OK, I admit I'm a bit of a bowaholic, have dozens hanging on the wall. All that being said this is a question about appearance.
As I said I love bows, and have even made a few over the years, and I still enjoy the "eye candy" that seems to be all the rage now. Paper thin lamination's under clear glass to give the limbs that unique beauty. Risers and limb tips all swirled and glued and tricked out to catch your eye..
I have come to the point where what I really am looking for in a bow is what it can do. Perform, perform, perform. As a mater of fact my latest order is for one that has black glass limbs, with a black phenolic riser. No bells, no whistles, no gaudy nick knacks, just a bow that does what a bow does best.
Just think about it, no worries about little scratches or dings, no babying, just a great tool. And think how much easier for the bowyer to put it together.
Am I alone here or has anyone else become "Utilitarian"?
i do love a utilitarian bow, we hunt in thick underbrush in a rainforest- it always rains- just the angle changes, and the rocks and stumps are wet, mossy, slimy and slippery. My go to bow is a kenny M longbow - pretty plain yew under clear glass with a straight osage riser- nothing fancy.
it shoots where i want and puts a lot of meat on the table- - (we get 15 tags a year :goldtooth:)
But i dio have to say, i really do love the look of a pretty bow too- and maybe, just maybe one day i may get one of Randy's bows- just to have one- i have watched him grow as a bowyer right from the beginning here on the bench- and he is truly an accomplished bowyer today.
You certainly are not alone. Several months ago I started on Jim Casto's target panic program and needed a light draw weight to begin. So I ordered a Galaxy Ember TD longbow from Lancaster Archery--a tad under $200. I fell in love with that bow--it fits my hand better than any I have ever owned including many much more expensive customs. It has a riser made from something like dymondwood that has a nice gray color (sort of a greenish tint in the right light), limbs are bamboo cored, black glass and very flat finish. Those bows have been getting a lot of love on here and other sites recently and with good cause. I now have two of them and three sets of limbs--all for less than the usual going price of a custom. I plan to check out Lancaster's Galaxy Black Ridge 70" longbow at Baltimore next week.
I have had my share of eye candy bows and have enjoyed them, but at this stage of my life (75 years old) I have reverted to the look of the bows of yesteryear when we didn't care so much about fancy imported rain forest woods and swirls and gewgaws and that are more affordable on a retirement income. In fact, many of us used to immediately spray paint a new bow. I guess it's maybe one of the many phases some of us go through on this marvelous journey. Sort of a back to basics thing.
A bow can be both eye candy and perform extremely well. Most Hill style bows that I have seen have been very attractive but, as a whole, are more simple than some of the recurves I've seen. However, there is a special beauty to a simple, well made bow that really speaks to me. Some of the longbow veneers are truly attractive as well.
I have a WF19 ILF riser. Best ILF I've owned (yet :)). It's beat up looking and has paint chips. I can shoot lights out with it (and cheap to not so cheap curve limbs). I don't worry about it in the least as it's a tank. If needed, it's mass weight is useful for a variety of things- Boat anchor, chock-block, bludgeoning wounded game, fighting my way out of a biker bar etc...
But, when I'm in a tree, or on the ground it's nice to hold a piece of beautiful wood. Antler bolts, bone on the riser and tips, exotic woods.... You can't beat it.
So, while I do shoot/hunt with performance bows, my heart makes me hunt with beauty also.
You can see at the bottom of my post what I like. Functional beauty, power and a bit of speed. Heavy arrows that don't slow down for much!!!
I find it odd that when folks show off their bows all they show is the wood and woodwork in the handle area, the limb surface and the tip overlays. Why not show the unbraced profile, the braced profile and full draw, the real workings of the bow. This also gives a view or the potential performance. :dunno:
Yeah, me too! Wanting a Toelke Pika, if i have to order it, it will have plain riser and brown glass.
I have one "pretty" bow that I shoot now and agian. But my other bows are basic store bought bows like my Bear TD and SK. Fact is I may take a look at one of the SK blems Big Jim has if its still available when we pass by his place next month. This AM at range go to fondle one of those China imports, $179, shipped for the riser. It fit my hand perfect, nice work, no fancy finish but looks right. My thoughts are so what if I drop it? No biggy.
I have said to myself, for years, that functionality is my only objective. My resistance hasn't been so strong.
That's why I just got my bow from Randy dipped instead of nice laminates and overlays. Dirt and scuffs are hid well and it doesn't stand out in he stand. It does stand out in performance in my hand however.
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I have a custom made bow hanging on my wall that I've only shot twice. It does shoot like a dream, and was made for me by an old bowyer friend as his last effort. It is beautiful, has a highly polished finish, and can never be replaced. I am deathly afraid of getting a mark on it hence it is pure art work now.
