Legends Bows "Cyclone" Review...

[Stump Buster]

Part 1-

   

Origins

   I don’t know how it has come to pass where I have had the great fortune to have met so many friendly and generous folks in the traditional archery industry, but I am truly blessed for the opportunities I have experienced and that have been offered to me. Here’s an example…

   Late last year, I attended a Rod Jenkins shooting clinic organized by Mike Rash from Legends Bows. While there, Mike and I hit it off immediately. Mike was in the process of bringing IBO to the West Coast and was hoping to build interest in the organization, so he invited me to attend my first IBO Tournament the following spring. My Wife and I made plans to attend the IBO shoot in Hilmar, California and what a great decision that turned out to be. I not only had an opportunity to spend time and shoot with Mike, but I also had an opportunity to shoot with the National IBO “Traditional” Director, Levy Bryant, his wife Vivian and a number of other friendly and exceptional shooters. On the day Mike, Levy and I shot together, Levy was shooting Mike’s personal takedown longbow of his own design. Levy could not stop raving about how easy and pleasant the bow was to shoot and offered to buy it on the spot a number of times (and I even think the thought of somehow smuggling the bow into his luggage crossed Levy’s mind) but Mike would not/could not let his personal bow go as it was also the bow he hunts with. I’m not sure, but I think a sister bow to Mike’s may be heading east soon if it hasn’t been shipped already.

   During one of our conversations, the topic of archery websites came up and Mike told me he had read my review of Allen Boice’s “English” prototype. Mike told me he really enjoyed the review asked if I’d like to review one of his Takedown Longbows. I was humbled by the compliment and kind offer. As graciously as a knuckle-dragging cavemen could, I accepted. After the event was over, I stopped by the Legend’s booth to speak to Mike and Bryce. I told Mike I didn’t know when I could get the review finalized as I as “trying” to stick with one bow for the upcoming Western States Traditional Rendezvous. Bryce handed me a Cyclone T/D longbow and Mike said, “Take your time.” (A comment he likely now regrets as a re-occurring injury reared its ugly head soon after Western States and halfway through my testing, causing this review to be long overdue).

   I took the bow home and kept it in the supplied bow sock to keep me from temptation, but after a couple of weeks, I couldn’t help myself and decided it would be okay if I “just go outside and shoot it once real quick” to get an idea of how the bow felt. BAD MOVE… out of the gate, it was shooting right at the heels of the bow I had been shooting for years and was planning on using for the Western States shoot. I even sent Mike a text and told him I might have to shoot the Cyclone at Western States. To make matters worse, Mike texted back, “Go ahead.”  What a conundrum. Well, I chickened out at the last minute as we packed up for Western States and I threw my “go to” bow into the truck instead of the Cyclone telling myself I’d have felt terrible if I had dinged or damaged the test bow. Looking back now, I might have done better had I taken the Cyclone.

   Before I get into the review, I just want to mention that Mike, Debbie, Bryce and the entire Legend’s Bows family are first and foremost bowhunters but they have also been a major 3D force out here on the west coast for a number of years. Mike’s hunting and tournament achievements (Including winning the State Traditional Broadhead Championship this year in Lodi) have been a huge influence in his research and design developments. Mike knows where to make tweaks and adjustments to his bows because of his hunting and tournament background. Bryce has not missed a beat since formally taking over the business and has taken a lesson from Mike in the innovation game. Bryce and Mike (when Bryce lets Mike come into the shop) build quality hunting bows that work just as well for tournament shooting as they do in the field. It is a pleasure to know them and although I now consider Mike, Bryce and Debbie “Extended Family”, Mike made it clear he wanted a fair and unbiased review of their product. That to me speaks volumes.

[Stump Buster]

Part 2–

 Ready for Testing…
   

On to the Review

  Like my prior review, I wanted to shoot the bow alongside another bow to see if I could describe the feeling and experience a little better when shooting two similar style bows, so I shot the Cyclone alongside the only other T/D longbow I have, a Firefly by Jim Jones.

Here are the specs for each bow…

Cyclone – 64” #40@28” (My high tech digital luggage scale reads #37 @ 28" & #42 @ 30”)

Firefly – 65” #38@29” (My high tech digital scale luggage reads #38.2 @ 28" & #43.6 @ 30”)

 Both bows have a reflexed “limbs forward of riser” deign with a single attachment bolt per limb. The Cyclone was outfitted with 2 cat whisker string silencers, velcro shelf/plate material and two brass nocks (I added the second nock). The Firefly had 4 small wool puffs spaced out along the string, and elevated brush rest and a brass nock under a tied on nock. The majority of the shooting was done at approximately 15 yards and the arrows used were 4 fletched full length 2016 Easton Gamegetters with 125gr points.

