PRODUCTION vs. CUSTOM BOWS

[frassettor]

[JRY309]

I think it is a personal choice of what you want in a bow,I have both custom and production bows.Just because a custom bow cost more doesn't mean it will shoot better then a production bow.My Martins shoot just as good or better then my custom bows.Most people like custom bows because it is made just for them,me included.For me I just love traditional bows and shooting them.I have over 20 longbows and need another one like I would need a hole in my head,but I just had to order me a new Zipper SXT just the way I wanted one.

[robtattoo]

Put it this way, I wouldn't trade you my $1000 Morrison for 10 $100 Martins  

Production bows are 'One Size Fits Most' Custom bows are 'This Size Fits You'

Not everybody is suited to a lot of production bows either. For those of us with longer drawlengths many, many proddy bows are simply unsuitable due to stacking. Not all mind you, just a good enough percentage that it can often work out cheaper to buy 1 custom that you know is right than several proddys that turn out to be no good. If you live near a good store with plenty of bows to try, great. If not, say because you live in a different country (    ) you can waste a lot of cash via other people's opinion & mail order.

[BobW]

Great trolling....

As for an answer, neither of the two you mentioned will pull properly to my 32"+ draw.

FWIW - Both of my customs added together are only slightly above your listed amount....

[Mr.Magoo]

I'm starting to feel bad for my poor Martin Mamba sitting in the rack.  I think I'll take it hunting this evening.

[cacciatore]

Most bowyers are very knowledge people that love their job try to improve their design and ability. For a custom bowyer is much more easy to make some changes and improvements of what it is for a bigger company.Most of them stand behind their product,use better material and put their faces on what they make. Rather than buying a factory bow I buy a old Bear or Martin,much better than the current models and at a much lower cost.

[owlbait]

I loved my old production bows. They served their purpose. But when I started shooting custom bows there was a noticable difference in performance and handshock. AS far as George's economic lesson, I prefer to support one family making custom bows then a CEO of a large manufacturer who is doling out the pay and not focused solely on traditional archery.

[buckeye_hunter]

Bought a custon Timberhawk for $550 to my specs and it shoots like a dream. For me personally I will go with the custom.

I would suspect that both the custom and the production bows shoot better than I can shoot them though!

In general a person can really make the arguement for or against either bow. Heck, there are guys with selfbows shooting off their hand that can outshoot most people. Those bows don't even have the performance qualities of the production bow.

To each his own, it always comes down to personal preference. I mean ... seriously.....think about it...why would you shoot a longbow, if you can shoot the FAR superior recurves out there?        

-Charlie

[GingivitisKahn]

Originally posted by buckeye_hunter:
I mean ... seriously.....think about it...why would you shoot a longbow, if you can shoot the FAR superior recurves out there?            

-Charlie

Trolling in an already troll-heavy thread... lol - I knew there was a good reason I liked you.

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I see this way. Just like anything else out in the world most of the time you are paying for the name.
We all know that Bear, Hill, Pearson are all Great Production bows. Some are up in to the $1,000 + range. Now go back 20+ years or so and they where half the price they are now. Why is that?

Well, those production bows are selling the name Bear, Hill and Pearson, plus paying all the employees that work for them.

Now thats not saying custom bows don't have to deal with all that. Look at Palmer bows. Mikes bows are made by Mike and coast $1,000+ Here you're paying for the name and the workmanship. I have shot a Palmer bow and I think it's a great bow, but I don't have the money for it. Would I get a palmer bow? Yes, if I had the money and I can say that about any other bowyers as well.

This all comes down to what You want. Just like some like the feel of a nice recurved bow over a Long bow and vice a versa. There is other bows I would like to get and will when I get the money. I even talked to Mike AKA Wingnut about a custom bow that can be really called a custom. The reason why is the color of woods I want in it and what I want written on it. Does that make that bow better then any other? Yes, & No. But the only person/persons that can truly answer that question will be the ones that shoot it and compeer it to another bow from another bowyer.

This all comes down to what you want and what you need from the bow. Like others have said, custom bows come in their draw length/weight not like the production bows come in what they make them in.

[Otto]

Originally posted by raideranch:
Why spend $1000+ on a custom bow when you can buy a Bear or Martin that performs just as well for half the price?  Most production bows also look great and last for decades. What do you think?

