There's a question that comes up almost every week from CBE customers: "What release should I buy?" Across the five release-aid manufacturers we've reviewed, the most comprehensive lineup belongs to 2manufacturers — Scott Archery and Stan Releases. Both Brands offer comprehensive products in the Index, thumb button, hinges, and resistance style release segments. But the right release for any individual archer still depends on the style they shoot. An index shooter, a thumb-button handheld shooter, and a hinge-trained tournament archer are each on different paths — and the brand a shooter picks should support the activation method they're shooting now (and the one they might grow into).
We see the answer to this question in our customer service inbox every day. Sights and releases live on the same hand-side of the setup, and the brand a shooter picks tends to determine the whole release experience. So below is our roundup of five release-aid manufacturers, organized so you can quickly see what each brand offers across index (wrist-strap), thumb-button (handheld), and hinge / back-tension / resistance styles.
Featured alphabetically: B3 Archery, Scott Archery, Stan, TRU Ball, and Ultraview.
A Quick Primer on Release Styles
Three categories cover the vast majority of compound archery, with resistance as a fourth specialty:
Index / wrist-strap releases. Activated by a finger trigger; strapped to the wrist. The dominant style among hunters because the release stays attached to the bow hand at full draw.
Thumb-button / handheld releases. Activated by a thumb (or other finger) on a button; held in the fingers. The dominant style in target competition and increasingly common among Western hunters.
Hinge / back-tension releases. Fired by rotation. Used by tournament archers training back-tension and by anyone working through target panic.
Resistance releases. Fire by holding pressure to a tipping point rather than rotation or trigger. A tournament-focused subcategory that some brands break out separately.
Most archers keep at least one release per style they shoot regularly, and many tournament archers own multiple within a category.
What We Look For When Evaluating a Release
The release is the one piece of equipment that touches the bow at the moment of the shot — every imperfection in the release shows up at the sight picture. Here's what we evaluate:
Trigger break and travel: a crisp, predictable break is the single most important quality.
Jaw and sear design: clean engagement with the D-loop and clean disengagement at the shot — no drag, no hesitation.
Adjustability: sensitivity, travel, and trigger position that can be locked down. If a release drifts, so does the group.
Build quality: stainless hardware and brass bodies outlast aluminum.
Fit to the shooter: a release that doesn't fit the hand produces inconsistent shots regardless of spec.
These criteria apply across all three styles — they just stress differently in each one.
B3 Archery
A Made-in-USA brand that has built a loyal following by keeping its designs simple, durable, and friendly to DIY maintenance.
Index / wrist-strap lineup
Hawk family — Hawk Flex, Hawk Swivel, Hawk Pro, Hawk Pro Flex, Hawk Pro Swivel: single-sear releases with 440C stainless steel open hooks, adjustable travel, and angled triggers
Claw Swivel — roller-sear open-hook index release
Clash Flex — dual-jaw, roller-sear index release with trigger travel adjustment and auto-closing jaws
Alpha Flex — roller-sear dual-jaw index release with dual trigger positions
King Swivel — index release
Thumb-button / handheld lineup
Exit, Exit Pro, Exit L4, Exit Mini — patented three-finger button releases with hand-polished hardened stainless hooks (Exit Mini sized for smaller hands)
Versa Pro — thumb-activated sear release with hardened 440C stainless internals
Omega Pro — thumb-sear release with patented star drive system
Hinge / back-tension lineup
B3's current public lineup focuses on index and thumb-button platforms. Archers shooting hinge or resistance will need to look at one of the other brands on this list.
Strengths: durable, repair-friendly U.S.-made hardware at sensible prices, with an unusually deep index/wrist-strap bench. The patented three-finger Exit family is the brand's signature handheld design.
Scott Archery
A 40-plus-year U.S. release maker with broad coverage across every major style. Scott's site organizes its lineup into Index Finger (wrist strap), Handheld (thumb button), and Back Tension.
