Are they all hype or are they worth the money for some great performance?
This has been hashed out many times......Do a search!
:rolleyes:
Yes!
You need to shoot one to decide which one of your questions this answer fits.
Probably too much hype but worth it to many people. shoot what you want, don't worry about mass marketing or mass production or hype, if you want one buy one. you'll be in good company. they are a good bow with great service and good performance but theres lots of good one out there .
I like Chevys better than Fords. H
To answer your question, no, they are not all hype and yes, they are worth the money for some great performance. They look real good too.
I'm a BW-fan! :thumbsup:
I bought a used BW.It shoots real nice as long as I do my part. ;)
Buying a Black Widow bow is a lot like buying a Harley Davidson. No, its not the fastest thing out there and yes, it costs a few bucks more. But its a pride of ownership thing, they always do what you want them to do with a little class.
I have never had one but they do seem to be the bow all others are measured by. From what I have gathered they have all of the qualities a top bow should have. They are very tough. They hold their resale value very well. I would do a test drive and find out if you are really interested.
Do a test drive and decide for yourself!!!
Big Ed is right on target... Do a test drive and learn in your own way... I own two TFV's and would not part with them for all the tea in China. Still, I enjoy many other makes of bows. :rolleyes: There is no magic one out there. Whatever you like, "is best for you".
Hype? Maybe... Being able to take field/hunting abuse? You Bet! My Widow saved my left hand/wrist from being broken in a fall on the rocks. She has the scars to prove it, and I don't! :eek:
... mike ...
All around great bow. Try some bows out. You will probably find that certain bows may feel better to you and be more consistent with your shooting style. A BW may not always be the fastest bow, the smoothest bow or quietest bow, but when you put all three characteristics together, they are hard to beat. They seem to hold their value better than other bows at a similar purchase price. The manufacturing precision is second to none. I think they may be CNC machined.
Hype....nope, they've been in business way too long to be hype. Worth the money? To a whole lot of people they are both new & on the resale market. And the neat thing about the company is they will let you try one before you buy! Incredible! Try one and see for YOURSELF. You might be pleasantly surprised.
:)
I like my preditors. Close to the same bow but less expensive. Try some first.
Black Widows hold their value better than any other bow for more than one reason.
PLUS they have the best customer service in the business. Just give them a call , They will spend time talking to you. And you won't feel rushed.
I love mine. Like big ed said test drive one or go to a traditional shoot and see if someone will let you shoot one there. And everyone knows Dodge is better than Ford or Chevy :biglaugh:
I have owned a lot of bows and I have enjoyed shooting them all. When it is time to go hunting I reach past all of them to pick up my Black Widow.
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I don't own a BW but have shot one and they are very nice. They seem to come up used quite often on the classifieds for a decent price, especially the ones that are 10 or 15 years old. I've seen some sell for around the $500 mark, which seems about right.
A company that consistently has 10 year old recurves re-selling for $4-500 is not getting by on hype! Try that with a compound! :thumbsup:
They work for me! :bigsmyl:
http://s415.photobucket.com/albums/pp233/TradNut/?action=view¤t=2010010.flv
I think I have the definitive answer. I questioned "HYPE" of the Black Widow just like you. So, I bought an older MAIII. It is a freaking nail driver. It is a way better bow then I am a shooter. If the old MAIII is this good I can't imagine what the new ones are like.
Hype? There's been a little in the catalogs over the years--you'd be in for a challenge to find any advertising that didn't contain at least a little bit. There are bow ads in magazines and on web sites with a whole lot more hype than the entire BW catalog has ever contained, at least that I've seen.
From my experience with them, the folks at BW are dang good people that provide great customer service, and Ken Beck will shoot it to you straight if you ask him if he thinks the BW bows are head and shoulders above any other good bow.
Are they "the" bow for everyone? That's easy to check--look at any big archery classifieds. Too many of them change hands to be perfect for every shooter. I've owned two, shot many more, and don't own one now. Can't say that I won't own another one of these days, but right now I don't have that burning desire to buy one, and wouldn't trade my current favorite for a new one.
The "try before you buy" program is great, but don't limit yourself. Go to as many tournaments as you can--the bigger the better. That's a great place to find vendors, and other shooters, who will let you try their bows. Shoot as many as you can side-by-side and see how they compare.
Chad
Great looking bow, shoots very well, and grows on you (well, at least mine did). Never thought I'd have one, now I don't know if I'd part with my SA3.
