Common sense. That could have easily been the name given to this new arrow rest system by Muzzy. At every turn, the Zero Effect Arrowrest is eliminating another problem or hassle that is common to most other arrow rest designs. Mechanical design engineer, Joe Angeloni did archers a big favor when he developed this drop away rest.

The driving principle behind the design is that an arrow should be guided only long enough to ensure good flight, and then, get out of the way. Muzzy's Zero Effect rest accomplishes that very thing by linking the cable action during the draw cycle and release to the action of the rest. When the bow is drawn, the "arrow rest hook" (actual piece that the arrow rests on), lifts into shooting position and then upon release is driven back down by the forward action of the cables.

A solid design deserves to be built with quality materials. The Zero Effect rest materials are both high quality and practical as well. For example: the turnbuckle sleeve is the one piece of the system that must be modified for proper set-up. 
 

At the beginning of the draw the Zero Effect Arrowrest is down and away from the arrow. As the arrow is drawn, the unique hook shape of the rest rises and "grabs" the arrow from any position on the shelf sliding it onto the "V" notch for release.

Approximately three quarters of the  way through the draw the arrowrest makes contact. The arrow slides inthe the "V" and the rest begins to lift the arrow into a launch position. This happens smoothly and quietly and is driven  by the action of the cables on the cable guard.

At full draw the arrow is in a normal pre-shoot position, but at the moment of release the Zero Effect Arrowrest drops down and away as the cable slide zips forward. The result is perfect arrow launch with no drag, no interference and no torque because the arrowrest isn't even in contact with the arrow.

The modification includes cutting the sleeve to length and then threading it onto the turnbuckle. The material, Delrin, chosen to manufacture the sleeve from is not only sturdy and rigid but also easy to cut and debur. I cut and deburred mine with a utility knife - no saws or special deburring tools needed! That is what I mean by the materials being practical. The bulk of the system, overdraw plate; guard; side plate; and nut block, is constructed of aluminum. Aluminum is sturdy and lightweight, which is a big plus on a bowhunting rig. The main arm and turnbuckle sleeves are made of Delrin, which is a lightweight durable, plastic. The majority of the hardware, including the all-male mounting stud, is constructed of steel. A smooth action is achieved through the use of Delrin bearings inside the cable slide.

Set-up, fit, function, quietness, and consistency were the subjects of my scrutiny while testing Muzzy's Zero Effect Arrowrest.

• Set-up: At first glance, it looked as though I may have to go back to school to learn how to rig this rest to my bow. However, after watching the instructional video and thoroughly reading the instructions, I felt much better about the task at hand. It took a friend and I only 30 minutes to completely assemble the rest and fire the first arrow. Yes, two people working 30 minutes is a great deal more involvement than the average arrow rest requires, but then again, this is not your average arrow rest! In my opinion, the benefits gained by shooting the Muzzy Zero Effect Arrowrest out-weigh any downsides associated with set-up.
• Fit: There were absolutely no problems with the fit of the rest to the Maverick. It mounted nicely to the riser and the cable slide had a smooth action on the cable guard. It should be noted that a "high-mount" cable guard is necessary to utilize the Zero Effect system. If your bow does not employ a "high-mount" guard, a simple fix can be found in an adapter that mounts under your sight bracket and converts your bow into the "high-mount" design needed. These adapters can be purchased or ordered at most pro-shops.
• Function: Muzzy advertises that all that is needed to achieve perfect arrow flight is to simply set your center-shot and arrow elevation position after initial set-up. With all of the tuning problems I have seen first hand over the years, this sounded like an extremely bold statement! Bold - yes, but also true. That is all that was done and indeed, I had perfect tears in my paper tune test on the first try. No spring tension or prong gap adjustments were necessary! Muzzy also advertises that the Zero Effect rest is not sensitive to arrow diameter or critical to arrow shaft spine. After completing the initial set-up and achieving perfect tears in the paper test, I switched to a larger diameter aluminum shaft to determine if this statement was true. Without one single adjustment, I again had perfect tears in the paper test! My next venture was to place a broadhead on the end of the arrow that matched the weight of the field tips used in the above testing. Again, without any further adjustments, the broadhead tipped arrows passed the paper test with flying (no pun intended) colors and had the same impact point as the field point tipped arrows. One other note on function should be noted: using the Zero Effect rest has enabled me to group arrows like I have never done before! No other rest that I own now or have tested in the past has helped me pack arrows so tightly into one little spot.
• Quietness: As with any other product I test for quietness the Zero Effect Rest took a walk with me deep into the woods. When everything, including the wind and two especially annoying squirrels had settled down around me, I drew an arrow over the rest several times. Although the Zero Effect is not the most silent rest I have ever shot, it was indeed quiet and in my opinion, not loud enough to spook game. 
• Consistency: To determine if the arrow rest was performing in a repeatable manner, I simply shot it many times through paper and at a five-dot target. Other than "operator error" on occasion, the Zero Effect system's performance remained constant in both arrow flight and impact points. One of the aspects of repeatability that concerned me was if a slight change in draw length would affect the vertical adjustment of the rest. Fortunately the rest was designed to move very little at the end of the draw cycle alleviating any such problems.

1. Increased arrow speed by four feet per second over old rest.
2. Fletch to nock alignment not an issue anymore!
3. Performance remained consistent no matter how I gripped the bow. In other words, hand torque was not a problem.
4. I was concerned with the relatively thin design of the arrow rest hook toward the tip. However, even after a considerable amount of pressure was applied it still did not break or bend.

Function: 4.5 of 5
The Zero Effect performed flawlessly throughout all of my testing. Not once did I find a discrepancy between Muzzy's advertised performance and actual field testing data.

Design: 4.5 of 5
My hat is off to Mr. Joe Angeloni. A design that can knock out so many traditional arrow rest problems in one fell swoop deserves a high score!

For more information on this or any other Muzzy product contact:
Muzzy Products
110 Beasley Rd.
Cartersville, GA 30120
(770) 387-9300
Web site: http://www.badtothebone.com
Email: gomuzzy@aol.com