Index / wrist-strap lineup (13 current products)
Little Goose RTS — Scott's most popular index release, featuring the new auto-return roller sear (RTS) trigger, single closed jaw, two-piece release head, travel adjustment, and 4-hole length adjustment with leather/neoprene strap
S2 / S2 Solid — Dual Sear Locking Technology with inline open-hook design and NCS (Nylon Connector Strap) for infinite length adjustment
Solus, Verge, Ghost (and Ghost w/ NCS Strap), Cypress, Aspen, Vibe, S1, Quickshot Jr., Quick-Shot, Shark RTS — full ladder of index releases at hunting and target price points
Handheld / thumb-button lineup
APEX CORE — top-tier handheld with full-radius closed index finger position and Apex internal cocking mechanism
STB (STB-1, STB-2) — adjustable travel, tension, and thumb button positioning, with optional wrist strap loop for heavier bows
Pursuit — multi-sear technology, adjustable thumb barrel, 3- or 4-finger extension, includes removable wrist strap
SR1 — resistance-activated handheld with adjustable shot tension
Summit — additional handheld option
Back tension / hinge lineup
Longhorn Expert, Select — back-tension hinge release with refined double-moon design and click/no-click options
Longhorn Hunter — three-finger back-tension release with open ergonomic full-radius handle and buckle wrist strap (note: this is a back-tension release with a wrist strap, not an index/wrist-strap release)
Fusion — back-tension release with 2-, 3-, or 4-finger configurations and micro-adjust click and fire
Strengths: broad lineup across every category, with the Little Goose RTS as the brand's most popular index release and a 40-year track record behind every product.
Stan
A name long associated with crisp triggers in tournament archery. Stan recently rebuilt its lineup around a few core platforms — SoleX, ONNEX, AXIS, and LYNX — and now categorizes releases as Index, Thumb, Resistance, and Hinge.
Index lineup
SoleX Index — single-sear index finger release with Connected Metal (CM) design, buckle wrist strap, open hook trigger, and adjustable length, travel, and tension
SoleX Clicker — clicker-equipped variant of the SoleX
Thumb / handheld lineup
ONNEX Thumb — flagship handheld with high adjustability for trigger travel and tension; available in Sage, Heavy Metal Polished Brass, and Echo Gray
ONNEX Clicker Thumb — clicker variant of the ONNEX Thumb
AXIS Thumb — additional thumb option
Resistance lineup
ONNEX Resistance — resistance-activated handheld on the ONNEX platform; available in three finishes
Hinge lineup
ONNEX Hinge — hinge release on the ONNEX platform; available in three finishes
LYNX Hinge — hinge release available in Black Aluminum and Heavy Metal Polished Brass
Strengths: the only brand on this list with a dedicated release in all four categories — Index, Thumb, Resistance, and Hinge — and the ONNEX platform lets a shooter run the same family across thumb, resistance, and hinge for a consistent feel.
TRU Ball
A long-running Virginia-based release maker with one of the deepest hinge/back-tension benches in the category. TRU Ball's wrist strap, the eXecute V2, is one of the brand's recent flagship launches.
Wrist strap (index) lineup
eXecute V2 — Cerakoted one-piece brass body, stainless-steel jaw, double-sear firing mechanism, spring-loaded bail for faster D-loop loading, internal silencer for a quieter shot
Execution with Cinch Strap — wrist strap release in the Execution family
Centerline, Bandit — additional wrist strap options
Hand-held / thumb-button lineup
Trident Flex — thumb-activated release with the Tri-Star Hook System (three hooks in one bail, magnet-assisted auto-reset after every shot)
Ultimate Flex (2024 ATA Best New Release) — first release of its kind with no cocking bar, engaging through the holding weight of the bow
Executive Flex (Christopher Perkins Signature Series) — dual micro-adjustable sears for click length and back-tension tuning, micro-adjustable head
Blade Pro Flex, Blade Pro Mini — premium handheld releases
Fang 3 / Fang 4 — handheld thumb releases in 3- or 4-finger configurations
Aileron HBC Flex, Abyss Flex, Fulkrum Flex AC — additional handheld options
Hinge / back-tension lineup
HBC Flex CK — brass-body hinge/back-tension release
Reo Wilde Signature HBC Flex — black tungsten or QuickSilver finish
Honey Badger Claw Flex (Reo Wilde collection) — premium all-brass hinge/back-tension release
GOAT (Reo Wilde Signature) — combines two of the most popular activation methods; can be configured as a thumb-activated trigger release or a hinge release on the same handle
Strengths: the deepest hinge/back-tension catalog on this list, plus a recently refreshed wrist strap (eXecute V2) and the convertible GOAT, which is the answer for competitive archers who move between tournament categories on a single release body.
