# Alliance vs Staples File Bands



## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

I went to a local Staples store yesterday, and of course checked out the rubber bands for about the 100th time. I did not find Alliance file bands, but I did spot something that looked equivalent ... a Staples store brand. So I thought I would check them out and compare their performance with the Alliance bands. Here are the two types of file bands:









I made each slingshot band from two file bands, chained to one end of the pouch, attached to the frame with Gypsy tabs. Here are the two rigs I used for my tests:









The red bands are the Staples bands, and the blue bands are the Alliance bands. I decided to test with both 3/8 inch steel and my 140 grain hunting slugs. Here are the results:

3/8 inch steel hunting slugs

Staples 190.9 159.2

Alliance  213.8  173.6

Obviously the Staples bands did not measure up to the Alliance bands. Still, the Staples bands would do for plinking or target work. The Alliance bands would be suitable for hunting, though of course there would be better alternatives than the set up I used here.

By the way, I chained the bands to the pouch because that seems to reduce abrasion at the pouch, rather than just looping the rubber bands through the hole in the pouch.

Cheers ....... Charles


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## halbart (Jan 23, 2013)

What was your draw length at these figures, Charles? Thanks.


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## SuperMonkeySlinger (Jan 28, 2013)

Thanks for showing this Charles.

Are they better with heavy ammo ( Large rocks ) Like 107's?

Thanks!,

SMS


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## Tirador (Jun 14, 2010)

Ohhh just saw this now! Thanks for doing this, Sir Charles! I was always wondering how they measured up...


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

halbart said:


> What was your draw length at these figures, Charles? Thanks.


About 45 inches, as I recall.

Cheers ..... Charles


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## Susi (Mar 3, 2013)

I like that leather fork attachment! That's new to me. Are the Alliance and Staples banks real latex or synthetic? Synthetics I buy here in Ecuador are horrible...stretch is bad, and they stretch out permanently as well...losing punch...then they simply break. Lousey. USA is no nice for variety...the folks here are so limited in thinking of what to import. We make nothing but more Ecuadorians, tuna, bananas and more Ecuadorians and yet more Ecuadorians. What is manufactured here is crud.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

The Alliance bands do contain real latex ... I am not sure about the Staples brand, but from the way they react I would think they must contain some latex.

That is sad news about Ecuador. There is a long slingshot tradition in some parts of South and Central America ... Guatemala comes to mind. But my impression is that most of those used bands with a square cross section ... so-called square tubes, although I do not believe they are really tubes. Arturo on this forum lives in Chile ... perhaps he has some suggestions.

Cheers ....... Charles


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## Adirondack Kyle (Aug 20, 2012)

Charles, our slingshot scientist, very good info, 
I picked up some alliance 64s the other day , i haven't tried rubber bands yet, but from what i see in alot of your posts, you stand by them, so I'm stocking up on em. Charles, how do they last in storage? If i seal a bunch in a plastic bag , air tight, how long you think they will be good for? My wife was at some office supply store the other day and picked me up some 107s.
I was on another forum about a year ago and heard a story from a guy in Texas who's neighbor asked him for help with an armadillo problem, he had a rather large crop and they were apparently reeking havoc on his property. He said he used chained rubber bands and river stones and was very successful. I almost didn't believe it until i saw the pics!! I guess they were well placed head shots. I know they have body armour.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Hey there, AK. As with any rubber product, you need to keep bands away from air and light. So I suggest that you seal them in a plastic bag and then put them in a box ... perhaps a metal container with a push-on lid. Stored that way they should last for many years.

I think the 107s are a really good, work horse band. I just shot over 30 foot pounds of energy using nothing more than Alliance 107 bands ... check out the Power Rangers thread. I also managed to do a qualifying shoot using braided Red #32 rubber bands from Rubberbandguns (Google search will find them). And a lot of folks on other forums use chained or braided #64s for hunting. The 32s and 64s are very quiet when they shoot. You will probably get better band life out of the 107s.

With respect to the #64s, I find the Alliance brand to be noticeably better than the Staples house brand.

Try a bit of everything ... it is good to know about alternatives if you cannot get what you prefer.

Cheers ... Charles


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