Prouduction bows are closing the gap on custom bows and until you step into the very high end bows the difference when it comes to performance is negligible

There are some very high performance prouduction bows out there and many a prouduction ILF set up will out perform many customs

When it comes to looks and materials you pay for what you get

Either way it is an exciting time in archery

 

totally agree.

Stuff from say, the Tradtech brand (personal experience) is in no way lacking in quality with differing price point depending on what you might perceive makes a difference but I have owned a couple of set of their standard wood/glass offerings and there aint nothing wrong at all with them.

I took a jump in price a couple of years ago and got a Dryad Epic ILF rig and now I have an Orion in the works, I have not looked back but it took a good few years to do this and ultimately get the benefit. I love their product and they are the best I have personally shot, but there's a thousand bowyers/brands for a thousand shooters!

IF you can get what you need and will be fulfilled "off the shelf" then it will save you money and most decent bowyers have something of a wait too.

 

For a first bow (assumption, little to no experience?) ILF is the route to take.
But to answer your question, production bows are generally very high quality.
High end customs may be nicer, but they will not make you a better shooter.
Find a good used bow to start out with.

 

While I have no experience with ILF bows, I agree 100% with everything else in this statement.

 

As a person who owns many custom made bows, I can tell you why I buy them. I like having a relationship with the bowyer making the bow. I like knowing that the bow that person is making is a one-of-a-kind work of art made just for me. I love picking out the wood combinations for that bow. As a craftsman myself, I can truly appreciate the effort those bowyers put into their craft and I love being able to call them to say I just killed a critter with that bow you made for me. For the price of that $850 factory made Bear bow, I can have Mike Dunnaway at Wild Horse Creek Bows make me his top-of-the-line two-piece takedown longbow where I have a say in the bow's composition, grip, weight, draw length, and AMO length. And I know that the bow I'm getting will never be reproduced. That makes it special to me.

Just my two cents,

Darren

 

Functionality between custom and production... negligible.

Personal preferences... worth what ever you want to pay.

 

I agree with Jim.

On a side note, a great archer with a 200.00 production rig will out shoot an average archer with a 2000.00 custom rig, all day, every day. So, If I were looking for my first bow I'd spend the majority of my resources becoming a great archer and not on a pretty bow.

It will serve you infinitely better in the long run.

KPC

 

Will a Mercedes get you to work faster than a Kia?

It's pretty much the same with any manufactured product. You don't need to get the most expensive.

A Samick Sage will put an arrow where you want it as well as the most expensive custom. For the beginner to average to intermediate shooter, there will be no accuracy advantage. It's purely a matter of esthetics and enjoyment, and that is of course entirely subjective.

A top competitor will be able to gain some accuracy benefit from a high end bow.

 

I'd say they're equal. As much as I would like to say custom is better I don't see the difference personally

 

Juat -

Most of the guys have it, but you may have it backwards, however.
"Production" bows form the major players are designed by engineers with years/decades of training and experience. Most "custom" bows are designed and built by guys in their basements and garages.

If you really want a specific wood or glass color/veneer, or something special then go custom, if you want a solid reliable performer, then go "production", just don't be surprised if that production bow winds up costing you more than a "custom".

When was the last time you saw an Olympic shooter with a "custom" bow?

Viper1 out.

 

The following is only my opinion. The "production bows" are maybe, better? Think ILF risers/limbs here. The custom bows can look more handsome or have specific woods/veneers/horn tips/snake skins/your name on a limb etc.

I have a Kodiak TD. It's a great bow that I shoot very well and is a solid hunting bow. To me it's not pretty, but I've been very successful with it. I also have a "custom" Toelke TD Whip that is much prettier. The price difference is about $600. Compare that to my Black Widow(s), just as nice to look at as the longbow but not as custom. But they are more expensive. Add to that my ILF rig(s). Much cheaper, not great looking (to me) but not ugly. I enjoy shooting all of them and they can ALL outperform my ability to shoot them.

For your first bow you may want to think about two things, light weight (draw weight) and then cheap. If this is your first experience with recurves (if not please don't be offended) you won't be able to tell much if any difference anyway.

I also would recommend calling Lancaster archery and getting an ILF set-up. They can walk you through it.

 

Custom will get you that - a bow built to your specifications using the materials you select. Will it outperform off-the-shelf? Not necessarily. It might if it fits you better, but an ILF rig is much more adjustable and more economical to achieve (and adjust later) a good fit for you. It is more of an "icing on the cake" kind of thing, like buying that sports car you've always wanted when you retire and you have plenty of extra cash to do it with. Custom bows are great if you know what you want/need but may not necessarily outperform off-the-shelf, at least not more than the additional expense.

 

Yup, ILF all the way. Inexpensive, high quality, easy and inexpensive to upgrade limbs or to change draw weight, adjustability.

