Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Ulysseys on January 24, 2014, 12:31:00 AM
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Anyone shooting one of the "current" day Bob Lees? I jumped on the website to check out their stock bows and was pretty suprised to see some of them touching the $1600 mark. This isn't a complaint, I'm actually wondering how they shoot.
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Wow, I had one a few years ago that I really liked. Killed a few deer with it too! Unless they have really made them much better I wouldn't say they are worth that price. There are other bows that are as good or better for less.
I think Bob Lee has a satisfaction garrantee, you might check and see if you could send it back within a period if it was a let down.
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Had one as well that I always regret selling...one of the only recurve grips I liked and thought it was a great utility bow...had me wondering again but thought that price was a bit steep for any bow for MY budget...great bows though
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Wow, :eek: they really jumped up in price! I've shot a few over the years. They shot fantastic :knothead: :banghead: Can't understand why they cost so much now!!?? Any one? They used to be affordable for most. That's 500 bucks more than a Widder!!?? They should have a try before you buy before you plunk down that much cash. Like Black Widow has.
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Lees are good bows, as far as the new vs old shooting characteristics,doubt there is any significant difference. They did add a no tool take down option, which I am sure added to the cost.
FWIW I am drawing a line in the sand on bow costs. If you look up and down the line of stick bows, they are all with-in a few feet per second.
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All my bows right now are Bob Lees and awesome but I bought them all used, much more affordable :)
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Ask more so they seem more valuable, lots of folks do the same thing. Was not more than 10 years ago they were 500 bucks.
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I have owned several Bob Lee bows, both recurves and longbows (takedowns), and all have been good stable shooters, but no great arrow speed, a bit noisy and kind of plain Jane looking. They always had fantastic grips. All ran around $500 and that was maybe 5-6 years ago. I see they have added some exotic woods for looks but the new prices are crazy and I can't believe this tactic will help them survive. Plus they dropped all the one-piece bows. What are they thinking?
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I shot one for the first time yesterday (loaner from a friend). It is a great bow, and I'm enjoying it. However, I still prefer my Holm-made River Runner, which is a lot cheaper.
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I had the same sticker shock when I went to their site recently. I bought a new custom one from them a half dozen years ago for around $500. The prices seem crazy now compared to other makers, IMHO.
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I'd sure like one of their Presentation III bows . . . but not at that price! Wowzer!
Have to see if my Presentation II has ridden the same wave and gone up in value. ;-)
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I have only had one bob lee, and it certainly wasn't top end. I agree with then others that the grips are fantastic. Mine was extremely handshocky and difficult to tune. They certainly have a loyal following, but I am far more happy with other bows that I have.
Jake
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I like their bows but couldn't see spending near that much on a bow that will likely get dinged up during general use.
I have a Bob Lee TD Hunter from the 90's that is a sweet shooter (keeping it). Try to find a used one, they seem to go from $300-500 typically depending on woods. Great bow to have in the stable.
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I have 2 Bob Lees, one was made for me in 1994 and my wife's in 1998. Have went all over the country with mine and frankly abused it by many's standards and have NEVER had a failure, complaint or issue. Nothing is the same price as it was in 1998 when I paid $525 for my wife's bow 15 years ago.
Bob Lee is an icon of the sport of traditional archery. I for one thinks that counts for something, including dollars, when you offer a product to the community that you have influenced so much. Having also produced the best performance bow in that contest(can't remember the magazine that did it) and inventing yet again another performance improving feature (Stabi-Lock fastening system) also counts for something in my book and I believe also appropriately translates into dollars.
I shot my brothers Bob Lee Ultimate and it blows my old signature bow out of the water and the poundage is quite a bit lower than mine. Won't stop me from killing animals but it is noticebly better and I guess we all have to make our decisions on what we are willing to pay for. I know this; nicer folk you will not find, which is thankfully typical in the whole trad archery community.
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I recently purchased amazing beautiful Bob Lee Exotic Bicentennial recurve with highly charactered mappa burl veneers. Every time I go to the range people ask about it and want to try it out. It is by far the smoothest, most enjoyable custom bow to shoot that I own. To me, value is getting what you paid for. I certainly did with this bow. Isn’t it great that there are such a variety of great bows and bowyers to choose from these days!
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I would love to have a Presentation III with the tooless takedown. I love long risers with high sight windows. I'm starting a higher paying job in Feb to... very tempting.
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I have a ultimate, one of the 1600.00 bows yall are talking about, I love it and it shoots great, and fast. If you cant afford it don't buy it, but don't turn your nose up just because YOU would not pay that much, I happen to think it's worth every penny, I don't believe anybody should judge what another person does or sees fit to do with his or her own money. Also I do not look down on people because they shoot a 200 bow, whatever can get you in this great sport we call archery is all that matters, to each his own. As far as comparing mine to the older lees I cant because the ultimate is the only one I have ever shot, and as far as customer service my bow is with JJ right now having a new set of limbs made and the riser refinished all for free because the original limbs had some streaks in the glass, I purchased it last January, that's worth the 1600 to me.
