# generic thera band



## dustyjoe (Jul 1, 2011)

i have been trying to find the real thing localy but all i have been able to find so far has been sports authority brand i belive it was called body fit they had it in light medium and heavy. they also have tubes.anyone have any experience with this stuff or any other off brand i picked up some heavy(blue)to try,it gives a good work out ,but dont know how it compares to thera band for slingshot use.any idea?


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## Ace (Oct 24, 2010)

From my experience any exercise bands work fine just make sure they are latex bands not non-latex


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## Hit and run (May 14, 2011)

Theraband is mostly used because - besides widely available - it's good quality and has acceptable tolerances.
Comparability mostly depends on the thickness, as long as it's latex (my Theraband gold is 0.67-0.72 mm thick). 
Definitely get yourself a rotary cutter, Since I have one, my bands last _at least_ four times as long. (and cutting-accuracy increases as well, which in turn increases shot-accuracy and consistency between bandsets)
You could buy some Theraband from eBay. A meter/yard or two will be enough for several months if not longer. (since I've registered here I've used around half a meter)
I wouldn't touch tubes - not even with a stick - because you cant adjust how strong/fast they are. To each their own...


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## dustyjoe (Jul 1, 2011)

thanks for the reply.i have a rotary cutter and just about every thing i need to make the bands how ever i dont have a digital caliper to measure the thickness i'll make some anyways just wanted to know what theraband to compare it to, im sure its the same theraband black .?


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## dustyjoe (Jul 1, 2011)

folded in.half its looks close to 1mm on a none digatal caliper so its acctually closer to silver ...


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## Hagencopen (Mar 4, 2011)

I tried the Gold's Gym brand when i was first getting into slinging. As Hit and Run said, basically as long as its latex, you wont really have any complaints with it. I have to say though, i strictly use theraband now. I find the quality to be very good.


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## dustyjoe (Jul 1, 2011)

i know it works just dont know what kinda killing power it has . if it wont kill small game it wont do ,but im sure it will after knowing how to compare it to thera band im pretty sure ill see simular results as black or silver not quite as thick as silver but thicker than black.im sure starlings will hate me as much as i hate them.


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## Hit and run (May 14, 2011)

Something else that might be different is pull weight for a certain elongation and how much the max stretch is. Max stretch for TB gold is around 650% and black 780% (according to Torsten). You might also want to check for small air pockets and 'welding lines' in the latex. (I guess we're spoiled, a few decades ago hardly anybody could get this quality latex







)
Another thing that kills latex is if it's extruded.

You could fold it ten times, then you could measure it's thickness rather accurately with a regular measuring device. (I bought my micrometer for making telescope optics







)

As for killing power, if you can make a hole in a tin can (those which require a can opener) then your good to go according to the hunting pro's.
If you can clearly see the projectile the first dozen yards it goes too slow imo.


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## dustyjoe (Jul 1, 2011)

its actually .53 on the digital caliper i dont know how to test elongation im making a set in rectangle and a set taperd still un sure of what size i wanna cut probably 3/8x9" long by the time i decide my thera band will be here. lol


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## Hit and run (May 14, 2011)

To test elongation: get any length of latex, measure it unstretched. Then measure the length when stretched to the max. Then all you need to do is divide max length by unstretched length. (multiply that by 100 to get percentages)
If you're interested in finding the 'ideal' elongation then have a look at this page, scroll down to band length.


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## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

The stuff i bought at sports authority (forget the exact name) has worked great and lasts a very long time. Doubling, tripling and quadrupling is what i do depending on thickness.


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## bullseyeben! (Apr 24, 2011)

Find the life span suffers slightly, make sure its latex, some folks are allergic to Nat latex, that's why there are some synthetic options.. the thickest I've found, roughly is the thickness of thera black... great speed achieved with it...


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## dustyjoe (Jul 1, 2011)

if i understood correctly if i cant pull the bands back to full draw. i will have more power and speed(performance) with a lighter band that can be pulled farther so i need to find out how may layers and how wide a band i can pull to full draw to acheive the best performance.thanks hitandrun lots of good info im goning to bookmark it.

as for layers is are they cut or just folded then tied?i have seen both done.does it even matter ?


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## dustyjoe (Jul 1, 2011)

this is about the man damage i could get using the body fit bands by sports authority .50 is what ill use with these bands i feel the blunt force of the .50(180gn) does more damage than the 50gn nut that punctures.. the .50 cal ball left a crater in a tree..elongation was only 480% by the way.
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=eZdSjdceayc


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## PebbleShooter (Jul 6, 2011)

dustyjoe said:


> i have been trying to find the real thing localy but all i have been able to find so far has been sports authority brand i belive it was called body fit they had it in light medium and heavy. they also have tubes.anyone have any experience with this stuff or any other off brand i picked up some heavy(blue)to try,it gives a good work out ,but dont know how it compares to thera band for slingshot use.any idea?


Interesting, before you even made this topic i've ordered some body fit band still waiting for it to arrive. I'll post my results here to.


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## bullseyeben! (Apr 24, 2011)

I tend to cut not fold, I don't scrunch either lol.. but have been today lodging what I'm told is .44 lead into a palm tree from 60ft deep enough so the ball is only just visible.. used 2 layers per side of about tbbck thickness 25mm straight cut about 7" effective band slack more than enough power, and shot over 300 still going.. Your band life will suffer if you constantly max its stretch...


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## dustyjoe (Jul 1, 2011)

wow from 60ft i haver seen blackpowder do less ....its funny that you said 7" cause i already shortened them to 7 1/2 and the power jumped dramaticly it put a .50 cal ball through a fresh can of salmon at about 10 yds. the distance i feel confident i can hit the target ... the next set will be 3 layers 25 mm x7" long and i think that it will be devastating to small animals ..
on a side note i picked up some of the.tube from the same brand ,i havent used it yet but it they just dont spring back like comercial slingshot tubes .or other resistance tubes for that matter. i dont recomend them for slingshot use.they give a great work out though so thats what ill be using them for.


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