# Best Olympic Recurve ?



## Sagittarius (May 22, 2002)

Who, in everyone's opinion, makes the best Olympic Recurves ?
For me, who makes the most rugged Olympic Recurve ?
I like bows that are ruggedly built and made to last.
Have been thinking about getting an Olympic recurve to play around with and thought I would ask the experts who made the best.
Also, which limbs are considered the best ?
No matter to me if it's heavy or expensive; just looking for the best built bow around. 

What about it, Clever Guy ? 
You know, I like the Accu-Riser compound because of its ruggedness.
Who makes the Accu-Riser of Olympic recurves ? 


Sag.


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

Doubt you will find a more rugged riser than the Axis. It's also the second heaviest ever made, at almost 3.5#

Limbs are like car tires... Defining "best" is impossible. The top five or six manufacturers limbs are all so close that it is not worth arguing over.

John.


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## clever_guy (May 21, 2002)

Sag;

Well, the Hoyt Axis is certainly a well made riser, it also had a well thought out limb attachment mechanism. You would have to pick up one used though. Simon Fairweather's Axis that he won the 2000 Sydney games with is in the Olympic museum, so I guess the design could be considered a "classic".

Win & Win's Exfeel, Infinite, and ExPert are forged/machined risers - so they are technically quite strong and fairly heavy.

Honestly I would doubt you could ever "wear out" a recurve riser, you might wear out the limb attachment mechanism - but that would take an extremely high volume of shooting, and could be replaced at any rate. I think you have to look at what kind of design really appeals to your aesthetic sensibilities. 

Limbs can be a little tricky, because it's not so much quality as feel and speed. You might prefer a wood core limb like a Hoyt Edge over say Hoyt's premier limb the G3, because it feels more solid/stable, even though it isn't as fast. Or you might like say the FX limbs because they are faster, and a little more "whippy", giving up that more "solid" feel. Hoyt, W&W, Border, Samick, all make great limbs - they are all just a little different. 

Now, personally I think you are more of a "one-off" custom type of guy at heart, and although you like them rugged, I think you really want high quality and unique. So for you, I think you should look at a BMG riser and Border TX40 Carbon limbs. The BMG riser is a lighter riser, but definitely a high-end custom job, and I guarantee it will be unique at almost any tourney. Similarly Border limbs are high quality and pretty unique.

Some one just posted the following riser weight chart on the Saggi forum.. (http://sagittarius.student.utwente.nl/bb/viewtopic.php?t=621&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0)

Riser Length Weight 
Inches Grams Lbs Oz 
Samick Mizar 23 920 2 0 
Stylist Sapphire 23 992 2 3 
Stylist Supreme 25 992 2 3 
Merlin Apex 1080 2 6 
Yamaha Eolla 25 1095 2 7 
BMG Extreme 24 1100 2 7 
Win & Win KAP Evolution 2 23 1100 2 7 
Win & Win KAP Surprise 24 1100 2 7 
Stylist Supreme 25 1106 2 7 
Win & Win Winact 23 1120 2 8 
Hoyt Radian 1130 2 8 
Petron S3 23 1134 2 8 
PSE X-Factor 25 1134 2 8 
Yamaha Super Feel Forged 23 1145 2 8 
Hoyt GM TD4+ 25 1150 2 9 
Samick Agulla 25 1150 2 9 
Hoyt Elan 25 1160 2 9 
Yamaha SFF 1160 2 9 
Best Zenit 23 1190 2 10 
Win & Win Toutall 25 1190 2 10 
Hoyt Aerotec 23 1191 2 10 
Hoyt Matrix 23 1191 2 10 
Bernardini Nilo 23 1200 2 10 
Win & Win KAP Winstar 25 1200 2 10 
Win & Win Winact 25 1200 2 10 
Bernadini Ghibli 25 1210 2 11 
Spigarelli Explorer 23 1215 2 11 
Petron S3 25 1219 2 11 
Bernardini Nilo 25 1220 2 11 
Bernardini Tuareg 25 1220 2 11 
Sky Conquest 1230 2 11 
Spigarelli Explorer 25 1230 2 11 
Hoyt Matrix 25 1247 2 12 
PSE Universal 1250 2 12 
Hoyt Avalon 1270 2 13 
PSE Intrepid 25 1270 2 13 
Samick Agulla Ultra 25 1275 2 13 
Bernardini Aladin 25 1300 2 14 
Best Moon 25 1300 2 14 
Win & Win KAP Certi-Q 25 1300 2 14 
Hoyt Aerotec 25 1304 2 14 
Browning Olympian 1320 2 15 
PSE Zone 1320 2 15 
Win & Win Exfeel 25 1320 2 15 
Win & Win Infinite 25 1320 2 15 
Green Horn Victory B+ 25 1335 2 15 
Yamaha SFF 2 1340 2 15 
Best Zenit 25 1350 3 0 
Spigarelli 2001 V.B.S. 1380 3 1 
Samick Masters 25 1400 3 1 
Spigarelli 2001 25 1400 3 1 
Win & Win Xpert 25 1400 3 1 
Hoyt Axis 25 1550 3 7 
Martin Aurora 25 1559 3 7 
KG Nemesis 24 1758 3 14 


