[Devinocd]

Hey guys,
So ive been eye balling the 2013 Oneida Kestrel for a while and have been saving up for it. Ive never shot an oneida bow before and theres no dealers near me. I have done alot of research and concluded they are:
- not very quiet
- very smooth draw
- a bit heavier
- not as fast
- dont need a bow press to tune
- need heavier arrows for good cable life
Ive also heard that the oneidas tend to come out of tune easily, but im not sure if thats true. Ive also heard that the arrows being shot carry more kenetic energy even though the speed is slower? Which im slso not sure is true.
I love the unique look and the smooth draw. But does a slower arrow make much of a difference? Does it make alot of noise? Or just more than usual? Do they compete with other brands? Are they sll around good bows?

 

[salmon killer]

A friend of mine shoots Oneidas and has for over 25 years Just shoot heavy arrows 500gr and more if your poundage is 80 shoot 600gr

 

[foreveryung]

I had one of the prototypes for the Kestrel during development a few years ago. It had some things to be worked out, not sure if they did. The string angle and limb tip design was one area of concern, at that time. You could not draw past 28 or the string would come off the limb tips, but it was a prototype.

I stepped away from the company when prices went up and quality went down. Plastic end caps and other components on a $1400 bow just didn't seem cost effective to me. Nice shooters, but whether to spend the money is a personal choice.

 

[turkeyhunter60]

Never shot a Kestral, but heard there a good Bow...
I own 3 Oneidas and have been shooting them since the 80s..
Mine are a little noisy, but there's ways to quiet them down, there's a kit you can buy from C.P. Oneida for about $20.00..Never been an issue for me...
As far as the Tuning issue, that's not true...I've never had a problem tuning my Oneidas..
As far as speed, there not the fastest today, but there not dogs either..
And you can change the string, I do it all the time by using a string changer for a recurve...
They do hit hard with the heavier arrow, goes through anything i shoot at...

 

[kentuckyshooter]

the kestrel is a well made bow that is a good shooter...but that's about all it is..just good..not great. its heavy, loud (as are all lever designs no matter what anyone trys to sell you on) and it is extremely over priced for what you get. but if you could find a used one for about 500 bucks that would be a deal. I own a black eagle I believe it is a early 2000 model and it is almost the same spec for spec except it is lighter and was a fraction of the cost .

 

[utprizewire]

On my second Oneida. Had an Aeroforce X80 that was a lot of bow (heavy). Currently own a Black Eagle which is much lighter. These bows are super easy to work on! Easy to replace strings and cables. Strings are cheap, Bought customs from 60X for $ 25-, cables are cheap $ 20 for a set. Checking timing and ease of setup is a positive. Lots of videos to watch as far as timing and setup and replacement of parts. Pretty straight forward. Yes there not going to be super fast but there is absolutely no reason you couldn't hunt deer with it. Hold there re-sale value pretty well. I use mine primarily for bow fishing.

UT

 

[utprizewire]

Pics

 

[fatboy111]

They are one of the smoothest bows I ever shot. As people said, they are pricey. Have not shot one in awhile but I have to believe they are still the smoothest bows out there.

 

[highwaynorth]

I have had two Oneidas, a screaming eagle and a strike eagle. I all have to say is you can pretty much
by any bow made and be better off than buying an Oneida. People seem to either love them or hate them.
I would never waste money on one again.

 

[GVDocHoliday]

I always get a laugh out of the, "it has more KE even though its slower" comments. KE is KE. You can't magically produce a higher output when the numbers don't produce it.

You'd be better off getting a 330+ IBO bow with 50lb limbs than with a Kestrel at 70lbs. The 50lb bow will draw smoother and still be faster than the kestrel with the same weight arrow.

 

[russr]

Hi

As you can tell from my sig, I'm on the "love them" side of things.

I'd recommend getting a second-hand Black Eagle II ($500-$600) before thumping down $1,300+. Then, if you really like that, you can flip the BEii (they really hold their value), and go for the Kestrel (though my guess is that if you like it, you will end up with the BEii AND the Kestrel!). Get to know the mechanism, get comfortable tuning, experiment with different arrow weights, etc.

My BEii is one of the quietest bows on the range.

A different option would be to look at the Talon. It max'es out at 55#, but is light, ridiculously smooth, and costs a few $100 less.

Just my $0.02

russ

 

[mechahayai]

I always get a laugh out of the, "it has more KE even though its slower" comments. KE is KE. You can't magically produce a higher output when the numbers don't produce it.

