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Arrow trap nets in the test - the big quality check
Safety comes first and this also applies to the area next to and above the actual Target, especially for beginners and shooters with a (still) somewhat wider spread of hits. For this reason, we have carried out an extensive series of tests on arrows from various brands for you.
The following arrow traps were tested for you:
The test procedure - the endurance test for the arrow catching mats and nets begins
For our big quality test, we shot 3 metres of each of the tested nets with a fast bow, the Malachite as a one-piece recurve bow, at 30, 40, 50 and 60lbs on our 18m indoor range.
For each draw weight, 50 shots were fired and the number of shots in, shots through and ricochets at the arrow catch were counted. One test candidate stood out from the crowd and impressed us with its outstanding characteristics. You can find out which model this is in the following section.
Which arrows were used for the test?
Initially, slimline arrows with a steel tip were used, followed by a total of 200 shots with a 5/16 standard carbon arrow with an F-field screw tip at a distance of 18 metres. The number of shots in, shots through and ricochets were counted on the tested arrow catch.
Bounces and shots ensure that the arrows are safely caught in the net or mat: the arrows were prevented from continuing their uncontrolled flight. A higher rebound rate is of course an indication of the longer durability and safety of the tested arrow catch.
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Test series 1: Firing with a fast recurve bow and slimline arrows, each 3 metres in width
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Test series 2: Firing with a fast recurve bow and standard arrows (5/16 carbon) each 3m in width
Test winner: The arrow catching mats from Stronghold Targets
The arrow catching mats from Stronghold Targets clearly win the comparison with a 100% catch rate for slimline arrows and 90 to 92% catch rate for standard carbon arrows!
With our test winner, the PremiumProtect Green, for example, the first shots are only fired from 60lbs, which slightly reduces the 100% stopping effect up to that point. In the slimline range, there is nothing to criticise about the 100% catch rate - due to the overall outstanding stopping power, the PremiumProtect Green mat from Stronghold Targets receives our clear and unreserved arrow catch recommendation for recurve bows.
The absolute endurance test for the PremiumProtect mats
The Stronghold PremiumProtect also performs very well in our test as an arrow catcher, for slimline shafts it is also a real recommendation with 100% stopping effect across all draw weights and is also our price tip. The same applies to 5/16 arrows up to 50lbs. A small drawback: there are a lot of arrows stuck in the mat in the high draw range.
The results of the safety nets tested
Would you still prefer a more space-saving classic safety net? For standard carbon arrows, all three nets tested were quite similar, with the differences between the various brands varying by only +-4% of the catching power.
Surprisingly, the catching effect of the classic safety nets increases with high draw strengths and slimline arrows. Here, the Stronghold Professional is a reliable arrow catch with at least 90% hold rate across all draw strengths and only occasional slips (average catch rate: 95%), making it the best classic net for slimline arrows. Even with standard carbon fibre arrows, the Professional shows a consistent catching performance and a good stopping effect up to 40lbs (80 and 84% stopping rate).
With standard carbon arrows, the PFN Black still has a good catching performance up to 50lbs and is in the middle of the three nets tested with an 80% stopping rate. In contrast, the stopping power with slimline arrows was only mixed. Here, too, the performance increases slightly from 60 to 70% catch rate at high draw weights, but overall the PFN Black with 74% catch rate for slimline arrows does not show a satisfactory stopping effect.
Surprisingly, the Dura net shows its best performance at 50lbs and is the best classic net for 5/16 shafts with its constant stopping power of 84% on average, whereas it fails flat out with the slimline arrows - only 20% of the arrows were actually stopped in the medium draw weights! This poor arrow catching performance at medium draw weights also increased again at 60lbs, but the Dura net is not close-meshed enough for slimline arrows and we do not consider "only" 40% penetration to be satisfactory overall, so the initial 80% catch rate at 30lbs unfortunately does not help much in the overall evaluation.
Conclusion and outlook
To summarise, it can be said that with the recurve bow, the more stable arrow catch mats have significantly higher catch rates compared to classic arrow catch nets. In addition, the different tip shapes may have led to different results. This requires further in-depth testing.
