Bitten by the Hinge Bug

A couple of weeks ago, one of the guys at Stowe Archers was kind enough to lend me his Tru Ball Sweet Spot Pro. I had expressed an interest in learning to use a hinge and, since he had a couple of trainers, he was happy to send me home with one.

Since then, another member was kind enough to lend me his Tru Ball HT. I wound up really liking that release and began searching out one that I could call my own. One thing lead to another and I wound up buying myself a Tru Ball Fulcrum – which I’m very happy with.

The funny thing was that even after I bought my Fulcrum, I kept looking. I told myself it wouldn’t hurt to have a spare. Maybe I’ll even buy something inexpensive that needs a little TLC. Little did I know that I’d become obsessed with watching the Archery Talk Classifieds.

Each night, when my wife and I would go to bed together, I’d sit up on my phone skimming through the classifieds. She would feed our youngest daughter a bottle before bed and I’d blather on and on about the next DIY Hinge Project that I stumbled on to.

Tru Ball BT Gold

Me: Hmmm, this guy only wants $35 for this release.
Wife: Is that cheap?
Me: I don’t know. He has come down on the price because it hasn’t sold.
Wife: So he wants too much for it?
Me: I don’t know how much these go for, in general, but it has been modified. It used to be a four-finger that was cut down to a three-finger and the thumb peg looks like it has been replaced. Besides, it is kind of rough looking.
Wife: Don’t you already have a release?
Me: Yeah, but it might be kind of cool to buy this and clean up. I wonder what it would cost to have something this small dipped?
Wife: Uh-huh….

I wound up contacting the seller to ask if he would take $30 for the Tru Ball BT Gold. Fortunately, someone had already bought it for $35.

Scott Longhorn

Me: Even polished, this release looks kind of rough.
Wife: Huh?
Me: This release I found on Archery Talk. The guy wants like $40 for it.
Wife: Don’t you already heave a release?
Me: Yeah but at this price, I wouldn’t feel bad chopping it down to a three-finger and giving it a paint job.
Wife: I suppose you can buy it if you want it…
Me: I’ll keep my eye on it to see if he comes down any. I don’t want to spend $40 just to tinker with it.

Much like the BT Gold, someone else wound up buying the release. It is probably a good thing. Even though it was polished, it looked like there were some deep scratches in the body that would have probably shown through the paint.

Tru Ball Sweet Spot Ultra

Me: Man, this guy wants $55 for this Sweet Spot and I’m tempted to make him an offer.
Wife: You’re looking at another release?
Me: Yeah, but this one is a Sweet Spot. It has a safety on it so that you don’t punch yourself in the face.
Wife: Are you going to use it?
Me: No, I really like that Fulcrum that I bought.
Wife: So why do you want it then?
Me: Because if our daughter would want to shoot a hinge, she could learn on this.
Wife: Does she want to learn?
Me: She is only 6, she is too young to use a hinge.
Wife: Then why…
Me: Look, this used to be a four-finger that was cut down to three. It is all dinged up. It would be SO COOL if I could get it cheap, clean it up, and make it pink to match her bow!
Wife: Uh…
Me: He only wants $55 but I don’t want to haggle. I’ll give it some time and if it doesn’t sell, I’ll offer him $45.

Of the releases that I’ve been keeping an eye on, this is the only one that kind of stung when it sold. I let it sit too long and someone else stepped in and bought it. In the end, I’m probably better off. It would have been sitting around for a while before my daughter would have used it.