An interesting "survey". I expect the question will attract a broad spectrum of thoughts and perspectives in response.
Me, I've spent my life immersed in the shooting sports, Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun and my first and last love archery/bowhunting. My point of view is as a result all of my experiences not just those specifically archery related.
As with many of you my first bows were spray painted but as utiltarian as that may have been in concept, I noticed that on the first bow that I actualy took the time and did up in a snake skin pattern many of the members of my club were asking if I would either show them how to do it or do it for them. So I do believe that for even those who claim to be of the opinion "plain and simple" says it best might not be entirely honest with themselves. With that said one of my best friends and the best bowhunter I know bought a pair of "Hokoleska" bows from Jim Emmerson years ago. They have remained his goto bows for all of those years. He is a true minamilist.
Me, I appreciate the concept and will point out that when I bought my Black Widow MA when they first came out many years ago it got spray painted and stayed that way for the 20 plus years I shot and hunted with it. Then it broke!!
When it broke, I had met Ken R and asked him to make me a bow to replace it. Although Ken is no longer making bows he produced some of the most efficient best looking bows available. As I recall the difference between his plain jane bow and one where I got to pick the woods was about $250 at the time. I now own a bow that is one of the most beautiful performance bows I have ever seen. It also gave an extremely talented artisan the opportunity to showcase his abilities not only from a performance aspect but from an astetic view as well. I considered the addition of well figured beautiful wood as one of the best values I have ever purchased. I know that not everyone can justify fancy wood but to my way of thinking by comparison to many other sporting pursuits "custom hand crafted bows" are incredibley cheap. think about it; Golf clubs 2-3 grand, Hockey sticks 3 Hundred dollars!, the made in China hi tech clothing we opt for, $600 for a pair of Russell boots. You might even look at the price of a dozen arrows by comparison and if they happen to have broadheads on them, check your bank balance.
I don't buy a new bow very often and most are owned for decades or until they break but by virtue of the fact that they remain such a small premium to plain and simple, give me the high powered exquisite, Thank You.
Regards to all,
dgb
While I appreciate the beauty of exotic woods and such, most of mine are black or brown glass. To me a perfect bow has a grip that fits, wears a bow quiver, is about 64" long, has a dull finish, and puts arrows in the middle of the lungs every time. Good enough for me.
A plain change Big5 that i picked up cheap reminds me of this. It was too light and too long for my draw, so I gave it to a taller newbie. It is magic for him. Every time he kills another deer or any other game, it gets more beautiful to him. He bought a new bow for a back-up, but when he refers to "my bow" he is talking about that 40 year old big 5.
Like many of you, I have owned a few pretty ones. Most have been sold in search of the perfect bow. One of the bows I liked the best was also the prettiest in my estimation. I would like that one back, but won't pay what the current owner wants for it.
For some reason the Hill style bows keep drawing me to them, I have a JD Berry Morning Star that I painted- it was red glass on the back. I really like that one when I am shooting well, and a Liberty Contender, and a Helms Deep, and a Tall Tines...just love bows, I guess. But they have to perform. Mostly in low to mid fifty pounds.
This would include anyone with a Samick Sage, Black Hunter or ILF set up. I would include myself as I have a few ILF rigs none of which I consider pretty. How a bow shoots is and will always be number one for me. But in saying that, like many have mentioned, I'm always looking for that perfect feeling bow.
Honestly my search is over, the Toelke Whistler is my perfect bow and it happens to be gorgeous but more importantly is quick, ridiculously smooth, an absolute joy to shoot.
Being an artist and sculptor myself I fully understand the "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". That said I love pretty wood grains in my bows and dug deep to buy a custom made functional work of art. AND it does shoot for me.
Over a period of five years it'll work out to be less than a dollar a day to own. Besides the bowyers who make all these gorgeous bows built them to be hunted and hunted hard.
I have pretty paintings on my walls ( some I painted, some others ) and that's where they were designed to hang. Not my bows though.
My Sitka is pretty, natually camouflaged and shoots great. The group was 20 yards.
To me, a bow is a tool designed to do a specific job. That said, I like a tool that looks nice in addition to being functional.
I am tough on gear and all of mine collects dings and dents. That makes all of mine dipped or black utilitarian bows.
Purty bows are nice, but if I'm hunting, I never sit and look at my bow. So I can be happy with an eye candy bow or one with some flat paint squirted on it...
Prettiest looking bow I own is a Wildhorse Creek Hawk and it's one of Mike's plainer ones that I bought off the rack. Shoots like a dream and is light in the hand.
Can't ask for more than that...
I have had Beautiful bows that were tricked up for beauty pageants.... Yet they all ended up with battle scars.....
