Hey all,
I was going to pick up a Hoyt Excel 21 inch ILF riser last month to replace the ProLine that I sold to a member. I was dead set on the 21 inch Excel having read so many positive comments on it both as a recreation, back yard bow and as a hunting setup. I would be using it for both.
Anyway, I started looking around and there are several of the familiar bowyers that are now offering ILF risers from 13 to 19 inches. Some of those that I checked out are the Dryad, Morrison, Belcher and the ones from Trad Tech. LOTS of really nice ILF risers out there.
I have decided to hold off a bit on the Excel and see if there is anything that I just can't live without. I haven't seen too much written about these current ILF setups and would like to hear more from those that have had some experience with various models.
Which ILF riser(s) do you like and would buy if your were in the market? Would you prefer one from Dryad, Morrison or other Bowyer to an offering from Trad Tech like the Apex, Titan or Pinnacle II?
Any info you care to add would be appreciated.
Thanks for the help.
Nalajr
Larry you have a PM
Mo
as for metal risers, its hard to beat a titan II for shootability, looks, and value. as for wood, morrison makes beautiful risers but they can be expensive. as for value, i really liked the dryad risers in 15" and 17". they were great looking, very comfortable to shoot, and a great value. the apex is a nice looking riser and very shootable but lacks in quality compared to the other two. just be advised with the excel riser you may need a short stabilizer to be balanced correctly. the others i mentioned balance very well as the risers alone. i have shot the black max limbs and dryad epic limbs on all of these risers. black max limbs were an awesome value and performed impressively (can't beat the price also!). the dryad limbs were the quietest limbs i ever shot and gave you a great feel while shooting. i prefer wood personally for looks and feel and i highly recommend a dryad combo. just my $.02
Dryad riser with 4G or CG limbs. I have both. You can't go wrong with either.
Morrison ILF Wood riser, best of both worlds.
If your going to go with riser you have, which is as good as the next and you will be shooting say Wynn Wynn limbs i would keep it.
If you are going to go with some pretty ILF wood bows then i would get a wood riser for sure. Nother looks worse than a fancy Metal riser with wood limns.
If you want a wood riser for the price your not going to find anything that beats the Dryad ILF riser in woods and cost.
Bob makes some of the most beautiful risers out there but you better bring a wad of cash.
Plus if you go with Dryad you can eventually get there ACS Recurve limbs, its a no brainer for me. :thumbsup:
Just my opinion and you know what there like. :biglaugh:
If you are leaning towards metal, look at Morrison's risers. They are very good and are very affordable. Heck I'm going to buy one at KZoo myself.
Mike
I'm real happy with my Zipper 17" standard ILF riser :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
I agree with Mike, I have a 17" Morrisson generation 2 with a medium set of Dryad statics on her. Took this setup to Africa and it worked great.
Hi Nala, it sounds like your further down the same road as me. No doubt, Dryad has a top quality product combo, but the price is way up there. So, in my case anyway, price is a consideration and I'm looking at ********, PinnicleII etc. I've read that the quality is pretty good, too. Thoughts, anyone?
I have the Pinnacle II - 19", the Titan in 17" and a TAC Firefly in 19". I also have a Morrison 13" - of the lot, I like the 19's the best - more mass and thus more stable for me. If I had to pick one from that bunch - and I probably will do it anyway, it'd be the Firefly - for some reason we seem to get along well.
It all depends on your bottom line and intended use.
If money was a huge concern, I'd save for a riser I really like and buy an inexpensive set of regular Black Max limbs. The riser will serve you as the core of your bow for many years (sort of the whole point of ILF) and the limbs really are very good, not just good for the price.
I have a 15" Morrison phenolic and dymalux riser. Really like it. With "long" limbs it makes a GREAT 60" bow for my 28-29" draw. I have had 2 58" Morrisons in the past (this bow with medium limbs and a Cheyenne) and did not shoot them as well... for me, 2" makes quite a difference.
I'd like to buy a second one... for a second bow I'm torn between another 15" riser and a 17" riser. For me, I would not go longer unless I was buying a dedicated target bow.
Cootling, you bring up a good point I've been wondering about for awhile. That is, Is the riser more important than the limbs or vice-versa. Also, is a $450 riser THAT much better than lets say, a $250 riser? Same thing about limbs, are the $500 limbs THAT much better than a set of $200 set?
