Post by gd3006 on Jan 22, 2012 2:09:08 GMT -5
Well, got to spend a couple days at the ATA show on Columbus a little over a week ago. Got to see Uncle Ted, talked with Terry Rohm, Bill Winke, and a few other "celebrities" in the outdoor world... along with getting to try out most of the new bows that were released. So in keeping in good standing with all of you here, I'll let you know what I thought of everything I got to shoot.
First, I got a chance to shoot the new Bowtech Insanity. From the ATA show last year, I had a really bad taste in my mouth for Bowtech given what I thought of the Invasion - not a good bow. I went into this trial with a LOT of skepticism, but to the credit of the engineers at Bowtech, they cured the ills that plagued the Invasion with the new Insanity. Simply put, this bow looks nearly identical to the Invasion, but feels 1000% better when shooting. I didn't like shooting the Invasion, as a lot of things felt wrong to me. Maybe I was a little easy on the Insanity as a result, but I shot a lot of bows this past year, and a lot at the show. I don't think my experience shooting this bow was corrupted from past disappointments. If you are looking for the best bow of the show, this one was hard to beat. Super valley and wall, for a speed cam great draw cycle. Hand shock during the shot was seemingly non-existent. If I had to pick a favorite from this show, this one gets the nod.
I have an Elite bow right now, and they are on my short list of trusted manufacturers in this business. Love the warranty (best in the business by a long shot - check it out on their website) and the new bow did not disappoint. The Answer is a great shooting bow. If you're looking into one, get the smooth draw mods in your cams rather than the speed mods. The smooth mod cams felt great, and draw cycle along with the valley and wall were exceptional. Speed mods in this bow left something to be desired. Given a 7" brace height, the draw cycle was worse than the Pulse (their speed bow) with a 6" brace height. A little hand shock on release of the shot, but very good considering current industry standards. I'm considering a Pulse for my next hunting bow, but the Answer with the smooth draw mods is the better all-around option. The smoothest drawing and shooting hunting bow they make is probably the Hunter. The taller archers with longer draw lengths will probably prefer the Pure, and rightfully so. You will not get a bad bow from this company. JMHO
I have a very good friend who heads the engineering department for Strother Archery. Last year, their newest bow was the SX-1. Super fast, but a hard draw cycle, and hand shock was very noticable. This year, they have developed a new cam, which keeps most of the speed advantages, but offers a smoother draw with a mitigated amount of hand shock at the shot. Very good improvements, and I may very well end up hunting with one of these this year. They also have developed a line of bows specifically designed for women. These bows will be around for a long time, and they should be on your list of bows to try out.
I also got some time in at the Hoyt shooting range. I shot quite a few of their new bows, and got the same result from most. I shot the Carbon Element, Vector, CRX, Rampage, and ProHawk bows. Nothing really surprising in all of my test shooting. Standard Hoyt performance. The only real gripe I have about this company is that none of their bows have a solid wall that you are pulling against at the end of the draw cycle. The sponginess of the wall was a bit unnerving given some of the other bows I was able to shoot. Solid craftsmanship, just nothing really inspiring about any advancements they have made to their lineup. Until they install a cam stop that hits the limbs, I'll wait to try one of these for my own use.
The Prime bows by G5 were a pleasant surprise. Very smooth draw cycle, good wall, and very little hand shock at the shot. Two string cams eliminate cam lean, and allow for some error in shooting form. This was an exceptional "sleeper bow" lineup. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one of these given the right price (I'm cheap when it comes to archery equipment, and can usually get some really good deals, so I'd consider this one a keeper at the right price).
Quest also had some very nice bows. While these bows seemed to be very similar to other bows in the industry, they were very impressive to shoot. Smooth draw and shot, good wall and valley, etc. Again, very nice hunting bows, with a good brace height and comfortable shot. Styling seems to be taken from Elite and similar manufacturers. Performance was good as a result.
High Country bows didn't have much new to offer, and out of their lineup I still prefer the SpeedPro X-10.
Darton, PSE, Mathews, Deadzone, and a ton of others have stayed true to their lineup and you should expect the same performance.
I was really hoping that Pearson would be there, but they chose not to attend. I will strongly suggest that you try the Legend, as well as the Stealth II (the best "speed bow" I was able to shoot last year).
