The best crossbow cocking ropes

That is useful to know before you spend money, because the price range here is four-fold and the headline figure is identical throughout. What varies is how pleasant the thing is to use fifty times a season, and whether it marks your rail.

In detail

Five rope cockers and a sled

01The rope cocker to buy if you only buy one

$24.99/Amazon

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Barnett Premium Rope Cocking Device

Barnett

8.4/ 10

50 percent tension reduction from a 50-inch rope with hook-style ends, a knurled soft grip and a magnet lock so the handles stay put in your pocket. It is adjustable to both the bow and the user, which matters more than it sounds: an evenly-pulled string is an accurate one.

Published spec	Value
Tension reduction	Up to 50%
Rope length	50 in
Type	Rope cocker, hook style
Handed	Ambidextrous
Grip	Diamond knurl soft grip with magnet lock
Adjustable	To both the crossbow and the user
De-cocks	Not published

What it does well

• Adjustable to the bow and to your arm length
• Magnet lock keeps the handles together in a pocket
• Pulls the string evenly, which is the accuracy argument for a rope
• Costs less than a box of broadheads

Where it falls short

• 50 percent of a 200 lb bow is still a 100 lb pull
• Hooks can mar a rail if you drag them
• No de-cocking

Our rubric

Effort reduction

6.8

Fit range

9.0

Noise

8.0

Pack size

9.6

Value

9.4

02Cheap, universal, and kind to your rail

$16.44/Amazon

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Allen Double Handled Crossbow Cocking Rope

Allen

8.3/ 10

50 percent draw reduction, oversized handles, and the detail that earns it a place here: molded string hooks with a roller inside, so the hook does not chew the rail and the pull runs smoother. It fits most crossbow models rather than one brand.

Published spec	Value
Draw reduction	Up to 50%
Type	Rope cocker, double handle
Handles	Oversized
Hooks	Molded, with a friction-reducing roller
Fits	Most crossbow models
Rail safety	Hooks will not damage the rail
De-cocks	Not published

What it does well

• Roller hooks reduce friction and protect the rail
• Universal fit rather than brand-locked
• Oversized handles suit gloved or arthritic hands
• Cheapest branded rope cocker here

Where it falls short

• 50 percent only; this is not a crank substitute
• No published rope length
• No de-cocking

Our rubric

Effort reduction

6.8

Fit range

9.4

Noise

8.2

Pack size

9.6

Value

9.6

03Excalibur recurves, loading and unloading

$27.99/Amazon

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Excalibur Rope Cocking Aid

Excalibur

8.0/ 10

50 percent felt draw reduction with double T-handles, and the listing is explicit that it loads and unloads an Excalibur. On a recurve that matters: a recurve has no retention latch helping you, so a cocking aid that also controls the let-down is a safety item, not a convenience.

Published spec	Value
Felt draw reduction	50%
Type	Rope cocker, double T-handle
Handles	T-handles
Fits	Any Excalibur crossbow
Use	Load and unload
Supplied	Assembled or unassembled for customizing
Alignment	Provides string alignment for accuracy

What it does well

• Explicitly rated for unloading as well as loading
• T-handles are easier on cold hands than a knurled grip
• Ships assembled or unassembled so you can set rope length

Where it falls short

• Excalibur bows only
• 50 percent is still a real pull on a heavy recurve
• Costs more than a universal rope cocker

Our rubric

Effort reduction

6.8

Fit range

6.4

Noise

8.0

Pack size

9.6

Value

8.4

04A spare to leave in the truck

$7.49/Amazon

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Omoojee 63-inch Crossbow Cocking Rope

Omoojee

8.0/ 10

A 63-inch universal rope cocker with T-handles, an integrated roller and a 50 percent reduction claim, for less than a tube of string wax. It is the one to buy as a second cocker so one lives in the blind bag and one in the truck, because the day you forget yours is the day it matters.

Published spec	Value
Force reduction	50%
Rope length	63 in
Type	Rope cocker, T-handle
Roller	Integrated roller mechanism
Adjustable	Cord adjusts to archer and bow
Fits	Universal across crossbow models
De-cocks	Not published

What it does well

• Cheapest cocking aid on the site
• 63 inches is long enough for tall shooters
• Integrated roller and adjustable cord at this price is unusual

Where it falls short

• No brand reputation behind the 50 percent claim
• Light hardware compared with a Barnett or Allen rope
• No de-cocking

Our rubric

Effort reduction

6.6

Fit range

9.0

Noise

7.6

Pack size

9.6

Value

9.8

05A sled instead of hooks

$39.95/Amazon

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Bear Archery Aluminum Crossbow Cocking Sled

Bear Archery

7.6/ 10

An aluminum sled with three interchangeable inserts for the BearX Impact, Constrictor, Intense and Saga. A sled pulls both sides of the string from one rigid frame rather than two loose hooks, which removes the most common source of an uneven cock — and an uneven cock is a flier.

Published spec	Value
Type	Cocking sled, aluminum
Inserts	Three, included
Fits	BearX Impact, Constrictor, Intense, Saga
Material	Aluminum
Effort reduction	Not published
De-cocks	Not published

What it does well

• A rigid frame pulls both string sides evenly
• Aluminum rather than molded plastic
• Three inserts cover four Bear models

Where it falls short

• No effort-reduction figure published
• Bear X bows only
• Bulkier in a pack than a rope

Our rubric

Effort reduction

6.8

Fit range

6.0

Noise

8.2

Pack size

7.4

Value

8.4

How we picked

With effort reduction constant, we scored on fit range, hook design, handle quality, pack size and value. The Bear sled is included as the alternative mechanism. See our methodology.

Where they differ

The features that actually matter

Roller hooks, which protect your rail

A plain hook dragged across the rail scuffs it and adds friction to the pull. Allen's molded hooks have a roller inside — the listing credits it with reducing friction and improving function — and Omoojee's has an integrated roller mechanism too. On a bow you will cock a few hundred times, that is worth having.

Adjustable rope length, which is about your arms

Barnett's is adjustable to both the crossbow and the user; Omoojee's cord adjusts too. Rope length determines where in your range of motion the pull happens, and a rope set for someone a foot taller than you makes the lift awkward exactly where it is heaviest.

Handles you can hold in gloves

Allen's oversized handles and Barnett's knurled soft grip are both aimed at this, and T-handles — Excalibur's and Omoojee's — are usually easier on cold or arthritic hands than a bar grip.

A magnet lock, which sounds trivial and is not

Barnett's handles clip together magnetically. A rope cocker that comes out of your pocket as a tangle, in the dark, while a deer walks past, is a small misery you can design out for a few dollars.

Why a rope pulls evenly, and why that matters

A crossbow needs the string drawn square: if one side comes back further than the other, the bolt leaves at an angle and you get a flier you will blame on the arrow. Every maker here mentions string alignment, and Barnett's listing says it directly — the rope ensures the bow is evenly cocked for maximum accuracy.

A sled does this better. Bear's aluminum sled engages the whole string on a rigid frame, so there is no way to pull one side harder. The reduction is the same 50 percent; the alignment is more consistent. If you shoot fliers you cannot explain, this is worth trying.

Where a rope stops being enough

Fifty percent of a 200 lb bow is 100 lb, lifted upward from a crouch with both arms. That is the honest limit of this product category. If that lift is the problem you came here to solve, a rope is not the answer and no rope is better than another at it — go to the crank roundup.