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I had one with three sets of limbs which I sold for $600. Like the bow but not dealing with Rob
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here here what Keith said. I have a P3 and like it so much I ordered an Ultimate with two sets of limbs. That P3 shoots better than anything I ever owned! For those who buy the new Bob Lee bows, you will quickly forget the price when you shoot it - it's really that good.
I also have a Signature that I bought in 1996. And, yes the new ones are much much better in terms of feel, speed, balance, and inovations.
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That's what I was wondering Gary...I don't think there is anything wrong with charging what you want it's ultimately up to me to pay or not.
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I have never owned a Bob Lee. I sure think that Ultimate model, with the different connection for limbs to riser is pretty cool.
If I were to order one it would be one with Phenolic and this connection system.
However, I don't think the bow would be better than the ones I have and I've suspended my try-out personal program where I pay full price and sell for 75%.
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Originally posted by Bowwild:
However, I don't think the bow would be better than the ones I have and I've suspended my try-out personal program where I pay full price and sell for 75%.
Amen to that!
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I have 3 BL bows---2 new and 1 used. Love them all. Great grip and very smooth shooters. The Ultimate looks great but I don't have a need for it. Rob and JJ are great to work with. JJ gave me a lot of advice when selecting my Classic Elite. I'm sure I will be buying another BL bow down the road. Starting to collect the older Wing bows.
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Find a used one,put a skinny string on it. It will shoot with any bow made today.
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I'm with Keith, why are you guys knocking something you haven't tried. They have less expensive bows, if that's what your looking for, they also offer a top of the line model. I recently purchased the new Ultimate, I love it. It's a great shooting bow, are their better out there, maybe, but there are plenty not nearly as good. All bow companies offer a "Cadillac"
Model, not everyone can afford one, but those who can sure enjoy them.
Roy
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I have a Bob Lee atop my list so I visit their site a lot. Keep in mind the 1600 dollar bows are the top end with their new attachment system. Look at the site - they have bows in similar price range as most other bowyers. I am also fairly sure (call and ask to verify) that if you buy a bow - even a custom - and you are not satisfied, their policy is to take it back. VERY HARD to argue with the reputation they've built and from reading here and elsewhere, seems customer service is always tops.
I'd still have the last one I owned if not for too much poundage.
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I am fairly new to traditional archery only been shooting for a few years now. Three years ago I stopped by bob Lee's booth at E.T.A.R and talked to J.J and shot some of their bows, I didn't buy a bow that day didn't have the money. Fast forward a few months later I called J.J and told him I wanted a bow. I ended up getting a envy longbow and I ordered the heavyweight which I never shot but jj insured me If I didn't like it I could send it back which I thought ok can't beat that deal. Well lets just say my envy is jealous because I can't put the heavyweight down lol. I think I paid around $2100 for both bows which to me is a lot of money I work hard for my money and when it comes to my hunting tools I use them hard but I take very good care of them. To each his own though some guys have nice trucks and other nice things but I love sweet shooting bows and that's my bob lees. Everybody has an opinion and it's just that there opinion. And I've been saving for my backup heavyweight but with bocote veneers. I know if I have any questions or problems I can call them I consider them my friends.
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If you cant afford it don't buy it, but don't turn your nose up just because YOU would not pay that much, I happen to think it's worth every penny, I don't believe anybody should judge what another person does or sees fit to do with his or her own money. Also I do not look down on people because they shoot a 200 bow, whatever can get you in this great sport we call archery is all that matters, to each his own.
Actually, I disagree with Keith. I think his post was antagonistic and unwarranted. I reviewed every post before his and not one person made a comment that judged another person or looked down on them. All I saw was people expressing their 'personal opinions', which is what a forum is all about. If people love them and are willing to spend that much, wonderful, but please don't get defensive and snarky if someone else expresses that they believe the prices are too high. As you said, 'to each his own'.
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You can buy brand new Bob Lee 3 piece take downs for under 1000, that pricing is inline and less then ALOT of the top tier take downs.
The more expensive bows are presentation/limited run models.
I say this never having owned a Bob Lee.
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I didn't see where anyone was dogging the BL bows either. I made the comment about the Ultimate looking pretty cool and that's they one I'd get, but I don't think it would out shoot my current bows..".
What I was getting at is I've gone through a bunch of hi-rep bows the past four years. Bought or traded with several folks here. I'm convinced, at least at my puny draw length, differences among any of the bows I haven't yet tried will be minor. No matter the bow, the odds of me not liking the bow (any) better than some I've sorted to my top are greater than 50:50.
Again though, on my short list of "try some day" is the Bob Lee Ultimate. I think it appears to be appropriately named and the Lee reputation is right at the top of the heap and worth the chance.
I've just become more cautious about adding another $1,600-2,100 bow to my don't use and don't dare sell pile.
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Bob Lee bows are solid performers-- I just think we were having some sticker shock, is all.
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This last summer I got a tour of Bob Lee archery. They make a quality bow. As far as their price-if one looks at bows from others-Blacktail-Black Widow-Schafer-they are comparable.
but I agree, they are not inexpensive.
