HighBow

As one of the testing staff, I'm sitting here reading the remarks with just a few thoughts of what it took to do this test. This challenge came about from the bragging of Champion bows, now Mike and his staff did all they could with what they have at no cost to anyone other than himself, DO YOU SEE ANY OTHER BOW SHOP WILLING TO PROVIDE THE FREE INFORMATION HE DOES ON LINE?
This was just a fun experience and you seem to call biased from those who took part. Mr Parks is a member of our archery club and even if his opinion was the opposite of the rest he still has that right. Having shot about every brand of bow out there on a national market , PSE for 12 years , HC for 10, and Bowtech for 3 yrs, I'm not considering myself to be biased. I shoot what I feel is thebest bow for bowhunting first and 3-D second. I would recommend the Champion or Bowtech to a friend but I would also give my finding when I tested. You may note that in doing these test the shooters came in cold , no warm up test firing, I had worked 10 hours that day and I'm sure several of the others had. The setup was the same for each shooter, I normally shoot less poundage and shorter draw. My point is , THIS TEST WAS AS GOOD OR BETTER Than many reports you see in magazines who receive $$$$$ from the companies for ads in their pages. Biased, I Don't think so. Have a great Holiday Season

PABowhntr

It definitely was a good article in my opinion. I enjoyed reading it quite a bit...both for the factual information and the subjective opinions of the individuals involved.

DaveC

I just read it for the first time and found it an enjoyable read also.

I wish I hadn't though, halfway through I found myself thinking- " I should call my bowtech dealser just to see if he has a Liberty I can shoot, couldn't hurt just to shoot one........"[:'(] get out of my head!!

Big Country

HighBow, thank`s for the testing info. I thought the test was pretty well thought out myself.

IMO, when testing any bow, some objectivity is important. Strictly data testing can not measure certain things about a bow.

I personally would much rather see a test like yours over an Emory Louselle test. Heck, he never tested a bow that was not fantastic. And I has shot just about every bow he ever tested. Some of them, I would not suggest to my worst enemy!

While it did seem like one of your testers was really leaning towards the Champion bow, thats the way it goes. Everybody does not like the same type of setup.

Thank`s again for the test.

HighBow

Big Country , Dave and PA you are welcome. I think this is the type of results that all new bows on the market should receive. From the hunters view or a 3-D shooter, there are things one may pickup on that others wouldn't. Could I honestly give a straight opinion on any brand, I think so without a doubt.

Straightarrow

Highbow,

I believe that you think you were unbiased, however, we are all biased. Each and everyone of us has biases with our equipment. Some are swayed by looks (design), others, by speed, some by smoothness or quietness. It probably isn't even on a conscious level, but we all make decisions that are biased. That is why I suggest testing that does not involve subjective results. Notice how most of the testers preferred the design of the Bowtech, yet I think the parallel limb designs are "butt-ugly" (as Arthur put it). Why should it be awareded any credit because of the design biases of the testers? Does design preference sway opinions - you bet it does. It's easy to see or feel something negative if you're looking for it. I say, find a method to measure the forward jump or the hand shock, but don't ask an opinion. It will most definitely be biased.

Also, why the "10 point must" system? Why not have some ties? When a category is a statistical dead heat, don't award the fractional winner a point that is weighted the same as another category that may be a far more important consideration. How is that fair?

The testing was a step in the right direction, but it needs some refining. Some categories are far more important then others. Design the testing to reflect this, and eliminate the subjective categories. I also noticed that the Bowtech was awareded points for smoothness and efficiency (which it deserved), but why was their no consideration given to total energy output or total speed? Of course, a bow designed to put out more speed is going to be less easy on the draw. To many people, the speed and kinetic energy provided, are important, yet the test didn't credit the bow which had obtained the most in this area.

I could go on and on, but I think you get my point. It's a good start, but no one should make their decision to buy either bow, based on the winner of a test using this exact method.

HighBow

Straight, point taken, but the test we performed was not about speed or selling someone a bow. You must realize that this was a dual cam versus a solo cam. I new from the start that this would make a difference in how each bow felt and anyone around bows for a few years would too. True there may be room for improvement in the testing process but give us credit- we made a good attempt at relaying the results to the public.
Maybe it would have been best to have gone to WAl-Mart and ask one of their dept heads for information on a bow- I THINK NOT.

HotLZ

HighBow,

That was an excellent test, and I loved reading it. I would really like to see more reports like this one, rather than the canned ones in the mags. Thanks for taking the time to do it.

Rod

JOE PA

I enjoyed reading the comparison. I really don't think the Champion came off as a bad bow in any way. As far as the subjective parts of the test were concerned, it is up to the reader to interpret them as they wish. Some of the testers seemed to be pretty objective, others seemed to be blatantly biased. Actually, everyone has at least a small amount of bias as far as archery equipment is concerned. Sometimes, those who are biased are very good at making their arguments seem objective and fair, when there is actually more to their position than meets the eye. The guys who are so blatatly biased that they make almost no attempt to conceal it, well it's kind of a no-brainer what to do with those opinions.

HighBow

JOE PA you are correct, we didn't say the Champion that no one wouldn't want to buy, it just showed the opinions of those who shot both bows, could I recommend both bows, yes, do I have one that feels the best to ME, yes. That is one reason that Mike wanted different shooters to show up and take part in this. Glad you liked it and Mike will be glad to know you liked it.