Rangeball

Through another 30 fps on that puppy, and you' d be right

Bowtech is in the mix, as is Merlin and Darton, or doing nothing...

I' m saving my drool until I see all the new ' 04s from those 3 companies. But the saliva' s definitely ah movin' ...

Black Frog

jholtz7-

Give " Arrowsmiths" a call in Lake Geneva. For some reason they aren' t listed on Bowtechs Dealer list, but they ARE a Bowtech dealer.

Tony is the shop owners name: 262-249-9933

prof907

Good looking bow. Can' t wait till Aussie gets one. Then I can try his out![>:]

Toby from MO

The bow looks awesome but where did the speed go? I just hope they are advertising " conservative" speed numbers. If so, then I' m interested. If not, then it becomes a difficult choice between the “status quo”.

I might get hung for this but oh well. Over the past few years Bowtech has won my support and future interest because in my opinion they have been the trend setter. They have “engineered” the ability to generate raw speed from a very quiet and shootable bow. The only thing they may have been lacking is a “hypnotized” following of customers entranced by gimmick marketing, “straight-line cams”, “cam ½”, “Tec Risers” and “Roller Guards”…blah blah blah…who cares!!!!!! I’m in the market for a new bow and after putting off buying a new bow last year I had hoped that Bowtech would repeat past progress this ’04 and silence the critics, as well as, seal the deal for my new bow. Needless to say, this is not what I had hoped for from Bowtech. Every manufacturer on the market will have this same bow.

walks with a gimp

Don' t give up yet Toby!!! We haven' t seen them all you know, there' s about 15 more to come[8D] Did anyone else notice that the Patriot Dually now comes in 31 inch draw??? Also the Patriot single looks like it' s faster and in 80 pounds[]

JeffB

Toby,

Someone else over on the Bowfight..errr Bowsite....voiced the same concern as you...

here is what I posted there...

" I think you may be getting the wrong impression on the new line, shtr.

The speed is still going to be there as well as shotability as it always has been. These new F-cam bows are simply a new " family" of bows under the BowTech brand that emphasize extreme smoothness. Another option for someone who may not like a heavy draw cycle, or who does not feel the need for speed, but otherwise likes the BowTEch design, quality, and service after the sale.

They are NOT replacing the other bows, so much as complimenting them so as to have a broader fan/customer base. It' s only 3 models that have the new F-cam.

Nearly all of the existing models are also getting upgrades for more speed, less recoil, noise, and shock as well.I' m not sure how anyone could see that as being a bad thing ) "

Toby from MO

JeffB,

Thanks for the correction and you are right, they do continue to have a great line-up of fast, shoot able bows. The problem for me is that, had I made a purchase last year, the Extreme VFT would’ve been by bow of choice, I decided I would wait. Now this year I’m still shooting the same bow, the Extreme VFT hasn’t changed and I don’t like the new offerings. I guess I’ll wait another year, again.

I don’t mean to sound bitter but I guess I had my own preconceived idea of what I wanted to see. My ideas were actually these same type changes but to the Extreme VFT and without losing any speed. I understand the concept of broadening customer base but I don’t think Bowtech should “stray” to far from their bread and butter, their niche, that is “shoot able speed”, its what no other company can reliably offer. Especially to dive neck deep into a “smoothness competition” when your two biggest competitors for the “smoothness” title are the two biggest in the industry. Bowtech better be very careful too not allow a line to be drawn separating their product line between smooth or fast, Mathews will eat that up by offering their smooth and fast model, why choose one when you can have both. If I’m forced to read that this year I’ll puke.

JeffB

Toby,

All valid concerns.

I too am surprised the ExVFT didn’t get an upgrade this year. I suspect it’s still the best bang for the buck in the line: fastest solo they offer, and I suspect without new risers and pockets, it will be less expensive than the Liberty/Pat VFT, etc.. Perhaps by speeding up and upgrading the Patriot single cam they felt upgrading the ExVFT (and a similar increase in price) may cause the two to Butt-heads among dealers when it comes order time? I don’t know :shrug: Beyond my realm of knowledge.

As far as going up against the big boys:

WOOHOO! I think it’s great, and a smart business move. If BowTech can put a Liberty in a consumers hands, and it shoots more quietly, smoother, as fast or faster, and costs relatively the same as brand X or Brand Y, then they will start taking sales away from X or Y, and increase their market share. Beat ‘em at their own game, IOW. They have already shown they can deliver on the speed, but it’s a sad fact that many folks..even here on these boards equate speed with the “fast miss” myth. Those numbers on the chrono don’t always mean “poor accuracy” as you well know. I shoot my BowTechs as or more accurately on a consistent basis than any other brand, big or small, fast or slow (But I’m a sucky shot anyways so it really doesn’t matter ). That’s why they have become my brand of choice, when for many years I shot everything under the sun, and was never really happy in the overall picture.

These new F-cam bows are not only designed to take sales away, but introduce people to all that’s good about BowTech: construction, accuracy, shootability, service, etc; not just numbers rolling up high on the chrono. There are a HUGE percentage of archers, here on these boards, and not online who just don’t care what speed their bows shoots or somewhat unconcerned. These bows are designed for them, and the guys who like good performance but said performance is secondary in nature to silence and smoothness. In addition, this is what many folks have asked BowTech for! They listen very intently to their fan/customer base. And I can guarantee they are seeing your concerns here on this thread (and not just Pat, either). Several of the people at the factory check out all the major message-boards, and as we have seen Kevin himself is even posting on occasion.

Now as far as the other new models, If they don’t personally float your boat..well…not much that can be done about that this year I’m sorry to say, but I also don’t think they have ignored the performance aspect/market either with several bows speeded up in the line. The specs might not be exactly what you want though and I understand that. I’ve had that problem w/ Hoyt & Darton in particular for years; I never could get the A to A, brace, and speeds I wanted on the riser/limb combo I liked: “If they just would build…”


Radman,

I’m working on finding out about the cam-lean. I’m curious myself.

Grndzr,

Check with your dealer for target color info. There are new colors I believe, but only on certain models. Don’t quite me on that, I don’t know details

Rack-attack

I dunno - kind of middle of the road - blah - if you ask me.

Nothing jumps out except the weight - almost 4 lbs

Just another 300 fps bow.

I am sure its nice - but not a flagship bow - by a stretch

Toby from MO

JeffB,

Exactly what did they change on the Patriot? With the increased speed there that may be one to look at, it even has nice tall brace height.