You'd be better off getting a 330+ IBO bow with 50lb limbs than with a Kestrel at 70lbs. The 50lb bow will draw smoother and still be faster than the kestrel with the same weight arrow.

Curious. A 50lb wheel bow will draw easier, but not smoother than a 70lb Oneida and it certainly will not be faster with the same arrow if it is over 400grns. As far as KE goes Oneida's don't have the speed to post the big numbers. They'll launch a telephone pole, but they lack speed. I have seen a custom Stealth post 300+fps at the range, but I don't know what the arrow weighed. It was fast, quiet, but not really quiet. My BEII matches the no No Cam HTR for speed, but is not as light, quiet or as dead in the hand. It is a smoother draw though.

Oneida bows have evolved into a steady, smooth drawing bow. I hate to say it, but they are an old man's bow - unique and easy to shoot just like CP wants them. Once the company has moved beyond his grasp we may see technical changes that bring down the weight and up speed. We may just as likely see the company fade away.

 

[LFM]

the kestrel is a well made bow that is a good shooter...but that's about all it is..just good..not great. its heavy, loud (as are all lever designs no matter what anyone trys to sell you on) and it is extremely over priced for what you get. but if you could find a used one for about 500 bucks that would be a deal. I own a black eagle I believe it is a early 2000 model and it is almost the same spec for spec except it is lighter and was a fraction of the cost .

First off the BE I is very different as to Design the geometry has been changed that is why there was a BE II the riser is also been changed over the years they knew this when Claude Pollington Bought the company, many did not like the draw cycle the early BE's had and it was worked on over the years that is when they come out with the BE II and they continue to refine the riser design over the years with the Falcon and now the Kestrel. You can't tell it unless you have these bows side by side to see the changes and the cams location. I have never owned any of the New one since I had a BE I the draw cycle was very different than the Aero Force and also now what I shoot the Lite Force Magnum Model but the older Oneidsa prior to the Stealth and BE had Pylons and the geometry was more of an even triangle where as with the cams attached directly to riser was a lopsided triangle which made the draw cycle different. So they continued to work on that to get it closer to what the older Oneidas had.

The older one like the AF was die cast riser the newer ones are machined and alloy riser which makes it much lighter and a heavy arrow helps absorb the energy the bow used but many use too light an arrow and that is where most of the noise comes from the bow itself has to try and absorb the energy and can't that is why Oneida's have always used a heavy arrow to get the noise down and give better performance from the bow. Plus the noise is just a different sound that other compounds that is why some notice it and talk like it is a big concerned the deer I have taken don't notice he noise because you don't heard it and all I have is some sims on the limbs, moleskin material underneath the string near the limb tips and Bowjaxs on the string. never had any come out of "tune" once they are set it is good unless you stop a limb from moving on release which can happen but is not that common if you are familiar with shooting and Oneida.

Been to the factory many times years back but don't get there much now that Matt Pollington is no longer working there... He was good with all Oneidas new and older models especially if you had a custom made one like a LFM that is 46 inch tip to tip and wanted cables for it. But the current pricing is hard to accept when I have 3 LFMs for what you would pay for a new one. But the LFM's seem to be going up in a resale situation today.

LFM

 

[Devinocd]

But is arrow speed an important factor? Does it make a difference depending on the type of archery you do or the arrow flight?

 

[mechahayai]

Nope. A fast arrow will shoot flatter over long distance, but at hunting ranges (20-40yrds) the difference between a 250fps bow and a 300+fps bow is a few hundreths of a second.

 

[1955]

Even if Oneida bows were a quarter of their price, they'd still be over priced. The ONLY reason to spend that sum of money for one of those bows is if you won the lottery and thought they were cool looking.

Other than that, they are the butt joke of the archery world.

 

[mechahayai]

The troll has spoken!

 

[russr]

No, no, no... not the Troll, not the Ogre...

The other character from the movie... the one jumping up and down yelling "Pick Me, Pick Me".

What's he called again...? Burro... no, not that, it'll come to me...

And yes, Mr 1955 - I DO like my gear, and I take pride in it.

As a "professional" in the industry, you never know who will walk in the door next, and I hope that sometime you unknowingly denigrate or demean your future boss/wife/inspector/auditor.

Y'all have a wonderful New Year! (even you, '55).

russ

 

[1955]

Hahaha. You kids just HATE it when someone exposes those junk bows. I could care less about name calling. Just shows your colors. Carry on.

 

[mechahayai]

Back on topic - the Kestrel has been around since 2010. You can find a used one and see if you like it. If not, sell it for what you bought it for. Oneida's hold their value better than most bows.