If you're looking into a new bow and have a question, please don't hesitate to ask. I got to try out a lot of bows, and have an opinion on most of the current offerings on the market (good or bad). This year the offerings seemed to really sparkle. It's a great time to be in the market for a new bow...
gd
First, I got a chance to shoot the new Bowtech Insanity. From the ATA show last year, I had a really bad taste in my mouth for Bowtech given what I thought of the Invasion - not a good bow. I went into this trial with a LOT of skepticism, but to the credit of the engineers at Bowtech, they cured the ills that plagued the Invasion with the new Insanity. Simply put, this bow looks nearly identical to the Invasion, but feels 1000% better when shooting. I didn't like shooting the Invasion, as a lot of things felt wrong to me. Maybe I was a little easy on the Insanity as a result, but I shot a lot of bows this past year, and a lot at the show. I don't think my experience shooting this bow was corrupted from past disappointments. If you are looking for the best bow of the show, this one was hard to beat. Super valley and wall, for a speed cam great draw cycle. Hand shock during the shot was seemingly non-existent. If I had to pick a favorite from this show, this one gets the nod.
I have an Elite bow right now, and they are on my short list of trusted manufacturers in this business. Love the warranty (best in the business by a long shot - check it out on their website) and the new bow did not disappoint. The Answer is a great shooting bow. If you're looking into one, get the smooth draw mods in your cams rather than the speed mods. The smooth mod cams felt great, and draw cycle along with the valley and wall were exceptional. Speed mods in this bow left something to be desired. Given a 7" brace height, the draw cycle was worse than the Pulse (their speed bow) with a 6" brace height. A little hand shock on release of the shot, but very good considering current industry standards. I'm considering a Pulse for my next hunting bow, but the Answer with the smooth draw mods is the better all-around option. The smoothest drawing and shooting hunting bow they make is probably the Hunter. The taller archers with longer draw lengths will probably prefer the Pure, and rightfully so. You will not get a bad bow from this company. JMHO
I have a very good friend who heads the engineering department for Strother Archery. Last year, their newest bow was the SX-1. Super fast, but a hard draw cycle, and hand shock was very noticable. This year, they have developed a new cam, which keeps most of the speed advantages, but offers a smoother draw with a mitigated amount of hand shock at the shot. Very good improvements, and I may very well end up hunting with one of these this year. They also have developed a line of bows specifically designed for women. These bows will be around for a long time, and they should be on your list of bows to try out.
I also got some time in at the Hoyt shooting range. I shot quite a few of their new bows, and got the same result from most. I shot the Carbon Element, Vector, CRX, Rampage, and ProHawk bows. Nothing really surprising in all of my test shooting. Standard Hoyt performance. The only real gripe I have about this company is that none of their bows have a solid wall that you are pulling against at the end of the draw cycle. The sponginess of the wall was a bit unnerving given some of the other bows I was able to shoot. Solid craftsmanship, just nothing really inspiring about any advancements they have made to their lineup. Until they install a cam stop that hits the limbs, I'll wait to try one of these for my own use.
The Prime bows by G5 were a pleasant surprise. Very smooth draw cycle, good wall, and very little hand shock at the shot. Two string cams eliminate cam lean, and allow for some error in shooting form. This was an exceptional "sleeper bow" lineup. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one of these given the right price (I'm cheap when it comes to archery equipment, and can usually get some really good deals, so I'd consider this one a keeper at the right price).
Quest also had some very nice bows. While these bows seemed to be very similar to other bows in the industry, they were very impressive to shoot. Smooth draw and shot, good wall and valley, etc. Again, very nice hunting bows, with a good brace height and comfortable shot. Styling seems to be taken from Elite and similar manufacturers. Performance was good as a result.
High Country bows didn't have much new to offer, and out of their lineup I still prefer the SpeedPro X-10.
Darton, PSE, Mathews, Deadzone, and a ton of others have stayed true to their lineup and you should expect the same performance.
I was really hoping that Pearson would be there, but they chose not to attend. I will strongly suggest that you try the Legend, as well as the Stealth II (the best "speed bow" I was able to shoot last year).
If you're looking into a new bow and have a question, please don't hesitate to ask. I got to try out a lot of bows, and have an opinion on most of the current offerings on the market (good or bad). This year the offerings seemed to really sparkle. It's a great time to be in the market for a new bow...
gd