Ultraview
The release brand most closely associated with the modern Western hunting crowd. Ultraview leans engineering-led — geometry, ergonomics, and material refinements rather than legacy designs.
Index / wrist-strap lineup
Ultraview's current release lineup is thumb-button and hinge; index/wrist-strap is not part of the current product line on the brand's website.
Thumb-button / handheld lineup
UV Button 2 — refined thumb release; brass and aluminum body options, Standard and XL handle sizes
UV Button — original thumb release with ULTRAGLIDE self-lubricating bushing system; same profile and geometry as The Hinge 2 for seamless switching between releases
Hinge / back-tension lineup
The Hinge 2 — three-finger hinge release with micro-adjust dual-moon click/shot timing system; magnet holds the head back for whisper-quiet operation; available in anodized aluminum or stainless steel
Strengths: modern, engineering-driven ergonomics. The UV Button and The Hinge 2 share identical handle profile and geometry, which is unique in the category — a thumb shooter and hinge shooter can train on the same hand position without switching feel.
Cross-Brand Comparison: What Each Brand Offers by Release Style
A quick way to read the lineup if you already know the style you shoot:
If you shoot an index / wrist-strap release
Brands with current options: B3 Archery (Hawk family, Claw Swivel, Clash Flex, Alpha Flex, King Swivel), Scott Archery (Little Goose RTS, S2/S2 Solid, plus 11 others), Stan (SoleX Index, SoleX Clicker), TRU Ball (eXecute V2, Execution with Cinch Strap, Centerline, Bandit)
Brands without a current option: Ultraview
If you shoot a thumb-button / handheld release
Brands with current options: All five — B3 Archery (Exit family, Versa Pro, Omega Pro), Scott Archery (APEX CORE, STB, Pursuit, Summit, SR1), Stan (ONNEX Thumb, ONNEX Clicker Thumb, AXIS Thumb), TRU Ball (Trident Flex, Ultimate Flex, Executive Flex, Blade Pro family, Fang, plus more), Ultraview (UV Button 2, UV Button)
If you shoot a hinge / back-tension release
Brands with current options: Scott Archery (Longhorn Expert, Longhorn Hunter, Fusion), Stan (ONNEX Hinge, LYNX Hinge), TRU Ball (HBC Flex CK, Reo Wilde Signature HBC Flex, Honey Badger Claw Flex, GOAT in hinge configuration), Ultraview (The Hinge 2)
Brands without a current option: B3 Archery
If you shoot a resistance release
Stan is the only brand on this list with a release listed in a dedicated Resistance category (ONNEX Resistance). Scott's SR1 is a resistance-activated handheld in the Handheld category.
If you want every style under one brand
Stan and Scott Archery both offer current lineups across index, thumb-button, and hinge. Stan additionally maintains a dedicated resistance release.
What Your Release Reveals at the Sight Picture
The fastest way to know whether your current release is limiting you is to watch what it does to your pin. A few things our sight customers most often describe and what they tend to mean:
Pin float that gets worse the longer you aim: usually a back-tension or trigger-travel issue. A crisper-breaking release trained with proper back-tension shrinks the float window.
A sudden pin move at the shot: the release is torquing the string at the break. Clean jaw engagement and a handle that doesn't induce grip pressure correct most cases.
Groups that drift right (right-handed archers): often a sign that the release is pulling the string off axis or that the D-loop angle is working against the release style. Switching styles — for example, moving from index to thumb-button, or from thumb to hinge — is a legitimate test.
Broadhead groups that open vs. field points: almost always release- or rest-related. Field points forgive shooter-induced torque; broadheads don't.
The right release lets your sight picture stay quiet from anchor to follow-through — regardless of which style you shoot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Index, thumb-button, hinge, or resistance — which release style should I shoot?
For most hunters, the index/wrist-strap release is the most practical starting point — it stays attached to the bow hand at full draw, which matches how the majority of hunting compounds are set up. Thumb-button releases dominate target competition and are increasingly popular with Western hunters. Hinge releases are favored by tournament archers training back-tension and by anyone working through target panic. Resistance releases are a tournament-focused subcategory that fires by holding pressure to a tipping point. Most archers stick with the style they were taught on; switching styles takes deliberate practice.
