Being happy with what you have
#21
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Eastern PA USA
Posts: 1,398
RE: Being happy with what you have
Being satisfied with what you have is one of the tough things to do in this free market, advertising driven society, isn't it. I've gotten by with buying used cars, and some of them are nicer than others for various reasons. I used to be obsessed with guns, especially bolt action rifles. I was studying to be a gunsmith, but kinda lost interest. In PA, I only ended up carrying the gun for maybe 4 days tops hunting deer, and had a great gun already, but they can be intriguing. And NO, I didn't get a Lexus or Mercedes for Christmas!
Archery stuff is really about the only "toys" I still play with. Curiosity gets the better of me, and I've tried way too many bows in the last few years to make any logical sense. I have found one that I am very happy with though, and probably will not be buying anything new for a while. It's true, this years "gotta have", "sweetest shooter ever" is next years "obsolete equipment" to some, and the bow companies wouldn't be able to keep going if it wasn't. I can relate to anyone who is curious and wants to find out how a particular bow will feel and shoot. It is very difficult to do that in a pro shop with a dozen shots or so. Still, I do see your point. The times I've shot worst was when I've had too many bows, and can't seem to get really comfortable with one. I have that one now, and something else has to be pretty darned good to make me think about changing.
One more thing, many guys who post about various equipment on different forums are Pro Staffers. They are supposed to make these products look "too good to pass up." A lot of what you read is from people like that. The rest of the high praise is from people who are genuinely impressed with the new stuff that is out there. As others have said, it's their money to spend as they see fit.
Archery stuff is really about the only "toys" I still play with. Curiosity gets the better of me, and I've tried way too many bows in the last few years to make any logical sense. I have found one that I am very happy with though, and probably will not be buying anything new for a while. It's true, this years "gotta have", "sweetest shooter ever" is next years "obsolete equipment" to some, and the bow companies wouldn't be able to keep going if it wasn't. I can relate to anyone who is curious and wants to find out how a particular bow will feel and shoot. It is very difficult to do that in a pro shop with a dozen shots or so. Still, I do see your point. The times I've shot worst was when I've had too many bows, and can't seem to get really comfortable with one. I have that one now, and something else has to be pretty darned good to make me think about changing.
One more thing, many guys who post about various equipment on different forums are Pro Staffers. They are supposed to make these products look "too good to pass up." A lot of what you read is from people like that. The rest of the high praise is from people who are genuinely impressed with the new stuff that is out there. As others have said, it's their money to spend as they see fit.
#22
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Havertown PA USA
Posts: 232
RE: Being happy with what you have
I don't think I could be happy with one bow. I need one for hunting,plus a back-up and one for 3-d and target at least. Like Bowfanatic said the resale on used bows are a bargin. Buying a left-over or a one year old bow is how I work it. My hunting bow is a Darton Mav I bought 4 months old w/a custom string for $300. How could I have not bought it? I like to tinker so much that once I get a bow set-up and shooting in the sweet spot I need another one to play with. If need be I'll sell one to get one. I tinker almost to a fault. Thats how I started buying used bow.
I was at my club one day shooting and tinkering. We started playing some shooting games and I was hitting a match cover with three arrows out at forty yards. My head keep telling me I could tweak this bow just a little more so I went home put it on the press and tweaked it a little. The next day I was lucky to hit that match cover at 20 yds. It took me another week to get that bow to shoot like I had it. Thats when I learnt my lesson. I knew I couldn't stop tinkering so I just started on a nother bow. And thus is why I have more bows then I need. My son loves it. He gets my hand me downs every year. I don;t recommend doing it. It's so addicting. Jerry
I was at my club one day shooting and tinkering. We started playing some shooting games and I was hitting a match cover with three arrows out at forty yards. My head keep telling me I could tweak this bow just a little more so I went home put it on the press and tweaked it a little. The next day I was lucky to hit that match cover at 20 yds. It took me another week to get that bow to shoot like I had it. Thats when I learnt my lesson. I knew I couldn't stop tinkering so I just started on a nother bow. And thus is why I have more bows then I need. My son loves it. He gets my hand me downs every year. I don;t recommend doing it. It's so addicting. Jerry
#23
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Oakland Md. USA
Posts: 337
RE: Being happy with what you have
TinkertitisNow that was funny!!! Guess after 22 yrs. of marriage I can
tell my wife and kids what I have. Yes, I like to tinker alot with my bows as well.
