"you don't have to pay an arm and a leg.." haha I've just started the sport and find your instructional videos the best by far on the internet as a whole. Keep up the great work Thank you !
Nu- year 2 in my archery journey and I just wanted to thank you- you have no idea how helpful your videos are amidst all the noise and misinformation and ignorance. If you are ever in Austin, look me up- you are owed at least a pint and a place to crash for free!
When you consider limbs at higher price ranges here are a few other considerations: - Can you shoot 1300 with wood glass limbs on a twisted magnesium riser, with minimal limbs adjustment? Yes. Of course one wood need to be world class, but it is possible. -There aren't just cheap/expensive, bad/good, beginner/advanced limbs. There are a wide range of limbs, some are 90% as good as the "beast limbs", and half the price of the best limbs. - How do average wood glass limbs today compare to wood glass premium limbs of the past. Not sure, but my guess is since it is a relatively easy product to make, shouldn't be too bad. - Are archery competitions won by having the fastest limbs, or the smoothest limbs? No, they are won on the basis of the highest score. Which is affected by arrow speed and limb smoothness, but accuracy is the most important point, and there isn't a standardized test for that. - What kind of shooting am I doing? Outdoor shooting at 90 meters is a lot more demanding than indoor shooting at 20 meters, where speed is concerned. Etc.. Add into your selection issues what kind of shooting you do and how your limb choice will affect that. - One of my favourite question is to ask myself "how many points are there in..." whatever technology I am considering. Differences do not mean significant differences. If you implement a change that does not gain you an additional point, it is useless., probably. On something like a deer at 20 yards it is hard t see any points in many equipment upgrades, since that shot can reliably be made with a hickory self-bow. Often more advanced equipment has no net additional value, as it will trade some new problems for adjustments to old problems. So, the fact certain changes are not all that helpful or necessary doesn't ,mean one shouldn't pursue them. One may learn something new, and gains some enjoyment fiddling with gear, but it may be an activity that is outside the rational outline one has for progressing in the pastime.
When I started shooting, I started out with a 62" bow, which was way too short for me, at 5.7' and draw length ~28", so moving from that to a 68" bow was so much better. Plus I got to buy another bow, which is always exciting :-)
NU you just have this ability to draw ppl in with how u talk,, as well as ur knowledge. At least I think anyhow. I enjoy learning from you and listening to you
This is the best tutorial i found on entire web about limbs . Now i know that i have a 65" recurve ( 24" riser+ 66"limbs) but i need a 68"bow acording to my drawlenght. Many, many thanks.
Great videos and for the Bruce Lee t-shirt you definitely get extra points. My daughters just took up archery after months of pestering so now I will make them watch all your videos. Thank you for all your effort.
Excellent videos! Just getting back into archery having done it a little bit as a teenager but having to jog my memory on all the basic technical stuff. These are really helpful and you have an excellent manner of presentation!....Thank you sir!
Thanks for this video 👍🏻 I make wood/epoxy items and I have been considering adding bows to my new stuff for this year. I was originally looking at videos about making limbs, but now I will just focus my attention to the riser and likely purchase limbs. I may still make a set of limbs to do the job right, but yeah. Thanks 🙌🏻
Thanks, son - very interesting & well presented. I repair & make guitars (even the occasional violin bow).. just taken interest in archery - and obviously thinking '🤔?? lots of wood - make my own'. So hearing everyone's points of view is critical. 😉
Fairly well done! Your conclusion that carbon fiber recurve limbs are considerably faster than plain fiberglass limbs is unfounded. Carbon fiber limbs are more thermally stable (unaffected by temperature changes) and more consistent in their performance and a tiny bit faster. Most people forget that as important as limb weight or possibly more is their resilience, a measure of the speed at which they resume their undrawn shape. With the advent of fiberglass limb laminations, the performance differences between limbs almost vanished (it did not quite vanish, see The Heretic Archer) but limbs became roughly the same in performance, which is why most archers only think poundage and not poundage + resilience when assessing limbs. (Limb design is also a factor, but limb design reached close to optimum levels a while ago and everyone has copied those designs.) The performace advantage of carbon limbs almost vanishes when you tune a bow to a particuular arrow. The fiberglass limbs may be needed to be set a half a pound heavier to get the same tune. The perfomance advantages of carbon limbs are real, but the cost disadvantage is extreme. Until one is approaching the elite level, it is likely that no performance increase will be seen in such a purchase. Extra money is better spent on better arrows where carbon really shines (a dull black!).
I agree with that, though it is well to remember, that not everyone has a budget to stick to. Archery is a very cheap sport compared to almost all sports out there. Playing kid hockey here in Canada is like 5 K a year, that is a lot of archery gear. But even so, the highest end limbs are often not all that shootable either, so one may end up disappointed. If you are a beginer, I would recommend spending the equivalent of expensive limbs on a lot of limbs weights in good level limbs. Being overbowed is the single biggest problem in archery, technically, provably. If you own all the plausible weights in your range, you will be more likely to shoot the right ones in your level.
The syntactic foam made more difference in stability, understandably, considering it is a similar material as used on the heat shields on the space shuttle
on one hand i love you coz you are so detailed especially for us beginners choosing their first kit. On the other hand you ramble too much and I get confused with every video of yours. I recommend you to use some summary text in your videos everytime you finish talking about one aspect of the review and advice.
I just got some intermediate limbs (shop soiled Hoyt 720 - some "paint" chipped off) for my Hoyt riser. Also tried some Samick limbs around the same sort of price mark (£150). Although both fit the riser the Samicks needed some work behind the counter to actually get the limbs on the bolts. Apparently it is a known thing with the Hoyt risers. So that is something you may need to be aware of.