It just hurts more to scar up the purty ones
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I have two pretty customs and three economical Asian bows.
The cheapy bows all have camo duct tape on the limbs. I consider them "beaters" but I shoot them better than the customs.
As a hunter, "Eye Candy" doesn't mean anything to me. I sold or gave away all my bows except for my Beeler Tracker longbow 41#@24" which I shoot at a 25" draw length. However, with a short draw length I shoot a brace height of 5 and 7/8". I have taken many hogs with that bow, but usually the hogs are a 100 lbs or less. Just because one has a short draw length and low 40# draw weight does not mean one should stop hunting. Just be more selective in the game one hunts.
"I have had Beautiful bows that were tricked up for beauty pageants.... Yet they all ended up with battle scars.."
Just like the scars on my body bring back memories, some good, some not so. The same with my bow and it's dings and scratches. Some are ok, some not so. I figure my bow is like a Timex. "It'll take a lick'n and keep on stick'n". AND still be purdy with it's battle scars.
I understand both sides of the argument. So, what I did was buy/sell/borrow/trade/shoot about 200-300 bows until I found "my bow". I let the bow and the bowyer choose me and when I found an exact bow model that I personally shoot better than anything else in the world, I got that bowyer to make me one that I find beautiful. It's not in the highest end, top grades of lumber but is in some wonderful selections. I had him put antler on it from a previous bow kill with my "used" one piece version. I will use it as a tool and enjoy it for BOTH its performance in my hands AND its beauty/craftsmanship.
I think the market has changed.
Some years ago I lost desire for fancy woods and such, and started buying solid color glass limbs with phenolic risers etc. Sometimes, I go "gar gar" about fancy bows but that's rare.
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I am now the same way. Plain is good. I just had Wes Wallace build me a one piece green stealth with black glass. shoots great and kinda looks like the old green bears that I lusted after as a kid..............
The only "fancy" bow I still have is a rose oak king panther that I keep as my heavy bow.
For me if a bow doesn't shoot well for me, it doesn't stick around, no matter how pretty it is. Beauty is just a bonus in a good shooting bow IMO. One of my best shooting bows is an old Ben Pearson mustang that I got at a yard sale for $15. Black limbs and riser. Nothing fancy at all, but it does great and I'm not afraid to take it into the woods and beat it up a bit.
Not alone no. It's been years since I cared about how pretty a bow was. I went through the phase and bought many customs that were made to my specs with woods. Now I shoot mostly 2 bows...a brown glass Bear Montana and a Glaxy longbow that's grey actionwood with black glass. Nothing to look at but a real shooter. I have two customs left. A Robertson that I will sell and a plain brown Palmer that I love and will keep. Makes no difference what a bow looks like...just how it shoots for me.
I have three bows and the prettiest is a plain PCH greenleaf widow. The other two are ILF. They all have scratches and dings on them. They are made to be used.
My Leon Stewart Slammer has beautiful wood and yet is not flashy. The main thing is it's a better bow than I am an archer. I'm still trying to catch up. Just love it.
Like many people, I love the look of the grain of nice piece of wood. But, as far as bows are concerned, for me, form follows function.
I kind of nickname my bows, and the one I am hunting bears with next month is named Ugly Bow -- and the name fits. It is fast and accurate...and it looks as rough as a night in a small town jail. The riser is a Bear A-mag riser with moss green paint peeling off of it. It has Border aftermarket limbs in black, and those border recurve hooks look a little silly on a Bear A-mag riser. To top it off, it has a Kanati quiver with a black and brown hood. The overall look is one of beat up spare parts -- but it really shoots.
My back up bow for that hunt is Miss Coco, a Centaur longbow with black limbs and a dark, almost black, cocobolo riser -- pretty plain, but shoots great.
All my bows are utilitarian...no mater the "eye candy".... Never bought a bow not to fzfcet4hunt with or afraid to hunt with....
If they get a 'battle scar' so be it.... :campfire:
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I hunt in spots that beat the crap out of me and my gear (gets me away from some of the compound applied pressure here in southern WV). That being said if a pretty bow of mine gets a new "beauty mark" while I'm hunting then it just shows that the bow is doing what it was made to do, HUNT.
I have been there for awhile, although I have high performance bows that also look good. At some point I think every hunter trades some form for function. A metal riser for me is just better for a hunting bow. Synthetic arrows are better than wood. Kydex knife sheaths are better than leather. It doesn't mean I don't like the other stuff, I just don't want to worry about it in the woods.
My goal is always to have my best shooting bow also be my best looking bow. That is not always the case but I get pretty close.
2 years ago I purchased one of the big name customs with the long wait period and all the great internet reviews . The thing was incredible to look at in every way, shape and wood types. But it's shooting properties were not that good. It was loud, finicky and kicked. As much as I wanted that to be THE bow, it was not and got traded off.
