Posten Stabalisers

[Watch_Man]

archery_mum's stabs arrived from Posten today. She was quite excited having waited since the 8th of September for them.

I don't want to appear negative as I know Jim Posten has a lot of fans. Wendy's (and my) opinion however is not the same as the majority.

I have already PM'd Jim and explained why we could not recommend them.

If I had to put them in order with our current stabs I would go:

1. Merlin Triads / OK Better one
2. Sebastian Flute Fomax / WinWin
3. Arten
4. Posten

If you are thinking of buying a set I would recommend you consider the following:

a. Do not get the wraps, get it anodised or leave it plain.

b. The weight sets look big but are not very heavy, you will need more than you think to get the same weight as the weight sets we get in the UK.

c. The screw thread that attaches the bar to the body of the bow is about 1/8th shorter than the ones on our other stabs and it is not possible to use the same quick release brass block as we use with the OK and Triads.

Perhaps we have been spoilt but when you look at how you are going to spend your money the Triad wins hands down not only for looks but for finish quality too.

[stuart]

Thats not good news, especially since I've ordered a set!! Have you any comment on the dampning properties of the rods? Cheers.

[Watch_Man]

Originally Posted by stuart

Thats not good news, especially since I've ordered a set!! Have you any comment on the dampning properties of the rods? Cheers.

You will need a third part accesory to get any dampening.

Jim Posten contacted me and put the following comment:

"If you would like more wraps, new bars, whatever you need. I refuse to have an unsatisfied customer, so let me know if there is anything I can do to to make this right."

I think this attitude is to be commended and hopefully we can resolve the issues. Perhaps I am being over critical so I am attaching some images for everyone to see for themselves.

Firstly the screw thread as shipped when compared to a thread on an OK rod. Both have a quick release adapter fitted and you can see the Posten has no where to go. Fixing it to a QR bracket means you can only use half the thread. Jim did tell me it may be possible to back the thread out of the body of the stab to give more grip. My concern is there won't be enough thread in the bar to support it.



Now the finish of the stabs - am I being too fussy???



And the marks on the aluminium tube -



Finally the weights. You can see how much larger the Posten weights are in comparison to a standard weight, yet there is only a limited difference in actual weight. Keep in mind that the Posten weight on the balance also has a steel screw running through it.



So am I being too fussy?

Jims customer service so far has been excellent and I know he has a lot of fans in the USA. It would be interesting for any other forum member to post their comments if they own a set.

I am sticking to my OK for now and Wendy is sticking to her Merlin Triads. Ben and Chris made a special length one to her specifications which was picked up at the MooCo and has been very succesful.

[sky_high30]

Quick release: Is it *that* hard to screw it on?

Machining: I'd question the scrape marks...some to be expected but only superficial ones. Might have been done in transit?

Wraps: Yes, your just being picky :-P. I couldn't get them on much straighter on my ACE's...

Weight: Can't you just add more? Or is it 5/16ths (in which case pop over to your local archery dealership and ask for some Easton AVRS weights for a black max).

[Watch_Man]

Originally Posted by sky_high30

Quick release: Is it *that* hard to screw it on?

Machining: I'd question the scrape marks...some to be expected but only superficial ones. Might have been done in transit?

Wraps: Yes, your just being picky :-P. I couldn't get them on much straighter on my ACE's...

Weight: Can't you just add more? Or is it 5/16ths (in which case pop over to your local archery dealership and ask for some Easton AVRS weights for a black max).

To get the QR block screwed in the correct position to allow it to attach to the mount, the thread is only halfway in the block. Apparently I am not the only one who has found this an issue. Jim Posten suggested turning it out with an allen key but it only goes 1/4 turn before locking and still doesn't leave enough room on the thread. It is not a case of 'is it hard to screw on' it is physically not long enough to attach to the QR mount and Wendy doesn't want to be messing round if she has to quickly swap stabs during a competition - the whole point of getting this particular one.

Marks on the aluminium have been accepted as a fault and Jim Posten has stopped supplying plain ones due to these marks. My understanding is that I am not the first customer to have issues with the finish of the rods, both plain and powder coated.

Wraps.... maybe being too picky here.

Weights. Jim brought this up and suggested I should have asked for the heavier weights, if I ordered 3 x 1 oz weighs then thats what I would get. Of course the fact that it didn't actually say the weight on the website or order form, and the batteries on my crystal ball were flat, meant I didn't actual know this.

Yes I could go and buy extra weights, but looking at the photo they appear to be heavier than they actually are. I can only base my assumptions on the other similar products myself and Wendy have and unfortunately I know now not to 'assume' anything. I believe Jim now has stainless steel weights making them thinner and heavier.

In fairness to Jim he has said the stabs shouldn't have been sent with the marks and he is replacing them. Hopefully he will remember to put the longer thread in.

[worthipa]

Forgive me, but are these things just what they look like, aluminium tubes with holes in, or am I missing something?

If that's the case, how do they "work" and what's the point of the holes?

[sky_high30]

...that was my other thought...they are just aluminium tubes, so will have the absolute bare minimum of damping...

[Watch_Man]

Originally Posted by sky_high30

...that was my other thought...they are just aluminium tubes, so will have the absolute bare minimum of damping...

Yes, they are just aluminium tubes and have Black Jax to add some kind of dampening. However they wern't bought for their dampening properties, they were bought to give heavy forward weight on a very short rod. We followed the 1000's of reviews on AT and thought that the feedback Jim was getting justified taking a risk on the stabs.

But to clarify. They are simply an aluminium tube with holes drilled in and apart from the Black Jax they do not have any form of dampening we can see.

I would say for most UK archers who do target shooting rather than hunting, you would be better off getting an OK or Triad setup which come in about the same price. If you hunt then I think Jim postens short camo stabs look good.

[Rhys]

I have to say i agree with worthipa's observation here, doesnt look like much

[Watch_Man]

Originally Posted by Rhys

I have to say i agree with worthipa's observation here, doesnt look like much

If you take a look at the Posten thread on Archery Talk I think it runs to nearly 4,000 replies and 117,000+ views - Custom Made Stabilizers and Side Bars --- for Target Archery - ArcheryTalk

He gets a lot of really good feedback and that is why we placed an order. However you can make up your own mind from what I have posted here.