I think that this video of yours explains why I might want to upgrade from my beginner Sammick Sage bow. It seems that what you're saying is that the carbon limbs are "smoother" because they're more linear and have less stacking at the end of the pull.
Hmm, I disagree with the poundages required, but that might be culture as well. Here we recommend 18-ish pounders for the greenest and more 21-ish for green that are stronger. For Recurve, anywhere from 25 pounds or up will get you to 80 yards. Lots of people use such as well, although 30-35 is common as well. For Barebow-recurve, more poundage is advised though, anywhere from 35-45 pounds generally, if you're shooting field or FITA
i have a 60 inch belly and 66 inch limbs. i didnt notice that the string could only be drawn back so far. looks like i need some more limbs to suite the bow. thanxs for the infor it very much helped :)
another great vid! damn they get expensive! I cant imagine it costing more than $80 to make even the most expensive carbon limbs. carbon fiber is no longer the rare, space-aged material it once was. i gotta finde a "how it's made" clip of these things!
You are dead right, as a boat builder before 9/11 and the impact of the wars, and aribus on the price of carbon, we did a quote for a spar where the high tech carbon version was cheaper than spruce. I live in Canada where wood is not free, but it isn't imported, or anything, either. Since then the price has never recovered to where carbon is cheaper than wood, but the cost is still pretty low.
I've got a 32 inch draw. I just got a 27 inch riser and some 70 inch limbs that makes a 72" bow. The poundage at 28 is 36 and I'm pulling 45 pounds. That is some serious stacking there.
You shouldn't have stacking with a 72" bow at a 32" draw, you should even be able to use a 70" bow, it's unlikely to be stacking with a bow that long, it is more likely that the limbs are too heavy and you need to build up to them
I have a Martin Diablo and have two sets of limbs for it. A set of 35lb. and a set of 45lb. I started with the 45 and found it too difficult. Switched to the 35's and worked at it for a year then stepped back into the 45 with no problems.
Hello again Sensei, I tried a set of carbon and foam limbs earlier this week, and I loved them so much that I know carbon limbs will be my next purchase. However, I wasn't too sure on the difference between carbon w/ foam core and carbon w/ wood core. Have you ever tried carbon limbs with a wood core? And if so, does the weight stack on them like fiberglass & wood? How do they compare to a set of foam core carbon limbs? I just want to make sure that I'll be buying the limbs that I want, and not something like what I already have. Smoothness is really what I'm after. Thanks!
The differences get pretty subtle between foam and wood core,and it's hard to describe the difference. One of the big things is how their performance changes under different temperatures. I believe wood tends to be more affected by changes than carbon. Otherwise, I've only shot wood/fiberglass and carbon/foam.
NUSensei Ok, I was looking more for a difference in feel than anything else; all my searching on the topic has spelled out all the other differences already. I suppose I'll just have to try wood core carbon limbs before I make my choice. Wood cores definitely seem to be far cheaper than foam core carbon limbs. Thanks for your quick reply yet again, I really appreciate it!
NuSensie, enjoyed your video very informative and your honesty. I have a question when you order limbs say from Lancaster can you tell them exactly the weight you want, if you want 40# limbs at mid setting so you can go down a pound or two and up a pound or two. I have heard that some limbs might 40# on one 25" riser and more or less on another 25" riser. Thank you. Alan
There will probably be some difference in actual draw weight. It's hard to get something *exactly* 40# out of the box, given the slight variations in draw length and riser configuration.
You can swap Sammick Sage with a Martin Jaguar I'm told - only real reason you would is to replace damaged limbs on a budget or because Sammick limbs are easier to acquire
Wow i just got addicted to you're videos, cant stop watching :D great info. i would like to know if it matters which limb goes where, you have a top one and a bottom one, if they are not marked does it matter where they go? And how can I find out which is the top one and which is the bottom one? I have the RAGIM wildcat wooden re-curve take-down bow :D
I shoot bear attitude compound bow 50-60pound. Recurve was to difficulty for a beginner like me, I didn't have any local guidance. So I don't know what drawn length or bondage to get if I was to buy a recurve. I don't regret beginning with compound. It's so adjustable and easy to hold with 80% let off.. maybe I include recurve in my hobby next year. If I figure out what bow that would fit me. I love shooting with a mechanical release. So maybe recurve isn't for me..
What about a 21" hunting riser and a 25" olympic style riser with the same model limbs, just different lengths to make the overall bow length the same, would the draw weight be roughly the same?
hello again :D i have another question, ive decided to go with a rio supercast 25" raiser and W&W Sebastian Flute axion plus limbs but it asks for the limb size (small,medium,large) what does the size mean? im trying to pick the string but im not sure how long the limbs are, What should i do?
in japan you see everyone using a japanese long bow, the length is between 6 to 8 feet, what is the difference in effectiveness speed, or ease of use between a short bow, and a long bow? short bow i would consider to be maybe what you have discussed here
What about string and nocking point height? If I have setup a bowstring for a 25" riser with short limbs (66" bow), can I use the same string on a 23" riser with medium limbs (also a 66" bow), or will the nocking points not be aligned properly, requiring me to set up individual strings for each unique riser/limb combination?
What would you say the difference between the higher end limbs would be, like if I was contemplating buying a set of Win and Win against a set of Hoyt limbs what are the usual spec differences to look out for or is it just judgement by feel?