Currently I have 3 Kanatis. They look good to me and shoot even better.
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I guess I have the same philosophy on bows as classic cars. I appreciate the perfection and beauty of the "trailer queens," but I don't want anything I can't have fun with! I'd be too paranoid about scratching up those high dollar jobs, but I sure appreciate one when I see it.
I like both beauty and performance but performance/shootablilty is by far what I care the most about. I've been through a lot of bows over the years some were absolutely gorgeous but I couldn't shoot them as good as others. My tried and true bow I have always come back to is a balance of both worlds I think. It's an ironwood black widow SA and I have to say I beat the living crap out of that bow haha. It's simple and pretty but I'm not afraid to beat it. Actually sending it to black widow soon to have em refinish it because it looks like I drug it behind my truck but she's still as solid as ever :archer:
I've owned numerous bows down through the years but never go to far from my Martin bows. And I know that they are a production bows but they just always seem to fit me just right and give me the performance that I always look for in a bow. My dad, who has been bow hunting since the 1950's, always said a few things that stuck with me over the years, "one bow might fit ones hands but not the other persons hands", "not all cheap bows are bad, not all expensive bows are good". And I get it that a bow handmade and done up with rare exotic woods are a thing of beauty, a true work of art but for me, beauty and art don't always put the arrow where I want it. And besides, there's a point to where a bow is so beautiful that I don't want to take it out in the elements. I hunt hard in all kinds of weather conditions. So for me, first in foremost, a bow must fit before I can decide if it's functional for my needs. With that being said, everyone is different because I have my share of custom made beauty's that I could not shoot worth damn but the guy that sold them to are always busting nocks! Take my father for example, I've seen him do more things with a old Browning and Herters bow than one could think. LOL.
Thanks for reading and I hope that I didn't go to far off the subject. JMG
I have gone that way when I bought my first magnesium risered takedown in 1970. Currently two of my eight bows are not good looking and I would have never have bought them long go, but they are functional.
However, I believe bows are like dogs where you always want to sit the porch with one and not be embarrassed. Like bows that are works of art with lots of fancy woods.
I wonder how the dogs feel :biglaugh:
Quote from: The Whittler on May 28, 2019, 08:45:29 PM
I wonder how the dogs feel :biglaugh:
When I miss the dove and ducks I'm pretty sure they are embarrassed. [emoji2]
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My dog won't hunt, she is getting very old, buts she is loyal, does everything she can to be the best dog she can be. I don't give a damn what other people may think of my dog. I also don't care if other people don't think that I am a fashion statement or if my lawn is prepared for a Better Homes and Garden photo shoot. If archers were not trying meet with current fashion expectations, it would be very bad for the custom bow business. Nothing wrong with pretty if that is your thing, nothing wrong with with plain old reliable and functional if that is your thing.
The more the grass grows, the more you gotta mow. Ain't nobody got time for that.[emoji1]
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My neighbor brought me his Bingham kit high school project bow some years back. He did a really terrible job in every possible way with it, he borrowed it to someone, they got in a wrestling match with it and it came back in three pieces. I glued it all back together, I put a bit of serving over the splices, reduced and reworked the entire bow so even he could shoot it. i think a couple of years back, his willy wanked out on him, now he mows his lawn three times a week, trims every weed, picks up every loose leaf, washes his drive way, his house, his cars, his gutters and his roof. His shingles have more foot traffic than most sidewalks. What he really should have done is got into bowhunting, bought himself a couple of really fancy bows, quit drinking canned Bud Light and diet Mountain Dew and eating cheap hotdogs. He almost gags when he sees us eating deer meat. One time his son was complaining about being starving hungry, I offered him a burger on the Weber grill, (from a young doe), I offered the same to his dad. Your basic bacon cheese burger with grill onions, grilled bacon, mustard, catsup and a pickle. They both sat on the ground hiding from his wife. They made moaning sounds while they stuffed the large burgers down. His wife had made microwave chicken bits for noon lunch and they were too full to eat it. She has hated me worse ever since. Then sometimes later the son asked why is it that Larry's burgers are always way better than the frozen Sam's Club ones that they eat. His dad backed him up on that, they had eaten a number of them by then. I told them what they had been eating. The dad almost threw up and the son said, "HA, I knew there was a reason."
If a new bow gets you eating more venison burgers, you need a new bow.
Yum Yum pavan! Makin me hungry.
Love me a pretty bow. I have owned probably 30 different longbows. Some tricked out. Some plain. If I am paying for a custom, I usually just go all out and get it tricked out. Why not!? I love the artistry and look of antler limb tips/overlays and what not.