AAE Elite Adjustable Finger Spacer

Some months ago I purchased AAE’s Elite Adjustable Finger Spacer for my AAE Cavalier tab.

This was prompted because after prolonged shooting I would have some soreness behind the first digit of my index finger where my finger was in contact with the hard outside edge of the standard spacer. Maybe a form issue however it made me check into spacer options.

The Adjustable Finger Spacer kit comes with an aluminum spacer, a soft rubber band that fits over the spacer, a fastener and a flexible, 3 x 3 inch, flat, plastic square.

What the heck is this for? No instructions…

When I opened the package I was surprised that only a single screw was supplied as the standard spacer uses two. I wondered if this would make for a secure fit or if the spacer would roam on the tab surface.

I also had no idea what the flat plastic square was for. There were no instructions in my package that clarified this.

Off came the old spacer and I attached the new, as the name indicates the finger spacer is adjustable. It has 3 holes which allow you to move it forward or aft to fit your hand and get it snug or loose against the web between your index and middle finger, depending on your preference and comfort.

I tightened the spacer down and although it was a single screw it seated well into the leather and didn’t wander as I’d feared.

I then grabbed the soft rubber band and tried to get it over the spacer, it was seemingly impossible to stretch over the spacer, suddenly the use of the plastic square became clear. It had to be a grabber that gave you a better grip and allowed you to stretch the band over the spacer. I tried it and it worked!

The adjustable spacer fills the gap between your fingers and doesn’t leave hard edges for your fingers to rest upon, where they might become sore. The fit against the web between your index and middle finger is snug and solid. It makes hand and tab feel like one. In my estimation this is the spacer’s best feature.

AAE Elite Adjustable Finger Spacer fills the spacer between your fingers and against the web of your fingers fore and aft, making tab and hand integrate better and feel more like a single unit.

Standard spacer.

It is also more comfortable than the standard spacer. It has a smooth anodized finish with nice, rounded edges,you can add the band for a soft rubber feel and extra girth between your fingers.

Spacer without the rubber band, note smooth finish and rounded edges.

As far as cost, Lancaster Archery currently has the spacer listed for $17.99.

Archers shoot the Cavalier tab in all sorts of configurations. With spacer, without spacer, with shelf and without the shelf, with many or a few layers of leather, superleather, calfhair and or rubber. Some are filed down for a personal fit. Folks adapt these excellent tabs in all sorts of ways to make them feel right to their draw, anchor and release.

Our drawing hand is one of two places where we come in contact with the bow, making it our own, making it comfortable, making it accurate, seems worth the effort of experimentation. AAE’s Adjustable Finger Spacer is a good option towards that endeavor.

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Archery storage for small spaces

I have a 3 bedroom house, two sons and a mess of archery tackle.

Up to now my sons have shared a bedroom, leaving a bedroom to be used as combo archeryhaven, office and guestroom.

With the lads springing into teenagehood, they wanted to get out of their shared room and into their own. I’d want the same so I’m cool with that. It just meant that the archery empire would have to move.

I don’t have a basement or garage and so I looked around at the options. My dad’s archery cabinet and his bows could go out into the family room area and just be a part of the rest of the house. I thought of my bedroom but my wife gave me the evil eye when I mentioned it so I quickly dropped that plan, which didn’t leave me too many options. Really the only space left was our shed outside or a closet.

The shed just had a skunk move in, which may end up involving archery gear, but trudging out there really wasn’t practical, which made the decision easy (by the way if you know how to get rid of a skunk without them invoking “the potion”, let me know).

The closet is already home to tools, glue, nails and general hardware, fixit stuff but it was jammed packed, so I spent a couple of weekends judiciously utilizing the adage, “When in doubt, throw it out”, (or recycle) until I could see some promise in there.

Tool, hardware and now also archery closet.

I already had a lot of archery hardware in organizer cases and I figured I could store bows vertically on a pegboard. Arrows in tubes, my compound bow hung, my fletching stuff in a box and it all came together. Frankly, I’ve been very pleased with everything having a home. I’m sure there will be changes but I think I’m off to a good start.

Hook is made from clothes hanger wire, some tape and some small hose to protect the bow.

For a workspace, a place to fletch arrows, tune, and do archery stuff I moved a small desk into a corner of the house.

In the end I’ve been downsized but that’s small potatoes and a very small sacrifice in comparison to seeing the excitement in my sons eyes at setting up their bedrooms and having them be their own.