Hi Mr Nu, other than those advantages. Do you think with high end limb people can using heavier poundage with out fatigue? Such as I am using 68'' bow long with #28 medium limb W&W Winex( $450). My draw length is 28''. My actual comfortable draw weight is 28#. If I go with the medium W&W NS-G( $730), can I go up to 30# but still feel comfortable? Some people told that they tried shoot the W&W NS-S and feel it lighter 4# than what they thought.
Nu, I was wondering how you felt about the kaya limbs in this video? My archery focus is more traditional 3D/hunting than fita target. Are those a consistent set with good value at their price point? Is there another option in the same range that is vastly superior? Thank you for your time, sir.
I went from 30l# to a massive 45#. i got that in a Jaguar Elite and it itelt too heavy and stacked too fast. then I went to the current setup at 40#. I adjusted the tiller bolt to make 42# but currently thinking of going up tto a 44# or 45# now that the draw weight gotten a lot lighter.
I have many limbs. 46# limbs are on my draw 61#. I allso have 40# limbs and they are 55# (omd). I have find out that when i shoot trad style i can draw heavier bow. When i try out olympic style louwer ancor point it is more difficult to draw same limbs. And shoot target that is low on ground level and 15m.
Normally Olympic style is easier to shoot biomechanically because both hands are lower, nearer to the ground. But one may spend more time at full draw, and one may shoot more arrows in a session, and the targets may be more demanding.
What is the difference between the "top" and "bottom" limbs? Hoyt and a few other limbs are marked as such. Can they be used interchangebly as they do fit into the riser either way? The construction is exactly the same as well. Thank you
Tiller is the relative stiffness of the limbs so they work well together. It is measured with a rule at the pint where the limbs exit the riser, or any other consistent point. It should be even for 3 fingers under, and a little longer measurement on the upper limb for a split finger release. It is also something one tunes for performance.
Are solid fiberglass limbs acceptable on a first bow? I know they are around 10 fps slower than wooden limbs, but are there other differences aside speed? I bought the pse kingfisher instead of the samick sage and wonder if it is inferior to the sage. I want to target shoot and hunt with the bow. I actually really like it but never tried the sage.
20-30 Pounds seems to be a lot for a beginner. Coach Kim points out that a grown man shouldn´t start with more then 20 until the basics skils to a point where it becomes a proper form. How can you say cheap limbs are made from Wood like it is a bad thing. The vera 2 from Mk korea and the brand new hoyt Qautro is made from Wood( qautro also comes in foam core) and the inno ex prime. If you see elite Archers all over the World most of the shoots with a Wood core and not Carbon.. All this being said I think you have covered many good aspekts of the limbs and poundage
There are significant differences between cheap wood limbs and high-end limbs made with wood cores. As you said, the top limbs like Hoyt Quattro and W&W EX Prime are wood-core. I'm not saying that carbon is automatically better. At least at the high end, it's mostly a matter of preference. 20-30# is a fairly common recommendation. Most clubs, as far as I know, use 18-24# bows for their beginners, and while 30# may be high for some people, many archers who invest money into their first bow will want something they can grow into while learning. Lower is better when learning form, but I think many would disagree with the notion that 20-30# is "too heavy" for a beginning adult.
Hi NUSensei! I bought myself a 70" Core Pulse 20# bow to begin training, I am 6 foot tall, and I believe i have rather long arms and got a 29.5 inch draw length with the hand to hand divided by 2.5 method. Do you think this is a good setup? I also plan to move on draw weights by buying 2-3 sets of limbs for the same riser and swap them out so i have 2-3 "bows" with different strengths. Do you think that's a good idea?
At a 29.5" draw length I would work up to a 68" bow as you would gain extra speed and stability, as long as you can still get a good anchor and don't suffer from excessive finger pinch
I have a question and I'm finally beginning to believe that there is no known answer. What are the pins called that go from the back of the riser into a washer in the front of the limb, to help stabilize it?...and what is the washer called?
The "pegs" I referred to are on pins on the back of the riser that go into the limbs. They work in conjunction with the tiller bolts to keep the limbs straight.
Ohh.. i have doge goofed and explains, why my 66'' string did not fit into my bow after buying new 66'' limbs. Bevhause my riser was 24'' instead of 25''. Well... Draw weigth increased from 41lbs into 43lbs and now im faceing some problems with my draw length. New arrows it is and 43lbs draw weigth did not bother me in the beginning anyways. Funny thing was, i watched this video before buying my new set of limbs. Shows me well, that i am not so good at listening details. I quess i expekted my riser was 25'' in devault, but it eded up being 24'', when i looked at the numbers under the grip. Well, mistakes where made, no big harm. I just need to remember, that my bow is not 66''', its actually somewhere at 64 or 65 inch. I have to measure that with my coatch. I got a old string from my coatch when we realiced this length change (i did not shoot the bow yet, as i realiced that something is a bit wrong with the length.) All i need to do, is measure the old string length to find the realistic measurements. Thougths and wonders :D Thank you for good video, even this one is from year 2014. -Chronos (New member of "Laukojat" - shooting club) Ps. Yes indeed, i got accepted to a shooting club, last week ^^
i'm a newbie to the sport, but trying some better limbs have made me invest in some "better" limbs, as i build my endurance up. keen to know the difference between the foam and "solid" limbs?? i have the budget sf foam limbs, really like the way they work. not had chance to try the uber limbs yet.
Hi NuSensei, thanks for creating great videos. I have a question about limb weight progression. My wife is about 5'1" and she has a 23" riser with a set of medium length limbs (16#). So on a 23" rise, it is rated 18#. But since she has short draw length, it becomes 16# on her fingers. Now she wants to increase the poundage to 20#, but at the same time change from medium to short limbs (since her draw is so short anyway). Given this information, what poundage limbs should she get to reach the goal of 20# on her fingers? My educated guess is 66" 20#. Thought?