-CG


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## Jurasic Archer (May 23, 2002)

Wow CG you got a bunch of data on risers! Aurora is 24" and is 2 lbs 9 oz though. That is 2 oz lighter than the Avalon. 
Thanks,
MG


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## >--gt--> (Jul 1, 2002)

Ah, the wonders of the errornet never cease. 

That's not the only big error on that chart. You need to be careful what you post from that Sagi crowd there CG


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## clever_guy (May 21, 2002)

>--gt-->;

I accept no responsibilty for the accuracy of copied cross posts, I am just reposting...

   

I can only verify the weight of the riser I shoot..and it isn't even on the list.. 



-CG


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## clever_guy (May 21, 2002)

Jurasic Archer;

"Aurora is 24" and is 2 lbs 9 oz though."

I thought that it sounded a little heavy on the chart - thanks, I will correct it in my files..



-CG


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## Marcus (Jun 19, 2002)

I would say the Axis is the best recurve riser I have shot to date. Bought one second hand for the wife and it's very impressive. The limb system is much better than the IFL system and it sits nice in the hand. 
Both Simon and Dave will be using theirs at the Olympics which speaks volumes for the riser design. 

Only problem is that I don't think it'll be gimmicky enough for you Sag.


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## Sagittarius (May 22, 2002)

"Only problem is that I don't think it'll be gimmicky enough for you Sag".  

You may be right about that, Marcus. 
Too bad, the Axis is discontinued.
Would have liked to check one out anyway. 


Sag.


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## c3hammer (Sep 20, 2002)

GT, might you be able to correct the table posted such that we might actually have the right information?

Cheers,
Pete


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## AeroTec-Man (Mar 14, 2004)

I have to say the Hoyt Aero-Tec. It is smooth and rugged.....It also works good for a screen name lol.


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## Jim C (Oct 15, 2002)

I have owned alot of risers!!

I like the Sky, the Matrix, the Aurora. I also liked the aerotech but it and the Axis (which I shot well at indoor nationals with-for me several years ago) are a bit stiff and hard on my elbow.

The G3 limbs are the smoothest I have shot. The aurora limbs have almost no vibration. I have shot a set of sky limbs at least 60,000 times with no decrease in speed.

The only risers I don't like are the WW or Samicks and that is because I shoot a backweight and most of them don't have a provision for mounting them

the aurora has the best grip IMHO-I have loesch's on my skys

The G3 is the fastest limbs I own-hoyts run light,martins run light, Skys run heavy. a sky 40 pound medium with one or two cranks on the limb bolts is 2 pounds heavier than a set of 42 pound G3 with one crank on the matrix limb bolts

all of them are well made. I have yet to see a crappy bow.

Yamahas were real nice too -sorry they are gone. That superfeel riser, quoting gt from an old archery focus article-are GORGEOUS


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## Marcus (Jun 19, 2002)

Here you go Sag










The Variable Bow

Good luck getting one. My dad was trying to buy one and they simply wouldn't sell him one. They wanted to get it into the hands of high profile archers.  Apparently being a 3 time National recurve champion, National Masters Champ, an Olympian and handing over money wasn't enough.


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## clever_guy (May 21, 2002)

"The Variable Bow"

I just like the look of that sucker, has that Ikea/Tinker-Toy look..

   

-CG


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## Jim C (Oct 15, 2002)

I saw an article on it-I also saw an old (two decades ago) German bow on archery history that looked similar.

Nothing compares to the old sabo shoot through bow for wild looks though


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## baldmountain (Apr 21, 2003)

Sag,

You know how you spent a long time and a lot of money to find the compound bow you really like? You'll need to do the same thing with recurves. Even more so with recurves because they are mix and match. I spent most of the last year trading bows to finally settle on a Merlin SuperNova. At the moment I'm shooting a Martin Aurora and I really like it. But I know I'm going to have to try a bunch of recurves before I finad the one I'm going to shoot for a long time.

