Was on KustomKing and as always I noticed bearpaw/bodnik bows have a 30 year warranty on all their bows. Is this the best in the industry, I am very impressed to say the least.
I think with alot of bowyers it also depends on whats going on with the bow, alot may say a year or two but if you have a legitimate issue they will help you out. Wes Wallace has really impressed me and has earned my business. I have a Brack made in 89 when Jim was still alive and here a couple months ago I noticed the lower limb was starting to twist. I gave him a call and he said send it in. I fully expected to have a bill but he called me and said it was ready to go and all I owed him was return shipping. That is a 23 year old bow that he most likely only helped out on. I also had the bow back in just over a week. I'm sure there are alot of good bowyers on here that would do the same but there comes a point where you can't cover stupidity which is probably why they may list a shorter warranty period. I was the same way in the automotive shops I managed and I've seen firearms companies do the same.
Alaska Bow Hunting's warranty on their bow is lifetime and tranferable.
One might assume the longer the warranty the more confidence a bowyer has in his product holding up. I would think warranty length is based upon the bowyer's level of testing and years of experience with the bow they produce. Of course some of it could be just marketing savvy?
Personally, I don't pay any attention to the warranty terms at all. I've never had a bow that needed a warranty. I expect if I ever do, the decision about whether the bowyer helps me out will depend more about what the problem is, what caused it, and the character of the owner and the bowyer.
Bama bows have a lifetime warranty as well I believe. Anything happens to the bow, Nate repairs or replaces with bow of equal or greater value....Bama is a sponsor here too! Great bows....had a Expedition and was VERY impressed.
Warranties are just marketing. Personally I have no idea if my bows have warranties or not-never asked.
Ever notice when products have quality issues-the manufacturer responds by increasing the warranty.
| I don't.....but if I did make bows lets say....and I was proud of my bows and 100% confident that they were of quality and built to last, I wouldnt feel as though I need NOT offer a replacement/repair policy because the bows were soooo good. Sometimes materials have issues, in which case it can be out of the bowyers hands or no fault of his own. I would rather have the mentality of taking care of my customers and standing behind my product with the mentality of "my bows are made so well, you will have no structural issues resulting from normal use and required care" type of attitude and offer a great warranty.
So, I think opposite.....I think that if someone makes a product and offers NO warranty or at best a very weak one, I would suspect quality issues! I think warranties are important.
I purchased my Wapiti longbow ten years ago because it had the best warranty at the time. Keith Chastain has been building bows longer than any other bowyer I am aware of. I still have no issues with the bow.
It really says something about the bowyers and the quality of build that we have such long warranties and bowyers honoring bows outside of warranty. We are really lucky to have such a great choice of bows and bowyers to choose from!
I asked one of my favorite bow makers, Dave Wallace, how long he warranted his bows. His reply: "For as long as I live." Can't do much better than that.
I got a bow from Gene Sanders years ago. He has the same warrenty as Dave Wallace. Can`t beat that.RC
Bodnik needs a long waranty because bBearpaw/Bodnik bows have a long history of all kind of problems. :) I think they are trying to get customers in this way. Here in the Netherlands I saw a lot af delaminated Bearpaws and they have a problem that the string groove is wrong/to sharp so they cut the string repeatidly. I had one model and the first delaminated on me. I must say that the esrvice was quite OK, because I got without any problems a 2nd for free within a week. The second one had no isuues at all and i shot it for years intensively.
Many good bow makers come and go. A warranty won't be any good if the bow maker has long since closed up shop. The best ones are "lifers", they will never quit!
On top of that, the warranty is only as good as the backing it gets.
I have a bow hanging in my shop that a buddy in New Mexico sent me...it delaminated the first time it was pulled to 28" (his draw, on a good day).
The only compensation he got was a hand full of carbon splinters, in spite of a "no frills--if you don't like it for any reason I'll make you a new one or refund your money" guarantee.
I'll second Nate Steele of BamaBows lifetime warranty to the original owner. He's a young man with 'Old School' commitment to his bows.