The feature of a compound bow that makes it unique compared to other types of bows such as longbows and recurve bows is the cam. The cams or wheels are found at the end of each limb. When the bow is drawn, cables slotted into the wheels start to move and when the draw reaches halfway the cams take over and the bow is suddenly much easier to draw. It is also lighter to hold at full draw than it otherwise would be.

Virtually every bow manufacturer uses their own cam technology, sort of like their secret sauce that gives their bows the edge over their competitors. So a Bear Archery bow with its perimeter weighted modular single cam system will work a little differently to the BowTech bows with their binary cam system.

New compound bows are released by manufacturers every year as they come up with new technological advances that make their bows more powerful, more accurate, more silent or a combination of a couple of these. The temptation is there to ditch the PSE Stinger compound bow that has served me so well for so long and pick up one of the new breed. But then I think, what could I possibly get that I don’t have now. I’ve got a fast, reliable bow that I am comfortable shooting and that I am familiar with and that will serve me just as well for another season.

As long as my old bow remains in tip top working condition and it gets me the results that make me happy then I’ll stay with the tried and trusted. New technology won’t matter to me if I don’t know what I’m missing.