# Which riser gives the best bang for the buck?



## deepsprayj (Nov 4, 2011)

Basically I am wanting to know which risers have all the bells and whistles and what seems to be the point of diminishing returns regarding price point. I had a horizon that I did not care for although it had alot of features for the money. Do the carbon risers eat up vibration similar to how a wood bow does over an aluminum? I prefer the deadest shot possible. Im going to grab a new rig soon and want to look at what kind of budget I need . Im going with shibuya carbon sight, plunger, flipper, my doinker stabs, and then I need to pick a riser, limbs, and some arrows for it. I think I am gonna start with 30lb limbs. I had some 42 lbers and I shot ok with them but I think I would shoot tons better with some lighter limbs. Right now Im thinking a budget of 2k max for all of it. 

Shoot, work, shoot!


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## chrstphr (Nov 23, 2005)

the Hoyt Aerotec is a pretty dead riser. 


Chris


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## zal (May 1, 2007)

Best bang for buck. Definetely Best Zenit.


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## deepsprayj (Nov 4, 2011)

That Zenit looks pretty nice. I have eyeballed those before. Any idea on what they cost? Everything lancaster has that I like the looks of is in the $600 range. I would like to stay their or below. Maybe spend a little more if I can find a good deal on some limbs to even things out. Used risers seem harder to come by than some used limbs. Went back to compound for awhile to shoot against my buds but I still enjoy recurves much more.

Shoot, work, shoot!


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## Vittorio (Jul 17, 2003)

"Best" solution to buy a Zenit riser is to order it directly from manufacturer from their shop in Italy, as no one at present is distributing it in the States.
http://www.arcoefrecce.it/arcieria/4-riser.aspx (published prices include 21% VAT)


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

The Zenit is truly one of the great ILF risers ever made. Good value too.

Right now, I find the Spigarelli Explorer pretty tough to beat for the money. Lots of smart features at a reasonable price.

John


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## Vittorio (Jul 17, 2003)

Really, the best value for money existing is the EXE Competitor :









http://www.bigarchery.com/it/prodotti-it/?cat0=308&cat1=049&cat2=AH9&idProdotto=55B773

It retails in Italy for 159.00 Euro, 21% VAT included, only. Made in China , but very good anodized finishing with stainless steel bushings and woodeln grip. It is presently killing the Italian and European medium -low level market for risers.


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

> It is presently killing the Italian and European medium -low level market for risers.


Gotta love those Chinese trade deals, eh?

When will our nations figure this out?


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## zal (May 1, 2007)

Well, considering that equivalent Hoyt from 2013 range, pricing of which has been circulating around today, seems to be about 400 eur, no wonder.


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## Jean-M'arc (Oct 10, 2012)

Vittorio said:


> Really, the best value for money existing is the EXE Competitor :
> 
> View attachment 1499386
> 
> ...


This riser seems to have a lot of different lives! 

The first time I saw it, it was presented as a Samick Vision 2, strangely discontinued a few months later :

https://www.jvd.nl/product/28436-samick-handle-vision.html

After it reappeared as the Raven Prestige FX, (23" and 25"):

http://alternativess.com/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/001238.5.13886349443512778899

And now as the EXE Competitor!?! Anybody nows exactly who designed this bow?


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## LJOHNS (Dec 14, 2004)

wait for a good deal on an older Hoyt or W&W riser on the classifieds here. Good used risers go very quick on here so be ready! I had to wait about 6 weeks and I missed at least 4 good deals before I finally got to one first! I have a Helix on the way - my first target bow


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## Vittorio (Jul 17, 2003)

I have seen it even before, and the first time was ia catalog by Cartel, if i well rember, but shiny anodizing is quite new. Considering price to dealers and the margin they get on this product, I'm really suprised they are still keeping in stock other risers. 
let me say that last week one of my club members had to return it as the center hole bushing was not on line, and the long rod was pointing drastically to the right. But he got replacement, and all othr planes and holes were OK. At the Italian championships last month I discussed with Sante Spigarelli and Carlo Castelnuovo of Best Archery about the fact that the aluminum cost only for an Italian riser is more than the dealer price of this one. The product was not selleable in his first version, but this recent one is really nice. China is catching risers after limbs, bags and accessories, and I think that only very high level archery products will survie as Made in Western Countires in the near future. Already happening ...


