[goldflight]

As a supplier of Boyton Scots Pine shafts, I feel that I have to come in and add some information here.
I've been a big fan of POC since 1989 and, until recently, would not have used an alternative. I started my archery business 2 years ago and specialise in traditional wooden arrows and leatherwork. I've been using POC to make arrows but noticed that the quality has declined to such an extent that I now consider them unsuitable for making quality arrows.
I found the following...........
1/ Many shafts were warped. Because POC has a good memory, they needed straightening four or five times - even then, many returned to been warped.
2/ The grain direction was poor on approx. 30 %.
3/ Ends crumbled when tapered.
4/ Splits
5/ Inconsistant finish - some having a semi gloss finish, some matt, this made it difficult to achieve an even stain colour as some were more porous than others.
6/ Spine - Oh dear - I checked a set of 12 30/35 POC shafts to find that 2 spined at 20, one at 25 and four between 37 and 40. five were ok.

After a recent price increase I decided that enough was enough, I was'nt going to pay more for poor shafts that needed an ever increasing ammount of work to produce decent consistant arrows.
I tried some Boytons last year when certain spines of POC ran out and found them to be much easier to work with - and they shot well. They were stronger and straighter, the few that needed a tweak only needed it once. Tapered cleaner. Grain - you couldn't wish for much better. Finish - very consistant and stains well.
Spine - if the bundle says 30/35 - that's what they are. No split shafts.
Weight - slightly heavier than POC by 40 grains on a 5/16 shaft - not a bad thing and their extra strengh makes them very suitable for field archery.

I was so impressed with the quality that I became a supplier a few months ago. Many customers have expressed the same complaints with POC and are now firm fans of Boytons, many returning for more.
For your information - Boyton Scots Pine is not just ordinary pine, it's Scandinavian grown and is also known as Norway pine, Silver Fir and Red Deal. Red Deal was the timber recommended above all others by Horace Ford in his 1856 book - Archery, Its Theory and Practice.
Chris painstakingly selects the most suitable timber and produces these superb shafts in his workshop with a high standard of quality control. BTW - Chris is one of the UK's top bowyers and was involved in the Mary Rose findings. He has also appeared several times on TV on matters relating to ancient archery.
I personally check EVERY shaft for straightness, grain, condition and spine before dispatch and are generally within 1 or 2 spines of each other. Try asking most dealers to do this for you.
I hope that this has answered a few questions.

Dennis - Goldflight Archery.