[AdamA]

I hope this does not get deleted, as it took me a while to write.


I was really looking forward to getting my new Firecat. I ordered it in Midnight Blue. This was going to be my hunting bow and target bow. The main reason I wanted one was for the light weight of 3.6 pounds (supposedly). My Tomkat was 3.9, so it was going to be a little lighter. Being 30 fps faster than my Tomkat was also a big plus.

Well, after waiting 2 months for it to come in, it finally did. I was notified on a Friday evening that it was at the shop. First thing Saturday morning I eagerly drove the hour drive to the shop to get it. I got to take it out of the box, and boy was it pretty. The yellow and black strings and wood grip really made it look good. I had other plans that morning and couldn’t stay at the shop very long, but did notice a scrape about an inch long on the limb. Not too big of a deal, but I wished it wasn’t there. I did think it felt a little heavier than my other bow, but figured I was just imagining things.

That evening I finally got to play with my new bow. Again, I thought it seemed heavier than my Tomkat, so I pulled out a scale I had purchased earlier in the year. I figured I would take the STS off, for a fair weight comparison. It weighed 4 lbs 3 oz . That’s not good. I got a new bow because I wanted a lighter bow, not a heavier bow. After this I decided to look at the 2008 bow review on here. Their Firecat weighed 4.3 pounds, so this seems to be the norm. I just wish I had looked at this before I ordered mine.

On top of that it was only shooting about 7 fps faster than my Tomkat that was setup with the same specs (I measured actual draw length and draw weight). I also twisted the cables and string per the threads on here to get more speed, which gave me about 10 more fps than it was shooting initially, but still only about 7 fps faster than my 315 IBO Tomkat. This was supposed to shoot 345 IBO. Oh well, the speed was not my main concern, the mass weight was.

I decided to contact Martin about this and see what they had to say. I sent 3 emails to Martin from different email addresses. All I got in response from each one was a generic email saying something about their email system not working correctly.

I called and played phone tag for a few days before I actually got to talk with one of their techs. I described the situation and he informed me that ALL of the Firecats weigh the same, and that they weigh 3 lbs 8 oz. I told him mine weighed well over 4 pounds and asked if I could exchange it for a lighter one. No deal, “They all weigh 3 lbs 8 oz” he said again. He then said that the weight is taken of the BARE BOW and boy did he mean it. He said the weight is taken without the STS (that is fine), without the cable guard rod (You couldn’t even shoot it without the rod! That is ridiculous), without all of the VEM stuff, without the grips , without the rest mounting plate thingy...

Even though this seems very deceptive of Martin, I decided to take all of that off and weigh it. I removed the grips, cable slide, cable rod, STS, set screws, VEM block in the riser, and the rest mounting plate. I did not remove the rubber things glued to the limbs or the arrow shelf (it is glued on as well). It still weighed right at 4 lbs. The rubber things on the limbs probably weigh about half an ounce, as the ones in the riser weigh 0.4 oz. I guess Martin takes the weight without the Mods and string also, since you can’t shoot it anyway without the cable guard.

I was excited about having a Martin, as I had always heard great things about their bows and customer service. Well, this experience definitely turned me away from them, for a while anyway. Come on, Martin, don’t try to deceive your customers. When one of the major selling points of your flagship bow is that it weighs 3.6 pounds, then it should weigh that amount in a shootable condition.

On a brighter note, I just bought a Diamond The Rock, which was also supposed to weigh 3.6 lbs. Guess what??? It weighs 3.65 pounds, with the hush kit installed. Even with the cable rod installed!!!

I installed my sight and rest and it still weighs less that the Firecat did bare.

Now, I know some of you will say, what’s half a pound, hit the weights, etc. Of course I CAN carry it around, but like I said earlier I bought a new bow to save weight, not add weight.

There will be a blue firecat in the classifieds tomorrow.

Here are some pictures of the bows on my scale.

 

[deermaster]

if it was a lefty, id take that horrid piece of junk off your hands....for free! i wont even charge ya.....

 

[NorthernMN]

That just doesn't seem right. It might seem like a small thing to some buy mass weight is important. I like to put the weight where it feel best to me like the end of my stabilizer. When the bare bow gets too heavy it makes it harder to balance.

I realize we are only getting your side of the story at this point but none the less. I thought Martin was better than that. The bow should at least weigh what they advertise.

I hope you can get out of it the money you have into it.

 

[archeryhunterME]

Sorry to hear that, seems like they should advertise the actual weight instead of without all that stuff, that just makes no sense at all, hope you do good selling it

 

[kjwhfsd]

So you need to save weight for the 100 yard walk to your stand? did you try to tune it with a crono? or did you just go well a twist here a twist there that is what they said? Buy the way light bows dont hold as well.

 

[SIR SHOOTS ALOT]

So you need to save weight for the 100 yard walk to your stand? did you try to tune it with a crono? or did you just go well a twist here a twist there that is what they said? Buy the way light bows dont hold as well.

wasnt really his point, but I am just guessing.......

 

[AdamA]

if it was a lefty, id take that horrid piece of junk off your hands....for free! i wont even charge ya.....

Nowhere did I say it was junk.

