I'm using a SF Forged Plus, and I'm loving it. The grip is a bit aggressive and really helps to get consistent hand position. It's a lot lighter than the Vision I had before so it's less of a brick, not necessarily my favorite thing about it, but it's a really well made riser, easy to use and adjust. The anodized finish is danged tough and makes for a really nice shiny blue color.

 

ok mybe $400 doesnt count as a intermediate bow but you can get the spig explorer II from lancaster and I have been shooting this bow for like 2 years now and love it. it is about avg for weight (although if you get the bare bow version you get a bare bow weight), comes in 23" and 25" which if you are trying to make a 68" rig works out nice you get the option of using longs on the 23 or med on the 25. anyway i like it and just wanted to throw it out there.

Have a great day,
Kasey

 

Second for the SF Forged Plus, I got it to replace my faulty Samick Vision I and am quite pleased. Good limb adjustment systems (though I think that the manufacturers have mostly stopped making those horrible elliptical bolts), nice anodized finish, and not very heavy which is good for an intro riser.

I also, however, loved the Samick Vision and only got rid of it because the alignment system was faulty. Samick has since fixed the problem with the Vision II, and it should be a nice solid intro riser, though a little heavier than the SF Forged Plus. It's also got an anodized finish, nice alignment system, and comes with a wood grip.

 

I shoot the Samick Vision II (the engineering malady of the Vision I has been fixed) and for the price I think it's really hard to beat and don't plan on changing it out as I reach an "advanced" archer skill level. I'm a fairly light framed guy, but I actually like the weight of the Vision 2, I don't think it's at all too high, and the physics says a heavier riser will absorb less energy and impart more energy into the arrow. I think if you do a little digging, you'll find that the Korean teams agree with this thinking.

 

Best intermediate riser? A 6 year-old premium riser you got for 1/2 price...

If you just HAVE to buy a new one, that Spig is tough to beat for the $, and frankly I was very pleased with the Cartel Midas riser I bought for testing. My brother still has it and loves shooting it.

John

 

Yep, or not even that old. I paid $650 for my GMX/990TX/string/ARE rest, and sold the limbs for $350 to buy some Inno Powers with. You can't go past $300 for a top of the line riser that's a year or so old and in excellent condition.

 

Yeah, I liked the heaviness of the Vision, it felt a little more solid, just in a mass-related way. The SF Forged Plus is a totally solid riser, but it's definitely lighter (less massive-feeling) than the Vision.

Actually, the change to the SF Forged came right when I was getting v-bars, and ended up needing the v-bars to get the same weight and feel from the SF as I had with the Vision. My shoulder wasn't setting right, and it may have been because of the difference in weight and the 1-inch higher main stab mount, relative to the grip.

 

So if I look for lets say a eclipse,helix, or the nexus its ok
But if I dont find one its ok the Hoyt Horizon 25" riser , right??

 

Have some patience, there's plenty out there. Hell I just looked in the classifieds and found half a dozen Nexus risers in your price range on the first page alone.

 

I agree with Bean I only buy 2nd hand bows etc save a lot of $ Nothing wrong with the Eclipse etc . You find in archery a lot of people like to have the newest & lattest. Only thing with Hoyt Tec risers you cant shoot bare bow for some archery ie FIFTA

 

Ah, but with the classifieds you can have what is practically the latest and greatest for half the price. Like said, I paid $300 for my GMX which is still Hoyt's top end riser. It had been very well taken care of (actually used to belong to one of our Aus Olympic candidates, so was aligned very well from the get go). Not to mention you can get FRX's/F4's for half price or so, same goes for CXT's.

 

i wouldn't say no to a horizon, i shot one up until a month ago, it was a nice riser for my first one enjoyed it very much. i was happy with the weight and such. my purchase was more about a matter of time. had there been more time for me to research and choose, i probably would have gone differently.

 

Can't believe the Matrix hasn't been mentioned yet as a second-hand option

Picked one up second hand a few years ago. On balance I probably prefer the feel of my Intrepid, but the Matrix is a very fine riser and if it weren't for the fact I'll be switching to a 27in riser soon, I'd be hanging on to it.