Has the IBEX been replaced?

[Cat power]

I haven't been on the site for a while, so excuse my ignorance. Buddy of mine wants an Ibex like mine so I was doing a little checking and all I see is the SMF Ibex model? Am I missing something? Please tell me Excal didn't drop the original Ibex.

[georgiaboy]

I read that the ibex only comes in the smf kit now, but the original ibex is still listed on the website...i'm confused
I would send peter an e-mail and ask him, if true my ibex a'int going nowhere!!

[Cat power]

I truly believe Excal has made a huge mistake here in dropping arguably the best bow they had in their lineup. I would have dropped the Phoenix instead and kept the thumbhole stock Ibex. Oh well, I"m glad I have mine. I will inform my friend to buy now if he wants Aluminum rail.

I understand that it's more expensive to make the Aluminum rail bow and that Excalibur probably needed a model to compete price wise with Barnett etc. and so that's why you see the Axiom SMF etc. But I hope the company realizes that their are customers that will gladly pay more for their product because it's the best on the market! DON'T CHEAPEN IT UP.

Rant over

[Carnivorous]

I truly believe Excal has made a huge mistake here in dropping arguably the best bow they had in their lineup. I would have dropped the Phoenix instead and kept the thumbhole stock Ibex. Oh well, I"m glad I have mine. I will inform my friend to buy now if he wants Aluminum rail.

I understand that it's more expensive to make the Aluminum rail bow and that Excalibur probably needed a model to compete price wise with Barnett etc. and so that's why you see the Axiom SMF etc. But I hope the company realizes that their are customers that will gladly pay more for their product because it's the best on the market! DON'T CHEAPEN IT UP.


Amen love my ibex glad I bought one now.
Rant over

[wheelie]

We can guess all we want but Excalipur knows what is best and why. They have been in the bussiness for close if not 30 years. They didn't get there by making mistakes. Alot of careful planning and study would go into there decission and who are we to question them. New markets opening up with other provinces here and new states joining on in the US. I for one as a bussiness owner know that they are making ajustments to compete in this tough economy. If one doesn't make the ajustments, you get left behind. You can never get to comfortable in any market place.

[Cat power]

Agreed with your comments about competing in a tough economy, but their are more US states that have recently opened up xbow hunting opportunities than Excalibur has ever seen in it's 30 year history. They are selling more bows today than they ever have. Business is good for them.

[wheelie]

I cannot answer that as I have no inside knowledge but I do know that almost every company is now making a recurve model. We don't know how much of the market place there share is. It may not be as gr8 as some may think it is. This is only my opinion and I speak for noone else as I have no inside knowledge. It is only a guess on my part.

[TPM]

The Ibex is the "economy" bow in the Excal line up so any economy features such as the SMF are going to be found on this model. It's all in an effort to provide a more affordable bow in a very competitive market.
Dropping the Phoenix in favour of keeping both Ibex models would not make much sense. That would not leave a 175lb bow with a traditional stock in the line up. Believe it or not there are still a lot of people who prefer the traditional stock over the thumb hole version, myself included. "Best bow" is truly a matter of opinion. I think the Phoenix is the best bow in their catalogue but that's just my opinion.

[TPM]

We can guess all we want but Excalipur knows what is best and why. They have been in the bussiness for close if not 30 years. They didn't get there by making mistakes. Alot of careful planning and study would go into there decission and who are we to question them. New markets opening up with other provinces here and new states joining on in the US. I for one as a bussiness owner know that they are making ajustments to compete in this tough economy. If one doesn't make the ajustments, you get left behind. You can never get to comfortable in any market place.

Wheelie, you are absolutely right on all points.

[wabi]

I truly believe Excal has made a huge mistake here in dropping arguably the best bow they had in their lineup. I would have dropped the Phoenix instead and kept the thumbhole stock Ibex. Oh well, I"m glad I have mine. I will inform my friend to buy now if he wants Aluminum rail.

I understand that it's more expensive to make the Aluminum rail bow and that Excalibur probably needed a model to compete price wise with Barnett etc. and so that's why you see the Axiom SMF etc. But I hope the company realizes that their are customers that will gladly pay more for their product because it's the best on the market! DON'T CHEAPEN IT UP.

Rant over

Probably a good portion of the market actually prefer the traditional stock. I know I do!

I'm guessing since the new synthetic rail is "cast" and not machined each length would require a new "mold" for production. Excalibur is probably testing the market with the SMF models before committing too much expense into production. If the synthetic rail proves to be durable and trouble free I'm guessing we may see more models offered in the future.
Who knows, the synthetic rail may turn out to be advantageous as far as wear on and from the string, and it is slightly lighter in weight.

[taz3]

I much prefer the look of the aluminum rail, and given the option, I would choose it, even at a higher cost, but that just me. I also prefer the traditional stock in this application, for rapid fire and agility, I prefer the pistol grip thumb hole style. Chasing market demands can prove to be tricky from a business stand point, and important to stay on top. If this is the choice to change the Ibex and it isn't accepted by the masses, it still can be an important learning curve to understand their customer base. Sometimes a move like this will draw a in a new customers.

[Cat power]

The Ibex is the "economy" bow in the Excal line up so any economy features such as the SMF are going to be found on this model.

Absolutley ridiculous statement.

All Excalibur bows (Aluminum rail) are built the same. The difference is the rail length, which increases the poundage. You do realize it's the exact same bow as the Phoenix, but it has a thumbhole stock right?

[one shot scott]

Trust me, TPM knows the difference of all the Excal models.

The ibex is on the lower end of the price scale, not quality scale since all excals are of highest quality

[Cat power]

Probably a good portion of the market actually prefer the traditional stock. I know I do!

You are probably correct here, but I think the sales are probably good for both 175 pound bows. My rant was geared more about cheapening up the ibex rail more than which model got cheapened. I don't think either one should have been changed.

[Doe Master]

The Ibex and Axiom do not require machining so costs are kept down . But the molds cost to make them . The aluminum maimframe needs to be cut then machined, then surface deburred , then washed ,then sent out for anodizing . And if to be made into a Eclipse,Equinox or Exomax . Sent out for surface prep and then camoflage on top of that .
The SMF is easier from a manufacturing point .