So you need to save weight for the 100 yard walk to your stand? did you try to tune it with a crono? or did you just go well a twist here a twist there that is what they said? Buy the way light bows dont hold as well.

Actually my last walk was over 2 miles each way on public land. Of course I used a chrono, how else would I know the fps? Like I said, I did gain 10 fps. But that wasn't the issue anyway.

 

[atomic archer]

So you need to save weight for the 100 yard walk to your stand? did you try to tune it with a crono? or did you just go well a twist here a twist there that is what they said? Buy the way light bows dont hold as well.

That's all well and good, but the issue is that he bought the bow because of the advertised weight. He thought he was getting a lighter bow. Deception in advertising is never welcome. It's unfortunate, but our only experience with Martin customer service has not been good either. It's a shame because I do like the fact that they have 15#'s of draw change on their bows.

Sorry to hear this happened to you.

 

[archery ham]

if it was a lefty, id take that horrid piece of junk off your hands....for free! i wont even charge ya.....

Same here.....

 

[SonnyThomas]

Buddy of mine has a Midnight Blue Firecat and it screams and shoots great.

 

[deermaster]

i was just kiddin' with ya. funny, the "other brand fans" say how bad it is, and the martin fans ask "what does it hurt". i love my martins and have had good luck with there customer service, BUT they are a company and are out to make money. i really feel for ya, and when your walking 2 mile to a remote stand, the little things matter. sorry bout it and no ahrd feelings. i really was only kiddin.
as for the speed: are the cams rotated in the corect position, the brace height set, and when these two are done, the a2a fairly close? is the arrow heavier your using in your martin than the tomcat? not doubting ya, just checking the basics. good luck with it!

 

[wdriver]

Wow, that is a bummer. Good luck selling it and recovering your money. I would not be happy, either. That sounds to me like deceptive advertising on Martin's part. The advertised weight should be the actual weight of the bow (not stripped down to nothing). I am looking at getting a new bow soon, and weight IS a factor.

 

[AdamA]

i was just kiddin' with ya. funny, the "other brand fans" say how bad it is, and the martin fans ask "what does it hurt". i love my martins and have had good luck with there customer service, BUT they are a company and are out to make money. i really feel for ya, and when your walking 2 mile to a remote stand, the little things matter. sorry bout it and no ahrd feelings. i really was only kiddin.
as for the speed: are the cams rotated in the corect position, the brace height set, and when these two are done, the a2a fairly close? is the arrow heavier your using in your martin than the tomcat? not doubting ya, just checking the basics. good luck with it!

No hard feelings Cams look to be in the correct position and the BH and a2a are right on with the others I have seen. I was shooting the same arrow in both bows, both set to 57 lbs, draw length within 1/8" of each other. Shot them back to back. I could probably get some more speed out of it if I tried, but I just don't feel like messing with it anymore. I found a good deal on a new 2008 Rock, so I am going to use that now.

 

[Avalon]

I understand your frustration. Hopefully with as big a representation as Martin has on this site, this thread will result in some help being given and not just a sarcastic remark.

 

[hitman846]

:moviecorn

 

[deermaster]

No hard feelings Cams look to be in the correct position and the BH and a2a are right on with the others I have seen. I was shooting the same arrow in both bows, both set to 57 lbs, draw length within 1/8" of each other. Shot them back to back. I could probably get some more speed out of it if I tried, but I just don't feel like messing with it anymore. I found a good deal on a new 2008 Rock, so I am going to use that now.

glad ya found a good deal on a bow you like, diamond makes an awsome bow. i hate when i get something that says one thing, and is another, whether its "my" brand or not. good luck to ya and have a great season!

 

[DeeS]

That is sad to hear. I've only had the best customer service from Martin. And the speed I am getting from my Firecat, my 3D set up, is smokin fast! I have a 27" draw, pulling 55lbs and getting over 300fps. Haven't chrono'd it since my draw length has changed from 26.5 to 27 tho. At 26.5, I was at 299fps. And for a woman, that isn't bad.
Let me know what you are selling it for............bet I can get some use outta it! :tongue:

I'll have to weigh mine.........see just how "light" it is.

 

[flinginairos]

I know you said speed wasnt an issue, but you say its shooting 322 at 57lbs? IBO is rated at 70lbs so I really dont think you have any right to complain about speed. I am sure if you added 13lbs to get 70 that it would shoot the advertsied speed. As for the weight, I am not sure. I have a Bengal and its a heavy SOB with all the stuff on it but man does it hold like a rock!:wink:

 

[Mr. Black Magic]

It's disheartening to hear stories like this. Your bow weight is a matter of choice and I believe that you should get what is advertised. I have no idea what would posses a manufacturer to play games with the weight by publishing a stat from a bow stripped of accessories it is shipped configured with. Hope someone from Martin pipes up here with some clarification.

 

[AdamA]

I know you said speed wasnt an issue, but you say its shooting 322 at 57lbs? IBO is rated at 70lbs so I really dont think you have any right to complain about speed.

Well I actually said it was 7 fps faster than the Tomkat, which is rated at 315IBO. I was using fairly heavy arrows and the speeds were in the 240's -250's.



I am glad some people understand where I am coming from on this. I, too, would like to see a written response from Martin, which is why I sent 3 emails before calling.