Golf has these things called demo days. A bunch of different manufacturers will send representatives to a shop, course or driving range. Customers go and hit as many different clubs as they'd like. The reps answer questions and try to sell a few clubs. Some manufacturers will send a custom van so that they can build a custom set that the customer can take home with him that day. At the demo days you don't get to just look at the clubs you get to hit with them.

One of the things that suprises me is that there is nothing like this in the archery world. A day where a shop would have a bunch of manufacturer's reps in with lots of different bows that customers can shoot. The reps could work with the shop to make sure customers are setup right and that the customers get good advice about the manufacturer's products. To me a demo day is a major selling oportunity for both the shop and the manufacturer.

If I had a bunch of money to spend I'd probably get a W&W Infinite with XQ-1 limbs and a Hoyt AeroTec with G3 limbs and shoot them for a while along with my Aurora, mixing and matching the limbs on the various risers and see which combination I like best.

If I had a little extra money I'd get a set of G3 limbs to try out on my Aurora riser.

Any of the good recurve manufacturers makes a good bow. Now you get to search for the one that best suits you.


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## palmer (Sep 23, 2003)

JimC,

You mentioned about the Aerotec and Axis being stiff and were hard on your elbow. Can you elaborate? Was it tendonitis on your bow arm elbow? If so, I find that interesting, as I've had just a touch of that problem and I shoot an Axis. A different riser might help alleviate that problem?


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## Jim C (Oct 15, 2002)

for several years, I shot nothing but the sky though I played around with an elan and later an axis. When I saw the Eliason proto aurora, I ordered one (since at the time, my wife's shop was a martin dealer but we didn't get Hoyt til this year) and I wanted to shoot bows we actually could sell to our JOAD and FITA clientele. I shot the aurora well indoors but when I cranked the weight up and went from the long indoor limbs to the medium for outdoors, I started having some elbow problems. I also had an aerotech I was experimenting with. Don Rabska who provides lots of useful information to me noted that I should get a matrix or go back to my sky since the aerotech and the auroras were stiffer risers. I did and that helped. Now it could have been just coincidence and it could have been that last summer I had gone up in poundage-I normally shot around 43-45 outdoors and was shooting 46-47.
However, Don knows more about bows than anyone I can ask about the question and I believe what he says


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

Yea, Chris I'm sure that's the problem. Just send me that Axis riser and I'll be sure to give "old Blue" a good home... )

he, he, he.

John.


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## Sagittarius (May 22, 2002)

Marcus,

That variable bow does remind me of my Accu-Risers and it is different from the norm for sure. 
Shame your dad couldn't get what he wanted. 

Thanks for the information, guys.
Please state the manufacturer though when you mention limbs if different from the riser manufacturer. 
I'm new and uninformed when it comes to Olympic Recurves. 
Just keeps me from searching so much. 
Thanks.


Sag.


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## Jim C (Oct 15, 2002)

sag-why don't you drive up to mason (two hours) on the 12 or 13th which are the unofficial practice days and look at some of the bows that will be used by those participating in the USOT? Monday the 14th is the official practice day and tuesday is the ranking round: those two days will have the most archers. I suspect you will lots of skys, a fair amount of WW's and some skys, Pse's, martins and maybe a yamaha or greenhorn or two.

In 1999 I only saw a few WW's-my last outdoor nationals at Canton- almost a quarter of the shooters-including some big guns like Chris Schull and G Krueger were using them. The skys have declined in popularity because they arent being made though Mathews has started selling the riser again but I don't know if they have been shipped


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## Sagittarius (May 22, 2002)

Thanks for the information, Jim.
I will consider it.
I am going to the Traditional shoot at Cloverdale on the 12th.
Compounds, Traditional, and now Olympic Recurves.
I must be nuts to be interested in all three. LOL. 


Sag.


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## Sagittarius (May 22, 2002)

Marcus,

Did a search and found a site for the Variable bow.
After reading about it and looking at some more pics, I believe, I would buy this bow if it were available.
It is kind of ugly but also cool looking.
Same way some guys feel about my Bowmans. 
Like the swivel handle on the Variable just the same as I like it on my Accu-Risers.
Although they're different as the Variable adjusts for canting which the Accu-Riser does not.
Just a different way to counteract torque and maybe superior.
Is the forthcoming Olympic games the reason your dad could not get one ?
If so, will the Variable be available after the games ?
Might just try and get one after the games if that is the case.
Thanks for telling me about the Variable!
Here is the link and some cool pics from the site.
http://www.ide-teknik.com/eindex.htm


Sag.