I think your original premise is flawed.

[Sixby]

This thread is like comparing a Chevy Corvair to a Porsche. Both weigh about the same . have about the same space,. Both will get you where you want to go. Both get great gas mileage. There is way too much difference though to compare the two. I absolutely guarantee you that if you pick up a 1500. Habu and a Bear Grizzly , both good bows , you \\\\\\\\\\ You would immediately detect tons of differenc in fit and finish. They would draw and shoot completely different.

Now if those two bows were both a Christmas present I'm sure that most of you guys that posted would pick the Grizzly , Just because the Habu is too nice.    Nottttttttttttt. To say differently could be construed to be disengenuous.

this thread is like comparing hamburger to a juicy tenderloin. Seriously. they both are meat. They both taste great. In fact they both came from a steer and maybe even the same steer. Cook the burger for everyone , well done and the tenderloin to your own taste. given the choice Most of you would take the 14 oz tenderloin over the 8 oz hamburger. I say most because I'm sure that there are partisans that would say we would take the hamburger (production bow) no matter what.

In fact what is going on here is a type of envy. Why not just be happy with what we have instead of putting down what someone else wants.

I build and sell very expensive custom bows. If the bowyers on here want to build a great bow for 500. thats fine with me. I put that much in materials in some of the bows I build. that said I don't put down custom bowyers that build bows for a lot less. That is their priority. If they would rather build three 500. bows instead of one 1500. bow thats great.
I like doing what I do. When I do this and its not an art form then I would not be doing it anymore. Bowbuilding is not my job , its something I do that is extremely important and good enough does not enter into that equasion.

[jeff w]

Fortunately I have been around long enough to know the answer to this question--keep arguing til you figure it out.

[Gordon martiniuk]

I own both and production bows do not compare with custom bows , custom bows have the wood you like the fit and finish and the smooth shooting I own 3 Jack Kemph bows ,if you were to shoot one of his bows you would know there is no question which are better < there are many bowyers that will give you so much more than production bows ever could ,, thats the reason there are so many fine bowyers out here they put there years of experence in every bow they make and stand behind them

[Zbearclaw]

I like mine, you like yours, what's the disagreement again?

I thought it was too cold for fishing, especially trolling!

[Sixby]

One thing a person could do that thinks custom bows cost too much is build one.

[Dave Bulla]

One thing a person could do that thinks custom bows cost too much is build one.

Now THAT is a good answer!!!

Like when someone asks a mechanic why it cost so much to change an engine.... Go ahead and change your own @%^$ engine and give me a call back to apologize.

[RLA]

Sixby said it all, perfectly!!

[Tatersalad]

Having built several bows my self and knowing the hours it took me to build a bow that ends up 1/3 as nice as a custom bow...its a wonder these guys stay in business.

Assuming 10 - 15 hours of labor to build a custom bow (in my case it took me about 20 hours on average) and the cost of wood/fiberglass...lets assume $150 in materials (proably on the low end given the costs of highend materials these days), and ignoring the cost of equipment and its maintenance (replainc blades, belts, etc)...they way i see it these guys are getting paid less than $57/hour.

Cost per hour = $1000 (Cost of bow) - 150 (cost of materials) = $850/15 (hours to build a bow) = $56.67!!!

Now lets put that into context...lawyers bill anywhere from $150 - $1,000/hour...and they sure don't give you a beautiful bow at the end of their 8 hour day...for roughly the same cost!

So where am i going with this....Support your Bowyers!!!

Check out the "Acadian Bow Build-along" thread on the PowWow to get an idea of the time and effort that go into a custom bow.

Michael

[Sixby]

Make the 57 closer to 20 and you got it right. Funny that even the bowyers do not count the cost of wood buying trips, glue, sandpaper, and all the bandsaw blades ect. I have actually taken to time to figure all these things out. Oh and actual time on one of my bows is 30 plus hours. A hand applied epoxy , hand rubbed oil finish takes a week. Hours of sanding and resanding. Of course I could just spray it three times. I do have all the equipment.

final analysis. I build bows simply because I love doing it. Thats the truth. I would imagine a lot of bowyers do the same thing. I do know one thing. It saddens me that other pro bowyers will jump in to the dogfight. I would not have even posted except for that.