Excalibur 019660 S5 String Suppression System 1966

Worked great ! Really made a difference in the noise! ! I recommend this for anybody with Excalibur

I put the Air Brakes on my Matrix 330 crossbow because the kick and reverberation from it throw my neck out and I was hoping to make shooting more comfortable. With the Air Brakes there is certainly a reduction of noise, especially the high, tinny sound, and the vibration is noticeably less. I’ve read some claims that they reduce the noise by half—that’s definitely an exaggeration. My guess would be closer to 1/8th or 1/10th. The sound is, however, nicer because the tinny twang is gone (more of a ‘DONK’ now than a ‘TANK’). The Air Brakes are for user comfort more than stealth—they won’t be the make-or-break accessory to keep a deer from ducking the string. Don’t expect a silencer. It is possible that their noise reducing function is more noticeable at a distance, having cut out the frequencies which carry farthest and are less easily absorbed by the stuff of nature: I can’t make that assessment as I’ve only ever heard my bow point blank. I almost always shoot from a supported position, so the added front end weight isn’t much of a factor for me, though I could see it being a problem for some. I was concerned that they might slow down my bow, but they don’t seem to. I don’t have a chronograph, but I haven’t had to make any elevation adjustments to my scope since adding them. My one complaint is that the shoulder bolts that come with them strip out too easily (I wonder if there is a practical reason for Excalibur using such soft metal—perhaps hardened bolts would vibrate more or would be too brittle sitting on the limbs?). Anyway, it would be nice for Excalibur to include an extra bolt or two in the package in case you strip one out. For that reason, and because I think their noise reducing capacity has been hyped up out of proportion by those who sell them, especially considering the high price, I give them 4 instead of 5 stars. If you’re the type of person who shoots the minimum number of bolts to zero in and shoot at game, then you probably don’t need the Air Brakes (on the Matrix 330, at least). If you like to shoot a lot of arrows, like I do, and you are sensitive to the jarring impact of a high powered crossbow, the addition of the Air Brakes will provide some welcome relief to your shoulder, neck and ears—every little bit helps.

Easy to install and did not affect the speed of the bolt. I put them on my brand-new Micro 335 and my crossbow was the quietest out of the group shooting crossbows. The guys I was shooting with said they might have to buy a new crossbow. They work perfect.

Did not like receiving with missing parts

I like how it quieted down my crossbow. Arrived sooner then expected.

Not an extremely huge amount of suppression, but enough, also smoother to shoot.

The 4 pad mounting screws were missing as well as the 4 recoil plate shoulder bolts. The package was undamaged but box holding air brakes was open on inside of package from Mikes archery.Update; Mikes Archery made everything good sending missing parts.

Installed nicely but have not shot it yet