As mentioned above, They have been in business too long to be just hype. No such thing as "one bow fits all". But I find my Black Widows shoot great for me and they seem more forgiving, and I need all the help I can get!! LOL
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I've got an old used SAII and I like it. I would not say that I was experienced enough to know the difference yet though. I have only shot a few trad bows.
:bigsmyl: Got to love those WIDOWS :wavey:
Black Widows are just a bunch of hype...
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Well said Ben.
They are indestructable a pleasure to shoot and have second to none customer service. Some say that they are overpriced that is not true compair them to highend bows they are in line or less money and you don't have to wait more that a year for one. I would try an psax or a pchx you won't regreat it to own one is to love one. Widow
like for a mercedes you pay also for the image you give around but like for a mercedes you get also the durabilty and the quality .. since a very long time with a lot of generation of users ...
One of the guys before in the post told that he had a lot of bows but when it's time to hunt he alway grab his BW ... for me it's the same
My PSA is not the most beautiful bow i get but he allow me to shoot very heavy good arrow with a very descent speed and he forgive my at the same times ...
hunting machine and unique concept ...
personnal message for Roger F : If they can be a bit cheapier i can order a PTF ... :bigsmyl:
1. BW Recurves are not the very fastest, but fast
2. They are Supersmooth( I can shoot a BW- Recurve 5# heavier than most of other bows)
3. My PsaV is incredible forgiving
There is no hype at all with BWs.They are time proven as is there great customer service.No hype, they do exactly what they say they do and do it well.With the rising prices of a lot of bows today BWs priceing is better than a lot of others as well.I happen to like other bows better but when quality,consistancy and great customer service comes to mind I usually think of Black Widow bows. :)
It is a top quality bow. It is expensive, but not nearly the most expensive. The company is by far the most helpful, and polite buisness people to do buisness with. Before and after the sale.
When I started down this path of traditional shooting, I went threw the list of bowyers and bows. Big circle back to Black Widow. Why. Because each one is made to last, they seem to be precisely made, very forgiving to shoot and based on Blacky's Bow Reports, they are up there on performance. There may be others that make a prettier bow but pretty vs functional is an easy choice for me. Give me a bow that works as hard as I do. Black Widow.
I'd say if if you think you want a Black Widow, then arrange for a test drive. Then if you buy one, you know you will be happy and the price will be worth it to you. Buying bow after bow (no matter what the brand or the price) in search to find the right one for you is what can get costly.
It always cracks me up when I hear folks mention 'hype' when talking about Black Widow.
There's been hype around here alright...too much of it over all sorts of stuff.....but there's no 'hype' about Black Widow.
Solid Company,...building solid bows...by solid folks. And Stellar Customer Service. That's a great business model....not 'hype'.
Yeah, they are worth the money. Just like the other brands of bows I own. I wouldn't have bought them if I didn't think they were worth it.
I've probably owned 12-15 Widows over the years and they are everything positive, which has been said here. I'm very pleased to hear about their customer service but honestly, I have never had an occassion to put them to the test.
Years back I visited them in Nixa and they provided the complete shop tour without question. A lot of great folks providing a quality piece of equipment that holds it's resale value for a very long time.
Buy
When I was looking for a custom bow, I didn't have any thing like the tradgang. As a matter of fact, I had never even used a computer. I watched Alen Altiezer kill a buck in "Whitetail Eye to Eye" with a widow. TBM was a relatively new magazine, and the Black Widow advertisement jumped out at me, and I recognized that it was the bow that was used on that video!!, So I called up BW, and spoke to Ken Beck, and we put together the specs for my SAII I shot and hunted with that bow for 14 years.
I just got my new PCH on Friday, and its a sweet shooting bow. And if I could figure out how to post pictures, I'd post pictures of the Robin Hood that I shot at 20 yrds with my PSR.
With that said, you really have to see whats comfortable for you. All the upper end "Name" bows are going to be $$$, but you are paying for quality. Its still cheaper than a top of the line compound!
QuoteOriginally posted by OhioFencing:
This has been hashed out many times......Do a search!
Alot of different subjects have been hashed out before but this forum is here so folks can ask questions without getting snippy replys. If you have nothing positive to say why say anything at all?
Good bows! Great people! :thumbsup:
Are they worth it, and are they all hype? Well, they have been selling top quality bows for a long time, and this same subject comes up once a month. They must be doing somethng right.
