Sagittarius

Jeff,

Do I let what others buy influence me ?
Well, since no one shoots equipment as good as mine, I would say the answer is obvious.
And remember this...
I' ve said it before and it looks like I have to say it again.
" If you' re not shooting the equipment Ol' Sag is shooting, you' re not shooting the best" !
Don' t forget it either, fellas.


Sag.

Matt / PA

I' d have to say that honestly the only influence fellow posters have on my buying habits come in the form of products that I would not normally try because I am set in a certain ' Comfort Zone' of gear. If I hear enough of a good thing that I think might fit my style of shooting or hunting it might (and has) persuade me to at least get my hands on the product in question. I tend to make my own decisions from there and VERY VERY rarely do I buy things blind.

I take many " endorsements with a grain of salt........no offense to this type of guy , but its very easy to see the member who has limited knowledge of a wide variety of a certain product , be it bows, arrows etc. Its hard to get excited about a memebr who is gushing about how quiet, shock free and fast etc. his new bow is when their last one was a PSE G-Force in 1996. Not saying the person doesn' t have a right to tell the world how proud he/she is of their new purchase........its just that this type of post doesn' t get me too god awful fired up.
The posts that carry more weight for me are the ones that include gear I' ve tried against a new product in a head to head type honest comparison........my opinion might not ultimately be the same, but its gonna get my interest. And when a person can evaluate the good AND bad of a product it shows a deeper vein of thought above and beyond the " New Toy Syndrome"

I' ll go word of mouth entirely from people I trust.......the only good I find in Magazine ads are the initial pictures many times in advance of the " whatever" hitting shop shelves.

Oh I' d say about 95%. Seriously......Unless its someone I know personally its tough to listen. I' m not gullible that' s for sure.

I can usually tell when someone is " Out There" ........it pays to have some well rounded knowledge, and ask plenty of questions. If the guy is full of it you' ll be able to tell.
I would be more inclined to listen to a staff member who gives a " well rounded" view of the product, what it can AND can' t do and who should be using it.
If its being touted as the absolute BEST in any situation, for EVERY person you' ve probably already lost me.
If it' s an buddy I trust who has knowledge of many products within that category saying that........Oh yeah I' m listening!

Not much at all........I' m kind of a loner in this regard. I usually tend to research a product on my own and if it works or I think it will work I' ll give it a whirl. Not too concerned about what the next guy is shooting.
I See much more of this in the loyal " Shop" guys, who take for gospel whatever the particular shop owner recommends........usually it doesn' t vary much. I see much more variety in gear from the guys who tend to work on their own bows.


Hmmmmmmmmm...... I wonder what product you are referring to when you say:

muzzyman88

This message board is responsible for single handedly making me about bankrupt at times. Seriously though, I take a look at all opinions on something I' m interested in on here first before I make a final decision.

Most of my purchases are made on past experience of what worked, didn' t work and so forth. If I remember a certain sight design that gave me problems (didn' t hold up to hunting conditions ect.) I' ll keep that in mind whenever I buy another and carefully look it over, scour all available post on here, then make a decision.

This place is an awesome site to get this kind of info.

JeffB

Good stuff guys..keep it coming.


Matt...You know that I know that you know what I' m talking about

Dacotah

Opinions greatly affect what I buy. I also filter those opinions. It doesn' t take long to figure out who is knowledgeable and who isn' t. 5-shot' s broadhead tests are the best info on the subject I can find. And your bow reports, JeffB, rank up there with the best reviews available...as opposed to 4 1/2 stars from Petersons. But I' m going to keep shooting Martins anyway. lol

PABowhntr

1) How much of an influence do your fellow posters have on your buying habits?

Some. There have been a few bows I purchased based solely on the recommendation of folks from the various forums. Most of it has to do with availability though. If I cannot at least find one shop in the area that carries that particular piece of equipment then I usually won' t buy it....bows excluded ofcourse.

2) Do you find that your fellow posters good experiences are more often correct than not in your case?

Yes, but it really depends on personal preference in my case. For example, many folks on these forums are very happy with their Muzzy Zero Effect rests. I tried one once and found them to be durable, easy to use and reliable. However, they did not fall into what I like to have in terms of a " compact" hunting setup so I sold mine. A good design, yes, but not to my tastes.

3) Are you more inclined to go with word of mouth advertising (like here on HBBS), commercial advertising (from the manufacturer), or pro-shop recommendation?

I have to make a differentiation here as well. When it comes to bows I can and do buy sight unseen based solely on specs. Accessories are another matter entirely. Usually I find something that works well with my setup and continue to use it from bow to bow. It normally takes quite a bit of persuasion from you folks on these forums to get me to try a new accessory...and only if someone can convince me that it is more beneficial than what I am currently using. Magazine ads only let me know that the product is out there...not necessarily how good it is.

4) To what degree are you skeptical of people promoting product who work for the company, are staff shooters, or sell the products for a living? A lot? A little?