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## Jim C (Oct 15, 2002)

nothing nuts with having a wide interest-I have shot compound, Olym recurve, barebow and xbow spots. I have shot compound, barebow, xbow 3D.


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## palmer (Sep 23, 2003)

John,

You just like the shade of blue on my Axis better than yours.  You know I think an X-Factor and those 38# Sky's might be a nice combo. Better do some more side work and replenish the hobby funds before I go down that road.


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## MerlinApexDylan (Oct 14, 2002)

Sagittarius said:


> *Who, in everyone's opinion, makes the best Olympic Recurves ?
> For me, who makes the most rugged Olympic Recurve ?
> I like bows that are ruggedly built and made to last.
> Have been thinking about getting an Olympic recurve to play around with and thought I would ask the experts who made the best.
> ...


If you wait till 2005 you might have some more risers from a few of your personal favourite companies coming around.


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## MerlinApexDylan (Oct 14, 2002)

Sagittarius said:


> *Marcus,
> 
> Did a search and found a site for the Variable bow.
> After reading about it and looking at some more pics, I believe, I would buy this bow if it were available.
> ...


Yuck, the bowmen is a nice looking bow. This however.. Yuck. 

Axis would be something to look at. They are nice to shoot, much more so then the Aerotec.


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## clever_guy (May 21, 2002)

"Is the forthcoming Olympic games the reason your dad could not get one ?
If so, will the Variable be available after the games ?
Might just try and get one after the games if that is the case."

From the sound of it I don't think they are near production yet. The site has been up for over a year and a half though. If I were to bet, I would say they were looking to create some pre-production buzz about the bow using current top shooters, hoping the sheeple..I mean club shooters will be impressed  . The way these things go I wouldn't be suprised if the actual production bow is different than what we are seeing. I would be a little careful ordering one immediately after they go into production - I think I would be tempted to wait 6 months for some feedback..

Still, I like the look of it, I guess it brings back memories of Mechano sets or something..

   

-CG


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## Sagittarius (May 22, 2002)

Dylan,

Well, maybe, I could get the "Yuck" bow and something prettier to go with it. LOL. 

I hope that company you're talking about decides to build Pro Fusion carbon recurve limbs for their new risers. 
The Pro Fusion carbons are fabulous, imo.
They would be awesome with an Olympic Recurve.


Sag.


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## Jim C (Oct 15, 2002)

limbs that work well on the relatively short traveling compound bows often are not suitable for recurves. Plenty of topflight compounds (such as the PSE) have those solid molded limbs which are way too heavy for recurves. NOte that almost no compounds have used wood/carbon limbs in many years but most of the recurve WR are still held by carbon/wood limbs


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## Sagittarius (May 22, 2002)

Clever Guy,

Guess we're the only fans of the "Yuck" bow.   
Marcus didn't really say if he liked it or not. 


Sag.


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## Sagittarius (May 22, 2002)

Jim,

I agree with you but, I feel, Merlin can come up with the technology to build a fine carbon recurve limb if they decide to.
Guess only time will tell. 


Sag.


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## RecordKeeper (May 9, 2003)

Without doubt, the good 'ol Hoyt Gold Medalist with Gold Medalist wood limbs is the most accurate recurve I have shot. But it is noisy and has lots of shock (cast riser). 

The Sky Medalist is my favorite, but Mrs. Hoyt sold the company last year. She still has lots of limbs available (most are 38+ pounds though).

I'm wondering how long it will be until some manufacturer develops a titanium alloy riser...


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## Jim C (Oct 15, 2002)

Merlin had a recurve bow then another- I don't know if they sold limbs and if they did, were they made for them by another maker.

Too light a riser means more stabilization is needed


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## Marcus (Jun 19, 2002)

Sagittarius said:


> *Guess we're the only fans of the "Yuck" bow.
> Marcus didn't really say if he liked it or not.
> *


hhmmm am I wondering if I should move into the same 'taste' corner as you Sag, may set a dangerous precident that will lead me down the road towards shoot through cables systems or something as bad as that. 