 Again, not an apples to apples comparison, but it helped me pick out little nuances about each bow as they were shot side-by-side.

   
   
   

[Stump Buster]

Part 3-

Overall Fit and Finish

   This Cyclone was built as a no frills, affordable hunting bow, so the finish work on this particular bow is not as “Glossy” or refined as some of the higher priced bows available from the Legend’s shop. This no doubt contributed to the Cyclone’s rugged “Pure Business” look. This Cyclone was built around an Actionwood riser which gave it a lighter overall mass weight compared to the tighter/denser laminated material used in the Firefly’s riser. The riser of the Cyclone was sprayed with a nice soft clear satin finish (Fullerplast) that gave it a slightly “grippier” non-slip feel compared to the smooth gloss finish on the Firefly. The Cyclone limbs came with all Bamboo cores and the Firefly featured laminated cores. The Cyclone’s limbs were flatter, wider and more reflexed than the Firefly’s deeper narrower limbs. Because the limbs were painted on the Cyclone, I couldn’t compare the glue lines of each bow, but the bows I’ve seen displayed at the Legend’s booth all show fine craftsmanship. The raised and reinforced limb tips on the Cyclone are standard features and designed to be used with the fast flight strings included with each bow.
 
 
 
 
 
 

   The only flaws I could find on the Cyclone were both found at the same location. The string grooves in the limb tips were a little rough and the paint didn’t fully cover the back side of the limb tips. This is not consistent with the other limb tips I’ve seen at the Legend’s booth as all the other limbs I’ve seen have been smooth and fully coated. I spoke to Mike on the phone about the limb tips and he told me that often times, when there is clouding in a limb with clear glass, or when a cosmetic imperfection is found (as in this case), they’ll take the premium or exotic limb, paint it and attach it to a laminated riser. They then sell these bows at a much lower price than what they ask for bows that are flawless or constructed using fancier riser woods. So in a sense, you are getting a high performance limb at a bargain price due to cosmetics. For a hunting bow, I see no fault in that logic at all, in fact, if this were my bow, I would not hesitate to use the flat black limbs as a blank canvas for my own “Rattle Can” camo to match the terrain I anticipated to hunt in while carrying this bow.

 

[Stump Buster]

Part 4-

Mass Weight

   As mentioned earlier, the Firefly was the heavier of the two bows due to the denseness of the smaller lams and I assume increased amount of resin in the riser and limb material. The overall mass weight of the Firefly is = 2lbs./7.7oz.

   The Cyclone felt lighter in hand than the Firefly and utilized a thicker lamination in the construction of the Actionwood riser. The overall mass weight of the Cyclone is = 2lbs./1oz.

Riser Comparisons…
   
   


Grip size, shape & material

   The Cyclone grip at first appears and feels “Blocky” just holding it in the hand, but once you are at full draw, the handle design shines. It is VERY comfortable and consistent. There was no shifting in the palm during the draw. “Simple and Effective” is the best way to describe this grip. It is funny how some things we think are aesthetically beautiful often don’t work well once we have them in hand (I frequently find this to be the case when buying custom knives). The Cyclone grip is a perfect example of “Don’t judge a book by its cover” as the handle feels much better than how it appears at first glance. If you place and order, Mike and Bryce will ask you how you shoot your bow and what size hands you have before shaping the grip on your bow. Being an “in-stock” bow, I didn’t have that option, but the handle fit me well.

   The Firefly handle was just the opposite, it has nice contours and aesthetics, feels wonderfully comfortable in the hand when holding the bow, but when I come to full draw, the slick surface and rounded palm area causes the bow hand to slide to the left side of the handle occasionally. I have to concentrate a little harder to keep my bow hand in place with the Firefly and have even added grip tape to the palm area in the past during the hot summer months to prevent palm slippage. That said, I am the second or third owner of this Firefly, so it was initially built for someone else. I wear XXL gloves, so I’m sure that is a contributing factor and I’m sure if Jim were to build me a new bow, he would also ensure the handle would be large enough to fit my hands perfectly.

[Stump Buster]

Part 5-

Feel during the draw sequence

   Even though both bows have different weights written on the limbs, they both felt and drew surprisingly similar. The Cyclone felt smoother and lighter in weight at the back end of the draw with the Firefly having a very little bit of noticeable stacking as I hit anchor. This lack of stacking in the Cyclone may have been caused by the increased reflex design in the limbs and perhaps to some degree the use of bamboo cores. Shooters with LONG draws will likely really enjoy the smoothness of the Cyclone limbs at the end of their draw cycle. If you prefer a “wall” at your anchor, the Firefly with its laminated cores is the choice out of these two bows. If you like a wall as you hit anchor, I’m sure Bryce could build a little “stack” into the limb if desired. As you can see in the pictures, the Cyclone has a little extra reflex in the limb which really makes the bow feel very smooth during the draw cycle.