The AF Axiom is pretty much the lowest entry-level bow. It's fine to learn with, but is otherwise a heavy hunk of metal. The Axiom+ is the same thing with holes cut out. They're completely fine for a beginner, but for a bit more you can get something like the SF Premium or SF Forged, which is SF's mid-range gear which feels more balanced and responsive. The Excel is OK, though you may want to look at the Hoyt Horizon.
Hi NU Sensei, I have bought my first riser after finishing with a beginner bow. I have gone for a reasonably expensive one, the W&W RCX-100 (25"), with the thought that I can upgrade the limbs as I improve. Are there any limbs you would recommend as a good early intermediate limb that will last me for a while.
In your opinion, which brand has the the Best model of limbs (without considering costs) ....between SF or Win&win ? Please only consider performance and material....thank you...
SF is owned by W&W, so they're more or less the same. SF is marketed towards the budget range while W&W uses its own label for its top-end equipment. W&W limbs boast more advanced engineering and quality control, while SF limbs are generally simpler composite layer designs. The W&W is pretty much superior to SF as far as your question goes - though to be clear, I can't explain exactly why as I don't have any way to systematically prove superior performance.
What makes limbs inefficient is that they accelerate, so less energy goes to the arrow. Thus lighter limbs are more efficient. Compare their weights to carbon+foam and fiberglass+wood and you should get an idea of how efficient they are.
The length of your draw (i.e. how far you pull back the string) measured from your anchor point to the throat of the grip (which is also usually where the rest is located).
. they're not called 66, 68 or 70 inch limbs, they're called short,medium and long limbs, combined on a 25" riser they would end up at that length. Kind of confusing the way your telling it.
Actually, everyone I know in the UK *does* call them 66 inch limbs if they're 'short'; it's assumed that a 25 inch riser is being used. Of course, 66 inch limbs on a 23 inch riser makes a 64 inch bow, and so on for all the other combinations. A little confusing at first but everyone gets the hang of it.
love your vids on archery, Me and my brother in law finished a beginners course at Sydney Olympic park. I want to know which recurve is best, i want a martin saber because it has a good reviews, but he want to buy an individual riser and limbs. Whats the best way of choosing? im going for small hunts/target and he wants target shooting. We are going to abbeys this weekend to purchase our bows. Our DL is 28 and our DW is 35. Thanks
You're both on the right track. The Martin Saber is a hunting bow and is good enough for that purpose. However, it's not made for consistency at longer distances, which is what your brother wants for target shooting. If he's taking it up as a sport, I would recommend a target takedown bow. See my video on Hunting vs Target bows, and Clarifying Target Archery.
Hey NuSensei, have you had any experience with Samick Nighthawk/Lighting Takedown recurve? I am torn between this and a Bearpaw Penthalon Navajo. Do you have any advice regarding this? Thank you
"you don't have to pay an arm and a leg.." haha
I've just started the sport and find your instructional videos the best by far on the internet as a whole.
Keep up the great work
Thank you !
Nu- year 2 in my archery journey and I just wanted to thank you- you have no idea how helpful your videos are amidst all the noise and misinformation and ignorance. If you are ever in Austin, look me up- you are owed at least a pint and a place to crash for free!
Don't pay a limb for limbs. Got it! Thanks Sensei...
Your videos are like a portal into a completely foreign world that is the world of archery. Keep kicking ass, Sensei.
When you consider limbs at higher price ranges here are a few other considerations:
- Can you shoot 1300 with wood glass limbs on a twisted magnesium riser, with minimal limbs adjustment? Yes. Of course one wood need to be world class, but it is possible.
-There aren't just cheap/expensive, bad/good, beginner/advanced limbs. There are a wide range of limbs, some are 90% as good as the "beast limbs", and half the price of the best limbs.
- How do average wood glass limbs today compare to wood glass premium limbs of the past. Not sure, but my guess is since it is a relatively easy product to make, shouldn't be too bad.
- Are archery competitions won by having the fastest limbs, or the smoothest limbs? No, they are won on the basis of the highest score. Which is affected by arrow speed and limb smoothness, but accuracy is the most important point, and there isn't a standardized test for that.
- What kind of shooting am I doing? Outdoor shooting at 90 meters is a lot more demanding than indoor shooting at 20 meters, where speed is concerned. Etc.. Add into your selection issues what kind of shooting you do and how your limb choice will affect that.
- One of my favourite question is to ask myself "how many points are there in..." whatever technology I am considering. Differences do not mean significant differences. If you implement a change that does not gain you an additional point, it is useless., probably. On something like a deer at 20 yards it is hard t see any points in many equipment upgrades, since that shot can reliably be made with a hickory self-bow. Often more advanced equipment has no net additional value, as it will trade some new problems for adjustments to old problems.
So, the fact certain changes are not all that helpful or necessary doesn't ,mean one shouldn't pursue them. One may learn something new, and gains some enjoyment fiddling with gear, but it may be an activity that is outside the rational outline one has for progressing in the pastime.
This channel has been imperative in my research of archery. Thank you so much for your seemingly unbiased, and informative videos.
I've gone through a few of your videos now and you've answered pretty much every question I, as a beginning archer, have had. Thanks, man!
