I am not going to lie. I call it like I see it..or in this case "Feel" it. The Dual cams on the Patriot are harsh drawing. There is no getting around that. The speed has to come from somewhere. Now just for those folks who might misinterpret my terminology, when I say "harsh" I simply mean that the bow jumps up to its peak draw weight early in the draw cycle and then maintains it for almost all of the draw cycle before dropping into a relatively short valley. I do not mean "harsh" in that the draw cycle is "bumpy" or difficult to manage in comparison to other similar cams on the market.

But, Jeff and I always disagree on one very simple statement and it really is a difference of opinion....

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>I can state from my own personal experience that drawing a 60 Lb harder cam bow all day, does not wear on you as much as drawing as a relatively smoother drawing 70 pounder <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>

....I don't agree with that. If that were the case then we would all still be shooting those dreaded hatchet cams from the early nineties....<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>...instead of bows with cams like Mathews Straighline Maxcam series and both Hoyt and Darton's Hybrid designs. All of us switched from the old round wheel and soft cam design to the new perimeter weighted single cams or the older style hatchet cam designs for one simple reason....more speed. Yes, there are other advantages but, in a nutshell, I think that is the reason many folks did make the change.

...and the same style of argument was used.....shoot a bow at 65 lbs instead of 80 lbs and get the same speed or better. The difference was the draw cycle. The draw force curve was changed to allow the bows to maintain their peak weight for a longer duration. Eventually, there will be a bow that is designed to immediately jump to peak draw weight within the first inch or two of the draw cycle and maintain it until almost the very end. Is it going to be enjoyable to shoot? Possibly, if recoil, noise and vibration are low. But, will it be fun to draw?...even at a 40, 50 or 60 lb peak draw weight? I think not, but again, that is just my opinion.

Bowtech's cams do have their appeal (one that I am beginning to appreciate) but I still don't agree with that particular argument regarding the different force draw curve characteristics.

In addition, I no longer think that the draw weight that a bow is set at is really indicative of just how difficult it is going to be to draw back. We need a new figure in addition to set draw weight that would indicate the total amount of poundage being drawn throughout the draw cycle. Taking the draw weight measurement during each inch of the draw cycle, recording the figure then adding it up and dividing it by the draw length would give a more accurate description of the difficulty of drawing any particular bow at any particular draw weight. It might not necessarily reflect the individual shape of the draw force curve but it sure would be a good start.

KIDD,

The draw cycle on the Supertec with Spiral Cam is smoother than the Dual Cam Patriot. I have both in my basement and can attest to that. Again though, I must justify my terminology. The Spiral cam does not come to peak draw weight as quickly as the Patriot's Dual cams do nor does it maintain it for quite the same distance of the draw cycle. The valley on the Patriot DC is much wider than the Spiral Cam. provided the draw stop is installed. With the Spiral Cam's draw stop removed completely I think they are pretty much equal.

Jerry,

Yes,...you've got mail...

Ausie,

Possibly, possibly. I am going to continue to shoot both bows side by side. One is going to go...<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

Again, just my opinion.



Edited by - PABowhntr on 01/17/2003 08:58:09