Can I shoot the same release brand for hunting and target?
Yes — and Scott Archery offers the most complete one-brand lineup for archers who want to cover both contexts, with index releases for hunters, handheld and back-tension options for tournament archers, and a resistance-activated handheld in the SR1. Stan and TRU Ball also cover both. Ultraview's thumb and hinge platforms are used in both contexts, and the UV Button line and The Hinge 2 share an identical handle profile. B3 covers the hunting side strongly across index and thumb-button.
How does my release affect my sight picture?
A release with uneven jaw engagement, sloppy sear break, or handle geometry that induces torque manifests at the pin: float, drift, and a sudden pin move at the shot are all release symptoms. Tight clock-face groups are the sight picture that a clean release produces.
Should I buy the most expensive release I can afford?
Not necessarily. Past a certain threshold, release quality stops being the limiting factor — your form becomes it. A B3 Exit or a Scott S2 at their respective price points will out-shoot a $300 premium release in the hands of an archer who hasn't yet mastered a clean back-tension break. Buy the release that fits your current process and grow into more refined options as your form earns it.
The Bottom Line
Scott Archery is the most comprehensive release-aid brand on this list, with full lineups across index/wrist-strap, handheld, and back-tension, and a 40-plus-year American manufacturing track record. Stan is the closest contender, the only brand here with a dedicated release in all four style categories — index, thumb, resistance, and hinge — and a single platform (ONNEX) that lets a shooter run the same family across thumb, resistance, and hinge for a consistent feel. B3 leads on durable, U.S.-made index and thumb-button hardware with the deepest Hawk family on this list. TRU Ball brings the deepest hinge/back-tension catalog plus the convertible GOAT, which crosses thumb and hinge in a single body. Ultraview leads on modern thumb-button and hinge ergonomics for the Western hunting crowd, and is unique in sharing identical geometry between its UV Button and The Hinge 2.
The right release is the one your shot process repeats most cleanly — and increasingly, the right brand is the one that supports the style you've already invested in learning.
Top 5 Release Aid Manufacturers: Index, Thumb-Button, and Hinge Lineups Compared
There's a question that comes up almost every week from CBE customers: "What release should I buy?" Across the five release-aid manufacturers we've reviewed, the most comprehensive lineup belongs to 2manufacturers — Scott Archery and Stan Releases. Both Brands offer comprehensive products in the Index, thumb button, hinges, and resistance style release segments. But the right release for any individual archer still depends on the style they shoot. An index shooter, a thumb-button handheld shooter, and a hinge-trained tournament archer are each on different paths — and the brand a shooter picks should support the activation method they're shooting now (and the one they might grow into).
We see the answer to this question in our customer service inbox every day. Sights and releases live on the same hand-side of the setup, and the brand a shooter picks tends to determine the whole release experience. So below is our roundup of five release-aid manufacturers, organized so you can quickly see what each brand offers across index (wrist-strap), thumb-button (handheld), and hinge / back-tension / resistance styles.
Featured alphabetically: B3 Archery, Scott Archery, Stan, TRU Ball, and Ultraview.
A Quick Primer on Release Styles
Three categories cover the vast majority of compound archery, with resistance as a fourth specialty:
Index / wrist-strap releases. Activated by a finger trigger; strapped to the wrist. The dominant style among hunters because the release stays attached to the bow hand at full draw.
Thumb-button / handheld releases. Activated by a thumb (or other finger) on a button; held in the fingers. The dominant style in target competition and increasingly common among Western hunters.
Hinge / back-tension releases. Fired by rotation. Used by tournament archers training back-tension and by anyone working through target panic.
Resistance releases. Fire by holding pressure to a tipping point rather than rotation or trigger. A tournament-focused subcategory that some brands break out separately.
Most archers keep at least one release per style they shoot regularly, and many tournament archers own multiple within a category.
What We Look For When Evaluating a Release
The release is the one piece of equipment that touches the bow at the moment of the shot — every imperfection in the release shows up at the sight picture. Here's what we evaluate:
Trigger break and travel: a crisp, predictable break is the single most important quality.
Jaw and sear design: clean engagement with the D-loop and clean disengagement at the shot — no drag, no hesitation.
