What is a whisker biscuit

A Whisker Biscuit is a patented arrow rest with synthetic bristles and a hole in the centre, to completely encircle and hold the arrow shaft in perfect alignment and allows feathers or vanes to pass easily through, so there is no fletch clearance problem.

The Whisker Biscuit is quite, durable, easy to tune and holds the arrow securely on the bow, at the ready for any hunting situation.

And the biscuit gives super accurate shots. As the company advertising at the time stated - Never drop an arrow again!

The company, Carolina Archery Products, was founded around 1999 by two out of work semi-conductor industry engineers, Steve Graf and Ike Branthwaite, looking to change the course of their careers with an immense passion for hunting.

Their motivation fuelled by impending unemployment, pooled their hunting and engineering experience to develop the world's most user friendly arrow rest.

On 8th February 2003 a new biscuit was introduced which had a "V" cut into the biscuit, called the quick shot - an entry slot to load the arrow.

It meant hunters were able to easily slot their arrow into the biscuit without having to feed the arrow through the centre hole in the biscuit. This innovation really launched the whisker biscuit into the archery stratosphere and made it the "must have" accessory. The entry slot on the Whisker Biscuit is the easiest loading rest on the market. Basically just drop the arrow in and nock it on the string and you are ready to shoot. Because the whole arrow is encased, you can shoot from any position. No more worrying about the arrow falling off while shooting from difficult angles, especially while manoeuvering in thick scrub or up slopes.

However it was more than just the flavour of the month (or decade), it was in the field first time hunters through to seasoned bowhunters who had many years experience hunting who were enjoying amazing accuracy and producing fantastic results.

It was not long before the Whisker Biscuit Arrow Rest was widely acclaimed as the most functional, effective arrow rest in the archery industry.

With the addition of the improved B2 biscuit, the rest uses zone specific fibres, brown and black, for support. The brown fibres cradle the arrow with limited movement, even if the bow is dropped. The black fibres support the arrow from underneath for tuning and perfect arrow flight during release. No matter what your arrow size, from narrow carbons to fat aluminiums, whisker biscuit offers a size to support all arrows.

On 16th May 2006, Escalade Sports acquired Carolina Archery Products and its prized product, the Whisker Biscuit Arrow Rest. Initially trading under the Carolina banner, in 2007 it was folded into another company acquired by Escalade, Trophy Ridge.

About this time, FUSE, Martin and PSE recognised the benefits of the biscuit and had their own rest commisioned and made by the manufacturer, to market under their respective house brands.

This is one of those products where you just have to scratch your head and think, "Why didn't I come up with that." The simple design allows any archer to be set up and flinging arrows in no time. The mounting and adjustability of the rest makes for easy tuning. The laser etching makes for easy reference. You also have the option of easily changing the biscuit if it should show signs of wear. Two screws and within a few minutes, you can be up and shooting again. Finally the anodised camo pattern will last longer than higher priced dipped patterns.

In 2009, Trophy Ridge significantly improved the biscuit's design and sales have surged. Independent windage and elevation adjustments employ laser etched marks to ensure precise movements. Each is secured in place by a hex screw with a brass washer. The softer brass allows a rock solid and a very dependable lockdown. The biscuit is also ambidextrous with the range refined into 3 sizes - small, medium and large.

In Australia, the biscuit has been our biggest selling rest for some years and the favourite rest for an increasing band of bowhunters right across our wide brown land.

What type of Biscuit do I need for my setup?

In general, a loose fit is good and a tight fit is bad. A tight fit can result in more noise and possible left-right errors from hand torque.

All Biscuit sizes are interchangeable. This means that to switch arrow sizes, it may only be necessary to switch biscuits. It will not be necessary to buy a whole new rest.

The following table relates the available Biscuit sizes to the available arrow types and sizes.

Small 0.28" inner diameter fits Easton ACC, ST series (eg ST Axis), aluminium 1716 or smaller

Medium 0.32" inner diameter fits aluminium 2018 or smaller, internal component carbon and 60 series carbon shafts eg PowerFlight shafts

Large 0.36" inner diameter fits Easton FatBoy, Beman 9.3, Line Jammers, aluminium 2314 or smaller

Will the Whisker Biscuit Arrow Rest work with fingers? Yes.

The Whisker Biscuit Arrow Rest works well with fingers. When paper tuning a bow for finger shooting, the shooter must keep in mind that the normal tear shows nock-left for right hand shooters and nock-right for left hand shooters.