Thanks for all the positive replies. I am searching for a new bow and there are to many to choose from, so I come to here for help:) Thanks again for all the feed back.
Andrew, you are welcome to shoot any of my bows to get an idea. It will be a few weeks before I am back home but just shoot me a pm and we'll get together. There is a shoot in Gainesville the second Sunday of April. I am sure there will be plenty of bows to shoot there. Try as many as you can.
I've been known to say, "Yes they are."
-HPF
Funny you should ask - just got done shooting my MAIII after already shooting Robertson Peregrine, Black Swan Hybrid, and my old faithful Asbell Bighorn. Admittedly the BW is heavier (#62) but the speed, raw power, lack of hand shock and shoot-ability seems to be a cut above & is just too evident. Black Swan & Bighorn pull about #58, Peregrine at #54. Got a #59 Vermilion River Raptor & #58 Roy Hall TD arriving soon along with a lighter (#51)one piece Whisperstick so will withhold final judgement. Maybe I've just not got the equals on hand (i.e. Morrison, Silvertip, etc.) but I guess it depends on who you ask. Anyway, my unbiased but unscientific results show BW, (even OLD BWs) to be a cut above.
Shoot one, and see how you like it. If you love it, its worth it, if you hate it..., well, its still worth quite a bit for resale.Shoot lots of different bows, and buy what fits you.I personally have liked most of the Black Widows i've shot.
Black Widows are Top Notch! If you decide to go this route, you won't be disappointed. Good Luck.
I've owned several different bows and I always come back to Black Widow. I'm expecting my PCH within the next three weeks.
Widows are the benchmark bow of the industry . simple as that..
If you buy a used one,you can get it refinished.Even change the name on the bow if you want.Call them up and talk to them about it.Great bunch of guys. :thumbsup:
Like any bow you need to shoot it to know if it suits you. I have other bows I shoot well but I just shoot my widows (3 total) better than any other. One point it is almost urban legendary how people speak of how expensive a BW is. I gotta tell ya a new Bear TD costs more and so do many other custom bows.
A lot has been said about customer service. Most all the bowyers I know practice this but it really is the rule at BW. Good guys and they want you to be happy. I don't ever regret buying a widow, they are really that good. A point on durability, well I never dropped mine but 4 days of wet and rain hunting in Alaska did no harm to mine. On the second to last day I had to hunt the bow performed on que without the slightest issue ever. Two years ago at a 3d shoot I had a string break upon release. I actually scored a 10 with that arrow but the real surprise was I put my backup string on and finished the course with absolutely no issue. Two years later, the bow still shoots great and I confess, I shoot it a lot.
Try before you buy but BW should get a good look... No hype, just good.
Bill
I will be a Widow shooter forever.
Here is a BW PSR X, O5 model I just traded for, looks as it did when it shipped from the Widow shop.
Love these bows. Short, Sweet and Smooth
The Kingwood on this bow is gorgeous.
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I have a PTF III I traded another member on TG for.Great bow,and it shoots fast and hard.I never cared for that type of design riser,but I do like the bow.My only issue with it is it's not a TD,which is obviously not the bow's fault,merely my preference.I've shot a PSA and an MA and they were great bows as well.
I say they're worth the pennies. :thumbsup:
I have some custom bows that cost more than my PSA X and they cant come close to shooting as good as my Widow.
My Widow is one of those bows that really shoots where you point it.
I always keep going back to my Widow no matter how much i shoot my other 'top end bows'.
They are very nices bows but dont buy a bow just for the name.... Like everyone says, see if you can find ppl in your area who have 1 or 2 and are willing to let you shoot it... I have let many try my Bear Grizzly and my Bob Lee.... Trad guys are more than happy to help out....
Good Luck
Worth every penny.. "They" are the standard for a reason.
I have an old MA II that I bought used for $375. Specs. are 62"-51# @29". It's heavy, not all that fast and really not very pretty at all. I have had several BW's but this one just seems to need to stay on my rack. I shoot it as well as anything else I own and its just a great bow. Its almost 15 years old now and I most likely will have it for ever.Hows that for some one that not a real Black Widow fan.........
yup they are the real deal....
No, many other good bows out there for alot less!
Hope to get mine back in the near future! Best shooter I ever had.
Rob,
The flip side is there are some out there that cost much more and don't perform any better.
One of my Widows is a '95 and the other a '96. You can't tell. Take a lickin' and .......