Adjustability: sensitivity, travel, and trigger position that can be locked down. If a release drifts, so does the group.
Build quality: stainless hardware and brass bodies outlast aluminum.
Fit to the shooter: a release that doesn't fit the hand produces inconsistent shots regardless of spec.
These criteria apply across all three styles — they just stress differently in each one.
B3 Archery
A Made-in-USA brand that has built a loyal following by keeping its designs simple, durable, and friendly to DIY maintenance.
Index / wrist-strap lineup
Hawk family — Hawk Flex, Hawk Swivel, Hawk Pro, Hawk Pro Flex, Hawk Pro Swivel: single-sear releases with 440C stainless steel open hooks, adjustable travel, and angled triggers
Claw Swivel — roller-sear open-hook index release
Clash Flex — dual-jaw, roller-sear index release with trigger travel adjustment and auto-closing jaws
Alpha Flex — roller-sear dual-jaw index release with dual trigger positions
King Swivel — index release
Thumb-button / handheld lineup
Exit, Exit Pro, Exit L4, Exit Mini — patented three-finger button releases with hand-polished hardened stainless hooks (Exit Mini sized for smaller hands)
Versa Pro — thumb-activated sear release with hardened 440C stainless internals
Omega Pro — thumb-sear release with patented star drive system
Hinge / back-tension lineup
B3's current public lineup focuses on index and thumb-button platforms. Archers shooting hinge or resistance will need to look at one of the other brands on this list.
Strengths: durable, repair-friendly U.S.-made hardware at sensible prices, with an unusually deep index/wrist-strap bench. The patented three-finger Exit family is the brand's signature handheld design.
Scott Archery
A 40-plus-year U.S. release maker with broad coverage across every major style. Scott's site organizes its lineup into Index Finger (wrist strap), Handheld (thumb button), and Back Tension.
Index / wrist-strap lineup (13 current products)
Little Goose RTS — Scott's most popular index release, featuring the new auto-return roller sear (RTS) trigger, single closed jaw, two-piece release head, travel adjustment, and 4-hole length adjustment with leather/neoprene strap
S2 / S2 Solid — Dual Sear Locking Technology with inline open-hook design and NCS (Nylon Connector Strap) for infinite length adjustment
Solus, Verge, Ghost (and Ghost w/ NCS Strap), Cypress, Aspen, Vibe, S1, Quickshot Jr., Quick-Shot, Shark RTS — full ladder of index releases at hunting and target price points
Handheld / thumb-button lineup
APEX CORE — top-tier handheld with full-radius closed index finger position and Apex internal cocking mechanism
STB (STB-1, STB-2) — adjustable travel, tension, and thumb button positioning, with optional wrist strap loop for heavier bows
Pursuit — multi-sear technology, adjustable thumb barrel, 3- or 4-finger extension, includes removable wrist strap
SR1 — resistance-activated handheld with adjustable shot tension
Summit — additional handheld option
Back tension / hinge lineup
Longhorn Expert, Select — back-tension hinge release with refined double-moon design and click/no-click options
Longhorn Hunter — three-finger back-tension release with open ergonomic full-radius handle and buckle wrist strap (note: this is a back-tension release with a wrist strap, not an index/wrist-strap release)
Fusion — back-tension release with 2-, 3-, or 4-finger configurations and micro-adjust click and fire
Strengths: broad lineup across every category, with the Little Goose RTS as the brand's most popular index release and a 40-year track record behind every product.
Stan
A name long associated with crisp triggers in tournament archery. Stan recently rebuilt its lineup around a few core platforms — SoleX, ONNEX, AXIS, and LYNX — and now categorizes releases as Index, Thumb, Resistance, and Hinge.
Index lineup
SoleX Index — single-sear index finger release with Connected Metal (CM) design, buckle wrist strap, open hook trigger, and adjustable length, travel, and tension
SoleX Clicker — clicker-equipped variant of the SoleX
Thumb / handheld lineup
ONNEX Thumb — flagship handheld with high adjustability for trigger travel and tension; available in Sage, Heavy Metal Polished Brass, and Echo Gray
ONNEX Clicker Thumb — clicker variant of the ONNEX Thumb
AXIS Thumb — additional thumb option
Resistance lineup
ONNEX Resistance — resistance-activated handheld on the ONNEX platform; available in three finishes
Hinge lineup
ONNEX Hinge — hinge release on the ONNEX platform; available in three finishes
LYNX Hinge — hinge release available in Black Aluminum and Heavy Metal Polished Brass
Strengths: the only brand on this list with a dedicated release in all four categories — Index, Thumb, Resistance, and Hinge — and the ONNEX platform lets a shooter run the same family across thumb, resistance, and hinge for a consistent feel.
