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Every time someone picks up a bow for the first time, he will notice the bite of the string.
Today I want to tell you about the best finger tab for archery.
Actually, there are three different types you should be aware of!
The Job Of A Finger Tab
No matter what kind of finger protection you choose, they all do the same thing.
They protect your fingertips from the bowstring.
When you are using the most common techniques for hooking the string, drawing, and releasing the arrow, the bowstring will put a lot of pressure on your fingertips. This can even go so far that the skin gets scraped off and in extreme cases causes bleeding. (Most people would stop shooting before that happens, due to the pain in the fingers.)
Fortunately, there is an easy way to prevent this from happening by using some sort of finger protection.
Below I will introduce you to three different types of this protective gear and will tell you the advantages and disadvantages:
The Three Types Of Finger Tabs
Actually only one of the following is a real “tab”, but as this is the most commonly used one, I decided to use this term to categorize all of them.
Today you will read about:
Finger tabs are the most commonly used ones. Followed by the gloves and then the savers.
Finger Tabs – A Quick And Easy Sort Of Protection
The first time I used a tab, I was a little confused about how to use it correctly. Once you know how to do it, however, it is very easy to use them and super quick, too.
A tab is traditionally a small piece of leather that covers only the three fingertips of the hand that pulls back the string.
The rest of the hand is not covered by the tab.
Learn more about tabs here.
Advantages of the finger tab
Tabs can be bought for a very small price and their size is very small, too.
They fit easily in any pocket and you can equip them very fast, so you don’t waste any time in case you have to take a shot suddenly.
Disadvantages of the finger tab
The only negative thing I can see is, that some might feel like they are rather loosely attached to your hand and don’t fit very tight.
Some might also prefer a protection that covers the whole hand.
Shooting Gloves – Protect More Of Your Hand
While it’s usually only the fingertips of the draw hand that are in danger, some might prefer a glove for shooting a bow.
A shooting glove can be a real glove that covers the whole hand, but in most cases, it only covers the three fingers that hold the string.
So instead of protecting only the fingertips, they protect either the whole hand or the three fingers used by the archer.
Read more about shooting gloves here.
Advantages of the shooting glove
It does the same as the tabs but gives some additional protection.
They get fastened around your wrist with a strap, which makes them fit better and tighter than finger tabs.
Once you have put it on, you don’t need to worry much about it anymore as it won’t just fall off by itself.
Disadvantages of the shooting glove
They are still not really expensive but do cost a little more than the tabs.
It also takes a little bit longer to put them on, but we are talking about mere seconds here.
Finger Savers – Install And Forget Protection
I only recently discovered finger savers and I think that they are a great way of giving your fingertips a rest.
Other than the tools I mentioned above, the finger savers get attached directly to the bowstring where you put your fingers.
They are made of rubber that feels very soft and they are specially formed to just feel good to the touch of your fingers.
You can find more information about finger savers here.
Advantages of the finger savers
The main advantage is, that once you have installed the finger savers, you don’t need to worry about them anymore.
All you need to do is pick up the bow and you are ready to shoot; the finger protection is already there waiting for you.
Finger savers are also extremely good for bowfishing with a compound bow or recurve bow because the finger savers will give you a strong and safe grip on the string even with wet fingers.
Disadvantages of the finger savers
The only disadvantage is, that you have to make sure to install them correctly. It can be a little tricky to get them in place, but when you follow the instructions and use the included cotter pin, you will be able to pull them over the string to its right position quickly.
You might want to use extra string wax to make the process easier.
Which Is The Best Out Of The Three?
There is not really a best one, but it is up to personal preference.
If you don’t mind “getting your hands dirty” and install the finger savers, you won’t have to worry about forgetting a finger tab or a shooting glove.
Once installed you can get ready for shooting the quickest with finger savers.
Finger tabs and shooting gloves are both great ways of keeping your fingers away from harm and I used to use tabs for most of the time.
I would just ask other archers to let you try them a tab and a glove and you decide which one you like the most.
Or you get finger savers right away; the choice is yours.
Let me know what you think is the best finger tab for archery. Are you using the traditional tabs, a glove, or even the finger savers?
Leave a comment below and we can discuss it together.
Happy shooting everybody.
