Which one suits your shooting style and bow type? Well let's see.
Arrow rests vary in types for what kind of shooting you may be doing and which bow type you are using.
There are four basic types of arrow rests for compound bows.
The drop away, the arrow containment rest, the shoot through prong rest and the plunger rest.
The plunger rest is mainly used by finger shooters to eliminate some of the effects of the archer's paradox. This is when the string, when released, has to move around the fingers when the shot is let go. This action produces a fish tail effect on the arrow's flight till the feathers (vanes) have had time to arrest the movements. Many of these rests have spring tension adjustments that can be made to them.
This rest is also widely used on recurve bows for the same reason. This rest is shot with the cock feather (vane) at a 90 degree angle to the bow. The springy rest on many beginner recurve bows would also fall into this category.
The shoot through prong rest is the norm for many compound bows shot with a release. This rest is shot with the cock feather (vane) in the down position. The prongs are set in a way so as to support the arrow and spaced so that the feathers (vanes) are able to pass between the prongs without contacting them.
This type of rest used in conjunction with a release has the advantage of propelling the arrow in a straighter path to towards the target than an arrow released with fingers because the string is released from directly behind the arrow.
Arrow containment rests have hit the bowhunting world by storm these last few years. One of the most popular rests of this type it the Whisker Biscuit. It fully contains the arrow so, even when the bow is held upside down the arrow is still contained by the rest. It can't fall off. With this type of rest the cock feather (vane) can be positioned in any way the archer decides fit. It's still important that all arrows be set the exact same way though. The advantage of this rest is that the arrow can't fall out of the rest unless it is popped off the string. There will be a slight
loss of speed while the arrow pushes through this type of rest but for the bowhunter this is negligible.
Drop away rests have been around for some time now. One type of drop away is the Inertia type rests. They were used some years ago by target archers trying to get the perfect arrow flight. Nowadays the Inertia rests have made a comeback. The newer type of drop away rest is one that incorporates a lanyard or cord to accomplish the drop of the rest. Most are pre-sprung so when the arrow is released the rest drops out from underneath it. This arrow rest is known for its lack of feather (vane) contact. If set right this type of rest will not contact in any way the feathers (vanes). As with the containment rests with this type of rest the cock feather (vane) can be positioned in any way the archer decides fit. Again, it's important that all arrows be set the exact same way for proper flight.
All of these types of rests have been proven in the hunting fields and most have made it to the target ranges with much success.
This is just a basic breakdown of the different types. There are actually many arrow rests that fit into each category. Arrow rest choices are as much dictated by personal preference as they are related to the pursuits they will be used for.
Pick the type you like best and go from there and happy hunting.