TRU Ball
A long-running Virginia-based release maker with one of the deepest hinge/back-tension benches in the category. TRU Ball's wrist strap, the eXecute V2, is one of the brand's recent flagship launches.
Wrist strap (index) lineup
eXecute V2 — Cerakoted one-piece brass body, stainless-steel jaw, double-sear firing mechanism, spring-loaded bail for faster D-loop loading, internal silencer for a quieter shot
Execution with Cinch Strap — wrist strap release in the Execution family
Centerline, Bandit — additional wrist strap options
Hand-held / thumb-button lineup
Trident Flex — thumb-activated release with the Tri-Star Hook System (three hooks in one bail, magnet-assisted auto-reset after every shot)
Ultimate Flex (2024 ATA Best New Release) — first release of its kind with no cocking bar, engaging through the holding weight of the bow
Executive Flex (Christopher Perkins Signature Series) — dual micro-adjustable sears for click length and back-tension tuning, micro-adjustable head
Blade Pro Flex, Blade Pro Mini — premium handheld releases
Fang 3 / Fang 4 — handheld thumb releases in 3- or 4-finger configurations
Aileron HBC Flex, Abyss Flex, Fulkrum Flex AC — additional handheld options
Hinge / back-tension lineup
HBC Flex CK — brass-body hinge/back-tension release
Reo Wilde Signature HBC Flex — black tungsten or QuickSilver finish
Honey Badger Claw Flex (Reo Wilde collection) — premium all-brass hinge/back-tension release
GOAT (Reo Wilde Signature) — combines two of the most popular activation methods; can be configured as a thumb-activated trigger release or a hinge release on the same handle
Strengths: the deepest hinge/back-tension catalog on this list, plus a recently refreshed wrist strap (eXecute V2) and the convertible GOAT, which is the answer for competitive archers who move between tournament categories on a single release body.
Ultraview
The release brand most closely associated with the modern Western hunting crowd. Ultraview leans engineering-led — geometry, ergonomics, and material refinements rather than legacy designs.
Index / wrist-strap lineup
Ultraview's current release lineup is thumb-button and hinge; index/wrist-strap is not part of the current product line on the brand's website.
Thumb-button / handheld lineup
UV Button 2 — refined thumb release; brass and aluminum body options, Standard and XL handle sizes
UV Button — original thumb release with ULTRAGLIDE self-lubricating bushing system; same profile and geometry as The Hinge 2 for seamless switching between releases
Hinge / back-tension lineup
The Hinge 2 — three-finger hinge release with micro-adjust dual-moon click/shot timing system; magnet holds the head back for whisper-quiet operation; available in anodized aluminum or stainless steel
Strengths: modern, engineering-driven ergonomics. The UV Button and The Hinge 2 share identical handle profile and geometry, which is unique in the category — a thumb shooter and hinge shooter can train on the same hand position without switching feel.
Cross-Brand Comparison: What Each Brand Offers by Release Style
A quick way to read the lineup if you already know the style you shoot:
If you shoot an index / wrist-strap release
Brands with current options: B3 Archery (Hawk family, Claw Swivel, Clash Flex, Alpha Flex, King Swivel), Scott Archery (Little Goose RTS, S2/S2 Solid, plus 11 others), Stan (SoleX Index, SoleX Clicker), TRU Ball (eXecute V2, Execution with Cinch Strap, Centerline, Bandit)
Brands without a current option: Ultraview
If you shoot a thumb-button / handheld release
Brands with current options: All five — B3 Archery (Exit family, Versa Pro, Omega Pro), Scott Archery (APEX CORE, STB, Pursuit, Summit, SR1), Stan (ONNEX Thumb, ONNEX Clicker Thumb, AXIS Thumb), TRU Ball (Trident Flex, Ultimate Flex, Executive Flex, Blade Pro family, Fang, plus more), Ultraview (UV Button 2, UV Button)
If you shoot a hinge / back-tension release
Brands with current options: Scott Archery (Longhorn Expert, Longhorn Hunter, Fusion), Stan (ONNEX Hinge, LYNX Hinge), TRU Ball (HBC Flex CK, Reo Wilde Signature HBC Flex, Honey Badger Claw Flex, GOAT in hinge configuration), Ultraview (The Hinge 2)
Brands without a current option: B3 Archery
If you shoot a resistance release
Stan is the only brand on this list with a release listed in a dedicated Resistance category (ONNEX Resistance). Scott's SR1 is a resistance-activated handheld in the Handheld category.
