SF limbs

[JohnK]

Centreshot have a couple of pairs of these in (both kinds), so I had a look over them last night. I thought I'd post my impressions in case they were of use to anyone.

The materials used to construct them do look similar to the W&W Everest Pro, although they have a different "feel". In fact, my overall impression of the limb was that it felt like a cheaper knock-off, both in terms of the materials used and the finish. Then again, I suppose that's why they're under £200.

Comparing Everest Pro limbs of the same length side by side, there is a marked difference in the curve of the limb. Where the Everest Pro has a fairly gradual curve, the SF limbs both have an almost straight section in the middle part of the limb, and curve a little more sharply towards the end. Standing them side by side, the Everest Pro seems shorter as it has a slightly great curve overall.

So in conclusion while the materials and laminate design appear similar to the Everest Pro, the curve definitely isn't. I didn't get the chance to draw them, so I can't comment on how they compared.

[Astinus]

Got asked for advice by a total newbie the other day, which limbs to purchase and he provided me a budget ... Already has a nice Hoyt riser, but is a tad unhappy with his wood/glass limbs.

I recommended the limbs I currently own, which are Hoyt M1's.

Had a chance to briefly shoot the new limbs from Sebastien Flute the other afternoon, only one end admittedly, but they just didn't feel right from the start... They aren't as smooth as a more expensive limb in my opinion, and they certainly weren't as flowing and consistent - seemed to stack up rather sharply as I reached my full draw length of 30", something my M1's are more relaxed about.

Maybe I'm just being grumpy, or maybe you do get what you pay for! Saying that, I own a SF riser and liked it a great deal more than Hoyt Matrix/Aerotech risers which I've regularly shot before.

[Shirt]

Originally Posted by Astinus

seemed to stack up rather sharply as I reached my full draw length of 30",

Strange, the ones I've looked at and had a quick play with were pretty smooth to shoot, and the quick and dirty "yank it to your ear" test, which is about 32-33", didn't show up any real stacking...

Maybe I was looking at a lucky pair!

[Astinus]

Maybe I'm just a grumpy bugger who's in love with Hoyt M1s At the end of the day it's all perception I guess. People should buy what feels right to them, not what some other person recommends. You're only going to hit the highest scores using equipment you're 110% comfortable with after all!

[JohnK]

Originally Posted by Shirt

Strange, the ones I've looked at and had a quick play with were pretty smooth to shoot, and the quick and dirty "yank it to your ear" test, which is about 32-33", didn't show up any real stacking...

Maybe I was looking at a lucky pair!

You could be right there; some limbs are like that. I've drawn 66in Synergy limbs past 30in and they felt fine, but the 70in ones I've drawn stacked like crazy.

[wingate_52]

I would be interested in a performance comparison between the 2 sets of limbs. I currently shoot 40# Winact and would idealy choose 42# carbon /foam limbs. No greater effort to pull and hold? 6# more power? Faster speed and a flatter trajectory and a compression of sightmarks!

[JohnK]

I haven't shot either of them, but the WinEX has a much sharper recurve than the SF limb (almost a direct copy of the Border TX recurve, as it happens) and is very likely to be faster than the SF.

However, your Winacts are extremely good limbs with an excellent pedigree (I think - but I can't be certain - that Oh Kyo Moon shot the world record 1379 FITA with them. He certainly won team gold with them in Sydney, and Yun Mi Jin won the double gold).

[Small Monkey]

I used to have winacts, and prefer the SF limbs I've moved on to.

They were for sale at over £200 at alternative when I last looked (They had them reduced from that as an introductory offer for a while, but still quoted that price)- and that's the price Tony from Custom Built said they were worth when I went there to try them. He said they were selling them cheaper because they could, and wanted to pass that on to the customer. He also said a lot of good things about their performance - if he hadn't thought they were worth buying, I'm sure he would have tried to sell me something more expensive from win & win or hoyt.

Of course, people are always going to go for limbs with "pedigree", but a good archer could shoot a winning score with the most basic equipment. What it comes down to, is that these limbs make buying a decent quality pair on a budget possible - without having to settle for something second hand.

Originally Posted by JohnK

In fact, my overall impression of the limb was that it felt like a cheaper knock-off, both in terms of the materials used and the finish.


I didn't get the chance to draw them, so I can't comment on how they compared.

So you don't like the way it looked, but you have no idea how they feel?
And price isn't everything - it doesn't guarantee bad or good quality.
(For a non-archery example, really expensive cars often have a reputation for breaking down a lot. Alpha-Romeo anyone?)

Originally Posted by wingate_52

I would be interested in a performance comparison between the 2 sets of limbs. I currently shoot 40# Winact and would idealy choose 42# carbon /foam limbs. No greater effort to pull and hold? 6# more power? Faster speed and a flatter trajectory and a compression of sightmarks!

I think WinEx are considered to be in the next band of limbs up from SF, along with Hoyt G3's. The SF limbs are more comparable to Everests, or possibly M1s.

[JohnK]

Originally Posted by Small Monkey

So you don't like the way it looked, but you have no idea how they feel?

Yes, that's right. What's your point? I never claimed to be a top archer or a top bowyer. I'm simply starting up a topic of conversation that interested parties can read or contribute to, hopefully in a non-adversarial manner.

And price isn't everything - it doesn't guarantee bad or good quality. (For a non-archery example, really expensive cars often have a reputation for breaking down a lot. Alpha-Romeo anyone?)

No indeed. However, a car is a far more complex machine that a bow limb, and there's a lot more to go wrong.

[Small Monkey]

It wasn't a point, it was a question. I didn't mean to come off as adversarial either, sorry if I did! I read your post as being quite harsh towards the limbs, and I wanted to clear that up.

And the car was a random example - as your post did seem a little fixated on the price of the limb.