BobCo19-65

rdy2hnt, I like theMOAB a lot. But, I think if I did it over again, I'd go with a different model. The shortness of the bow (60") is something that I'm not used to. Not that it doesn't draw nice, it's more that I just can't feel those shortlimbs working much as I'd like. It's fussy. Just a preference though. The finish is amazing. It's a very flat type finish, but still shows off the grain of the wood nicely. It caught my eye right away.

Brett/IL

Bob,
The finish is a conversion polyurethane. It goes on as a lacquer and after five hours, give or take, it converts to a poly. That allows the finish to lay as glass smooth as a lacquer while remaining as durable as a poly. All coats must be applied in that five hour window, after time is up, if you try to apply another coat it causes the finish to wrinkle like you can't believe. The application abilityre-opens after five full days at approx. 70 degrees and low humidity. We have never found a finish that is more resilient to moisture and temperature change as this one is. It is amazing stuff. I was taking a training course at the factory where it is made and the owner of the company showed us a Thunderstick that the company had made and sent to him in appreciation for making such a great product. I thought that was pretty cool. Sorry I hijacked your thread, but I thought you might find this interesting.

BobCo19-65

No problem rdy2hnt, I appreciate the information. And Jim Reynolds is a great person. His appreciation showed in his gesture. I know that he also donates a lot of bows to charity. As an example of his honesty to me, he called just before shipping my bow and told me there was a problem. I guess he let a tiny sliver of wood get under the glass. He said if I accepted the bow he would give me $50 off. I agreed to at least look at it before giving him an answer. To tell you the honest truth, I do not know where that sliver is (but he did). I asked him where it was and he told me, only I still couldn't see it with 20/20 vision. Did he have to tell me about it - absolutely not. Of course I kept the bow.

Oh, and when I said, I might have choosen a different model, I meant a different one ofHIS models.

Brett/IL

That is customer service in it's purest sense. I would love to shoot one of his bows sometime. I only had the chance to hold the one I mentioned earlier and it was gorgeous.
Back on topic, the Chek Mate bows impress me more and more each day. As everyone knows, this is all still new to me, but I shot with a gentleman this afternoon who owns a Black Widow recurve and after shooting his bow next to mine, I would take mine in a second! I am NOT brand bashing and I am aware that like anything else, this is a personal preference thing. I just could not believe that a bow, costing hundreds more than mine, did not impress me more. I felt like mine was more quiet and had far less hand shock. The Widow was definitely better looking than mine and faster, but not enough to convince me it was worth the extra money.
You will have to let us all know what you think when yours comes in. I will be anxious to hear what you think.

Whitehair

Congrats on the new bow...you might have it in time to catch a late season!

BobCo19-65

Hey Hey Hey, it's here!!! I just had enough time this morning to get the package from the Post Office and open it this morning. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to tie a nock on and shoot it. But I can tell you that it is gorgeous!!!

The riser is purple heart and has two accent stripes of ossage. It has red-elm limbs with black glass and has purple heart overlays on the riser and tips.

Can't wait to shoot it.

I'm off next week and will get some picks and put it through the ringer.

Brett/IL

Congrats! Can't wait to hear how it shoots and see some pics.

Talondale

Bob, how's it going with your form changes? Post some pics man!

bigcountry

I would like to see some pics myself. I am considering one or a zipper extreme. Not sure if I can shell out the cash for the zipper.

BobCo19-65

I'll get some pics very soon. It is really a beautiful bow. And it zings arrow surprizingly well. It it a little sensitive to spine IMO, and I had to do some experimentation. It settled in with some 2216's with 145-150 grain tip. Very quiet with that setup. I planning on putting some Bow Hushes on it though to stop the string slap (that's the only noise I hear).

In general though, I feel I got a lotmore bow then what I paid for. That's my general impression.

Pics coming soon.