Perceived Sound

   The Cyclone with its 2 rubber cat whiskers had a slightly higher pitched “ting” sound at the shot with a very short audible cycle.

   The Firefly with the 4 small wool puffs had a low “thump” sound at the shot with a slowly fading “hum” in the string.

    Again, the Cyclone had rubber cat whiskers installed and I have never found them to be as effective as properly placed wool puffs. Had I decided to install wool puff on the Cyclone, the results may have been slightly different, but other than adding a second brass nock and adjusting brace height, I did not want to alter the test bow further. I would say both bows had average to below average noise at the shot. As is common with 3 piece bows, neither were as whisper quiet as one piece longbows typically are. As is common with most bow designs, both bows were quieter shooting split finger than when shot 3 under.


Feel at the shot

   I could feel a tight and FAST limb vibration sequence with a VERY short recovery time in the handle of the Cyclone after the shot.

   The Firefly had a wider and slower feeling vibration pulse rate and took quite a bit longer to recover from limb vibration in comparison to the Cyclone.

   The differences of the limb recovery no doubt influenced the sound each bow made at the shot. The pitch and feel of each bow could likely be changed with the replacement or deletion of a number of influencing factors, including string material, silencers, serving thickness and nock type/fit, but I will say the limbs just felt a hair better balanced on the Cyclone compared to the Firefly. Neither bow was “shocky”.


Accuracy

   As with any of my bow reviews, the reports are subjective and I can only articulate what I feel and experience when comparing the test bows to the bows I have on hand. I don’t have a hooter shooter machine or a chronograph, so my mediocre shooting abilities are the only gauge I have for comparisons. What I will say, is many archers who have been shooting traditional equipment for a while seem to “KNOW” almost as soon as the first arrow is drawn and loosed if a particular bow is a going to increase or decrease the shooters accuracy potential. Although the shelf was a little low for my hands, this was one of those bows that fell into the “High Potential” category. I immediately found myself able to hit where I was focused on from the first arrow (even before I adjusted the brace height slightly and added a second nock). Since I’ve had the bow longer than anticipated, I don’t feel this was just a honeymoon experience as I’ve had a chance to shoot the bow off and on over the past few months with similar results. These two bows shot so close together group-wise and the point of aim was so similar, to declare a winner in the accuracy department would be tough. Depending on the day, I might be able to shoot one more accurately than the other, but for consistency in the grip and value to performance, I have to give the edge to the Cyclone, especially since I’ve had a few years to familiarize myself with the Firefly and only a comparatively few shooting sessions with the Cyclone. The smooth feel of the limbs during the draw sequence and the hardly perceivable post-shot limb vibrations would likely contribute to the Cyclone being a little more consistent and accurate for my shooting style over time. I shot both bows split finger and 3 under and accuracy was consistent shooting either way.

I won’t bore you with pictures of targets filled with arrows tightly clustered together, but I did want to share with you a picture of what the Cyclone would consistently do whenever I had a chance to take it outside. Here is a typical “end of the day” 3 arrow shot sequence from various unknown distances. This is how I like to wrap up my shooting sessions after working on form or something particular I’ve identified as needing more work.

   
Average 3 shot group at 15 yds…
   

[Stump Buster]

Part 6-

Final thoughts, Changes, Improvements and Value…

The Cyclone was a pleasure to shoot whenever I had an opportunity take it outside. The fit and finish was above average and the grip was comfortable, repeatable and VERY consistent.

   The only change I would ask for on a Cyclone built for me would be a higher shelf. The shelf on the test Cyclone was cut VERY low and sat VERY close to the top of the bow hand. This is a very popular feature many traditional shooters look for in a traditional hunting bow. I have wide palms and the meat (i.e.: fat) in the area between my thumb and forefinger on my left hand actually rode high enough on the grip for me to juuuuust feel the fletchings brush by on each shot. Someone with smaller (less “husky”) hands would likely never notice this and those of you who like to shoot with an arrow as close to your bow hand as possible would LOVE this shelf. If I ordered a Cyclone for myself, I’d ask Bryce to radius the shelf to sit a little higher to give me about 1/16”-1/8” more clearance to allow the arrows to slip untouched over my well insulated hands.
   