What is missing are the expensive, exotic, rainforest hardwoods. I bought a custom bow years ago from a very well known, established bowyer. It is a beauty, but the grip was never right. I finally fixed it with a heavy duty wood rasp and a lot of refinishing work. In contrast, I did not like my stock grip on my ILF bow so I decided on a different sort of design and ordered a new grip from Jager. It fits the bow, my hand and my shooting style. Custom bows look good on the wall. If you can get an equal and usually better ILF bow for a fraction of the cost.

 

Just my two cents, think of it like getting a custom cruiser vs buying a HD Road King. Will a custom cruiser outperform a Road King? Maybe, if the builder can make it so and the user can draw those capabilities out. Depends on both. Can a Road King do everything you need it to? More than likely, and for less money. A load of design and engineering went into it and while production, it is still more than capable. And a large amount of custom work relies on developments from production, and vice versa, over time. The people who design production items are at the same level as custom builders. They just deal with production line manufacturing versus one at a time builds. Archery has come a very long ways since the days of Maurice Thompson, and it wouldn't have gotten this far without production level capabilities. Unless you know pretty precisely what you want, or just have to have an exotic riser or limb wood, I think a custom bow can wait. Just my opinion.

 

Jusaguy, your question isn't ignorant. I've wondered the same question daily. I'm a newer shooter, but have a 100 dollar bow that is a pse razorback with a silly picture of an angry hog on it, and it shoots great. I have two redwing hunter bows, and a ilf bow. The wing hunters have short limbs, and a high grip, and I can out shoot them with the 100 dollar razorback, and the ilf because they FIT me better. The ilf is super comfortable to hold, aim, shoot, and adjust. The ghetto bow will frighten the ilf rig, but in the end the ilf hoyt horizon will outdo it. A guy came over with a bear super Kodiak, and had me try it, and it was great!!!!!! It had weight, fit me, and he had it tuned pretty good. It was easy to shoot tight with it, and he was shocked. From what little I know, it's got to fit you, and be tuned right. I'm not afraid to buy a production bow at all!!!! I do want to buy a really nice longbow, but it's gotta Fit me, and look nice too. So for that, I want to try before I buy. Lunger

 

Started off with the PSE Razorback XL, which shot fairly well. Switched to a medium priced ILF type bow and really noticed the difference in how smoothly I could draw, and a much better feel when the arrow is loose. Shot a very expensive riser and limbs at the range which belonged to a friend. Very smooth, quiet and great balance. Would I pay the price? No. My skills are not at the level where I could benefit. In a few years, perhaps. On the other hand, there is a beauty to some custom bows, and pride of ownership. Like a high end sports car, I'll never race, but they sure are pretty.

 

Viper hit the nail on the head when he mentioned the engineering that big companies are able to put into their bows. Add modern manufacturing methods, such as CNC, and you have a better designed, more consistently manufactured bow.

Buying "true" custom means you are getting serial number one, and that is usually something to avoid with any product you buy. Most bows can be better classified as low production with options. Even so, how many bows can a mom and pop shop produce in an effort to design and build a high performing bow?

The more low production versions they build, the less engineering and testing time is available.

There are companies that appear to be custom but in reality, have a a catalog of mature designs. Black Widow is an example. I have a Falco longbow which I would consider in that class. I had the option to select wood, length and draw weight. I went with the Falco because I wanted a 70 inch bow for my 32 inch draw length. There is not a production sized marked for bows that long. I chose a model from the catalog and let Falco choose the wood. Falco recommended some modification that they thought would make it a better target longbow (two carbon layers and a beefier grip), but in the end, it was a mature and proven design that had been produced many times.

 

Viper hit the nail on the head when he mentioned the engineering that big companies are able to put into their bows. Add modern manufacturing methods, such as CNC, and you have a better designed, more consistently manufactured bow.

That makes complete sense to me.

If a manufacturer has the resources and positive revenue stream to incorporate CNC into their production they would likely also have resources to conduct solid R&D to bring a quality product to the market (presuming QC is good).

Buying "true" custom means you are getting serial number one, and that is usually something to avoid with any product you buy. Most bows can be better classified as low production with options. Even so, how many bows can a mom and pop shop produce in an effort to design and build a high performing bow?

The more low production versions they build, the less engineering and testing time is available.

Excellent support for the point above - R&D is expensive, time-draining and with a one-person shop these demands must be especially so.

There are companies that appear to be custom but in reality, have a a catalog of mature designs. Black Widow is an example. I have a Falco longbow which I would consider in that class. I had the option to select wood, length and draw weight. I went with the Falco because I wanted a 70 inch bow for my 32 inch draw length. There is not a production sized marked for bows that long. I chose a model from the catalog and let Falco choose the wood. Falco recommended some modification that they thought would make it a better target longbow (two carbon layers and a beefier grip), but in the end, it was a mature and proven design that had been produced many times.

I've seen that in the precision rifle building industry. Once the cash has been invested to produce a successful design, it's basic common sense to reproduce it as often and as long as it is profitable (particularly so with the hard-to-produce metal components).

Thanks for the great insight! It certainly puts the Fred Bear Take-Down Recurve back in the running.