Samick Extreme vs. Border TXB

[Random_guy]

Try before you buy is the one thing that i think shops have over buying online. Don't get me wrong, i respect how much work a lot of shops and shop staff put into making sure their customer gets whats right for them, but the biggest advantage they have is letting the customer try different combos and find what's right for them.

I am lucky in that at the local club there is a large enough variety of equipment and a large enough wealth of knowledge and experience that there is little that a shop could offer extra, and as such i buy my equipment online. However, if there were the equipment to try but not the experience, i'd probably still buy online, whilst using sources such as the internet etc. to find out the information i need.

Now, if i could not try the equipment before hand then i would probably go to a shop in order to try it. If a shop could not offer the 'try before you buy' service, then i wouldn't bother, and would still buy online, as it would make little difference to me.

It is harsh when ppl do as has been described here and figure out what they want, lowering the value of a shop's stock in the process, only to buy online to save money (and depending on the product, shop and the online retailer, that saving can be A LOT more than £10-£15!). And i can understand this causing retailers to stop the 'try before you buy service', but i would have thought that would cause them to lose even more buissness to the internet.

[WhitehartFB]

Originally Posted by Random_guy

It is harsh when ppl do as has been described here and figure out what they want, lowering the value of a shop's stock in the process, only to buy online to save money (and depending on the product, shop and the online retailer, that saving can be A LOT more than £10-£15!). And i can understand this causing retailers to stop the 'try before you buy service', but i would have thought that would cause them to lose even more buissness to the internet.

I don't think that any shop will ever stop try before you buy options, just don't be surprised if for out of the norm items or specs, some level of commitment is required from the customer not necessarily to buy but at least some level of integrity.
We live in a world where good and bad information is available at the click of a button and spread around just as fast it's amazing what miss-information people believe. Just ask any Doctor of the problems the internet causes every day. Just remember that without the shops, archery would over time die on it's feet. Nobody to kit out beginners correctly (which is the main advice given on this forum) and the only opportunity for archers to find out if new kit was any good would be for somebody to bite the bullet and buy it first.
Can you imagine Hoyt releasing the Nexus and the only way anyone would see, shoot or get their hands on it would be to buy it blind from a picture on the internet. Even with the option to visit shops just think about how much redundant kit we all have sometimes bought on a whim to get higher scores and all it does is sit in a cupboard you may have saved a few quid buying it on the internet but it's not much of a saving if it's not suitable.

What works for one might not suit another archer and how many club archers are prepared to hand over their prized bow, stabiliser system, sight arrows etc or allow somebody re set the draw length, peep sight and weight of a compound for a fellow club member to shoot on a club night for an hour or two just so they can test it out whilst they sit idly by.

[Random_guy]

Originally Posted by Whitehart

how many club archers are prepared to hand over their prized bow, stabiliser system, sight arrows etc or allow somebody re set the draw length, peep sight and weight of a compound for a fellow club member to shoot on a club night for an hour or two just so they can test it out whilst they sit idly by.

Well, compound is a bit of a different kettle of fish, and an hour or two is a bit long (but weren't we just discussing how you CAN'T try things out for that long in shop without buying them?!) but pretty much all the guys at our club are willing to let others try stuff out. In fact the local non-uni club has organised a day tomorow for novices to try out the senior archers' equipment so they can get a feel for what they might want to buy! So the answer is, quite a few if they're nice people!

[WhitehartFB]

Originally Posted by Random_guy

Well, compound is a bit of a different kettle of fish, and an hour or two is a bit long (but weren't we just discussing how you CAN'T try things out for that long in shop without buying them?!) but pretty much all the guys at our club are willing to let others try stuff out. In fact the local non-uni club has organised a day tomorow for novices to try out the senior archers' equipment so they can get a feel for what they might want to buy! So the answer is, quite a few if they're nice people!

And if everyone bought off the internet that's how it would have to be for everyone.

