QAD Ultrarest Pro HDX (2024): A Fall-Away Rest Built for Tolerance

Drop-away rests have been standard equipment for serious compound archers for well over a decade, but most designs share a frustrating compromise: the cord or cable connection that triggers the launcher arm also introduces a variable. Tie length, cord stretch, timing relative to the power stroke — all of it can drift over a season. QAD's Ultrarest HDX line has consistently been the benchmark for addressing that problem, and the 2024 Pro HDX is the brand's latest attempt to engineer inconsistency out of the system entirely.

What's notable

The Pro HDX uses QAD's Integrate MXT mounting system, which pairs a dovetail-style base with a locking lever to produce a rest that installs without tools and returns to zero reliably after removal. Swap the rest to a second bow and back again and the sight-in doesn't move — a useful property for archers who rotate equipment or coaches who manage a shared equipment program. The launcher arm itself is vapor-honed stainless steel, an upgrade from the standard HDX's brushed finish. The honing reduces surface texture variation that can affect vane contact on the arm during the brief window before drop. Launcher blade options cover .260, .270, and .300 diameter shafts, so the rest accommodates carbon arrows from small-diameter hunting shafts to conventional 5/16ths sizes without buying a different unit.

The timing cord connects directly to the buss cable via a loop attachment. As the bow fires, the downstroke of the buss cable drops the arm completely clear of the arrow before the vanes reach the rest position — QAD claims full containment through the power stroke with zero vane contact on a properly timed setup. The cord adjustment is tool-free, using a ribbed grip wheel on the mounting block. This matters on a cold morning in a treestand when fine motor control is compromised and gloves are on.

The launcher arm pivots on a stainless bearing rather than a polymer bushing, which is the single most important difference between the Pro HDX and the standard HDX. Bearing wear over thousands of shots is meaningfully less than bushing wear, and pivot consistency — the smoothness of the arm's drop path — is tighter and remains tighter over the life of the rest. Total launcher arm weight is low enough that the rest drops quickly even on bows with slower buss cable speeds, a practical concern for target archers running 60-pound setups for indoor or 3D competition. The limiter screw controls drop distance, so the rest can be configured for full drop-away or a partial rest position for shooters who prefer partial contact.

Who it's for

The Pro HDX is aimed at compound archers who've already spent time troubleshooting fall-away timing and want a rest that removes that variable from their diagnostic checklist. Tournament 3D and field archers who change arrows frequently will appreciate the blade-swap system and the zero-tool cord adjustment; hunters who climb into stands in the dark will appreciate the positive containment and the mounting system's repeatability. This is not a budget rest, and it's not a beginner's rest.

Compound target archers competing at state or national level regularly run QAD HDX rests as an alternative to capture-style rests because fall-away behavior produces consistent clearance across a wider range of arrow spine tolerances. A shooter running a slightly underspined arrow can tune a fall-away rest into acceptable groups where a capture rest would amplify the deflection. The Pro HDX's bearing pivot adds a long-term reliability argument to that performance case.

The first-look video

Where it sits in the lineup

QAD sells the standard HDX and the Integrate HDX below the Pro HDX, with the bearing pivot and the Integrate MXT mounting system as the primary differentiators at the top of the range. At $130–$150 street price, the Pro HDX sits above Ripcord rests and Trophy Ridge capture rests by a meaningful margin, but competes directly with the Hamskea Epsilon and the Trophy Taker Smackdown Pro. Each of those rests has its advocates; the QAD distinguishes itself on the mounting system's repeatability and the bearing pivot's demonstrated longevity across high-volume shooting programs.

For coaches and team programs who run multiple bows and need consistent rest performance across a range of setups, the Integrate mounting system's zero-tool installation and reliable return-to-zero means a rest can move between bow platforms during a clinic without a re-tune. That operational convenience is harder to put a price on than the hardware spec, but it's a real advantage in a team setting.

Source

Specifications drawn from QAD product documentation, dealer listings, and Lancaster Archery Supply's 2024 product review.

Tagged: Rests · QAD · 2024