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

> China is catching risers after limbs, bags and accessories, and I think that only very high level archery products will survie as Made in Western Countires in the near future. Already happening ...


This is unfortunate for many companies in the West that would like to meet the demands of the burgeoning archery market.


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## rick11743 (Sep 20, 2010)

limbwalker said:


> The Zenit is truly one of the great ILF risers ever made. Good value too.
> 
> Right now, I find the Spigarelli Explorer pretty tough to beat for the money. Lots of smart features at a reasonable price.
> 
> John


X2 for the Spig Explorer - I don't have one, but I would def. look at this if I were getting a new bow, $400 on LAS, and about $350 on Alt Services, and that includes a clicker & rest, has a limb align system, and made in Italy by real Italian dudes.


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## titanium man (Mar 5, 2005)

Jean-M'arc said:


> This riser seems to have a lot of different lives!
> 
> The first time I saw it, it was presented as a Samick Vision 2, strangely discontinued a few months later :
> 
> ...



Wow! Can you say Indoor Set-Up, Outdoor Target Set-Up, and Field Set-Up. It's definitely a plus for the archery enthusiast pinching pennies. :thumbs_up


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## agillator (Sep 11, 2011)

limbwalker said:


> This is unfortunate for many companies in the West that would like to meet the demands of the burgeoning archery market.


I think a significant part of the market could be recaptured by a company that makes a riser with post-manufacture testing and guaranteed specs, e.g. tight tolerances for it's center-hole bushing, suitable permanent riser marks to help with centershot and limb alignment, inspected finish, flex and twist figures, etc.. Personally I would pay more for a riser that I know in advance meets solid specs. I like the idea of a sheet verifying (in numbers) the post-manufacture testing that has been done to verify its quality before shipping. Sennheiser/Neumann does this with microphones, shipping the microphone with a printout of the verified frequency response for that particular mic. It has served them and their customers well.


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## deepsprayj (Nov 4, 2011)

I dont have a problem dropping some coin. I do however dislike spending 800 on a riser if i could have had the same thing for 500 type of deal. I have a 2k budget in mind and im sure i could do it for that or less and have a darn fine complete setup. 

Shoot, work, shoot!


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## titanium man (Mar 5, 2005)

deepsprayj said:


> I dont have a problem dropping some coin. I do however dislike spending 800 on a riser if i could have had the same thing for 500 type of deal. I have a 2k budget in mind and im sure i could do it for that or less and have a darn fine complete setup.
> 
> Shoot, work, shoot!


Sounds like a plan. I would carefully select your accessories, as these will be the things which rack up cost. Shopping online will also save hidden costs, especially if places offer free or reduced shipping. Choose wisely.


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

Actually, I think everyone would agree that the riser that offers the best value for the dollar is a good clean 2nd-hand premium riser.


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## Harperman (Sep 3, 2006)

limbwalker said:


> Actually, I think everyone would agree that the riser that offers the best value for the dollar is a good clean 2nd-hand premium riser.


Absolutely!!...........Jim


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## normlefebvre (Aug 21, 2010)

I totally agree with john, second hand at a bargain price with only a few nicks and paint chips. Heck I'd still shoot a Hoyt TD-2 or Yamaha EX, XX75 arrows with spin win vanes.


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## deepsprayj (Nov 4, 2011)

What about the w&w inno carbon riser or the rcx-100? I would jump on one of those if I found a deal. I just dont wanna pop 800 for a new one. I have seen a few setups go for 1200 loaded that guys probably originally dumped 2500 into. The rcx is cheaper but still 1100 for riser and limbs. 