I had 2 Black Widows that I really liked. One was an all black 64" MAB, the other was that short recurve that's no longer made. Both shot fantasic and looked good. As others have said, you have the option to test a bow.
I have told this story before but once in a while on these threads I post it again.
Before I bought my BW if I was of any mind set it was that the BW just looked odd and I liked a more streamline look.
It came time to buy my wife a new recurve. We were at Cloverdale and I told her "shoot any bow here and see what you like". Well she shot every bow that fit her including a BW PSA. She said "Wow" I like this one. I said, OK if that is what you want....... Well, she said I don't know let me shoot a couple more and see. She did, and wound up back at the Widow booth and again said this is the best. Again she declined buying that day.......
Next week at Compton we did the rounds again, and again she wound up at the Widow booth and said "well thats it, I want this one". I said give me that thing. I want to see what the heck is so great. I shot 5 arrows in a group and my arrows had to be the wrong spine for that light bow.
I went to the Widow booth and selected one in my weight. What I saw was an immediate correction or improvement over my personal bows in how I grouped to center.
We ordered my wife a bow and for 2 weeks I kept thinking about that BW. I asked my wife if she thought the budget could stand another BW and she said OK. I ordered mine and like I said in my earlier post, it is the bow I shoot best. Now, I think they are good looking bows, and as others say tough.
Bottomline, for me is this is the bow that fits me. They may not fit the next guy, and that is just how things are.
Anyhow my point is, I did not buy for the name, it was how that bow improved my grouping. As far as my wife. She had no knowledge about hype or who built one bow or another. For her it was also what she shot best.
No matter what, a guy needs to try a bow first to decide if it feels right. No one can tell a guy what will shoot well or feel good in his hand.
Regards,
Bill
Most Black Widow threads get around to the price.
Look around at most top bows, and you will find that the widows are on a par with any of them. Yes, there are cheaper bows that shoot well out there, but for a top notch bow, price is not a limiting factor.
I started trad about 1 1/2 years ago. Bought a used Black Widow and do not regret it. Someday I will have a new one.
Shot other trad bows, including a nice custom, for 11 years... then bought a used BW PSA III off of the classifieds here.
Wouldn't trade it for nothin'.
Maybe someday I'll buy me a new one.
There takedowns are too heavy for me . But I do like there one piece long Bow
At one time I owned 13 bows,not a lot for some folks, but that's a lot for me.I will soon be down to two bows,both widows,I'll keep em!
Like some of the guys above,I had to buy a used one.Couldn`t afford a new one.But I don`t regret it.The 95'MA III shoots great.I also have a old 74'BW target bow.I would like to get a BW longbow to try someday.Maybe I can find a good deal at a traditional shoot this year.
I have told this story also on this forum.
Last fall i was shooting off my buddies deck at his new hunting cabin when i accidently dry fired my Widow.
It flew out of my hands and landed on the bottom limb tip and then bounced 15 ft off the deck and landed on a pile of gravel he was getting ready spread in the driveway.
I almost threw up and passed out at the same time because the bow was brand new and it also has copperhead skins on it.
I was sure at least those limbs would be scratched and the riser dented.
When i finally walked down the stairs to get my bow to my suprise there wasnt a scratch anywhere on the bow.
Besides shooting as good as any bow i have ever picked up the finish is unbelievable and there customer service is as good as any out there.
I personally have shot, Custom Kodiak Take downs, Blacktails, Fox, Great Northern, Knight, Bracks, Wallace, St. Charles, Dwyer, Stotler and many more including Blackwidows. There are many good bows out there, and many that are not. I will say that Blackwidows are a great bow and worth their price.
Through the years I've bought and sold more bow's than I can rememember. But my first Widow is still here if that says anything.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Mike
(http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e173/Yellowdog3822/P3200445.jpg)
I made a post on Page One or Two. I had the same question; are Black Widows up to the hype?
In a word, YES. I bought a MAIII 60" 53# at 28". Just to see what all the fuss was about. I was amazed at the power and the accuracy.
Fan-Freaking-Tastic!!!!
Now, I have a PSA-X on the way. I will be selling my MAIII. One in, One out.
The bows are great, I love mine, Its the best mix of power and finesse. Are they for you, maybe? Ill post a pic of some groups and trophies if you wanna see that, but its all about the guy behind the bow meshing with his soulmate of a bow. Everyone has one, try lots of em and find yours. Try widow sooner than later though, lol.