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StealthyCat..the cost of so called Custom made traditional bows is terrible, just look at the cost of black widows over 900.00 for some of those and you dont even get to choice any fancy woods! I guess its just the all the overhead they have to cover.

As far as cost for the machined aluminum bows they are expensive. My husband has helped Hoyt in the past with some designs in his machine shop, and I can tell when you start machining bows on machines that have a shop rate of 125.00 a hr to run, plus the machinist rates, and all the other people who handle the bow to make the finished project it all adds up.

My current Recurve was right about 600.00 it is preety custom though as far the woods and limb tips and checkering go.I can guarantee their will never be another bow just like it!

Edited by - Cliff_N_Di on 01/22/2002 12:11:43

So traditional and recurves are as much as if not more than compounds?! That figures. I always ending up picking expensive hobbies! I figured that when I tire of all my hi-tec hunting stuff, I would go traditional and save some bucks. Ah, the joys of archery! Thanks for letting me know. I think.

Quite frankly, I don't see much problem in spending $500 and up for a hand made, custom recurve with exotic hardwoods, expertly rendered and finished. Those custom bowyers aren't getting rich, for sure.

But spending that much and more on a machine made, mass produced hunk of of plastic and metal that never saw a human hand until it came time to assemble the parts...

But then, it depends on how much disposable income you've got, how much of it you're willing to dispose of, and how bad you want a certain bow.

Myself, I don't have much disposable income. There's a teenager/money sponge living in my house. I've probably bought my last new bow for quite a spell. If, or when, I need a different bow, I'll snoop the used bow racks and secondhand shops.

My bad Miss Tribal, I didn't know. But even us tough ol' fellas are suckers for a pretty bow or color scheme from time to time (did I just blow our cover guys?!?!?). I must admit, that didn't hurt in my bow purchase!

Ok, after I rambled on and on about the positives and negatives about expensive bows, I have come to this conclusion. SCREW IT! You only live once, and if you want to burn a few bucks on a bow that may or may not help your groups, who am I to cut on ya for it.

There are all kinds of scenarios we can play out on a individual basis, but for the most part I agree with Paul...I think, I may have nodded off about half way through (just kiddin' Paul)! <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

Just my two pennies.

To me it is just the price that you have to pay to have a hobby. You look at eveything from fishing rods and reels to golf clubs to mountain bikes they are all just as expensive as you want them to be. I have this talk with my wife all of the time when we discuss the money that we spend. I always tell her that with the meat that I kill with my bow I save us money at the grocery store.

To quote Lee Iaccoca(sp?) &quot;We charge those prices because people pay it&quot;

I'd rather my 2000 Honda 4-wheeler be in the neighborhood of around $600.00, but it wasn't. Most people wouldn't have had the use to realize the difference in costs for the 4X4, 400 and whatever CC engine, full floorboards, electronic shift, shaft drive, or Honda's proven reliability. But for me, I'll probably have it for 10 years, abuse the heck out of it, and hope it lasts.

A bow isn't much different. Most people would never tell the differences between a $400.00 bow and a $800.00 bow, but some do, some can, and if they have the money, it's probably worth it. I personally feel the price of land and automobiles have increased just as substantially, if not more.

It's kind of funny, but I remember how much my PSE Fire-Flite seemed to cost when I basically mowed lawns to buy it in 1988. Now looking back, the $223.00 seems pretty nice compared to todays prices. What about some 18 year old buying his first bow for $500.00 or more, how's that going to look 14 years from now??

Guess it's all relative.

Jeff...U.P. of Michigan.

Prices seem steep to me. What do I know? I've never owned a new bow. I want one this year though. Hope it's worth it!

Gutshot, I tell my wife the same thing, then when I make meat, she informs me that stuff cost $233.153 per pound. Not only do I have a teenager in the house, I'm married to an accountant! <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

I have a hoyt I bought years ago.Use it for both hunting and 3d shooting.It gets the job done for me so I have no interest in another
one.