The 62" Centaur Triple Carbon Elite w/XTL lamination and a Dark Matter riser section is my personal pic. See my review below:
The longbow expression and experience are unique and has captivated my genuine interest for the past five years. Have run numerous arrows thru numerous longbows over the past, yet still found myself composed enough to persevere in continuing with the quest of this personal endeavor. Personal expectations whether realistic or not have kept me at bay until just recently.
The following is my personal review as witnessed and experienced through my eyes after running ~1200 arrows thru her.
Note: Unless I can readily and visibly determine and/or experience the attributes, then I would soon omit them from any bow review. Attributes w/o personally experienced validation are of little consequence to me.
Bow Specs: 62” Triple Carbon Elite - T/D
Draw Wt. 50 @ 28 (Note: I draw ~27 ¾”)
Riser: Dark Matter…Black Locust accents
Limbs: Carbon w/ Action bamboo and XTL Lamination Cores ...Black Locust Accents
Nock pt: 1/2”
Brace Ht: 7 7/8”
Arrow Specs: Victory HV 350 - 29.5”
Insert: 100 gn
Point: 200 gn
Tot. Wt.: 515 gn
Grip: The standard grip must be honing in my own personal best fit for repeatability and stability. She seats on the mark every time and is extremely stable at anchor thru shot conclusion. This particular grip design inherently provides superior bone on bone alignment per my personal body structure…… Will be leaning toward this grip design in the future. Note: Have shot her in 95 degree humid conditions and experienced no grip and/or hand slippage.
Riser: Robust, personally desirable and balanced mass. Beauty was not my objective where mass and stability were, yet she is quite appealing due to the craftsman’s compelling influence. The Dark Matter, for me, is much more than just a complimentary addition. Mr. Neaves can easily accommodate those individuals interested much finer works of art.
Take Down Assembly: Robustly solid design with simple assembly. Would require an indicator to determine assembly repeatability since no movement was detected prior to bolting down.
Overall mass: The Dark Matter adds ~27% more mass, thus seems to be a most compelling addition. My propensity to bias heavier mass was quite satisfied. Mr. Neaves’ incorporation of Dark Matter was a prime factor in finally procuring my own longbow with optimized confidence.
Hand shock: None perceived- An enhanced longbow experience. ** An epic- like luxurious ride
Sound: Emits a whisper so characteristic of favored longbows.
Draw: Effortless…Smooth…and Stable
Point ability: Have in the past perceived point ability as an neither and attribute nor a detractor until taking the Centaur jaunt. Being a ~3 second back tension/stabilization type archer prior to release archer, it is imperative that I acquire the target expeditiously. Acquiring the target promptly has historically remained my nemesis. Am assuming that the Centaur standard grip and bow balance are providing personally improved personal bone on bone alignment, thus reducing target acquisition by 1/3 and also reducing my stabilization time by ~1 second. This particular Centaur design significantly facilitates cursory acquisition of my desired window prior to actually bearing down on the mark. Striving further for improved shot execution appears well within my grasp.
Torsional Stability: Would not even mention torsional stability unless the benefits were readily perceived. Release appears to have significantly improved. Have attributed this observation to much less finger inflicted string deflection at anchor. String slips from fingers more uniform and is visibly apparent in more stable arrow flight. Side to side arrow marking variation appears to be reduced by ~1/4th. Bow string deflection appears much more stable than other longbows and hybrids of which I have had the pleasure to work with.
Tune Ability: Don’t know… The aforementioned arrow specs are exactly what I started with and bare shaft tuned flawlessly with regards to spine at 30 yards. Simple nock adjustment was all that was required to achieve vertical alignment.
Shoot ability: Points naturally and consistently places arrows on the mark. Shooting her seems effortless,accommodating, forgiving and emits a highly desired most pleasurable experience.
Aesthetics – Simple, yet masterful beauty as I had ordered
Performance –Flat trajectory with velocity levels residing in the elite category yet maintaining spot-on accuracy.
Craftsmanship: Excellent – The gifted hand of the artisan is most noticeably evident and highlighted by the grip’s stippling and turkey tracks. Having said that; the shoot- ability and exemplary performance may mask this splendid creation.
Service: Working with Mr. Jim Neaves has been a most pleasant and re-assuring experience. It was a honorable consolation to fathom that fulfilling my needs and expectations and especially keeping my own self on the proper path were obviously paramount. Mr. Neaves is both the consummate gentleman and bowyer.
Over-all Experience: Actually was leaning towards believing that my expectations were too lofty. Virtually all expectations were exceeded. No expectations faltered. Smoothness and unique stability promotes a relaxed anchor, thus decidedly enhancing focus thru conclusion. Her exemplary attributes have permitted me to fully experience the enchanted expression of a Centaur. The lengthy quest to procure a personally desired dream long bow has come to fruition.
I am looking quite forward to working, once again, with Mr. Neaves in the immediate future.
THANK YOU JIM!!!!!!!!!!
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