Stan Releases

What Stan makes for bowhunters

Stan makes one thing and goes deep on it: release aids for compound bows. Its own site sorts them into five groups:

• Thumb: handheld, fired by pressing a thumb barrel
• Hinge: handheld, fired by rotating the handle
• Resistance: handheld, fired by pressure building against the bow's back wall
• Index: fired with the index finger
• SX4: its own heading, a thumb release with a spring-assisted hook

The site also sells spare parts and merchandise (hats, hoodies, shirts, quivers), which this site doesn't list.

On this page, the Stan products in the grid are the ones available on Amazon right now: all thumb releases. The grid changes as listings come and go, so I'll write about the lines and what separates them, not about how many are listed this week. Below Stan's own products, the grid shows "Alternatives to Stan": thumb and hinge releases from other brands, so you can compare styles side by side.

Stan's About page credits the company with inventing the triggerless back tension release. Its product pages for the thumb, SX4 and resistance releases each say made in USA.

How a release aid works, in one minute

A release aid holds the bowstring (usually a D-loop tied onto it) so your fingers don't. You draw with the release, settle at anchor, and the release lets go of the loop when you fire it. Archery 360, the Archery Trade Association's site, lists four styles:

• Wrist strap index: a caliper on a padded strap, fired with the index finger like a trigger
• Handheld thumb: held in three or four fingers, fired with the thumb
• Hinge: held like a thumb release, fired by rotating the whole handle
• Tension-activated: fires as you pull harder into the cam's back wall

Archery 360 points out a useful detail about the thumb style: your anchor doesn't depend on the thumb, so moving the thumb doesn't move your anchor. With a wrist strap, the trigger finger's knuckle is part of the anchor, so finger movement can shift it.

Quick kitchen version: a thumb release is a light switch, a hinge is a dimmer knob. Both turn the light on. One tells you exactly when.

Lineup notes: Stan releases by line

OnneX Clicker Thumb

The OnneX Clicker is the thumb version of the OnneX family. Stan describes it as the evolution of the thumb button "with click": a click you hear and feel as you press, which the maker pitches for shot-sequence training. The page also says it uses the same ergonomics across all OnneX releases, so the handle feels the same whether you shoot the thumb, hinge or resistance version.

What comes in the box, per the maker:

• One OnneX body, assembled with a 3-finger attachment, medium thumb extension and medium thumb barrel
• Four finger attachments in total
• Short and long thumb extensions
• Small and large thumb barrels
• A 5/64-inch Allen key

On Amazon, the listing marks the trigger as adjustable and the finger count as 3/4, meaning it converts between three and four fingers. The listing variants come in sizes and in Sage and Heavy Metal finishes.

SX4

The SX4 gets its own heading on Stan's site. The maker's page is built around the hook: a spring-assisted hook that it says shortens the time between your decision to shoot and the string leaving, and keeps the hook in the same position every shot.

The adjustments, per the maker:

• Finger position
• Travel (how far the trigger moves before it fires)
• Tension (how hard you press)
• Thumb barrel position

Stan uses custom T10 Torx hardware on it, which the page says is meant to resist stripping. It lists interchangeable 3-finger and 4-finger setups, small and large aluminum barrels, a trainer lock, wrist strap compatibility, and sizes from small to extra extra large. The Amazon listing marks the trigger as adjustable.

Axis Thumb

The Axis is the plainest of the three. The maker describes an ergonomic 3-finger design, a short thumb extension and a small thumb barrel already installed, and a leather wrist strap attached with webbing. The page doesn't list sizes or extra finger pieces, and says other extensions aren't included. The Amazon listing matches: 3 fingers, with a wrist strap.

So the Axis is the one to look at if you want a thumb release that stays tied to your wrist on the walk in. (Uncle Walt likes anything with a strap. He's dropped enough gear in the leaves to form an opinion.)

Stan hinge, resistance and index releases

These are on Stan's site and not among its current Amazon listings in the grid:

• Hinge: Lynx Hinge and OnneX Hinge
• Resistance: OnneX Resistance, which the maker says uses a sear system and lists easy tension adjustment, the same finger and thumb parts as the OnneX Clicker, and made in USA
• Index: SoleX Index and SoleX Clicker

If the hinge or resistance style is what you're after, the alternatives in the grid include hinge releases from Tru-Fire and Scott Archery.