Shoot, work, shoot!


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## st8arrow (Apr 25, 2005)

Sebastian Flute Forged Pro looks to be a strong contender in the bang for the buck category


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## vtnam007 (Jul 25, 2012)

The RCX-100 just looks cool but I don't think its a very good riser. Its just not stable enough and there are 2 members at my club with that riser, both bought it new but one looks like its warped compared to the other. I just couldn't get the limbs to line up that's how I noticed its alittle warped. I tried the riser, its very quiet but I still prefer the Winex over the RCX-100. Now the inno carbon is and entirely different riser. The Inno is amazing and probably the best as far as carbon risers in my opinion.


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

What's the Hoyt Horizon Pro selling for on the street? Looks like a pretty good intermediate choice.

John


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## Norman2 (Aug 4, 2012)

limbwalker said:


> What's the Hoyt Horizon Pro selling for on the street? Looks like a pretty good intermediate choice.
> 
> John


Hi John, Lancaster Archery is asking 239.99. Very good riser for the price and for those who like Hoyt. Regards
Norman


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## RichGT (Aug 21, 2012)

I think the 239.99 price is for the "old" Hoyt Horizon. The Horizon Pro, with Pro limb bolts, wooden handle & anodised finish does not seem to be listed yet. However going by prices in other countries, looks like it will be 1.5 x the old price?...

Rich


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## zal (May 1, 2007)

Horizon Pro is being listed at about 410 euros, which is about double the previous riser.

Needs to have something magical to make people buy it.

That will get you Top of the range risers from Samick, Spigarelli, Best, etc.


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## wanemann (Oct 7, 2010)

limbwalker said:


> Actually, I think everyone would agree that the riser that offers the best value for the dollar is a good clean 2nd-hand premium riser.


absolutely john, just picked up a gmx 27" on here for $300 brand new almost, not a scratch on it, all screws, allen keys, bag pro series bolts, etc. and i love it.


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

Norman, that seems very reasonable for what you get. Good for Hoyt. Ever since Doug D. has been there, I've seen some pretty good decisions on the risers.

John


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## grantmac (May 31, 2007)

I personally believe PSE risers have the best bang for the buck, followed VERY closely by BEST. Actually I think a used Moon or Zenit could be just about the last riser you ever need, unless something legitimately revolutionary comes out.

Notice neither of these companies come out with many new models, or "latest and greatest". Kinda makes you think they got it right.

-Grant


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## Vittorio (Jul 17, 2003)

grantmac said:


> I personally believe PSE risers have the best bang for the buck, followed VERY closely by BEST. Actually I think a used Moon or Zenit could be just about the last riser you ever need, unless something legitimately revolutionary comes out.
> 
> Notice neither of these companies come out with many new models, or "latest and greatest". Kinda makes you think they got it right.
> 
> -Grant


Giulio Diolaiti, the designer and manufacturer of the Zenit and Moon (and Mercury) risers, is a very old friend of mine, going to be 72 in December. He is still assembling all stainless steel bushings of his rises by himself, as he says it is the most critical operation in a riser assembly. I can belive him ,as I have done often the same when I was handling By Bernardini risers production. He is still an active archer, shooting compound, and 2 weeks ago during one of my club indoor competitions, I have asked him why he does not "revitalize" a little bit the cosmetic of the Zenit, as it looks too much square and old fashion compared to more "modern" risers. 
His answer has been that if a riser is still selling 100% of production faster than they can make, and if there is NO used market for it, as no one having a Zenit is selling it even after years and years, it means that the riser is OK as it is and there is no need to change anything on it as it was made right since the beginning.... His opinion is clearly same as your


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## deepsprayj (Nov 4, 2011)

You guys have got me sold on these Zenit risers. I would love to shoot one. I like the inno cxt as well. It is probably going to come to which one I can get my hands on. I got a few more pennies to save so i will call on the zenit and see what the wait time looks like. Im leaning towards the zenit for the long term durability as my limited experience with carbon has been that it chips and cracks. I hqve not handled the inno though so i cannot speak for it.