   As for any other improvements, I can’t think of anything Bryce and Mike haven’t already addressed in their recent releases. The recent debut of Bryce’s new “Tattoo Bow” line bring a fresh modern artistic feel to the traditional world and the “Safari Elite” model has a more refined riser shape with exotic wood combinations for those looking for more sweeps, lines and pretty timber in a riser. Cosmetically, I’d like to see the “Legends Bows” logo silkscreened onto the limbs rather than written on by hand, but that is a personal preference and does not detract from the performance of the bow in any way. This practice is not uncommon in the custom bow market and many of my favorite bows have the company name handwritten onto the limbs, some being prettier than others.
   

   Between the two test bows, in my eyes the Firefly initially has a more “Aesthetically” pleasing riser and profile, but the Cyclone’s “Tough” look grew on me the more I used and looked at it. The decision to black out the limbs and mate them to a camo laminate riser was pure genius. The materials and design of the bow give it a “No Nonsense/Use Me” look with matching performance to back that look up. Actually, I think the PERFORMANCE is the hidden jewel in the design, because with a retail sticker price of only $400, it shoots/handles as well (or better in some cases) as bows I’ve paid three to four times the price (PLEASE don’t say anything about that to my Wife).

The Cyclone at home hiding in the trees…
   
   
   

   If you’re looking for ONE bow that can do double duty as a Hunting and 3D Tournament bow, you would be hard pressed to find a better value than the bows offered by Bryce and Mike. They have put years of tournament and field experience into the designs of each of their models. When you have that kind of knowledge and the talent to implement it into a working feature of your product, you have a recipe for success. If you have a chance, try a Legends Bow, I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

   THANK YOU Bryce and Mike for the “unintended” extended period of time to shoot this bow and the opportunity to write this review. As for the Cyclone, three words pretty much say it all…

“Well Done Gentlemen!”        
   

[shreffler]

Great review. So much hype in having the prettiest bow around with the most exotic materials that we often forget performance is what counts. No doubt you've proved that can shoot with just about anything you want to stack it up against.

Just out of curiosity, did you measure the weight on your luggage carrier at 28"? It's marked 40 @ 28 and you read 42 @ 30, that would be incredible if it only gained 2# out to 30.

Funny how it looks almost exactly like your Firefly, you were just meant to do a review of that one.

Thanks for sharing!

[RainyDayBows]

Great review  . I have never shot a Firefly but I have had my hands on a few Legends Bows . Legends bows are smooth drawing with great speed  It a great bow .Like those black limbs you made a great choice .

[Stump Buster]

Thanks shreffler,

I'll measure the weights at 28" in a few and report back.

[legends1]

Thank you so much "Stump Buster"  for taking the time and energy to write this thorough review.  It was very professionally written and I can tell you  took great attention and detail in writing it.  We as well consider you a member in the ever expanding Legend's family.  Thank you again!

Below are some photos of some of our other bows with designs ranging from exotic woods to the new line of the "Traditional Tattoo Series" bows:
   
 
 
 
 
 

[Stump Buster]

Thanks Mike, it was a pleasure and I appreciate your patience with the delays.

Shreffler, here are the actual draw weights at 28"...(according to my super advanced high speed K-Mart luggage scale)

Cyclone - #37

Firefly - #38.2

So that makes a little more sense in the poundage increase at the back end of the draw. (2.5lbs per inch for the Cyclone).

I'll update the report to show actual weights at 28" for to keep people from having to read through the replies.

Thanks for the question, I should have included that initially in the review.

Stump

[Stump Buster]

Rainy Day... The bow was just on loan, so the great idea about the black limbs was all Bryce's idea. I can't take credit for that one no matter how much I'd like to.     :D  

I'll be returning to bow to Bryce and Mike at the San Francisco Archers "1 Million BC" shoot in August, so if anyone wants to try this bow, it will be available at that shoot.    

[grayfeather]

I have always liked the way they feel when drawing them back to shoot . Thank you for the review , it was very informative .

[rxhntr]

Nice review Stump Buster. I have been shooting and speaking proudly of Mike and Bryce's bows for years, In fact I have Cyclone 0001 serial number. I am bias, but I have shot many bow's at many different tournaments and I always find myself sticking with my cyclone. Great review for a great product. Well done Mike and Bryce.

[curlis]

Nice review,great bow, awesome people! What more could you ask for?

[curlis]

And some of them are very pretty!

[legends1]

A huge thanks again to Stump Buster and our friends and customers who have commented. We have had a larger than normal interest in the Cyclone in resent days. We still have a few in stock Cyclone's. We will also have a few going to the IBO World Championships in TN. in 2 weeks.
Life is good!