Bob lee bows??

[Ulysseys]

I think for a long time Bob Lee was the king of a great bow at a great price in their hunter model, look at some of the old "bob lee vs. black widow" threads, plus you could still get a deluxe model lee if you wanted one...seems like people now, including myself, have visited the lee site with the same expectation that is no longer a reality...leaves some of us with the bad taste of feeling outclassed by the working mans bow, despite the quality of the product.

[Hopewell Tom]

Well, my house insurance DID almost double. I called another company and since we live in a 125 year old farm house with wood heat the closest offer was $1000.00 more and only after a site visit. I paid the old company's price.
Didn't Bob Lee build a new facility? That would necessitate some more funds, I'd think. If the bows are that good, as folks are saying, the demand will decide the price. Surely they won't price themselves into bankruptcy.
And no more one-piece bows it seems. The grips look fantastic.
As always, you get what you pay for... unless you get lucky. North American made is more, nowadays.

[Bowwild]

Gaff,
I understood your question. I'm just not inclined to comment on a company's pricing strategy.

I bought my first Bear Custom Kodiak (Type 1) for $150. But that was way back in the early 80's (used).  The price is 15-20 times that now.

If Bob Lee compared its bow to some of the custom bows and those prices I can see why they (BL) figured their bow was worth quite a bit more.  I have a handful of beautiful custom bows and love them. But they have zero on the BL Ultimate. In fact, all of them except a 25 year old Habu stayed on the rack all of this year's deer season. The Lee went hunting.

[pumatrax]

I'm not buying a new $60000 pickup truck or a new Bob Lee bow....would like to but it ain't gonna happen....

[Bullfrog 1]

I was on his site last night thinking the same thing.   Bill

I've had several Bob Lee's, and one which I wish I hadn't sold. That being said, they are stable shooters but not what I would call "performance" bows for the most part. Not in the same class as a Widow,Morrison, A&H. Unless something's changed and that 's why the high-dollar prices. The ones I had all cost around $500, and that was not so long ago.

[JohnV]

Bob Lee Archery is not the same thing as Wing Archery.  Wing Archery mass produced bows just like Pearson and Bear and used materials that permitted them to keep the price down.  Bob Lee Archery is custom making bows using more expensive woods and they have upgraded the old product line to produce better-performing bows.  Last time I checked, the new Bear Archery product line was not exactly cheap in price.

[attack]

I was looking at the website the other day and, wow, there are some gorgeous bows on there... A bit too pricey for me but I would love to have one.

[Mr. fingers]

I just got the new 2015 black widow catalog today and there is not a bow in there under a $1000.

[rlc1959]

Do you consider Bob Lee Bows a Custom Bow or a Production Bow. I just traded for a Bob Lee Ultimate that I really like. Just does not seem like a custom bow to me. I consider a custom bow a one of a kind built by a crafted individual from raw materials to meet a certain custom order. Not a factory produced riser off a shelf and a mass produced set of limbs ??  Set me straight.

[Stone Knife]

I think in the case of a Bob Lee you get what you pay for. Not every one is willing or has the resources to buy a bow in the $1,000 price range but yet there are many builders that offer bows in that range and higher. I have killed deer with a $50 bow and also a $1000 bow and every price tag in between. Bob Lee builds a high quality product and I think their service is second to none in fact after my last purchase from them Bob Lee called me himself to thank me for supporting their company. They are a family run business and I don't begrudge them for making a living in fact if we don't support these small family operations they will soon vanish forever.

[McDave]

I guess they're as custom as you want them to be.  Higher production bowyers like Black Widow and Bob Lee have standard models you can buy, where all you specify is the length, tiller, weight, grip, and RH/LH.  But either of them will make modifications to their standard designs to suit your tastes in type of wood,, etc. if you want.  I don't know that either will make you a totally custom bow from the ground up, as they have standard forms, templates, clamps, etc., to produce the various models they offer, but I think the same would be true of most smaller volume bowyers too, other than someone who starts with a piece of wood and makes a totally unique self bow from it.

[jeff w]

By rlc1959's definition of a custom bow I don't know of any currently being made.

[Bowwild]

I'm probably below the curve but I wouldn't trust my knowledge to provide guidance to build a  100% custom bow.  The most I  try to do is pick the woods, limb length, tiller, and draw weight. That's custom enough for me.