Would you buy a new Palmer?

[BCD]

I love the looks of his bows and know they are solid performers, but I have heard horror stories about the customer service. Would you order one from him or try the used route?

[Seeking Trad Deer]

I would buy one if it is new in stock or used.  They are fast bows and I'd buy a non-carbon model if I got it for the right price. I like Palmer bows so I'm kind of biased.

[Mr.Magoo]

Mike can be tough to get on the phone but he and Nancy are plenty nice when you catch them.  Frankly, I bought one of Mike's TradSlams because I figured he wasn't going to be making bows much longer and I just wanted one (btw, it was done on time, no problems).

As for the performance, the old singe/double carbons seem just as fast as his new bow.

If you can find a used one at a reasonable price (a couple of years ago his "base" model was about $450 new), that's probably the way to go.

[vermonster13]

He spends a lot of time on his hunting business but his bows are top notch and when you do get ahold of Nancy she is a sweetheart.

[BD]

Is he only making the tradslam or is he still making the basic bows as well? What is the price of the tradslam? I've left him some messages and am waiting to hear from him. If he does quit making bows, does anyone know if he plans on selling the bow business (is he mentoring anyone that might be interested in taking over)? Thanks guys-you are truly a wealth of information.

BD

[Mr.Magoo]

As far as I know Mike is only making the Trad Slam for about $1200 (which sounds ridiculous until you start pricing bows from top bowyers with fancy woods and you'll find most are well over a grand).

There was a rumor floating around that Mike had sold his bow business to Easton ...

[vermonster13]

Nancy shot that rumor down.

[BD]

Mr. Magoo-are you the one who just sold your older Palmer on e-bay for $499. If so, I wish I would have bought it but I hesitated too long. For those with the Palmers who don't have the quiver inserts, what are some good limb bolt quivers to consider (non-leather quivers).

Thanks again.
BD

[Grendal]

Buy a Bob Lee - same bow at a better price and better customer service.  Maybe I shouldn't comment because I've never dealt with Palmer - mostly due to the absolute horror stories I've been told.

[vermonster13]

They aren't the same bow.

[BCD]

Vermonster-will you add to your post-what do you like better about the Palmer than the Bob Lee?

Thanks
BD

[Mike Brown]

Lots of rumors about Mike and his bow business.  Talk of partners, selling to Easton etc...

Last I hear is that he is moving to Colorado on Fred Eichlers (sp?) ranch.  He is moving the bow business there and commuting back to Tx during the deer/guiding season.

So from what I hear he will be in business to take care of any problems that arise.

I have bought about 4 bows from him over the years.  It always a long wait but I have always recieved my bow when he told me I would.

The last one I bought was about 4 years back.  It was very nice looking and the best shooting and fastest recurve I have ever owned.  For some reason it was noiser than my other Palmers.  Tried about everything there was to quiten it and could not get happy with it so I sold it.  

From all of the rumors of partners, sellling and such I get the impression that he is keeping the business as a fall back and his heart is not in it. But that is just my opinion.

[Grendal]

vermonster - please elaborate.  The differences in the two bow designs to me seems hardy worth the difference in customer service.  Im not saying that you're wrong though. I was very interested in Palmers at one time.

[vermonster13]

Shoot both and you'll see beyond the shape similarity. Lees are great bows, no argument there, but the Palmers are faster, the finish on the them is exceptional and the new laser work is awesome. You won't go wrong with either and yes I have shot more than a few and owned both.

[Mike Brown]

I believe the limbs on the Bob Lee are parallel and the limbs on the Palmer are tapered.

I heard a couple of bowyers talking about it the other day.  

My Palmers shot very well.  I still own one of the older ones.

[Steve Crowl]

I recently picked one up that only had a couple arrows put through it. The bow is smooth, quiet and quick. No hand shock to speak of. It's 55#@28" with carbon limbs. Overall it's an awesome bow with a great grip. I'd say it's a keeper, but all my buddies would die laughing because they heard that way too many times from me in the past.

[insttech1]

From reputation alone, I would not buy one unless it was in stock and ready to go in a box and ship out...

I have never heard or read a bad thing about their performance, however...so I would probably buy a used one were I in the market and it was on my list...

Take Care,
Marc

[MikeS]

I have a double carbon that shoots great.  But, it developed a crack while I was in Africa last July.  I sent the riser back and he fixed it (supposedly).  When I got it back the crack looked worse than when I sent it in, and I told them so.  But I figured I would give them the benifit of the doubt that it would hold up and deer season was just around the corner.  I hunted with it all season and the crack came back and got worse (no surprise there)  I contacted them (or tried) a number of times to have the riser repaired or replaced.  I never heard from them!  I got sick of waiting and built my own riser and am back shooting my Palmer/Savage.  Still shoots great.  But, I would never buy another new Palmer.  They don't even have the courtesy to reply to your emails!
Mike

[BCD]

Vermonster-
How much faster are the Palmers than the Bob Lees? Seems I saw some data at on time at AMO specs that the Palmer was 3-4 FPS faster. Can anyone confirm this?

Thanks
BD

[Cutty47]

BD...I own a Palmer and have shot Bob Lee's and I'd say that the Bob Lee's have always been a bit underappreciated speedwise.  

I believe the number you're referring to came from Centaur Shooter and he's usually right on the money.  Maybe he'll chime in.

That said, I own a Palmer Double Carbon.