (for feel): 652 Spectra
"If I only cared about how it felt, this would be the choice. It felt so smooth and hitting the center always feels great. However, with how much creep I experienced with it, I’d never accept a string with it as a backup, or one given to me if my string broke at a tournament."
Worst (by far): D97
"I was immediately glad that we decided to try this little experiment out, mostly because the moment I shot it, I hated everything about this string. It might have been from how soft the prior string was, but I set this one up, took my first shot and yelled out, and I quote “this feels like someone shredded Coke bottles to make a string and gave it to me.” It felt fast, but also stiff and with no give during the draw."
Wrap-up
I'm glad Diane was able to do this test and learn for herself what works well for her and what doesn't. She no longer needs to rely on the internet or the opinions of others to be confident in her material choice.
Beyond that, I'm thrilled she prefers a material I can continue to get her! The Glory Pro Z twist is no longer made since the manufacturer changed how all their materials to an S twist in 2024 and the ASB Majesty Pro is almost impossible to get at this point. I knew about the former going into this test, but the availability of Angel materials has changed since we began our testing. I promise I was not trying to set her up for disappointment!
It should be noted that these are just Diane's opinions, impressions, and data points. If you love a string material she hated, it could still be right for you as we are all different and shoot differently. I hope this will inspire others to do the testing for themselves so they know for sure. It is a time commitment, but I'm sure Diane would agree it's worth it!