# The flip side of Limbwalker's "ugly period"



## hooktonboy (Nov 21, 2007)

Always liked the PSE X-Factor.

Also thought Merlin made a good effort with the Elite...


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## skunklover (Aug 4, 2011)

The W&W Inno line has looked pretty good to me. The cutouts are large and the lines run together very well.


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## HikerDave (Jan 1, 2011)

skunklover said:


> The W&W Inno line has looked pretty good to me. The cutouts are large and the lines run together very well.


The Win and Win Sebastian Flute in aluminum looks really good to my eye. Pretty inexpensive, too. My favorite is still that horrendously expensive Win and Win carbon riser.


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## CLASSICHUNTER (May 20, 2005)

a formula rx riser is an engineering feat and you have to admit in the orange it is beautiful I`m bias as own one...


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## BowMakr (Sep 13, 2009)

I like my homemade bubinga hunting bow with clear glass to show the wood grain from end to end, but that's a one of a kind bow. As a teenager, it was love at first sight between me and the Black Widow takedown. I bought one in 1974 and still have it today, shot it at US Nationals in Colorado Springs in 2005.

Dave


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## Jim C (Oct 15, 2002)

best looking target bows IMHO

the old Wilson black widow (the A frame metal TD) was the sharpest looking bow when I was a kid. It didn't win as much as the Bear C handle take down (Vic Berger) or the early Hoyts (John Williams Doreen Wilbur and of course Darrell Pace) but it was super neat to me as a 12 year old seeing one for the first time at Bud and Charlie Pierson's shop)

The next massively cool bow was that Howatt Eldorado Recurve

from the sister site Archery History









the first really gorgeous machined riser was the Yamaha SuperFeel. 

My first machined riser was a SKY Conquest and I still believe that was the best looking machined riser to date though my Wife's Bernadini Nilo BB riser is also a thing of beauty


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

I've had quite a few folks admire my 27" Luxor riser and comment that it makes a very handsome bow. I have to agree, although it's probably not the best looking bow I've seen. I'm partial to the old Radian or Elan for their looks.


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## jmvargas (Oct 21, 2004)

right now i have (2) x-factors,an elan and a spig explorer II...they're the best looking risers i've seen and have no plans to get anything else....

......for now..

i also have a black bear and TD3 both warfed by bob gordon...they're not bad looking either..


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## Bigjono (Apr 21, 2009)

My Blackbrook TDC is the best looking wooden recurve ever produced IMHO and my black Spig 650 club looks pretty bad ass too.


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## Kenny G (May 18, 2004)

Jim C that is a truely wild looking bow, i've never seen anything like it. I'm on the fence about the carbon risers I think some have a really clean flowing profile and some get kinda out there but when I look at the price my carbon riser daydream fades away pretty quick.


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## maryd094 (Mar 27, 2012)

For its clean lines and simple design the Hoyt Gold Medalist gets my vote.


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## haloist (Apr 11, 2011)

Something about the design of the Hoyt Formula RX and HPX just looks so... sleek, sexy, and... mesmerizing. My vote goes to the Hoyt Formula bows.


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## zal (May 1, 2007)

Yamaha Eolla imo is by far the prettiest bow ever made. And one of the best too.


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## midwayarcherywi (Sep 24, 2006)

There have been some really handsome target bows, from the early Black Widow one piece target bows, all works of art, to the Wing Presentation 2. The golden era in target bow making was perhaps 4 or 5 decades ago. My favorite is the Bear Victor Custom Viking. It was a take down bow done in blue futurewood. To my eye, a stunning bow. I'll see if I can post a picture later today.


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## target1 (Jan 16, 2007)

I kinda like my Winact in blue...because we all know it's a fact that blue bows look and shoot the best.


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## Vittorio (Jul 17, 2003)

This bow was my dream in those years and still is... There are very few still around, and they are priceless today ..









Talking about Target Recurve bows only, my vote goes to Wing take down bow. Unfortunately I have not been able to find a picture of it but I know someone that still owns one and I will try to get a picture from him...


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## SBills (Jan 14, 2004)

For me aesthetic beauty in a recurve handle does not get much better than the original Best Mercury riser.


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## ppayne (Jul 13, 2007)

Some have called it the cheese grater but the Samick's Masters symmetrical lines made it a very special bow for me ( plus the sky blue melting into silver...) But of course, it's all in the beholder's eye, to be sure!


