I love the looks of his bows and know they are solid performers, but I have heard horror stories about the customer service. Would you order one from him or try the used route?
I would buy one if it is new in stock or used. They are fast bows and I'd buy a non-carbon model if I got it for the right price. I like Palmer bows so I'm kind of biased.
Mike can be tough to get on the phone but he and Nancy are plenty nice when you catch them. Frankly, I bought one of Mike's TradSlams because I figured he wasn't going to be making bows much longer and I just wanted one (btw, it was done on time, no problems).
As for the performance, the old singe/double carbons seem just as fast as his new bow.
If you can find a used one at a reasonable price (a couple of years ago his "base" model was about $450 new), that's probably the way to go.
He spends a lot of time on his hunting business but his bows are top notch and when you do get ahold of Nancy she is a sweetheart.
Is he only making the tradslam or is he still making the basic bows as well? What is the price of the tradslam? I've left him some messages and am waiting to hear from him. If he does quit making bows, does anyone know if he plans on selling the bow business (is he mentoring anyone that might be interested in taking over)? Thanks guys-you are truly a wealth of information.
BD
As far as I know Mike is only making the Trad Slam for about $1200 (which sounds ridiculous until you start pricing bows from top bowyers with fancy woods and you'll find most are well over a grand).
There was a rumor floating around that Mike had sold his bow business to Easton ...
Nancy shot that rumor down.
Mr. Magoo-are you the one who just sold your older Palmer on e-bay for $499. If so, I wish I would have bought it but I hesitated too long. For those with the Palmers who don't have the quiver inserts, what are some good limb bolt quivers to consider (non-leather quivers).
Thanks again.
BD
Buy a Bob Lee - same bow at a better price and better customer service. Maybe I shouldn't comment because I've never dealt with Palmer - mostly due to the absolute horror stories I've been told.
They aren't the same bow.
Vermonster-will you add to your post-what do you like better about the Palmer than the Bob Lee?
Thanks
BD
Lots of rumors about Mike and his bow business. Talk of partners, selling to Easton etc...
Last I hear is that he is moving to Colorado on Fred Eichlers (sp?) ranch. He is moving the bow business there and commuting back to Tx during the deer/guiding season.
So from what I hear he will be in business to take care of any problems that arise.
I have bought about 4 bows from him over the years. It always a long wait but I have always recieved my bow when he told me I would.
The last one I bought was about 4 years back. It was very nice looking and the best shooting and fastest recurve I have ever owned. For some reason it was noiser than my other Palmers. Tried about everything there was to quiten it and could not get happy with it so I sold it.
From all of the rumors of partners, sellling and such I get the impression that he is keeping the business as a fall back and his heart is not in it. But that is just my opinion.
vermonster - please elaborate. The differences in the two bow designs to me seems hardy worth the difference in customer service. Im not saying that you're wrong though. I was very interested in Palmers at one time.
Shoot both and you'll see beyond the shape similarity. Lees are great bows, no argument there, but the Palmers are faster, the finish on the them is exceptional and the new laser work is awesome. You won't go wrong with either and yes I have shot more than a few and owned both.
I believe the limbs on the Bob Lee are parallel and the limbs on the Palmer are tapered.
I heard a couple of bowyers talking about it the other day.
My Palmers shot very well. I still own one of the older ones.
I recently picked one up that only had a couple arrows put through it. The bow is smooth, quiet and quick. No hand shock to speak of. It's 55#@28" with carbon limbs. Overall it's an awesome bow with a great grip. I'd say it's a keeper, but all my buddies would die laughing because they heard that way too many times from me in the past.
From reputation alone, I would not buy one unless it was in stock and ready to go in a box and ship out...
I have never heard or read a bad thing about their performance, however...so I would probably buy a used one were I in the market and it was on my list...
Take Care,
Marc
I have a double carbon that shoots great. But, it developed a crack while I was in Africa last July. I sent the riser back and he fixed it (supposedly). When I got it back the crack looked worse than when I sent it in, and I told them so. But I figured I would give them the benifit of the doubt that it would hold up and deer season was just around the corner. I hunted with it all season and the crack came back and got worse (no surprise there) I contacted them (or tried) a number of times to have the riser repaired or replaced. I never heard from them! I got sick of waiting and built my own riser and am back shooting my Palmer/Savage. Still shoots great. But, I would never buy another new Palmer. They don't even have the courtesy to reply to your emails!
Mike
Vermonster-
How much faster are the Palmers than the Bob Lees? Seems I saw some data at on time at AMO specs that the Palmer was 3-4 FPS faster. Can anyone confirm this?
Thanks
BD
BD...I own a Palmer and have shot Bob Lee's and I'd say that the Bob Lee's have always been a bit underappreciated speedwise.
I believe the number you're referring to came from Centaur Shooter and he's usually right on the money. Maybe he'll chime in.
That said, I own a Palmer Double Carbon.
QuoteOriginally posted by MikeS:
I have a double carbon that shoots great. But, it developed a crack while I was in Africa last July. They don't even have the courtesy to reply to your emails!
Mike
MikeS,
I too once owned a Palmer recurve. It was a great shooting bow. Within a week of receiving the bow I found about a half dozen cracks in the bow's Dymondwood riser. I shipped it back to Mike and asked for a replacement riser. I didn't hear anything from him for about 6 weeks. I sent emails and as you said received no response. I finally called and reached his wife and she said he wasn't home but I could reach him on his cell phone.
