Darren, I have read on here that the caramelized bamboo can be quicker. I was told that same thing from Schulz regarding proper heat tempering. I have been part of longbow shooters gathering around a set of chronographs, comparing bows. It can be a rather painful thing to witness. They don't all shoot the same predictable speeds. I myself am guilty of giving bows away and getting out the file and sand paper because of it. Rob says that even a mild r/d will be quicker, the last bow I gave away was a 68" Ballenger custom job unlike the 7 Lakes bows of today. It is a magnificent bow, it was quicker than a heavier Hill bow, shooting the same arrows at the same draw by a good margin and in many ways even more forgiving. It was nearly identical to a yew Hill style bow I have of the same weight, which was also faster than the heavier bow. All of these bows bows were tested with both B50 and fast flight strings. I felt bad about the whole thing, the heavier Hill was a gift from me, until the comparisons were made, the fellow I gave the bow to, thought he had the most devastating deer killing tool he had ever had.