When I started shooting, I started out with a 62" bow, which was way too short for me, at 5.7' and draw length ~28", so moving from that to a 68" bow was so much better. Plus I got to buy another bow, which is always exciting :-)
As someone that is just getting into the sprt this was an astronomical help. all your videos have helped me out so much. Keep up the great work ^_^
NU you just have this ability to draw ppl in with how u talk,, as well as ur knowledge. At least I think anyhow. I enjoy learning from you and listening to you
This is the best tutorial i found on entire web about limbs . Now i know that i have a 65" recurve ( 24" riser+ 66"limbs) but i need a 68"bow acording to my drawlenght. Many, many thanks.
Great videos and for the Bruce Lee t-shirt you definitely get extra points. My daughters just took up archery after months of pestering so now I will make them watch all your videos. Thank you for all your effort.
this instructor has so good knowledge, thank for the video
Another great video. You really do make it incredibly easy to understand all the little complexities that make archery and a good archer. Many thanks.
I've got hoyt limbs on a cheap-ass striker riser, works totally fine
Excellent videos! Just getting back into archery having done it a little bit as a teenager but having to jog my memory on all the basic technical stuff. These are really helpful and you have an excellent manner of presentation!....Thank you sir!
Great video, very informative. thank you for taking the time to help out new archers.
Thanks for this video 👍🏻 I make wood/epoxy items and I have been considering adding bows to my new stuff for this year. I was originally looking at videos about making limbs, but now I will just focus my attention to the riser and likely purchase limbs. I may still make a set of limbs to do the job right, but yeah. Thanks 🙌🏻
Thanks, son - very interesting & well presented.
I repair & make guitars (even the occasional violin bow).. just taken interest in archery - and obviously thinking '🤔?? lots of wood - make my own'. So hearing everyone's points of view is critical.
😉
Your videos are great! Casual, yet extremely informative and helpful. Thank you so much for the time you send creating and posting these.
Fairly well done! Your conclusion that carbon fiber recurve limbs are considerably faster than plain fiberglass limbs is unfounded. Carbon fiber limbs are more thermally stable (unaffected by temperature changes) and more consistent in their performance and a tiny bit faster.
Most people forget that as important as limb weight or possibly more is their resilience, a measure of the speed at which they resume their undrawn shape. With the advent of fiberglass limb laminations, the performance differences between limbs almost vanished (it did not quite vanish, see The Heretic Archer) but limbs became roughly the same in performance, which is why most archers only think poundage and not poundage + resilience when assessing limbs. (Limb design is also a factor, but limb design reached close to optimum levels a while ago and everyone has copied those designs.)
The performace advantage of carbon limbs almost vanishes when you tune a bow to a particuular arrow. The fiberglass limbs may be needed to be set a half a pound heavier to get the same tune.
The perfomance advantages of carbon limbs are real, but the cost disadvantage is extreme. Until one is approaching the elite level, it is likely that no performance increase will be seen in such a purchase. Extra money is better spent on better arrows where carbon really shines (a dull black!).
I agree with that, though it is well to remember, that not everyone has a budget to stick to. Archery is a very cheap sport compared to almost all sports out there. Playing kid hockey here in Canada is like 5 K a year, that is a lot of archery gear. But even so, the highest end limbs are often not all that shootable either, so one may end up disappointed. If you are a beginer, I would recommend spending the equivalent of expensive limbs on a lot of limbs weights in good level limbs. Being overbowed is the single biggest problem in archery, technically, provably. If you own all the plausible weights in your range, you will be more likely to shoot the right ones in your level.
The syntactic foam made more difference in stability, understandably, considering it is a similar material as used on the heat shields on the space shuttle
Nice Feldbluse at the door ;)
I like your Chanel a lot. You have Talent to discripe thinks.
Reguards from Germany
on one hand i love you coz you are so detailed especially for us beginners choosing their first kit. On the other hand you ramble too much and I get confused with every video of yours. I recommend you to use some summary text in your videos everytime you finish talking about one aspect of the review and advice.
My sight is more expensive than my bow
me too
And on the high end, Stylist use their own limb fitting too!
Count me in 😂
I just got some intermediate limbs (shop soiled Hoyt 720 - some "paint" chipped off) for my Hoyt riser. Also tried some Samick limbs around the same sort of price mark (£150). Although both fit the riser the Samicks needed some work behind the counter to actually get the limbs on the bolts. Apparently it is a known thing with the Hoyt risers. So that is something you may need to be aware of.
Extremely informative and well done. Thank you very much!
Great Info for a beginner looking to change styles.
Thank you for your great job,
I think that this video of yours explains why I might want to upgrade from my beginner Sammick Sage bow. It seems that what you're saying is that the carbon limbs are "smoother" because they're more linear and have less stacking at the end of the pull.
Hmm, I disagree with the poundages required, but that might be culture as well. Here we recommend 18-ish pounders for the greenest and more 21-ish for green that are stronger. For Recurve, anywhere from 25 pounds or up will get you to 80 yards. Lots of people use such as well, although 30-35 is common as well. For Barebow-recurve, more poundage is advised though, anywhere from 35-45 pounds generally, if you're shooting field or FITA
i have a 60 inch belly and 66 inch limbs. i didnt notice that the string could only be drawn back so far. looks like i need some more limbs to suite the bow. thanxs for the infor it very much helped :)
The same goes for the Stylist from England! They won't use the ILF system and their limbs are beautifully smooth and fast!
another great vid!
damn they get expensive! I cant imagine it costing more than $80 to make even the most expensive carbon limbs. carbon fiber is no longer the rare, space-aged material it once was. i gotta finde a "how it's made" clip of these things!