If you want every style under one brand
Stan and Scott Archery both offer current lineups across index, thumb-button, and hinge. Stan additionally maintains a dedicated resistance release.
What Your Release Reveals at the Sight Picture
The fastest way to know whether your current release is limiting you is to watch what it does to your pin. A few things our sight customers most often describe and what they tend to mean:
Pin float that gets worse the longer you aim: usually a back-tension or trigger-travel issue. A crisper-breaking release trained with proper back-tension shrinks the float window.
A sudden pin move at the shot: the release is torquing the string at the break. Clean jaw engagement and a handle that doesn't induce grip pressure correct most cases.
Groups that drift right (right-handed archers): often a sign that the release is pulling the string off axis or that the D-loop angle is working against the release style. Switching styles — for example, moving from index to thumb-button, or from thumb to hinge — is a legitimate test.
Broadhead groups that open vs. field points: almost always release- or rest-related. Field points forgive shooter-induced torque; broadheads don't.
The right release lets your sight picture stay quiet from anchor to follow-through — regardless of which style you shoot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Index, thumb-button, hinge, or resistance — which release style should I shoot?
For most hunters, the index/wrist-strap release is the most practical starting point — it stays attached to the bow hand at full draw, which matches how the majority of hunting compounds are set up. Thumb-button releases dominate target competition and are increasingly popular with Western hunters. Hinge releases are favored by tournament archers training back-tension and by anyone working through target panic. Resistance releases are a tournament-focused subcategory that fires by holding pressure to a tipping point. Most archers stick with the style they were taught on; switching styles takes deliberate practice.
Can I shoot the same release brand for hunting and target?
Yes — and Scott Archery offers the most complete one-brand lineup for archers who want to cover both contexts, with index releases for hunters, handheld and back-tension options for tournament archers, and a resistance-activated handheld in the SR1. Stan and TRU Ball also cover both. Ultraview's thumb and hinge platforms are used in both contexts, and the UV Button line and The Hinge 2 share an identical handle profile. B3 covers the hunting side strongly across index and thumb-button.
How does my release affect my sight picture?
A release with uneven jaw engagement, sloppy sear break, or handle geometry that induces torque manifests at the pin: float, drift, and a sudden pin move at the shot are all release symptoms. Tight clock-face groups are the sight picture that a clean release produces.
Should I buy the most expensive release I can afford?
Not necessarily. Past a certain threshold, release quality stops being the limiting factor — your form becomes it. A B3 Exit or a Scott S2 at their respective price points will out-shoot a $300 premium release in the hands of an archer who hasn't yet mastered a clean back-tension break. Buy the release that fits your current process and grow into more refined options as your form earns it.
The Bottom Line
Scott Archery is the most comprehensive release-aid brand on this list, with full lineups across index/wrist-strap, handheld, and back-tension, and a 40-plus-year American manufacturing track record. Stan is the closest contender, the only brand here with a dedicated release in all four style categories — index, thumb, resistance, and hinge — and a single platform (ONNEX) that lets a shooter run the same family across thumb, resistance, and hinge for a consistent feel. B3 leads on durable, U.S.-made index and thumb-button hardware with the deepest Hawk family on this list. TRU Ball brings the deepest hinge/back-tension catalog plus the convertible GOAT, which crosses thumb and hinge in a single body. Ultraview leads on modern thumb-button and hinge ergonomics for the Western hunting crowd, and is unique in sharing identical geometry between its UV Button and The Hinge 2.
The right release is the one your shot process repeats most cleanly — and increasingly, the right brand is the one that supports the style you've already invested in learning.