MDC stirrups or Sprenger bow balance

[vanrim]

I want a comfortable stirrup with shock absorber qualities and which is easy to find with my foot if I lose a stirrup. What are people's opinions of the MDC and the Sprenger bow balance?

 

[FfionWinnie]

I have sprengers and JW air and would be hard pressed to tell them apart other than the JW are substantially cheaper and I think the cheese grater tread helps you keep them better. Been using both for several years now

 

[Shay]

The JW Air are similar to the Sprenger system 4 - not the bow balance which is offset. We use the bow balance (with cheese grater treads) and my daughter found her lower leg to be significantly more stable She's not prone to loosing stirrups anyway - but from appearance the MDCs look as though they would be harder to find because they can twist? The bow balance has made a massive difference to her knee and ankle pain which is why we got them.

 

[FfionWinnie]

It's the bow balance I am comparing the JW to and I don't find a massive difference personally. One tread is wider can't remember which off the top of my head but if I've been using one for a long time and switch I notice it but day to day I don't notice a difference.

 

[I.M.N.]

I have the MDC sport classic, I went for those as I wanted the wider foot bed. I think they're great, it's so much easier to find your stirrup, which is great when you're getting on flighty youngsters. I've also had a couple of dramatic falls recently and not even those have made the stirrups twist out of the angle I put them at.

 

[gunnergundog]

I used to have the straightforward Sprengers (not the bow balance) and I raved about them for years. I've now had the MDC super sport for nearly twelve months and for me (dodgy ankles and knees) they are far superior. Don't think I've ever 'lost' a stirrup with these.