I don't really mind the Variable at all. I wouldn't shoot one, but then I wouldn't shoot alot of bows. 
My Dad was after one because of all it's features. He loves to mess with grips etc and this bow would have been perfect for him. 
The customizable ability of it is very attractive, also looks solid in the riser (little flex perhaps)

So can't say I like it, but I wouldn't put it in my 'yuck' pile either. I'll leave that to the Spigarelli, Martin and Merlin recurve risers.


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## MerlinApexDylan (Oct 14, 2002)

I'd look at the XQ-1's for limbs Sag. Good solid shooting quick and nice looking. Unless of course Merlin gets something on the go.


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## Sagittarius (May 22, 2002)

Marcus,

Put some Wedel cams and 452 shoot thru harness and string on that Hoyt of yours and you will never look back. 
Or better yet, just get an Accu-Riser II and go from the stretched out "I" beam to the Ultimate "I" beam.  
Be that as it may, your taste in bows will never equal Ol' Sag's 

The Variable looks very well made to me from the pics.
Even the arrow rest and other accessory components look better built than most of the competition I have seen so far.
Any idea what the price will be on it ?
It looks pretty expensive. 
Wouldn't mind going to $1,000.00 on a bow/limb combination but the Variable looks like it may go quite a bit higher than that.


Sag.


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## engtee (Oct 2, 2003)

I shoot an Aerotec with G3 limbs (and have elbow problems!). I recently asked Vic Wunderle about one riser being any better than another and he said that they're all good and that no one could shoot up to the riser's capabilities!
I think you should simply decide what design (and color) is pleasing to you and concentrate on the limbs. That's where the difference is. Not just the mfg., but also the length. I used to shoot mediums and went to shorts. They're not quite as smooth, but are much faster. People at my range have commented on the difference in sound between my Fx and G3's. They say that the G3's sound more powerful. Actual speed difference is about 2fps., but they feel much more stable than the Fx.


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## twojump (Jul 8, 2007)

Greetings. I was involved in the Sabo SSR. I was the "Shop Boy" at THE BLACK ARROW SPORTS SHOP in Riverside Ca. Lyle Shannon was the inventor and Boyer. Don Brown was the owner of the shop DB, who was protige of the great Howard Hill and still, all these many years later still holds the world record for long bow flight shooting with a stick of #175, was my mentor. I shot the early SSR extensivly. Like all of the Sabos it was incredibly smooth. If Sabo ever had a defining trait it was an almost total lack of stacking and great speed. If I could lay my aging mitts on a Sabo Hunter LH of any weight, I would shoot it today. Or an Avenger, the only recurve that would hold together at #100+.
If however I saw a EL Lobo. I would run fast and far. We called it the "El Breako" cause boy! did they ever! Sabo also was the first take down with limbs attached by pin and nut on the face of the riser. you see a multitude of those today. Lyle would have been very gratifed to see it. I am still an active archer and still hold arrow shooting machines with training wheels in utter contempt! If one would be an archer one must shoot a bow. Good hunting


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## VinZ (Apr 30, 2007)

Website variable bow with clips:
http://www.ide-teknik.com/eindex.htm

Something rugged to tincker with and different than the rest.
During the sales pitch from Fiberbow they will drop the riser on a concrete floor and then put #44 limbs in and shoot it. They also showed footage of superheavy limbs without breaking (number of shots are registered).
There are a few downsides:
- must use a stickon rest because there is no second plunger hole (stickon are not rugged)
- some threads on the riser are of aluminium, making them soft

All in all I don't think you'll be happy for long with a Fiberbow. Axis or Aerotec are better to tincker with. Have you considert Best or Arco Sport Spigarrelli?
http://www.altservices.biz/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/005489.1.3034294025019530706 have a lot of recurve riser (I wouldn't go for the Mizar - side setting the limbs on this bow is a pain). I think you will like the Arco Sport Spigarelli Revolution (there are different colors you can get):








As far as i know it's rugged. Marcus might have more experience with this riser beside holding it and looking.


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## filoktetes (Feb 11, 2007)

Well, my name isn't Marcus, but I shoot this riser now for serveral months.

There are several points that won't have to be discussed:
- It's VERY rugged.
- It's Different (really, different feeling then any other riser).
- It's stiff, stiffest riser I ever encountered.

The only real downside is the grip, - the factory supplied grip is quite small, and very low, - you gotta like that. For me personal, I've put a High plastic hoytgrip on. 

A lot of people think the appearance is ugly, and because it's quite rare, a lot of people ask where the riser comes from. 
--> on the last fieldtournament I went, during the material-check, the reffory asked if it was a new riser, or if I made that myself (!)

Rugged and durable is it, however..


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