Somewhat skeptical but not entirely. I judge people just like everyone else. What I use to separate fact from hype is the person' s personality and intelligence. Are they open minded? Are they willing to accept criticism and suggestions for overall improvement? Do they understand other designs on the market and how their product compares to them?, etc.....

Heck Jeff, I know never to trust your first impressions as you are always excited about whichever new bow you get..... I usually give it a week or two and if you are still excited then I know it must be a good product...


5) In relation to number 4: Even if that “biased individual” (cause they sell the product or work with/for the company in some manner) is also making constructive criticisms about said product, are you less likely to dismiss the product?

See number 4.

6) How influential are your hunting buddies on your buying decisions? Do you tend to gravitate towards the same gear that they have or vice-versa? (I see this all the time @ the shop I help out at)


Not at all. I tend to be the guinea pig on just about every piece of hunting gear we use...whether it be bows and accessories, camo clothing, ground blinds, treestands or whatever. I normally end up being the litmus test in terms of what they end up using. Heck, most of the bows they are shooting are actually ones that I owned at some time or other.

One further comment about the survey in general. The internet has become a very powerful tool both in terms of advertising and communicating experiences with equipment. 5 years ago there was not any active representatives from any bow companies let alone accessory and other hunting related companies. But in those last 5 years I have seen someone from just about every major bow company and quite a few of the other archery related manufacturers chime in from time to time.

Think that your opinion does not carry weight? Think again.

Sagittarius

Jeff,

On a more serious note...
I admit, I was inspired to order my first Merlin by the posts of Pinwheel 12, Field 14, Black Frog, RobVos and MauiWes.
I had seen Merlin at the 99' Indy Shoot here in Louisville.
I thought they were beautiful bows but was afraid to buy one because they were made in England and I wasn' t familiar enough with them at the time.
Afraid I might not be able to get parts or service at the time.
I learned otherwise later and love my two Merlin bows.
Saw the Bowman at the same shoot and the rest is history, as they say.
I discovered AEP Stabilizers, HTM sights and Bodoodle Pro-500 arrow rests on my own and they were my favorites and are still among my favorites today.
But I' m not as closed minded as I might seem to some.
I like the new Barnsdale Bows and CBE sights real well and might get one in the future.
Talked to Pat (Bowtech Shooter) at Bedford last May.
I looked at Pat' s Bowtechs and was impressed with them.
Mathews finish used to be much superior to Bowtech, imo.
But the Bowtech bows at Bedford had surpassed Mathews and looked pretty good.
If I didn' t shoot Merlin and Bowman bows, I would definitely consider one of the new Bowtechs.
It was great meeting and talking to you at Bedford, Pat.
Haven' t seen you post much lately; hope you' re doing well.
Glad to see you too, Frank.
Guess your little guy is still keeping you busy.


Sag.

BowTech_Shooter

Sag,

It was nice to meet you too. Finally...

I' m not on the boards as much as I used to be since I got a full time job with BowTech back in March... I' m on the road quite a bit now and I was even in your neck of the woods not too long ago... Louisville, KY., during rush hour traffic, pulling a 33 ft. 5th wheel trailer, through a construction zone= Headache....

Hope you stop by the booth next year at Bedford again so we can shoot the bull some more... I really enjoyed it...

FWIW, I' ve met a good number of people from this and other boards in my travels... So far all have been great/neat people to talk to in many different ways and I hope to meet more as time goes on...

If anyone from the boards is ever at a show, shoot or PBR that I' m at, stop by and introduce yourselves...

Antler Eater

Perhaps some. It depends on who is saying what. I play with a lot of different products on my own anyway, but if someone I feel is knowledgeable makes a recommendation that I haven' t looked at yet I will certainly take a look at the product when possible.

Not always. Again it depends on who that person is. In an environment like this, everyone is an " expert" .


I think a lot depends on the product. For example with a bow I can look at the specs and know if I am interested or not. I usually wouldn' t buy one unless I shot it however. Accessories are a little different. Word of mouth, especially from someone I feel knows what they are talking about is very powerful.

Skeptical? Me?!! Are you kidding? When it comes to making a subjective call I am always skeptical, especially when there is money involved. Whenever I see or hear someone making a claim based on emotion for brand x versus what the facts show, my " skepto-meter" goes off the charts.

I would be more inclined to at least listen to the person if I felt he or she was presenting both the positives and the negatives of the product.

What my buddy likes I might not care for. It is a good thing too, because if I had to have everything they did I would have to many girl friends. Certainly if one of my friends asks me to try something I normally would. But I still use products that I feel best suit my style. It seems like there is always one person who feels like you should be using everything he is, because of course what he uses is " the best" . How irritating.

loner

being on the verge of retirement,i am not likely to make many purchases on new and exciting things.i have about every thing i need to hunt deer or turkey with exception of camo,boots,gloves,calls etc.i never get to old to pick up fresh ideas or to take advantage of a good tip.