A Visit to Tru-Fire Corporation

Tru-Fire Corporation (TFC) is an amazing company and Struttinbucks, Inc. (SB) is privileged to be their partner! Our team members have been using Tru-Fire release aids for years. Their releases are reliable, durable, American made and the most innovative on the market. With over 40 patents, TFC dominates the industry. 

In a recent visit to their new 20,000 square foot building in Fond du Lac, WI, I was fortunate to have met up with Steve Tentler, President/Owner of TFC, to learn more about the company, its products, their newest release aid and the history behind the company. 

In 1976, Steve’s parents purchased a local archery distributor company by the name of Raulf Archery Supplies. This particular distributor sold to dealers across the U.S. and abroad. Raulf Archery was one of the main suppliers of cedar shafts from the 50’s into the 70’s. About 75 percent of schools and colleges in the U.S., who had archery classes, utilized Raulf Archery Arrows. 

In 1979, his parents decided manufacturing would be the next step towards expansion.  Total Shooting Systems (TSS) was born. Bringing in engineers from across the country, TSS designed the Quadraflex compound bow, climbing tree-stands (the first to offer a safety harness), sights, releases and other accessories. At its peak, TSS employed over 70 employees. 

In 1984, Steve’s parents decided to sell TSS but retained the original release line. They were able to focus on the manufacturing of releases exclusively, an accessory that had tremendous growth potential.  

Also in 1984, Tru-Fire Corporation was introduced. As far as the company was concerned, they perform almost all secondary machining on-site, as well as 100 percent of the assembly, packaging and shipping. That’s right, everything they sell is American made and they are proud of it! All engineering, as well as research and development, is performed exclusively at TFC by a full-time engineer. In fact, most of our parts come to them from a three state radius. Even all the release straps are made in Wisconsin. TFC is now in its second generation with Steve and his wife, Cheri, whom purchased the company from his parents, in 2006.

Since then, TFC has continued to introduce new and innovative products year after year and then patenting those ideas to make certain the features of their product line are brand exclusive. This hard work has lead to TFC dominating their segment of the industry.

During my visit, Steve showed me the Hardcore Max Black Buckle Foldback, their newest release. Its best features, along with most of the TFC releases, is the foldback option: allowing the release to literally fold back out of the way of your grip. Thus intern, permits you to grab onto tree steps, stands, adjust clothing and/or many other items with ease. It is padded for comfort and falls into the new family of open jaw releases. Most people may not know it is made out of real deer hide, right there in Wisconsin. This is an amazing feature! Make sure and check out this new release and their complete line at www.trufire.com. 

SB and I would like to personally thank Tru-Fire Corporation and Steve Tentler for its support of Struttinbucks, Inc. I appreciate him taking the time out of a busy day to talk with me about the company and the outdoor industry.