Michael,
This is the SAME string stop design we've been making and selling for over 6 years and it has been WIDELY praised for its effectivness in reducing bow shot noise and felt vibration in the hand. There is a DESIGN/PERFORMANCE SPECIFIC reason that the TSS incorporates Carbon on the Riser side -- I suggest you give the product time in use so you can see its performance before criticizing it so harshly.
Regarding the cable guard rod length, please let us know what bow model you ordered for and the total overall length of the cable guard rod (including cap) that you received. ALL of our cable guard rods are meant to be slightly longer than the factory rod due to the rubber cap we use. It's safer for us to go slightly over in length and this poses NO issue at all in terms of performance on the bow.
Thank you for the feeback,
Sam (TAP Owner)