You are dead right, as a boat builder before 9/11 and the impact of the wars, and aribus on the price of carbon, we did a quote for a spar where the high tech carbon version was cheaper than spruce. I live in Canada where wood is not free, but it isn't imported, or anything, either. Since then the price has never recovered to where carbon is cheaper than wood, but the cost is still pretty low.
great video Nu :)
Your videos are so helpful! Thank you so much!
so...it looks like a person can either buy fancy bow with fancy equipment or they can buy used car or several nice computers instead...
I mean, a great setup is under 1500, but you could go fairly checp and get a decent setup for 400 and under
Thank you so much, your videos are very helpful.
I've got a 32 inch draw. I just got a 27 inch riser and some 70 inch limbs that makes a 72" bow. The poundage at 28 is 36 and I'm pulling 45 pounds. That is some serious stacking there.
You shouldn't have stacking with a 72" bow at a 32" draw, you should even be able to use a 70" bow, it's unlikely to be stacking with a bow that long, it is more likely that the limbs are too heavy and you need to build up to them
Good basic discussion
Excellent! I'm new and this was very helpful.
I seriously love your videos. More please :)
I have a Martin Diablo and have two sets of limbs for it. A set of 35lb. and a set of 45lb. I started with the 45 and found it too difficult. Switched to the 35's and worked at it for a year then stepped back into the 45 with no problems.
very good video
well done, informative .
Hello again Sensei,
I tried a set of carbon and foam limbs earlier this week, and I loved them so much that I know carbon limbs will be my next purchase. However, I wasn't too sure on the difference between carbon w/ foam core and carbon w/ wood core. Have you ever tried carbon limbs with a wood core? And if so, does the weight stack on them like fiberglass & wood? How do they compare to a set of foam core carbon limbs?
I just want to make sure that I'll be buying the limbs that I want, and not something like what I already have. Smoothness is really what I'm after. Thanks!
The differences get pretty subtle between foam and wood core,and it's hard to describe the difference. One of the big things is how their performance changes under different temperatures. I believe wood tends to be more affected by changes than carbon. Otherwise, I've only shot wood/fiberglass and carbon/foam.
NUSensei Ok, I was looking more for a difference in feel than anything else; all my searching on the topic has spelled out all the other differences already. I suppose I'll just have to try wood core carbon limbs before I make my choice. Wood cores definitely seem to be far cheaper than foam core carbon limbs.
Thanks for your quick reply yet again, I really appreciate it!
The core of any bow has zero (nothing) to do with stacking, the stacking is all on the belly and the back, Period.
What is the difference between w&w inno ex power and w&w ex prime?
this really helps me thank you sensei
Great video. Limb size are not because of your body hight. Thank you so much
Very educational
Thank you very much. Keep up with the good work. I have learned so much from you.
NuSensie, enjoyed your video very informative and your honesty. I have a question when you order limbs say from Lancaster can you tell them exactly the weight you want, if you want 40# limbs at mid setting so you can go down a pound or two and up a pound or two. I have heard that some limbs might 40# on one 25" riser and more or less on another 25" riser. Thank you. Alan
There will probably be some difference in actual draw weight. It's hard to get something *exactly* 40# out of the box, given the slight variations in draw length and riser configuration.
Thanks for the reply, will have a think before I but.
Can you get pure wooden recurve bows? I can only find English longbows that are pure wood besides the horn parts.
Yes. Look at traditional recurve bows, especially one-piece bows.
You can swap Sammick Sage with a Martin Jaguar I'm told - only real reason you would is to replace damaged limbs on a budget or because Sammick limbs are easier to acquire
Wow i just got addicted to you're videos, cant stop watching :D great info. i would like to know if it matters which limb goes where, you have a top one and a bottom one, if they are not marked does it matter where they go? And how can I find out which is the top one and which is the bottom one? I have the RAGIM wildcat wooden re-curve take-down bow :D
Honestly, it doesn't really matter, but some people like to be consistent.
ok, cool, Thanks for the answer :D
I shoot bear attitude compound bow 50-60pound. Recurve was to difficulty for a beginner like me, I didn't have any local guidance. So I don't know what drawn length or bondage to get if I was to buy a recurve. I don't regret beginning with compound. It's so adjustable and easy to hold with 80% let off.. maybe I include recurve in my hobby next year. If I figure out what bow that would fit me. I love shooting with a mechanical release. So maybe recurve isn't for me..
I liked that joke you said at the end there very funny
THANK YOU FOR CONFIRMING.
I love how fast he does that math in his head. It would take me a minute to calculate all those inches.
doing archery improve math skills
What about a 21" hunting riser and a 25" olympic style riser with the same model limbs, just different lengths to make the overall bow length the same, would the draw weight be roughly the same?
hello again :D i have another question, ive decided to go with a rio supercast 25" raiser and W&W Sebastian Flute axion plus limbs but it asks for the limb size (small,medium,large) what does the size mean? im trying to pick the string but im not sure how long the limbs are, What should i do?
25" riser + Small limbs = 66"
25" riser + Medium = 68"
25" riser + Long = 70"
ahhh okay thanks again!!
NUSensei oh thank you for this! I was really confused on what to get. This is exactly what I needed to know.
in japan you see everyone using a japanese long bow, the length is between 6 to 8 feet, what is the difference in effectiveness speed, or ease of use between a short bow, and a long bow?
short bow i would consider to be maybe what you have discussed here
Sensei, what’s your opinion on bamboo core limbs? Would you like to make a video to compare different limbs materials?
Love your videos!
What do you think about bamboo and carbon limbs or fiberglass and foam limbs?
What about string and nocking point height? If I have setup a bowstring for a 25" riser with short limbs (66" bow), can I use the same string on a 23" riser with medium limbs (also a 66" bow), or will the nocking points not be aligned properly, requiring me to set up individual strings for each unique riser/limb combination?
