WellI've had the Airborne 82 and the Airborne 101 for a little over a week now and I am starting to form some opinions of the two. Here are the Stats on the bows.
Airborne 82 60# set on 60#28" Draw shooting a 326 grain arrow at 308 fps for 68.69#KE
Airborne 101 70# set on60#28" Draw shooting a 326 grain arrow at 295 fps for 63.01#KE
One thing is for surethe 2 bows are both fast! Hereis the way I would rate the two, and again I stress some of these are just my opinion.
DRAW: Both bows while hitting peak weight quicker and holding it longer are not bad at all unless you are over bowed to begin with. They both have a nice valley and very solid back wall, which I Love. It seems to make my shooting much more consistent. Any difference between the draw of the two would not be enough toinfluence my choice one way or the other. I also want toadd I have for the most part over the last few years shot an Allegiance with speedmods and the Draw on these 2 are very little if any harder than what I am used to.
SPEED:Goes to the 82 as expected.
NOISE: Again the edge goes to the 82. I am sure that has something to do with the shorter limbs. (less to vibrate, quicker recovery, etc.)These bows are bothvery quiet for the speeds they are generating, especially the 82.They are not on the same level as the General or Guardian when it comes to noise,but were not intended to be, butneither is any other Bow I have shot.
HAND SHOCK:To me there was no noticeable difference in hand shock. Both bows are very low hand shock for the type of speeds they generate. Again neither is on the Level with the Guardian or General where hand shock is concerned.
STABILITY: Both bows are extremely stable and the pin just seems to anchor on target. Even with a pretty good wind I was able to shoot very good groups with both at 20 yards. I have shot 40 with the 82 and again I was impressed with my groups. It is capable of shooting groups as tight as I can shoot with any other bow.
The fit and finish of both bows was Excellent, and the new Invelvet finish is really Nice!! One thing to keep in mind in the above test is the 82 is a 60# bow set on 60# and the 101 is a 70# bow set on 60# both draw lengths were set on 28". That could contribute to some speed lose on the 101 as well as a little extra noise because of the limbs being backed to the bottom end of their range.In conclusion, my advice would be as follows: I think anyone with a 28.5" and under draw length would be very well suited to the 82nd. If your Draw length is 29" or more I would take a serious look at the 101. IMHO I think the extra 1 1/8" BH would be an advantage with the longer draws. Although I have no test to back that up, it's just a Gut feeling I have. I have shot a lot of speed bows in my life and the Airbornes truly do Impress!!
Dan
Airborne 101?? Airborne 82??
