Bow Purchasing Psychology 101

[2fletch]

Anyone thought about why some guys will put so much importance on having just the right custom bow with just the right woods, while others care more about how the bow performs?

To me the biggest disapointment is to order a nice custom bow and then get a bow that shoots only fair to average. I'd much rather have a no name plain jane bow that shoots great, than a great looking no shooter. (It also makes it easier to slip up on the competition.)

What is your opinion? (Keep it nice.) Do you prefer looks to performance, vice versa, or do you think they are all important?  
 

[Mike Mecredy]

I'll build you a plain Jane bow real affordable and you'll like the performance.

Heck I'll even make it look sort of nice if you want.  


Actually I'm with you, personally I like good performance overall.

[md126]

performance first, looks second but...

w/ most good customs today you can easily have both

[BobCo 1965]

Bad looks can alway be covered with a nice dip job (like my plain Jayne Bob Lee Signature). It has tons of performance, but the laminated look is just not for me.

[Jeremy]

I won't order a bow unless I know it'll perform up to my expectations... try before you, borrow a friend's for a week, get one off the classifieds, read one of non-biased reviews... lots of ways to try out a bow or get reliable info before dropping the string and a load of cash on a custom "tricked-out" bow.

What do I know, most of my bows are from the 1950's  

[Kevin Lawler]

Function over form for me. I'll take one in camo.

[oldtimerbow]

I prefer a plain jane that I can shoot well, it does not have to be fast,just shoot where I am looking. I also like a bow that is soundless and shoots a heavy arrow well.That being said I usually like either black or brown glass on the limbs and a darker riser wood.

[billy shipp]

With so many bowyers building bows today that shoot great, and look great too.....why not have the best of both worlds?

[TNstickn]

Check out this bow, carbon/foam w/ real thin purty over the top. Your kidding yourself if you dont think you can have both.
 
 
 
It took me years, and lots of bows before I figured out who i wanted to build me a good lookin, great performing bow.

[LongStick64]

This was sort of my point in a recent thread I started, on whether a fancy bow delivers performance any more than a plain bow. And to be fair, this really can't be answered because of the number of great bows out there.

For years I thought my plain GN Ghost was it for me. But now my Dale Dye recurves, both awesome to look at and even better to shoot do it for me. In a few days I'll be getting foam limbs for my Cheyenne. I know they will look killer but I really hope they perform.

[Curveman]

I see no reason why you can't have both. That being said my longbow is all Indonesian rosewood without any ornate swipes, antler buttons etc., just some buffalo horn that's partly covered by the leather grip. Very understated. It's arguably not as purty as my recurve of the same make but it's performance is nearly the same (speed) and it blends in better with the hunting environment with no need for limb skins, etc. No more ornate bows for me.

[Irish Archer]

And then how many of you really see a huge difference in performance between bows anyway.

I've shot more than a few "custom" bows and to be honest, I have not been blown away by any of them. Some were better looking and I just liked some over others.

I think people just like to buy a new bow now and then. Just my thoughts.

[ISP 5353]

I like both, but I would choose performance way above good looks.

[Steel]

I perfer both performance and looks in a bow and there are several bowyers out there that offer bows such as this. As far as performance goes I have/had bows same weight/draw range that had as much as 20 FPS difference shot through my Chrony. If you think 10 FPS will not make any difference why do people shoot high at range when they go from there old bow to a new faster bow. You have to learn POI at range all over again normally takes a few weeks to adjust.That said about any trad bow will work great for hunting the most important thing is practice,practice,and more practice!

[2fletch]

I've shot a lot of old traditional and a lot of the custom bows. Out of an estimated 200 bows, about 100 of them were just ordinary, 50 of them were good, and only about 5 of them were like "WOW". "Wow" may or may not be fast but it is forgiving, and groups tight and consistent. If it's fast then you are double blessed, and if it looks great too then you have found a lifetime keeper.

[pseman]

I doubt I will ever own just one bow, so I'll just buy some pretty ones and some "ugly" ones. I seem to like how a bow looks in it's profile and lines more than just a bunch of pretty wood. If you have pretty wood and great lines, then all the more better.

I also like metal riser bows and think they look great as well. Different, but still great.

As far as performance, you can get good performance and good looks easy enough, not like you have to settle for one or the other.

[LV2HUNT]

Performance - I always ordered the most simple version of the best bow. Now even when I am buying used it seems like the simple ones work out the best for me.

[Dick in Seattle]

I probably build as simple a laminated bow as there is around... a dead straight Hill style off a flat form, with a one piece, non-laminated straight riser.  Like Howard, I don't use any tip overlays.  No power lams; if I want more poop in the inner end of the limb, i get it with the riser length and taper.    I'm not after super fast, just good performance with, above all, a smooth draw.   The few people I've let have one have all claimed to like them and feel the performance is good.

Now, all that said, a bow is, to me, a wood product.  The wood deserves to be seen.  Every bow I've made has clear glass so the wood becomes part of its character.  I've used quilted maple, curly maple, walnut, elm, locust, hickory, zebra, osage, yew, cherry, oak... anything that appeals.  If i couldn't enjoy the woods, i wouldn't be bothered building the bows. So, for me, I guess the looks are really important.  I know i can get satisfactory performance from a given layup... It's how it will look that keeps me working at it.  Heck, sometimes i can't even bring myself to put a riser wrap on because it covers the wood...

 

 

 

[Irish Archer]

I like that zebrawood limb. Looks really nice.

[jsweka]

I figure most bows will shoot better than I can actually shoot them, so to me it's better to miss with a pretty bow than an ugly one