[Random_guy]

I don't mean to cause offence. As i said before i have a great respect for the service that pro-shops provide. My original point is that the main thing that the shops have to provide that the internet service doesn't is the try before you buy aspect. Since i do not require this service i do not use pro-shops. There are many people out there who do (and as you quite rightly pointed out, new equipment has to be tried first by SOMEBODY) and for that reason, along with the overall customer service, pro-shops are a highly valued part of the archery community in this country.

But i do worry that they'd be putting the shops (and the owners livelyhoods) in jeopardy if they limit this service to much.

[Stretch]

If a shop has something in stock and they won't let me try it then I won't buy it and you should do the same. Their policy on testing usually gets better if your credit card is leaving the building undented.

The best option of course is to build a relationship with the dealer.

If a shop can't tape up a set of limbs and set up a riser in a way that no cosmetic damage is done then that is their own fault. For starters they'd find that the tennis racket protection tape like that made by Babolat works a lot better than parcel tape I have a set of Samick Extremes that have had at least 3,000 arrows shot off them and they are still pristine.

Stretch

[Kae]

Originally Posted by Whitehart

Hi Rik this also works both ways, unfortunately in the UK most archers do not tend to buy over 38lb limbs holding 40/41lbs. So with all the options available it is very expensive to hold stock that might not move for a few months when the items can be sourced within a few days.

It's not the insistance that you have to buy them it's the problem after you have shot them that dealers face. We all like the idea of try before you buy but on many occassions after trying the limbs and rejecting them it can be difficult for the dealer to re sell as although they may have only shot 50 or so arrows the tell tail string marks and even with protective tape the odd scratch on the pocket end renders them second hand to many archers and clammering for a discount. I have even had some body after watching me set up a brand new bow ask for another handle and limbs to take away. The biggest problem though is that archers will arrange a trial, shoot the limbs reject them as not being suitable yet the next time you see them shooting they have bought the limbs on the internet saving £10/15 with no consideration to the dealer and the costs involved in getting the stuff in and providing the facilities to try them out. So it is no wonder that dealers look to protect their livelyhood.

My limbs (medium 42# XP10's) were on the shelf for almost three years, after a customer defaulted on payment. But they were there for me (Stored carefully I hasten to add, and fully checked by Sid before I purchased them ).

[Rik]

Originally Posted by Whitehart

Hi Rik this also works both ways, unfortunately in the UK most archers do not tend to buy over 38lb limbs holding 40/41lbs. So with all the options available it is very expensive to hold stock that might not move for a few months when the items can be sourced within a few days.

It's not the insistance that you have to buy them it's the problem after you have shot them that dealers face. We all like the idea of try before you buy but on many occassions after trying the limbs and rejecting them it can be difficult for the dealer to re sell as although they may have only shot 50 or so arrows the tell tail string marks and even with protective tape the odd scratch on the pocket end renders them second hand to many archers and clammering for a discount.

I can understand the dealers' attitudes, to some extent. If I were saying that I wanted to play around with some limbs, that's one thing. But when I tell them that I want to buy some limbs, but insist on trying them first...

The problem from the consumer's point of view is that limbs aren't all the same. If you don't try the pair you're going to buy, you can't tell that they are going to work for you. Turns it into a lottery. So you buy some limbs without trying, and find they aren't quite right. Slightly over or under weight. Stick a little in your riser. What do you do then?

[WhitehartFB]

Originally Posted by Rik

I can understand the dealers' attitudes, to some extent. If I were saying that I wanted to play around with some limbs, that's one thing. But when I tell them that I want to buy some limbs, but insist on trying them first...

The problem from the consumer's point of view is that limbs aren't all the same. If you don't try the pair you're going to buy, you can't tell that they are going to work for you. Turns it into a lottery. So you buy some limbs without trying, and find they aren't quite right. Slightly over or under weight. Stick a little in your riser. What do you do then?

Sometimes it's a tough one to call for a shop as the instances described earlier are happening more frequently, but to be honest and in most cases limbs are bought in specially as part of the customer service and the customer does tend to walk out with them happy, especially if they are Samick Extemes. Just wanted to put forward the other side of the coin.