It's fun!! Something to do in the off season to make me a better bowhunter. Keeping
confidence in my equipment is important to me. If I think, after doing research on
a bow, that it will help me when bowhunting I usually buy it. But my only problem
right now is that I am still researching.
tell my wife and kids what I have. Yes, I like to tinker alot with my bows as well.
It's fun!! Something to do in the off season to make me a better bowhunter. Keeping
confidence in my equipment is important to me. If I think, after doing research on
a bow, that it will help me when bowhunting I usually buy it. But my only problem
right now is that I am still researching.
#24
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Eastern PA USA
Posts: 1,398
RE: Being happy with what you have
Jerry and dsheally: Yep, you described my problem too. This year though, I think I'll put my tinkering into arrows, where it might actually do me some good! Just bought a dial indicator, and will be attempting to make a spine tester and straightness checker with it.
#25
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 2,413
RE: Being happy with what you have
I found that it took me awhile to find a bow that met my preferences and shooting style. Then a new generation of quieter bows with less vibration came out. I decided it was worth spending money on them and then a new cam style came out and I had to find out for myself if I'd prefer it.
Although all bows are inherently accurate, they are not all built for the same purpose. It can take a person years of experimenting to find out what they truely prefer. Sure, you could shoot the same bow for 30 years and only upgrade when a problem can't be repaired, and still kill every deer you shoot at, and win every league you shoot in, but you might miss out on a more enjoyable shooting experience.
Although all bows are inherently accurate, they are not all built for the same purpose. It can take a person years of experimenting to find out what they truely prefer. Sure, you could shoot the same bow for 30 years and only upgrade when a problem can't be repaired, and still kill every deer you shoot at, and win every league you shoot in, but you might miss out on a more enjoyable shooting experience.
#26
RE: Being happy with what you have
Anyone who is just buying a new bow to tinker with and then later sell it is taking a killing , resale on bows absolutely sucks ,
#27
RE: Being happy with what you have
Its all about spending money. Like someone else said, money is going to be spent on a varied amount of items, some guys just choose that to be bows. I personally don't spend a whole ton of money in any particular area/hobby. I have way too many interests and not that much money, I have to "spread the wealth" so to speak.
#28
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 3,903
RE: Being happy with what you have
From what I've seen around here and on ebay , even with "the big three" the average drop in price on a resale is no less than $50. Most folks will just buy brand new unless they think their getting a great deal. I will admit the big three hold much better value on resale even on a bow thats a few years old.
If I could get my hands on a 05 Bowtech for $100 cheaper than I'd pay around here I'd be having tinkeritis also!
If I could get my hands on a 05 Bowtech for $100 cheaper than I'd pay around here I'd be having tinkeritis also!
#29
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Eastern PA USA
Posts: 1,398
RE: Being happy with what you have
You can, Doug, you just have to wait 'till LATE in '05! LOL
I agree that it doesn't really make too much sense to get a relatively new Mathews, Hoyt, or Bowtech used, as the price is pretty close to new, and you don't get the warranty. Plus, in the case of the Mathews (and the Equalizer Bowtechs), you can't really be sure the bow fits you until you get it. I supposedly bought a 30" draw Q2 XL that turned out to be a 31" draw. I would have needed a different cam, and a new string/cable set to get 30. No longer a bargain, lesson learned!
I agree that it doesn't really make too much sense to get a relatively new Mathews, Hoyt, or Bowtech used, as the price is pretty close to new, and you don't get the warranty. Plus, in the case of the Mathews (and the Equalizer Bowtechs), you can't really be sure the bow fits you until you get it. I supposedly bought a 30" draw Q2 XL that turned out to be a 31" draw. I would have needed a different cam, and a new string/cable set to get 30. No longer a bargain, lesson learned!
#30
RE: Being happy with what you have
From what I've seen around here and on ebay , even with "the big three" the average drop in price on a resale is no less than $50.