Shoot, work, shoot!


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

> His answer has been that if a riser is still selling 100% of production faster than they can make, and if there is NO used market for it, as no one having a Zenit is selling it even after years and years, it means that the riser is OK as it is and there is no need to change anything on it as it was made right since the beginning....


And this would be the "other" marketing strategy... a.k.a. "old school". 

Releasing a product and calling it the "best ever" when you already have another one lined up to replace it is, in my opinion, a dishonest business practice.

The world could use a few more Giulio Diolaiti's.

John


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## Arrowwood (Nov 16, 2010)

Deepsprayj, my Zenit barebow arrived in ten days or so. VERY happy with it. Sometimes I think it's alive - I have to keep it on a leash.


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## grantmac (May 31, 2007)

I've had a 650 Club and Nilo in 25", I've settled on the Moon. Its got what I need and nothing more. I buy straight limbs and never touched the alignment on the Nilo.
Plus I think it would make the best Freestyle riser of the BB ones because its fairly light and its got the bushings for any arrangement of back-weights you want. The lack of bushings doesn't bother me much, I've got access to a machine shop so if it ever becomes and issue I can solve it in some clever way.

-Grant


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## chang (Sep 16, 2008)

Vittorio said:


> Really, the best value for money existing is the EXE Competitor :
> 
> View attachment 1499386
> 
> ...


The OEM for this riser is called youyi : http://www.youyi-archery.com/UploadFiles/201172893550437.jpg


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## John_K (Oct 30, 2011)

I adore my Luxor, and it means that I can shoot the 72in bow I need as I work up my draw weight after injury without splashing out on XL limbs, which don't come in budget options.

That being said, when I get to the mid-40s in draw weight again, I'll be tempted to switch to a Zenit with XL limbs. I suppose it depends on how much spare cash I have at the time...


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## swelles10 (Dec 22, 2008)

We have a ton of SF Forged Pluses here at Berkeley. The limb alignment system is the same as Inno Carbon. The finish is anodized and seems to be holding up well, and the riser is fairly light. At $250 dollars it's a great deal. The SF Forged Plus was used by a Berkeley archer to bring home men's recurve rookie of the year and by another Berkeley archer to bring home 3rd in the women's recurve rookie rankings at last year's USIAC, so we've seen some great competitive results too! We also have a couple Samick Vision II's. I figured that they pulled these off the market because of the limb pocket problem that the Vision I had, but if they are selling them as an EXE riser, then I guess I'll recommend them to our new shooters here as well. The Vision II has a great finish but felt a bit clunkier to me, but these two and the Horizon definitely made our recommended gear list for intermediate level risers last year.


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## rick11743 (Sep 20, 2010)

Vittorio said:


> Giulio Diolaiti, the designer and manufacturer of the Zenit and Moon (and Mercury) risers, is a very old friend of mine, going to be 72 in December. He is still assembling all stainless steel bushings of his rises by himself, as he says it is the most critical operation in a riser assembly. I can belive him ,as I have done often the same when I was handling By Bernardini risers production. He is still an active archer, shooting compound, and 2 weeks ago during one of my club indoor competitions, I have asked him why he does not "revitalize" a little bit the cosmetic of the Zenit, as it looks too much square and old fashion compared to more "modern" risers.
> His answer has been that if a riser is still selling 100% of production faster than they can make, and if there is NO used market for it, as no one having a Zenit is selling it even after years and years, it means that the riser is OK as it is and there is no need to change anything on it as it was made right since the beginning.... His opinion is clearly same as your


This is the type of person/manufacturer that I like to give my business to - people who have a passion and pride in what they make. Oly recurve archery is fortunate to have companies like Best, Border & Jager.


