Are lighted nocks necessary? No but they are helpful. You can really pinpoint exactly where your point of impact was which can be very helpful when it comes time to track. There are several brands on the market and the prices range from $8 to $25 each. Petersons magazine recently did a test to see who made the brightest nock. Firenock was the winner. They are however the most expensive. The old saying you get what you pay for is often true. I personally have been using Firenock for 3 years now and I have had zero issues with them. I tried several other brands but they all failed in my opinion. I know what your’re thinking “no way will I pay $25 for a nock”. I still have the same 3 nocks I bought 3 years ago. Thats $25 per year. If I buy the cheaper ones every year and have to replace them every year in 3 years time I will have spent more than $25 per year. So in the long run Firenocks are cheaper. One reason they last so long is you have the ability to change batteries. Customer service is above and beyond what you would expect. The owner will often call you personally to discuss any issues you might have. FYI if you use a lighted nock it will disqualify you from entering it into the P&Y book. I shot a 162 in 2011 using Firenocks and I could care less if it gets entered in P&Y. Another issue with using lighted nocks is it will affect your F.O.C. (front of center). What this means is you want the front half of your arrow to wieght more than the back half. In other words if you balance your arrow on your finger it should be closer to the broadhead than the nock. Think about throwing a dart or a spear and you’ll get the idea. There are calculators to help you figure out what your F.O.C. is. I like to be over 10%. I solve this issue by fletching with feathers. A 125 grain or heavier broadhead will also solve this problem.

Good Luck Hunting

Update:

After doing some more research I have decided that lighted nocks will no longer be on my arrows. I now believe a hunting arrow needs the highest amount of FOC we can get. At minimum I want 15% and over 20% is even better.