What about Chinese made recurve bows/compound bows reliable?
I want to know if every company is making their own limbs or are they coming out of the same factory?
may i know which one smoother and lighter... 30# wood/glass limb vs 30# carbon wood limb? TQ
What would you say the difference between the higher end limbs would be, like if I was contemplating buying a set of Win and Win against a set of Hoyt limbs what are the usual spec differences to look out for or is it just judgement by feel?
Hi Mr Nu, other than those advantages. Do you think with high end limb people can using heavier poundage with out fatigue? Such as I am using 68'' bow long with #28 medium limb W&W Winex( $450). My draw length is 28''. My actual comfortable draw weight is 28#. If I go with the medium W&W NS-G( $730), can I go up to 30# but still feel comfortable?
Some people told that they tried shoot the W&W NS-S and feel it lighter 4# than what they thought.
Question, why set up the sidebars like that? i came from compound to recurve
Why they don't make pure carbon limbs? Is nt will be good?
Nu, I was wondering how you felt about the kaya limbs in this video? My archery focus is more traditional 3D/hunting than fita target. Are those a consistent set with good value at their price point? Is there another option in the same range that is vastly superior? Thank you for your time, sir.
HALF CALKT A good pair of limbs for hunting is tradtech
I went from 30l# to a massive 45#. i got that in a Jaguar Elite and it itelt too heavy and stacked too fast. then I went to the current setup at 40#. I adjusted the tiller bolt to make 42# but currently thinking of going up tto a 44# or 45# now that the draw weight gotten a lot lighter.
I have many limbs. 46# limbs are on my draw 61#. I allso have 40# limbs and they are 55# (omd). I have find out that when i shoot trad style i can draw heavier bow. When i try out olympic style louwer ancor point it is more difficult to draw same limbs. And shoot target that is low on ground level and 15m.
Normally Olympic style is easier to shoot biomechanically because both hands are lower, nearer to the ground. But one may spend more time at full draw, and one may shoot more arrows in a session, and the targets may be more demanding.
What is the difference between the "top" and "bottom" limbs? Hoyt and a few other limbs are marked as such. Can they be used interchangebly as they do fit into the riser either way? The construction is exactly the same as well. Thank you
No. They flex differently and the tiller will be off, usually switching the limbs causes the Arrow to impact lower
What is a tiller? Im using a recurve just in case it matters
Thank you.
Tiller is the relative stiffness of the limbs so they work well together. It is measured with a rule at the pint where the limbs exit the riser, or any other consistent point. It should be even for 3 fingers under, and a little longer measurement on the upper limb for a split finger release. It is also something one tunes for performance.
Are solid fiberglass limbs acceptable on a first bow? I know they are around 10 fps slower than wooden limbs, but are there other differences aside speed? I bought the pse kingfisher instead of the samick sage and wonder if it is inferior to the sage. I want to target shoot and hunt with the bow. I actually really like it but never tried the sage.
20-30 Pounds seems to be a lot for a beginner. Coach Kim points out that a grown man shouldn´t start with more then 20 until the basics skils to a point where it becomes a proper form. How can you say cheap limbs are made from Wood like it is a bad thing. The vera 2 from Mk korea and the brand new hoyt Qautro is made from Wood( qautro also comes in foam core) and the inno ex prime. If you see elite Archers all over the World most of the shoots with a Wood core and not Carbon.. All this being said I think you have covered many good aspekts of the limbs and poundage
There are significant differences between cheap wood limbs and high-end limbs made with wood cores. As you said, the top limbs like Hoyt Quattro and W&W EX Prime are wood-core. I'm not saying that carbon is automatically better. At least at the high end, it's mostly a matter of preference.
20-30# is a fairly common recommendation. Most clubs, as far as I know, use 18-24# bows for their beginners, and while 30# may be high for some people, many archers who invest money into their first bow will want something they can grow into while learning. Lower is better when learning form, but I think many would disagree with the notion that 20-30# is "too heavy" for a beginning adult.
Hi NUSensei!
I bought myself a 70" Core Pulse 20# bow to begin training, I am 6 foot tall, and I believe i have rather long arms and got a 29.5 inch draw length with the hand to hand divided by 2.5 method. Do you think this is a good setup? I also plan to move on draw weights by buying 2-3 sets of limbs for the same riser and swap them out so i have 2-3 "bows" with different strengths. Do you think that's a good idea?
At a 29.5" draw length I would work up to a 68" bow as you would gain extra speed and stability, as long as you can still get a good anchor and don't suffer from excessive finger pinch
I have a question and I'm finally beginning to believe that there is no known answer. What are the pins called that go from the back of the riser into a washer in the front of the limb, to help stabilize it?...and what is the washer called?
The tiller bolts?
The "pegs" I referred to are on pins on the back of the riser that go into the limbs. They work in conjunction with the tiller bolts to keep the limbs straight.
Ohh.. i have doge goofed and explains, why my 66'' string did not fit into my bow after buying new 66'' limbs. Bevhause my riser was 24'' instead of 25''. Well... Draw weigth increased from 41lbs into 43lbs and now im faceing some problems with my draw length. New arrows it is and 43lbs draw weigth did not bother me in the beginning anyways. Funny thing was, i watched this video before buying my new set of limbs. Shows me well, that i am not so good at listening details. I quess i expekted my riser was 25'' in devault, but it eded up being 24'', when i looked at the numbers under the grip. Well, mistakes where made, no big harm. I just need to remember, that my bow is not 66''', its actually somewhere at 64 or 65 inch. I have to measure that with my coatch. I got a old string from my coatch when we realiced this length change (i did not shoot the bow yet, as i realiced that something is a bit wrong with the length.) All i need to do, is measure the old string length to find the realistic measurements. Thougths and wonders :D
Thank you for good video, even this one is from year 2014.