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## grantmac (May 31, 2007)

rick11743 said:


> This is the type of person/manufacturer that I like to give my business to - people who have a passion and pride in what they make. Oly recurve archery is fortunate to have companies like Best, Border & Jager.


100% 
My go-to bow uses products from all three for a reason!

Grant


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## deepsprayj (Nov 4, 2011)

The wife was not being archery friendly this weekend so I havent called yet. You guys know more than I do with regard to these risers so I will probably go Zenit. Ill post some porn when I get her.

Shoot, work, shoot!


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## RichGT (Aug 21, 2012)

I am very attracted to the Best Zenit riser, and applaud the idea of there is no adjustment because it is straight. However I would like to ask a question I have seen before but no answers.

So particularily looking at the lower priced limbs, Axiom, Privilege etc, as I have yet to build up the poundage. In practice have people found these straight enough to go on a riser that has no adjustment?

Thanks


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## Vittorio (Jul 17, 2003)

RichGT said:


> I am very attracted to the Best Zenit riser, and applaud the idea of there is no adjustment because it is straight. However I would like to ask a question I have seen before but no answers.
> 
> So particularily looking at the lower priced limbs, Axiom, Privilege etc, as I have yet to build up the poundage. In practice have people found these straight enough to go on a riser that has no adjustment?
> 
> Thanks


Usually yes!

The libs alignement system is just a gimnick to make people thinking the final results is straight. But all limbs alignemnt systems are just working on one plane/axis only, while to be really making something positive they should work on 2 planes/axis.
If a pair of limbs is not straight on a straight riser, then only real solution is to file its socket planes or its tips to make it working straight, that does not mean to have 4 Beiter limbs gages centered (you can get them centered sometimes with limbs totaly out), but having the tips travelling on the same plane from full draw to zero. 
So, the rule of thumb is simply not to buy limbs that are not straigh on a straight riser. Return them to the seller as you are supposed to get straigh limbs within a minimum tolerance. Of course to do so you need a straight riser, to certify if limbs are OK or not... and we are back to the beginning ...


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## hwjchan (Oct 24, 2011)

Yeah, I'll have to insert a plug here for the SF Forged+, as it's been treating me very well. The riser has a great limb alignment system, the anodized finish is very tough, and the stock grip is fairly effective. I was able to top the rookie's list at USIAC in May with it by almost 100 points.


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## Chinese Tea (Mar 17, 2010)

Vittorio said:


> Giulio Diolaiti, the designer and manufacturer of the Zenit and Moon (and Mercury) risers, is a very old friend of mine, going to be 72 in December. He is still assembling all stainless steel bushings of his rises by himself, as he says it is the most critical operation in a riser assembly. I can belive him ,as I have done often the same when I was handling By Bernardini risers production. He is still an active archer, shooting compound, and 2 weeks ago during one of my club indoor competitions, I have asked him why he does not "revitalize" a little bit the cosmetic of the Zenit, as it looks too much square and old fashion compared to more "modern" risers.
> His answer has been that if a riser is still selling 100% of production faster than they can make, and if there is NO used market for it, as no one having a Zenit is selling it even after years and years, it means that the riser is OK as it is and there is no need to change anything on it as it was made right since the beginning.... His opinion is clearly same as your


I've been wondering about this for awhile. If BEST makes straight risers then why does the Mercury come with eccentric limb bolts?
http://www.bestarchery.it/catalogo/riser_mercury.htm


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## Vittorio (Jul 17, 2003)

Chinese Tea said:


> I've been wondering about this for awhile. If BEST makes straight risers then why does the Mercury come with eccentric limb bolts?
> http://www.bestarchery.it/catalogo/riser_mercury.htm


Simply because market wants a system to align limbs that re not straight. Anyhow, you can also get the Mercury with Zenit bolts (and I suggest to do so) if you ask, and of course viceversa (that I do not suggest).


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