2016 Models - Not impressed.

[vpsaline]

Does the Sapphire have the same LOP as the Grizzly?

[tomcat]

Different people pulling the strings....
IMHO they are taking the brand way off course... Too many models, changing names, raising prices and introducing the possibility of "product failure" into a brand built upon the premise of dependability.

These new models are starting to advertise increased durability, so at least their marketing guru's have taken note that this critical to potential Excal buyers..
All this marketing nonsense is just confusing customers and alienating more potential buyers with each and every report of limb failures on Micro's and Megas..

I highly doubt many in the quest for the fastest lightest and most compact bow are looking at Excaliburs, so stop trying to morph the brand into what the compound bows are and return to what made the brand in the first place..

Just my .02, but if I want compact, fast, accurate and want to spend over a grand, I'm going to look at the other expensive compounds on the market that simply do it better and quieter...

Bowtech needs to schedule a heart to heart with Bill T to revisit how he built this company resisting the urge to follow the competition instead of scheduling another "power point presentation" with a bunch of stockholders

I know that much of the current direction is derived from the survey on here and that shows their heart is in the right place, but just because kids want a "rocket pack" for their birthday instead of their roller skates doesn't mean you should take your roller skate company into the rocket pack industry.

Bill T had the discretion to resist the urge chasing the rest of the market at the expense of the company's core value because HE knew what it's customers wanted (even though they all said they wanted MORE MORE MORE)..He knew risk of a reputation for un-dependability wasn't worth the temporary increase in sales if he wanted a recurve company to mantain( or grow slowly) it's presence in the future.
Bill T probably likes the Rolling Stones:

You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you might find
You get what you need

Now here we are...ALL of us that (said we) wanted faster, lighter, more compact and less dependable crossbows at higher prices have gotten what we asked for...
IF you wanted all that, why didn't you just buy one of the compounds in the first place??

Hopefully the guys at Bowtec/Excal can re-establish customer faith in dependability with these new models, as I think it's the highest priority amongst recurve buyers..

[tomcat]

Long live the "long limb" Excals!
Which will outlive me:)

[TPM]

I get what you're saying tomcat but Excal sales and production are at an all time high. They must be doing something right.

[Drew]

Ah yes, marketing at it's finest.

I'd rather see less variants or at least differentiate more than just a few fps. Do we really need 305fps, 310fps, and 315fps model crossbows?? Maybe next year we will have 300-405fps bows increasing by 5fps graduations lol.

I only have my opinion so take it with a grain of salt...but here is what I would like to see.

An actual cheek pc that puts your sight line down the pipe. The current cheek pcs are basically useless.

Bombproof limbs for all models.

Magnum power strokes for better efficiency in throwing heavy arrows. Not everyone wants to shoot 350gr splinters. I'd like to see a bow that can throw a 500gr arrow at 380-400fps and you do not get that with a 10" power stroke.

I explained it to someone recently like this...
M355 is like a .270
M380 is like a 7mm Rem Mag
M405 is like a .338 Lapua
Sometimes you really want/need that Lapua. And if you need that level of power you definitely do not want the limbs blowing up.

So I'll continue saving for a new M380 and get a single stage TT for it. I'll build up another cheek pc to be functional and I'll replace the scope.

[ComfyBear]

I remember a time back when Bill & Kathy called the shots, what most sticks in my mind is the following paragraph:

At Excalibur, we aren't big business cashing in on crossbow hunting, we're crossbow hunters who build crossbows. Our first priority is not to produce a lot of cheap bows with star wars styling, but to make the most efficient, reliable, and accurate hunting crossbow that money can buy. Our ideas don't come from engineers, they come from experience, and nothing leaves our drawing board without being subject to extensive testing by the toughest, most uncompromising product evaluators in the deer woods… US!

http://www.excaliburcrossbow.com/content/about

Although Excalibur's "About Us" page still features Bill & Kathy and their mission statement, Excalibur's new direction, with the advent of the Bulldog, now reflects the "Star Wars" mentality of the other big crossbow companies.

Is that a good thing, only time will tell.

[janesy]

[sarcasm] Good thing they have only been in business for 32+ years... any less and I would think they didn't know what they were doing. {/sarcasm]

[nchunterkw]

I really like my Micro 335 and won't be chasing the speed bows although I think they are cool. Why?

1) Arrows fired from a 400fps bow are hard to stop, wreaking havoc on targets and fletchings.
2) High draw wt. bows are hard to cock (I know my Micro is up there at 270lbs but the 9.5" PS makes it OK for me)
3) High draw wt. bows are harder on servings
4) High speed arrows are harder to get to fly perfectly with fixed BHs.

To me these outweigh the benefit of flatter trajectory. And that is the only benefit I see. I recently put a 15.25" arrow completely through a bison at 30yds. So IMO my little Micro has pretty much all the power I need to kill stuff in North America and about anything I could afford to hunt in Africa.

[Honcho]

I was holding out till the 2016 models came out. And ended up buying a Micro 335 on eBay last night for $775 shipped. While I was waiting to see the Micro 355, the extra $ for just 20 more fps I couldn't justify it. I only turkey and deer hunt, so the 335 will do me just fine. This is not a rag on the new bows as I am sure the are great.

[timbikeride]

[sarcasm] Good thing they have only been in business for 32+ years... any less and I would think they didn't know what they were doing. {/sarcasm]

As Tomcat wrote though, it's not the same people in charge anymore. 32+ years doesn't always mean a whole lot when the ownership/management changes.

[ComfyBear]

[sarcasm] Good thing they have only been in business for 32+ years... any less and I would think they didn't know what they were doing. {/sarcasm]

All sarcasm aside, it is true that "Excalibur" has been in business for 32 years, but in the last 2-3, the principals/principles have changed.

[janesy]

[sarcasm] Good thing they have only been in business for 32+ years... any less and I would think they didn't know what they were doing. {/sarcasm]

All sarcasm aside, it is true that "Excalibur" has been in business for 32 years, but in the last 2-3, the principals/principles have changed.

Very true, however, I'd hesitate to suggest that a bunch of guys on an internet forum know as much to run a successful business designing, manufacturing, and marketing a premium internationally sold niche product. I'm as guilty as the next guy on here for being an Armchair Expert at times, but this thread just simple shows how you cannot please the general public.

[Heyu]

Fool me once. Shame on you. Fool me twice. Shame on me. We will just have to wait and see the results. Proof is in the pudding. Looks and names or marketing claims don't cut it. It's to be proven. For Excaliburs sake, hope it works out.

[TPM]

The crossbow market that Bill and Kath built the business in is very different from the market now. Performance and reliability were hard to find in a crossbow in 1983. Bill T fixed that and built a business on it. There were very few players then so the business model worked. Today there are a whole lot more players out there making reliable, quality bows. Unfortunately these days speed and "star wars" styling sells. Excal has to adapt to the market or sink. Same thing is happening in the gun industry. "Tacticool" seems to rule these days.

[Heyu]

The crossbow market that Bill and Kath built the business in is very different from the market now. Performance and reliability were hard to find in a crossbow in 1983. Bill T fixed that and built a business on it. There were very few players then so the business model worked. Today there are a whole lot more players out there making reliable, quality bows. Unfortunately these days speed and "star wars" styling sells. Excal has to adapt to the market or sink. Same thing is happening in the gun industry. "Tacticool" seems to rule these days.

Well said. At least Excaliburs stand out warranty and service hasn't changed. That's money in the bank for us. One change we don't want them changing. It's above all others.