I called him and talked to him. He told me he was going to do as he did with your riser "Patch it with glue, all of the cracks are across the grain." I told him that was unacceptable to me with one crack in particular. There was a crack running with the grain thatstarted about 6" below the shelf, went up into the shelf and about half the depth of the shelf. I told him I wanted a new riser.
About 8 weeks later I received a new riser. I didn't even assemble the bow. I advertised it for sale as soon as I received the new riser. The limbs were the 7 layer double carbon and were the second fastest recurve limbs I've owned, next to the Border Black Douglas HexIV limbed recurve.
Bill
As stated previously, I have heard of the customer service issues, but the more I research this, it seems that there are an awful lot of Palmers that develop flaws-cracked risers, cracked limbs, finish coming off, etc. Any comments regarding this?
BD
Hmm...after Bill's statement, I retract my earlier one about even considering a used model...
Would I buy a new one....no.
I have owned several used Palmers in the past and never had a structual issue with any of them. They all were fast,good shooting bows. But, I too have heard these stories about customer service and it stikes me as odd that someone could come across as so flip about issues arriving for one of their products. Custom bows airn't cheap for a workin/family man and one deserve's to have issues resolved in a timely manner, in my opinion.
I had a Big East at one time. It was a nice looking and good shooting bow but when Jr. flaked out, I traded it off because I didn't want to be tied to him in any way.....and never looked back. Take it for what it is.
JL
I just bought a used 1999 double carbon classic.Its 50#@29 i draw 28 It is the smoothest an fastest bow i have ever shot an after some tuning is the quietest also.I also read about the poor customer service.I thought im buying a used bow thats 8 years old.If the bow is in good shape it should be ok. I have given the bow a good going over.An i cant find anything wrong with it. I don't regret buying this bow one bit. Would i buy a new palmer i would have to talk to the man first.
I have 2 Palmer and 2 Bob Lee bows. The Palmers are a tad faster and the Lee's are a little more quiet. I like the grip on the Palmer a bit better, probably because it has a more narrow "throat".
Bottom line is, if you really want a Palmer, get one used and see how it goes. If you want a very similar bow, get a Bob Lee. The bow I ordered from Mike was done on time and I haven't needed any service so I can't comment on that aspect, but there seem to be a bunch of unhappy folks out there. I can tell you that someone has always answered the phone at Bob Lee's shop.
Anyone got a used palmer they would like to sell-looking for something around 47-51# @29?
BCD,
I have an older Palmer (not the one I refered to in the post above). It is a little more poundage than you are looking for.....62 @ 29". I bought it last winter in case my other riser completely broke, I would still be able to use my limbs with this other Palmer riser. It is a good shooter. The first arrow I shot with it up to the range went right into the bull. The first arrow I shot at a snowshoe hare with it, killed the hare. I felt it had good karma. But, like I said in my earlier post, I finished up my own riser and thus do not really need this other Palmer. If you are interested give me an email at savagemw@adelphia.net. I'll send you a picture if you like.
Mike
If you have one of the Palmer bows with exotic woods or actionwood for the riser, you probably have yourself a stable bow. It is the Dymondwood risered bows that have the issues with cracks to my knowledge.
Bill
Good info Wildman-I'm not so great at telling the wood types. Can I tell by looking at a pic if it is dymondwood or actionwood?
Thank you
BD
BCD~
I have a used single carbon Palmer for sale...its 64", long, and 48@28"....
email me for details and pics....
Tughillman@yahoo.com
QuoteOriginally posted by BCD:
Good info Wildman-I'm not so great at telling the wood types. Can I tell by looking at a pic if it is dymondwood or actionwood?
Thank you
BD
BD,
Without sounding flippant, the actionwood will look like dyed plywood and the Dymondwood will look more similar to real wood, at least the Rosewood, Cocobolo and Walnut Dymondwood. It too is a layered and epoxy impregnated material, but it looks more woodish to me than plywoodish than actionwood, if that makes sense.
Actionwood usually comes in only gray, brown and camo. Dymondwood is available in a rainbow of colors and combinations of various colors.
To see some examples check out the Morrison Archery website and you will see some excellent examples of Dymondwood risers. And check out the Jeffery Archery website and you will see some excellent examples of Actionwood risers.
Below is a link to a Wine Dymondwood riser at Morrison Archery:
http://www.morrisonarchery.com/In_Stock_bows/ISshawnee_Limbs/ISshawneeRisers/7082.jpg
Below is a link to an Actionwood riser at Jeffery Archery:
http://www.jefferyarchery.com/shop/enter.html
Scroll down and click on the pic with the three risers and you will see an enlarged view of 3 different colors of Actionwood risers built by Jeffery Archery.
Bill
Thanks for all the info guys-not sure that a new one is an option as I can't get Mike to respond anyway. Those of you who did talk to him, how long did and take and how many calls?
If anyone else has a used one, I'm still looking for something between 47-51 lbs @ 29 inches with quiver inserts and 60-62 inches in length (brown in color preferred).
BD
You can get all that with a Bob Lee and use while looking for your Palmer and maybe when you find one you might not want it anymore.Kip