I honestly prefer shooting bows without stippling or checkering.  I like the looks of it much better but have come to prefer a smooth leather wrap over about anything else.  A smooth leather grip offers a bit better traction than a bare bow when your hands are sweaty or wet from the environment, is in my experience most consistent in grittiness between seasons/environmental conditions, and isn't overly grippy to the point of preventing your hand from ever so slightly shifting into position as you draw.  Checkering and stippling lock your hand in position tightly and that's great at the range when you can be conscious about perfect form, but in the woods a non-checkered/stippled grip is a bit more forgiving in the heat of the moment.

Personal preference, so I will add mine.  I have one bow that is stippled,  but I don't use it very much, and have several with the checkering, including silvertip recurves and TallTines recurves and longbows.  Essentially, I would never order one without the checkering.  When I got my first Stickflinger, I wasn't sure about it, but it makes your grip much more secure when hunting in hot, humid conditions, or if you are exerting yourself.  The checkering does a better job in this regard compared to the stippling, in my opinion.

Checkering on my TallTines,
and stippling on an older RER.


 
 

 

   

 
 


 

QuoteOriginally posted by Michael Arnette:
I hate stippling and or checkering myself...it messes with me

LOL.....yep!