How to choose within the Stan lineup

Pick the firing style first

My one opinion on this page: decide how you want the shot to break before you compare models. Here's what actually changes. Archery 360 says a thumb release gives you command of each shot, and also warns that archers who know exactly when the shot breaks can start anticipating it, which is how target panic starts. A hinge or tension release breaks by surprise after steady pressure. The trade there is patience: get impatient and you'll "punch" it.

Hunters often go thumb because you can fire it on purpose when the deer steps into the gap. Target archers often go hinge for the surprise break. Neither is wrong. They're different tools for different problems.

Then pick the finger count and size

The Stan thumb releases split here:

• 3 fingers only: the Axis
• 3 or 4 fingers: the OnneX Clicker and the SX4, with swappable finger pieces

Four fingers spread the draw weight across more of your hand. Three leaves your pinky out, which some shooters find gives a cleaner thumb reach. As a physical therapist, I'll add one note: hands vary more than people think, and the "medium" glove you wear isn't a measurement of your palm. Archery 360 says a release has to fit your hand to work its best, and Stan sells the OnneX and SX4 in sizes for that reason.

Then decide how much adjustment you'll use

The SX4 and OnneX Clicker list adjustable tension and swappable thumb barrels and extensions. The SX4 also adjusts travel. More adjustment means more ways to make it fit, and more small screws to keep track of. If you'll set it once and leave it, the Axis's fixed layout is less to think about.

Handheld or strapped for the hunt

Archery 360 notes that a wrist strap release works with gloves and carries most of the draw weight on the strap, so your finger can relax. A handheld thumb release has no strap holding the weight; your fingers do that job. Stan's lineup sits on both sides of the line. The OnneX Clicker and SX4 are pure handhelds (the SX4 page says it's wrist strap compatible), and the Axis ships with a leather strap attached.

For a cold November sit, think about where the release lives between shots. On a lanyard, in a pocket, on your wrist: pick one and practice with it, because fumbling for a release with cold hands is the slowest part of any shot.

Clicker or no clicker

The click on the OnneX Clicker is feedback, not a firing change. Stan pitches it for shot-sequence training. If you're building a routine (draw, anchor, aim, press), an audible cue can help you notice where your sequence stalls. If you don't want a sound at full draw in a blind, that's worth knowing before you order.

The bow release page compares release styles and specs across brands.

Setup and practice notes from the maker

Use the trainer lock and a rope first

The SX4 lists a trainer lock, which Stan describes as a way to practice. A trainer lets you run your draw and shot sequence without the release letting go of a bow at full draw. Archery 360 recommends starting a hinge on a shot trainer or a string tied in a loop, because it's possible to fire before you reach full draw. The same habit is good with any new release.

Never dry-fire a bow. If a new release fires early, it should fire on a rope, not on your bow.

Set the thumb barrel where your thumb lands

Both the OnneX Clicker and the SX4 come with small and large thumb barrels, and the OnneX Clicker adds short and long extensions. The goal is the barrel sitting where your thumb rests naturally at anchor, so you press it without reaching. Change one part at a time and shoot a few arrows between changes. Then write the setting down, because "about where it was" is not a setting.

Tension and travel in small steps

On the models that adjust tension and travel, turn the screws in small steps. Heavier tension takes more thumb pressure to fire; more travel moves the trigger further before it breaks. Use the Allen key or Torx driver that came with it, and keep it in your bow case.

Alternatives to Stan in the grid

Stan has only a few releases on Amazon right now, so the grid adds releases from other brands below its own. They're the same product type, and the list includes both styles:

• Thumb releases from T.R.U. Ball, Trophy Ridge, Scott Archery and others, several listing a rotating head, which lets the head swivel to line up with the D-loop
• Hinge releases from Tru-Fire and Scott Archery, with sear or hook jaws per their listings

Compare them on the same fields as Stan's: firing style, finger count, whether the trigger adjusts, and the jaw type.

Where to buy Stan releases

The grid on this page links to the Stan listings on Amazon US. Stan also sells on its own site, along with spare parts. Check that the listing names the size, finger count and finish you want before you order. Stan's support page lists a service request form and a warranty policy document; read the warranty before you count on any coverage.

Style first, fingers second, screws last. Tape a note with your settings inside the release case and future you will have one less thing to argue with Uncle Walt about.