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## midwayarcherywi (Sep 24, 2006)

midwayarcherywi said:


> There have been some really handsome target bows, from the early Black Widow one piece target bows, all works of art, to the Wing Presentation 2. The golden era in target bow making was perhaps 4 or 5 decades ago. My favorite is the Bear Victor Custom Viking. It was a take down bow done in blue futurewood. To my eye, a stunning bow. I'll see if I can post a picture later today.



bear takedown3 by qflite, on Flickr


bear takedown2 by qflite, on Flickr


Bear takedown1 by qflite, on Flickr


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## wozie (Jul 21, 2005)

Martin Aurora, great looking riser.


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## Jim C (Oct 15, 2002)

wozie said:


> Martin Aurora, great looking riser.


agreed. 

Gabe, I have the old cast magnesium Bear C handle in Blue (it was white originally but Larrell Dick of Milford was a bear authorized service center and painted it official Bear Blue for me). I have two sets of limbs-one are white with black laminations, the others all white with that bear omni jeffrey sight. I last shot it in 98-shot a 298 NFAA indoor with it and Gold XX75 1916 arrows I got in 1981 in Ithaca


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

Vittorio said:


> This bow was my dream in those years and still is... There are very few still around, and they are priceless today ..
> 
> View attachment 1336381
> 
> ...


Amazing. Vittorio, the same bow was one my brother James and I dreamed about owning one day. A local sporting goods store (back when sporting goods stores sold hunting equipment) had one on display back in the late '70's and my brother and I would ride our bikes down to that store just to look at the Bear takedown.

IMO, the best looking recurve ever built.

John


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## Hank D Thoreau (Dec 9, 2008)

I have to go with anything from Bernardini, though I really appreciate the simplicity of the Gold Medalist. When I decided to setup an Olympic style bow (I am a barebow guy), I turned to my old Gold Medalist. It just looks right in that role.


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## caspian (Jan 13, 2009)

I always liked the PSE Intrepid.


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## Marcus (Jun 19, 2002)

Yamaha Eolla and Hoyt Formula RX/HPX


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## Jim C (Oct 15, 2002)

caspian said:


> I always liked the PSE Intrepid.


the best looking of the PSE olympic risers.


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## Hank D Thoreau (Dec 9, 2008)

Jim C said:


> the best looking of the PSE olympic risers.


And the Intrepid is an excellent barebow riser as well. Mine used to be my go-to indoor bow. I may return to it next season.


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## hydro0309 (Apr 3, 2010)

Hoyt gold metalist the metal one 
pse x factor
hoyt eclipes
hoyt gamegetter one and two


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## John_K (Oct 30, 2011)

Another vote for the Intrepid, and the Best Zenit in the rare gun metal chrome finish was a close second.

Trad/wooden bows, my vote goes to the Border Black Reiver. I wanted one, but they don't make one long enough for me. So I lucked out when I found an unwanted glued-up block of woods lying in the workshop, and Sid made me this one-off Black Douglas:


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## JimEIV (Dec 14, 2008)

There is no such thing as an ugly bow


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## julle (Mar 1, 2009)

Keeping it with the modern day olympic bow I really like the new win&win inno al1








And the hoyt hpx.


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

Yes, that is a very handsome riser indeed. I've been admiring it since it first came out!


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## julle (Mar 1, 2009)

I wanted one desperately until i saw the price.... it's even more expensive than the inno cxt!! I figured it would be sold for half the price.


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## b0w_bender (Apr 30, 2006)

I really like the look of the X appeal. It really frustrates me that they didn't work out the shape of the lightening holes. I think they are routed out a bit to close to the outside profile in a couple of places and I think they could have been modified to flow within the shape a bit more. Having said that it is one sexy looking bow.


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## m013690 (Sep 3, 2011)

julle said:


> I wanted one desperately until i saw the price.... it's even more expensive than the inno cxt!! I figured it would be sold for half the price.


It's $70 cheaper than the CXT on Lancaster...


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## julle (Mar 1, 2009)

I found a European store where it is cheaper to, but that's just because the cxt is very expensive at that store  you still pay 750 dollars here.......


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## zal (May 1, 2007)

julle said:


> I found a European store where it is cheaper to, but that's just because the cxt is very expensive at that store  you still pay 750 dollars here.......


Getting offtopic, but.

It's 30-50€ cheaper than cxt or hoyt hpx in some major european stores, black and gold is more expensive than other colours. In local shop 640€ hpx vs 625€ cxt vs 580€ al1.


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