It is possible to tune a bow with a Whisker Biscuit rest on it to shoot a bullet hole using fingers, but you may notice that the arrow angles to the right of the centreline of the bow and thus it will shoot to the right (for a right hand shooter).

If it isn't already, you may want to set up your arrows with the cock feather out. This will provide a larger profile of feathers in the vertical plane, which helps stabilise the arrow faster for finger shooters. Just remember to keep the arrow close to the vertical centreline of the bow (just to the left of the string), set the string nock about 1-4" high and you will get good results.

How do you load a broadhead into the Whisker Biscuit Arrow Rest?

The blades of a broadhead extend radially out from its centre line. The whiskers on the biscuit extend radially toward its centre. This means that you can push a broadhead through the Whisker Biscuit Arrow Rest without any problems.

If you are using expandable broadheads, you may want to take extra care as you push them through to ensure that they don't open or that the "o" ring doesn't get bumped.

Back loading the arrow nock first is also an option when shooting plastic vanes.

The Quick Shot model arrow rests provide an entry slot for easy loading of arrows, regardless of fletching or broadhead type.

How long does the biscuit last?

The biscuit should last at least several hunting seasons. If crushed excessively and repeatedly by an arrow, the bristles may take on a permanent set.

High temperatures such as from a freshly hot-glued target point can melt the bristles.

Too tight a fit around the shaft may cause excessive bristle wear. If any of these conditions occur, then it's time to replace the biscuit.

Is there a speed loss?

As compared to a prong style rest, the speed loss from 3" vanes is negligible. Four inch vanes or feathers with a 1 to 2 degree helical will produce a loss of only 1 to 2 feet per second. Five inch fletching will lose 5 to 7 feet per second, while using a 5" fletch with a 6 degree helical will lose 12 to 15 feet per second.

How do you adjust the biscuit to fit the shaft?

The biscuit can be removed from the rest by loosening the two set screws. To increase the hole size, grasp the two ends of the ring on either side of the split and pull them apart while twisting the ends up and down. Only minor adjustments to the hole size are possible.

Excessive adjustments may create a weakening in the bristles beneath the arrow where support is needed.

If a gap in the bristles is created during adjustment, then the next larger size biscuit is recommended.

A large amount of clearance around the arrow shaft does not cause any problems. A loose fit works best.

Does the Whisker Biscuit Arrow Rest make noise when you shoot through it? No.

The overall sound of the bow is much greater than any sound made by the arrow passing through the rest. A whisper like sound may be heard during the draw back, mostly when using the wrapped carbon arrows due to the rough surface of the arrow.

When using a smooth shaft, the draw sound is negligible. This arrow rest will NOT make a metallic squeak or click because no metal parts are in contact with the arrow.

Does the Whisker Biscuit Arrow Rest work with plastic vanes, or only with feathers?

The Whisker Biscuit Arrow Rest works equally well with vanes or feathers. Speed loss will be the same, but the dynamics are different. Feathers lie down, presenting a lower but wider profile to the bristles. Vanes stand up straight, but pass through close to the base of the bristles where they are more densely packed together. The result is that both vanes and feathers fly at the same speed and accuracy at hunting distances.

Is there any wear on the vanes or feathers? Yes.

Vanes will show wear after substantial use. Some brands of vanes more than others. Urethane based vanes seem to be the most durable. After 30 to 50 shots, a scalloped wear pattern will appear on the outer 1-8" of the die cut edge of feather fletching. This does not affect arrow flight. Nor does it progress beyond the initial wear-in period.

What happens when the whiskers get wet?

During a shot, the whiskers spray water much as the puff type string silencers do when they get wet. The whiskers don't lose strength, swell, or change in any way.

Does it work in cold weather?

Whisker Biscuit performance is not affected by the cold. The whiskers have the same effect on the arrow, regardless of outside temperature.

What happens when it freezes? Nothing.

The Whisker Biscuit Arrow Rest will work in freezing conditions. However, if it gets wet, the water will freeze making the biscuit as hard as ice. So if the biscuit becomes wet in freezing conditions, break up the ice as it forms, much as you would do on your clothing in a freezing rain. Tests indicate even a frosty biscuit performs well if the ice is broken up as it forms. There is a product from Trophy Ridge called No Snow, an aggressive water repellent, which will keep your biscuit and feather fletching dry as a bone in the wettest, coldest conditions without damaging the biscuit! We do not stock it, but we can special order it in for you. Please enquire.

Is it accurate? Certainly is deadly accurate.

Noted bowhunter Brian Quaca tested the Biscuit's accuracy and shot a 3.5 inch group from 135 yards or 8.89 cm from 123.4 metres.