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Yeah I think there is more praise here than dogging. The Heavyweight looks sweet to me but is about a grand more than I paid for a "Hunter" model several years ago, which I loved. I'm just wondering how it compares. Saying it's expensive is just a fact of the bow, not really an insult.
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Originally posted by Ulysseys:
Yeah I think there is more praise here than dogging. The Heavyweight looks sweet to me but is about a grand more than I paid for a "Hunter" model several years ago, which I loved. I'm just wondering how it compares. Saying it's expensive is just a fact of the bow, not really an insult.
You did good in your original post to clarify you were not dogging BL Bows. Commendable on your part.
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I have a new Exotic Signature on order with Zebra wood overlays and limbs. I have one other Bob Lee and it shoots like a dream and I have had nothing but good experience dealing with them. I spoke to Rob some years ago at Denton Hill and he seemed to be a good enough guy. Any high quality bow cost good money but you get what you pay for with Bob Lee or at least that has been my experience.
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Funny how that works with bows , my favorites seem to be mid range or under price wise.
But also I don't like lots of bling where bows are concerned and rate what I like on how they handle.
With that said , I've never been shy on spending money if I want something. So could care less if others do.
(I shot one for the first time yesterday (loaner from a friend). It is a great bow, and I'm enjoying it. However, I still prefer my Holm-made River Runner, which is a lot cheaper. )
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They are absolutely beautiful bows with very high performance. I once heard someone say, there is no such thing as a $1,600. bow; but, there is a $1,600. customer.
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I rarely get buyer or seller remorse. Mostly get the "dang I should have bought this years ago" response. I don't see many if any Bob Lee's bows in my area. Sure would like to try one someday. As to the cost, well the seller sets a price, the buyer agrees and pays that's fine with me. I worked extra and saved for my first blacktail, I received an unexpected windfall and ordered my second blacktail, which I shoot all the time. Back to work full time for the time being, I'm saving for my next, bow, pack or knife????
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Please correct me if I'm wrong. I have seen some publicity on the Bob Lee site about the new limb attachment system, and I see as I said that they've added new exotic woods for some bling, but has the performance changed since my $500 Bob Lee Hunters of 6-7 years ago? Has anybody who has owned an older bow gotten into the newer models? Can you compare them for us?
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Huntryx,
Yes. Night and Day. My classic made in 2002, while one of the most forgiving and smoothest bows I've ever owned,, can't hold a candle to my new Ultimate.
I've killed a lot of animals with my classic. It is bombproof. Used to throw it out of my treestand when getting down from a hunt. The thing was my best friend. Until I got the Ultimate...
Now my ultimate goes wherever I go. My old classic just was sent back to Bob Lee for refinishing. The finish was almost completely off the bow I abused it so much. The nestalgia flooded back when I opened that box and saw my old friend looking brand new. But honestly... I haven't even put my classic together since I got it back 4 months ago... Haven't even put it together...
The ultimate is just that... The ultimate...
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=124200#000000
I see a P3 in my future.
Oh... and yes... $1600 is worth every penny. You don't know what you're missing until you try it.
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I will make a comparison as soon as my new Lee arrives.
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Originally posted by cpnhgnlngct:
Huntryx,
Yes. Night and Day. My classic made in 2002, while one of the most forgiving and smoothest bows I've ever owned,, can't hold a candle to my new Ultimate.
I've killed a lot of animals with my classic. It is bombproof. Used to throw it out of my treestand when getting down from a hunt. The thing was my best friend. Until I got the Ultimate...
Now my ultimate goes wherever I go. My old classic just was sent back to Bob Lee for refinishing. The finish was almost completely off the bow I abused it so much. The nestalgia flooded back when I opened that box and saw my old friend looking brand new. But honestly... I haven't even put my classic together since I got it back 4 months ago... Haven't even put it together...
The ultimate is just that... The ultimate...
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=124200#000000
I see a P3 in my future.
Oh... and yes... $1600 is worth every penny. You don't know what you're missing until you try it.
x2, like an old Lee on steroids the Ultimate.
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They used to be reasonably priced. Not the case anymore. Same with Habu. Both make great bows but at ridiculous prices. There are too many good bows out there to spend that much on one IMO.
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There are lots of bows that cost $1,500 plus these days (some only if you do some fancy customization). None of them disappoint.
My surprise is how some other really good bows don't cost that much. Some that surprise me with their "value" are the Fox High Sierra, Fox Maverick, and Rose Oak Ultra Delight.
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The cool thing about bows is there is something out there for everyone.
For some of us there's too much out there for us LOL!
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I've been fortunate to have picked up a couple used Bob Lees and am very pleased with their quality and performance. My dealings with the guys at BL have been very good......very pleasant and more than helpful.
They refinished a riser for me, customized the grip, and made a new set of limbs. I've called them numerous times with questions and both Rob and JJ have been very accommodating.
They make great bows and their longevity alone is quite a testament to that.
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Always shoot good for me. I have had several. Good investment.