-Chronos
(New member of "Laukojat" - shooting club)
Ps. Yes indeed, i got accepted to a shooting club, last week ^^
i'm a newbie to the sport, but trying some better limbs have made me invest in some "better" limbs, as i build my endurance up. keen to know the difference between the foam and "solid" limbs?? i have the budget sf foam limbs, really like the way they work. not had chance to try the uber limbs yet.
What do you day about3geometrical limbs forma.like Predator niche or falkenholz,border?
Hi NuSensei, thanks for creating great videos.
I have a question about limb weight progression. My wife is about 5'1" and she has a 23" riser with a set of medium length limbs (16#). So on a 23" rise, it is rated 18#. But since she has short draw length, it becomes 16# on her fingers.
Now she wants to increase the poundage to 20#, but at the same time change from medium to short limbs (since her draw is so short anyway).
Given this information, what poundage limbs should she get to reach the goal of 20# on her fingers?
My educated guess is 66" 20#.
Thought?
I can't run the numbers through my head at the moment, but you should be right.
Would you prefer to have:
Top end limbs on a low end riser
OR
Low end limbs on a top end riser ?
Low end limbs on a top end riser. Limbs are easily upgradeable. Risers tend to stay with you for much longer, and can be the bottleneck.
Thank you for your reply.
I was about to do the opposite: buying w&w ex power limbs to fit on my old hoyt eclipse.
Well.. I need more money xD
How does an SF Axiom compare to a Hoyt Excel, or, for that matter, anything else in that price range?
The AF Axiom is pretty much the lowest entry-level bow. It's fine to learn with, but is otherwise a heavy hunk of metal. The Axiom+ is the same thing with holes cut out. They're completely fine for a beginner, but for a bit more you can get something like the SF Premium or SF Forged, which is SF's mid-range gear which feels more balanced and responsive. The Excel is OK, though you may want to look at the Hoyt Horizon.
Hi NU Sensei, I have bought my first riser after finishing with a beginner bow. I have gone for a reasonably expensive one, the W&W RCX-100 (25"), with the thought that I can upgrade the limbs as I improve. Are there any limbs you would recommend as a good early intermediate limb that will last me for a while.
Good choice of riser. For limbs, look at something like the SF Elite carbon limbs.
NUSensei thank you for the advice, much appreciated.
Thanks
Why are limbs marked top and bottom? What diff? What if you put them on wrong? Will it shoot differently? Thanx Mickey in South Africa.
The limbs are actually slightly different. The curvature and weight is slightly offset in order to maintain the correct tiller.
hey, how to pick the right limbs for recurve bow
In your opinion, which brand has the the Best model of limbs (without considering costs) ....between SF or Win&win ? Please only consider performance and material....thank you...
SF is owned by W&W, so they're more or less the same. SF is marketed towards the budget range while W&W uses its own label for its top-end equipment. W&W limbs boast more advanced engineering and quality control, while SF limbs are generally simpler composite layer designs. The W&W is pretty much superior to SF as far as your question goes - though to be clear, I can't explain exactly why as I don't have any way to systematically prove superior performance.
if you have the opportunity, could you please make a video about uukha limbs? thnks.
Just out of curiosity what about limbs that are carbon with a wood core? I've noticed a few of those floating around
What makes limbs inefficient is that they accelerate, so less energy goes to the arrow. Thus lighter limbs are more efficient. Compare their weights to carbon+foam and fiberglass+wood and you should get an idea of how efficient they are.
Hi, could you pls recommend what limbs are compatible with hoyt dorado riser?
Thanks i need that power
I know this sounds like a noob question but what is a draw length
The length of your draw (i.e. how far you pull back the string) measured from your anchor point to the throat of the grip (which is also usually where the rest is located).
. they're not called 66, 68 or 70 inch limbs, they're called short,medium and long limbs, combined on a 25" riser they would end up at that length. Kind of confusing the way your telling it.
I believe I said exactly what you did. In any case, some stores use list by length and/or S/M/L. I've used both in this video.
Actually, everyone I know in the UK *does* call them 66 inch limbs if they're 'short'; it's assumed that a 25 inch riser is being used. Of course, 66 inch limbs on a 23 inch riser makes a 64 inch bow, and so on for all the other combinations. A little confusing at first but everyone gets the hang of it.
love your vids on archery,
Me and my brother in law finished a beginners course at Sydney Olympic park.
I want to know which recurve is best, i want a martin saber because it has a good reviews, but he want to buy an individual riser and limbs.
Whats the best way of choosing? im going for small hunts/target and he wants target shooting.
We are going to abbeys this weekend to purchase our bows.
Our DL is 28 and our DW is 35.
Thanks
You're both on the right track. The Martin Saber is a hunting bow and is good enough for that purpose. However, it's not made for consistency at longer distances, which is what your brother wants for target shooting. If he's taking it up as a sport, I would recommend a target takedown bow. See my video on Hunting vs Target bows, and Clarifying Target Archery.
NUSensei Thank you for a quick reply, I am going to order it online.
Do you recommend Archery Mart?
Hey NuSensei, have you had any experience with Samick Nighthawk/Lighting Takedown recurve? I am torn between this and a Bearpaw Penthalon Navajo. Do you have any advice regarding this?
Thank you
Vccine I haven't used any of those bows.