ok, I've had the itch for getting a longbow the last few years. I do have 2 recurves I've been shooting the past 10 yrs. A Bob Morrison and a Bob Lee. The two longbows I've been looking at are the Zipper and the Centaur longbows. Looking at the carbon limbs on both and 58 to 60"
For the guys out there who have owned or shot both bows can you answer a few questions.
Forgiveness?
Smoothness?
Speed?
Quietness?
And anything else you don't mind sharing.
I know this is the rt place to get answers. Very,very knowledgeable people on this site.
Thx
Centaur, toelke and Big Jim's are the names that come to mind.
Haven't shot a Zipper, but I've shot a Centaur, just in a shop setting though, didn't like it near as much as my Toelkes, but it is a solid performer.
Of the two I've only shot the zipper and it was very smooth and quiet and the longbow speed was almost identical to the recurve at the same poundage. I really like long bows but talked myself into the recurve limbs when mine was built and now I want both!
Have owned several Centaur's...both the 58" and the 62"
The 62" Triple Carbon Elite with dark matter and XTL lamination is, by far, my favorite.
Forgiveness...Excellent...dark matter permits 1/8" past center shelf
Accuracy...as good as any of the numerous hi end curves I have owned...groups tight, personally, out to 50 yards....my own limitations really show beyond that
Smoothness...extremely pleased
Speed...quicker than the vast majority of curves
Quietness...longbow quiet
Over-all shooting Experience...Stellar
Customer Service: Excellent
Both superb choices. How bout a Tall Tines Stickflinger? :goldtooth:
I started out shooting recurves but changed to longbow back in the 90's. I find the longbow to be smoother and a bit more forgiving. The low wrist grip of the longbow fits me well, also. Longbows are often quicker than some folks realize, but overall, I think recurves may be slightly faster. However, I have never had a deer complain that he was short changed by being killed with a too slow bow. The difference is insignificant. I have only hunted with two types of longbows, the Bamboo Longhunter by Dan Quillian and Hill style bows, so I can't discuss the bows you asked about. My belief is that you will enjoy the longbow when you get used to the lower grip. All these comments are simply my relatively uninformed opinion. Essentially, to borrow a phrase from my 5 year old grand daughter, the longbow is "more funner". Who knows, you may wind up shooting both and swapping out regularly.
I have owned quite a few high end bows. My primal tech is as good of a bow as I have ever owned. literally. I have centaurs, thunder child's, buffalo's, toelke's, black rivers, black widows, hill country as well as a few I can't remember, and this primal tech is just as good as any of the ones previously mentioned. It is the quietest bow i've owned as well.
I have found the Centaur to be an excellent bow. Smooth, fast, quiet, etc. I have two now (one triple carbon elite, and one chimera) and I have another one on the way - a takedown.... As good as any out there and better than most.
Centaur here as well.
Quote from: DanielB89 on October 18, 2019, 01:10:33 PM
I have owned quite a few high end bows. My primal tech is as good of a bow as I have ever owned. literally. I have centaurs, thunder child's, buffalo's, toelke's, black rivers, black widows, hill country as well as a few I can't remember, and this primal tech is just as good as any of the ones previously mentioned. It is the quietest bow i've owned as well.
I second this. And I'll second it again when Randy finishes my next one.[emoji1]
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So much is personal taste. I have shot or owned most of them top brand, including centaur and zipper. There are good reasons that I gravitate to my TallTines Stickflingers, but like I said... it comes down to personal preference.
I shot both longbows. I love my Centaur Longbow. I am done buying bows. I shot many high quality longbows. I will never sell my Centaur Longbow. I have the Triple Carbon with XLT lamination with dark matter. Wood is buckeye burly with sheep horn finger grooves and sheep horn limb tips. (https://i.imgur.com/Bdk23ca.jpg?1)
John;
That's pretty.
I don't know anything about Centaur and Zipper except that they are both reputable bows that are high quality.
That being said, I'll be next to recommend that you take a look at a Primal Tech!!!! I've only had mine a little over a month, but have already killed 3 critters with it, and am shooting it as good as any bow I have ever owned!!!!!!
Bisch
A&H ACS CX is my personal favorite
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I only shoot recurves now, but two longbows I wish I still owned the BW PLX and my A&H. Both worth every cent. The A&H was faster.
Thanks for all the replies. Looking at all the bows mentioned and then some is really hard to make a decision. It's hard to decide without getting the feel of a bow in hand. I live in East Tx, is there ever a trad show around Dallas? I would really like to get a feel and shoot some bows before dropping 1200 to 1500$
Thx again
Centaur, Toelke, Zipper are some of the best... If you can find a Thunderhorn, it's as good as anything I've shot.
Quote from: huntman on October 19, 2019, 09:43:28 PM
Thanks for all the replies. Looking at all the bows mentioned and then some is really hard to make a decision. It's hard to decide without getting the feel of a bow in hand. I live in East Tx, is there ever a trad show around Dallas? I would really like to get a feel and shoot some bows before dropping 1200 to 1500$
Thx again
One thing to keep in mind, if you order a Toelke, it's usually only about 6 weeks wait!
I've neither seen nor handled the the other bows mentioned, so I'm not qualified to comment on those, but my experience would suggest having a serious look at the Blackwidow PL longbows.
I only own three bows, but all three are Blackwidow PLX's. They look good, they are more than fast enough, they are quiet, they shoot heavy wooden arrows right where I look, and over the last 6 or 7 years I've found Blackwidow to be a rock solid company to deal with. Nothing but good things so say about their bows, their people, and the way they do business.
Definitely worth a look I'd reckon.
Best
Lex
I will add that I shot the primal tech pass around bow and it also was an amazing bow. Not as fast as the zipper but deadly quiet and it hit right where I wanted right out of the box. If you live in Texas I'd suggest looking Randy up and see what hes got to offer.
? for Centaur guys what is the XLT lamination. Extra $$ ?
I wish I had more pictures of my double carbon St Joe River Classic longbow. Right now it's wrapped in camo.
I personally don't feel there's a smoother drawing bow than this 60" bow in the carbon configuration. Something about the limb profile just melted perfectly into the carbon lams.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191021/3584019522c228dac6f8c639740c6e26.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191021/f8a5a2c41e3875ed712aa4d31114c1d0.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191021/3d64e42f79d8cf040287475755be62ce.jpg)
I've had several centaurs pass through here, but none managed to stay very long. I now have two Zipper Nitros and a third riser on order. Tom is a good friend and after shooting more then a hundred different bows I've quit my search.