I'm sure there's a difference, but I'm not sure if MY skill level is good enough to really tell the difference.
What y'all think?
I really like my metal Morrison riser I bought from ronw. I think it is an older version (Gen 1 maybe). It's all I could ask for.
If you are looking for pure function and performance in a wood riser, you will not find a better bang for the buck than the Pinnnacle. If you are looking for bling, nothing quite matches the Morrison or Zipper.
In metal, pure value in my opinion would have to go to the Excel. Overall, the Titan is the riser that most are compared to. Even the Morrison has evolved from a more reflexed version in their first generation to a more shooter friendly deflexed style like the Titan in their generation 3.
Best bang for the buck in limbs would have to go to the Black Max carbons.
My riser being the part I handle and feel connected to, I think a riser that I really like is pretty important.
Whether $500 limbs are better than $200 limbs is a matter of opinion that depends on the specific limbs in question... but some $200 limbs are very, very good.
I just got a 13" Morrison Metal (Gen 2)that is crazy nice. I haven't even shot it yet though, I can't put down my Kanati, but thats for a different thread!!
I did lots of research and finally got the Excel. It is a sweet little riser. I added a barebow weight from ********* and it shoots like a dream.
Hey again all,
I just took a few minutes and checked out the Zipper ILF risers. Let me tell ya these are some great looking risers and bows. Really nice stuff. I like the 17 inch risers and if I were to get one from him it would be this length. Don't know what wood combos I'd pick, but it would be pretty hard to go wrong.
The others I have checked out, the Dryads and Morrisons also have some really good looking stuff. The only negative is that these ILF risers are more expensive. Dryad appears to have the riser for the budget conscious shooter if you are wanting to go with an American Bowyer instead of an imported riser from ********. Not taking anything away from TT, they have some great stuff too, just mentioning it in case someone wants his stuff made by an American bowyer.
I know there are others out there that I haven't mentioned and I apologize for that. If anyone has any other links or info on others that make ILF risers, I'd like to check those out as well.
Thanks for the info.
Nalajr
I've been shooting a Trad Tech Black Onyx for a couple of years. I love it. It is stable in the hand, the grip fits me great, and John at Trad Tech is always there if you have a question. I have mine set with longbow limbs, even with the short riser, my 30 1/2" is smooth as can be.
Zipper is my favorite. I have a 13" Extreme riser. Fantastic grip, terrific riser. This has been my experience. First one I bought was the TT black Onyx. Did not like the grip. Bought a TT Titan and is a fantastic riser. Just a terrific riser if you want to shoot off an elevated rest. I wanted to shoot off the shelf with a plunger so I sold it. The new ones I think now have a shelf set up for shooting without an elevated rest. I then bought a 13" and 15" Morrison Gen II. I like the lighter weight better than the titian. It also allows you to adjust tiller/weight while the limbs are on the bow. Allows you to shoot off the shelf with a plunger and also another higher hole to use with an elevated rest. Like the way Bob made the shelf on these risers. Terrific riser. Great value. My 2 cents.
Morrison is haveing a 40% off sale right now. He has a few risers left.You may want to check it out.
I've owned 4 metal risered ILF/DAS setups and they all were nice with some differences. 17 & 21 Dalaa, I like my ILF 21" Dalaa for target work with lighter limbs. I like the extra low grip of the 4 they offer. The 17 Dalaa was fine but I like the 21" better. The 15" SKY TDX has the best feeling grip I've owned and it is the lightest and best balanced set up, and with Dryad epic LB limbs is the bow I use hunting. The other riser was a 19" TAC firefly, good riser built like a tank second best grip, easiet to quiet, high preload, but it's not made anymore.
If I had to pick best all around of the 4 it would be the 21" Dalaa, it is built very well and it does all things well.#2- 15" Sky TDX. #3- 19" TAC firefly. #4 17" Dalaa. #1-3 all close.
Do the more expensive limbs matter, in my limited experience I've found they do, smoother, more speed, more forgiving, just to list a few. It is again an individual choice if those things in a limb warrant a doubling of the price.
Metal is just too cold for me when hunting. I love Bob's bows and had a 13" mini ILF but I was having a hard time keeping my hand in the same position every time. At Denton, I got to try Bill's Zipper 13" Extreme STX and I was sold. It's all in what works for you as everyone has an opinion...tippit