OK, I'll start out with what I like, then comment on this whole poll.
My current favorite is yellow pine--partly because it is easy for me to get here in western Kentucky, and partly because it is tough.
Overall, ease of access is a high priority with me.
I like Douglas fir for the reasons above.
I like Port Orford cedar very much, but will never buy any because of the price.
I like red, black and Sitka spruce when I can get those.
Now for my view of this poll. It is fun to know what people like, but our preferences are based on subjective experience.
For instance, just about any arrow material will withstand a straight-on direct hit with any solid object. The point taper may be compressed, but the shaft/stele won't break unless the impact is at some angle other than directly in line.
Few if any of us go out with a dozen new arrows and experiment carefully to see what angle of impact will break them. We also don't record the angle when we break an arrow, then try a different wood at the same angle to see if it also breaks.
According to the dispassionate results of testing by the Forest Products Laboratory, POC comes out better than Sitka spruce in both modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity. They have no axe to grind, if you will pardon the imagery.
As I said at the beginning of my comments, this is a fun poll. One thing it will show is that there are a lot of arrow woods that make people happy!
Jim Davis (who, as the maker, seller of Reparrows, doesn't care what shaft people repair with them.)
