Single and Dual cam bows

[NovemberBravo]

wow! I seem to be posting a lot more than I thought I would when I found this sight.

Anyways was looking a buying my first bow (I am on my second and its not been a year yet) and I am talking to my cousin who tells me that single cams are better. So I say ok and go looking for single cam bows.

fast forward to the present. I now know that dual cams shoot faster than single cams but there is more that can go wrong. My first bow was a dual (I think) and mine now is a single. I have always thought that dual cam bows have 2 limbs and single have one limb. Evidently I am wrong. I was looking on the Mathews website (not for a new bow) and one of their single cams has 2 limbs.

So I have 2 questions.
The first being how can you tell the difference between single and dual cam bows?
The second being what is your preference and why? I only have one opinion so...

Thanks
NB

[Ambush]

You're PSE is a single cam. The top "wheel" is round, the bottom is the cam. Dual cam bows have a cam on both ends. I prefer single or "solo cam". Mathews, to be exact.

Pros and cons to both.

[mikeboehm]

I have a dual cam pse omen pro. Its the fastest bow on the market. But theres nothing wrong with single cam bows either. They might be smoother

[NovemberBravo]

You're PSE is a single cam. The top "wheel" is round, the bottom is the cam. Dual cam bows have a cam on both ends. I prefer single or "solo cam". Mathews, to be exact.

Pros and cons to both.

Thanks, a lot more is cleared up for me now.
It guys like you who help new bow hunters into the sport and keep them there (or here not sure which one :))

[TheProvider]

The Creed is Mathews first single cam bow with split limbs. Quite a few companies offer both single and dual cam bows. They can have either single or split limbs. Pros and cons to single and dual cams as well as split and single limbs.

Theres a few very knowledgable guys on here who help other archers out.

[Bowzone_Mikey]

I prefer Dual Cam bows ... old wifes tale is that Single or solo cam bows never go out of tune ... its just that .. an old wives tale ...I like Dual cams simply because I find them easier to tune and prefer the draw cycle that Duals offer. I do all tuning (teardown and rebuild etc...) myself for the most part

Single cams tend to be a bit more agressive on the draw cycle than dual cams ....

Now speaking of dual cams ... I am gonna confuse you even more ... there are Dual cams and Hybrid cams ... Dual cams have eccentrics top and bottom that are mirror images of one another .. while Hybrid cams have eccentrics on both ends ... but the Cams(for lack of better word) are not identical. Hoyts Cam and a half system ... PSE Slam and a half ... a few others come to mind.

Dual cams can be very agressive ... or extremly smooth depending up the Model of Bow you are after ... some Bows offer speed and smooth Modules that you can change the draw cycle of your bow (Bowtech and Elite... some others) that you can swap out on your cams.

[NovemberBravo]

I prefer Dual Cam bows ... old wifes tale is that Single or solo cam bows never go out of tune ... its just that .. an old wives tale ...I like Dual cams simply because I find them easier to tune and prefer the draw cycle that Duals offer. I do all tuning (teardown and rebuild etc...) myself for the most part

Single cams tend to be a bit more agressive on the draw cycle than dual cams ....

Now speaking of dual cams ... I am gonna confuse you even more ... there are Dual cams and Hybrid cams ... Dual cams have eccentrics top and bottom that are mirror images of one another .. while Hybrid cams have eccentrics on both ends ... but the Cams(for lack of better word) are not identical. Hoyts Cam and a half system ... PSE Slam and a half ... a few others come to mind.

Dual cams can be very agressive ... or extremly smooth depending up the Model of Bow you are after ... some Bows offer speed and smooth Modules that you can change the draw cycle of your bow (Bowtech and Elite... some others) that you can swap out on your cams.

Thanks for the info. I got one other pm with some info and I am now more educated and am thinking about my next bow being a dual or hybrid cam.

[HIGHRPM]

For lack of tuning the solo cam is the way to go. The new dual cam bows are super hot, but it all depends if you are a spead freak or just want real nice speed and a smooth drawing bow. I love my solo cams, but to each their own.

[Red arch]

In the end it will all come down to what you prefer. Most bow shops allow you to draw the bow in store, and then you can decide upon what you prefer (just dont dry fire the bow). If you want to try one I do not know how many if any allow you to test fire them. Don't just allow the specifications of the bow to make your decision or the type of cam, go with the bow and cam type that you think feels best to you. I have a single cam from PSE that draws nice and shots well, but I have also shot a PSE Supra and a PSE Axe 7 (dual cam) and absolutely loved them. That being said I have also pulled back a PSE Omen, which for me is to harsh.

[Foxtail]

Mikey... don't forget the good old spirals... although I don't think anyone makes them anymore. There are so many awesome bows out there from so many different manufacturers, you really do have to just try a few and pick the one you like the most. You can't really listen to anyones suggestions because they are based on their personal experiences and opinions which will differ from anyone elses. The questions you are asking are the right ones. Technical questions. It's when you get to the questions about which bow has the smoothest draw? which bow feels the best on the draw? Which bow has the best feeling shot? All good questions with no real right or wrong answers... As for a shop that will let you shoot bows first... Booremans archery in New West let me shoot a few bows while I was there last. They were recurves though.

[Bowzone_Mikey]

Spiral Cams were Hoyts agressive speed cams, I preferred them over the original Cam and 1/2 designs because they provided a solid back wall and wouldnt allow any creeping ... they manufacture them again ... but not as agressive as the early-mid 2000s era ... they were a hybrid cam similar to the High Country Hatchet cams