Of Splintering limbs and grave disappointment

[Green380]

Blemished limbs are warrantied just like the new limbs are. The blemish is simply in the camo finish and does not affect the limbs at all. If needing limbs fast I would have offered them my CC number and had them overnight them. The charge would have been backed off when your limbs were received.
I do not understand why Dawn would have asked for your riser to be sent in if they were going to return the original. Most of the guys I have seen do this got a new generation riser back. It is a lot cheaper to pull the limbs and mail them in.

I went through several limbs blowing on me on compound crossbows before I finally changed over to an Excalibur. I bought a spare set of limbs and have never needed them (knock on wood).

Not sure why that offer wasn't made but it certainly wasn't I would gladly have given my CC number even just so she could mail of regular limbs and I mail back the broken ones. This also wasn't offered. I figured when I told her it would cause me to loose my entire season it would have been had this been possible. Not sure why she needed the riser but they were very clear about needing it. My point is had I put on blemished limbs I would not have had a riser to mail back with the originals. Which means they could just say it was my fault and call it a day. IF they require the riser with the warranties for the limbs then blemished limbs won't solve the issue, unless once is willing to continue to buy blemished limbs. Of course some of you may have a personal relationship or association with Dawn where I'm just a regular customer somewhere further away.

[JRS]

Sorry folks, but I can't see spending the $$$$ for a new product, then having to buy spare parts as insurance!
They should be made right the first time! If they can't be made to last then perhaps it's time to look for something more reliable. (Which would probably mean higher recommended arrow weights, lighter draw weights, and less advertised speed.)
The recurve crossbow is much more user friendly as far as maintenance & repair, but the competition (compounds) focuses on speed. To compete the recurve models have been pushed to the limits and failures occur (and I personally don't buy the story the failure rate has not gone up).

Have to agree with Wabi. There seems to have been more warranty claims for the new bows in the last couple years than there were for the older bows for the last ten. I've been shooting the Exo series of bows since the 90's, and have been tempted by what's now being offered, but just can't give up the comfort of knowing that my bows will keep working, arrow after arrow.

[jparchery]

What I've learned in the few years of being on this forum is the die hard Excalibur users refuse to hear any negative reviews or comments about this product. I was once a stubborn excel guy who only thought Excalibur made the best bows. Last year I shot a ten point titan and realized I was blind. Excalibur has terrible trigger units, the matrix limbs are un reliable and the tact zone scopes are a joke. I sold my matrix models and am currently using a ten point which I find very accurate and reliable. I still own an exomag which is a solid bow but for the right price it's gone. I'll never buy another Excalibur product either

[Onetimeonly x-->]

What I've learned in the few years of being on this forum is the die hard Excalibur users refuse to hear any negative reviews or comments about this product. I was once a stubborn excel guy who only thought Excalibur made the best bows. Last year I shot a ten point titan and realized I was blind. Excalibur has terrible trigger units, the matrix limbs are un reliable and the tact zone scopes are a joke. I sold my matrix models and am currently using a ten point which I find very accurate and reliable. I still own an exomag which is a solid bow but for the right price it's gone. I'll never buy another Excalibur product either

Good luck! Toss out a # on your last Excal...

[L. E. Carroll]

My guess is that C/S wanted to check out the specs on your riser... I'm only guessing but think it may now look to have been machined like the now discontinued 405's ?

That being the case? You may look and if you remove the limbs there may be a slight new radius at the outer edge of the limb pocket (Where the limb comes off of your riser ) this would be confirmed by a slight amount of aluminum showing thru that portion of the camo. If that is indeed the case, you are now the owner of a Modified Riser ( which may very well be the one you sent them ) and all should be good to go now that you also have a set of the new "In House" non-cooked limbs and different limb strap fastners that were determined to maybe part of the problem with previous limb failures.

As with most bows, a $80 set of "Blem" spare limbs is also good insurance when in hunting camp and miles away from home.

Give it a go, as it is now and I think you may be very pleased.... Or there is the PM I sent you with the other possible solution.

Gene

[jefrohio]

I shoot an old Phoenix and am on my 3rd set of limbs, so I know limbs can and will splinter & break. My biggest complaint is the the limbs I have now are nowhere close to matching the camo of the stock.
Recently Vixenmaster posted a thread about Excalibur's warranty only being 5 years for the older models, and apparently Excalibur has decided to now enforce that clause in warranty.
Seems like the new owner(s) are more concerned with profits than the bulletproof customer service we had when Bill T. was at the helm.

If you buy a new gun do you need to buy a spare barrel just in case the original splits? No - they build enough of a safety margin into those products to eliminate most failures with recommended loads (like proof testing barrels).

Sorry folks, but I can't see spending the $$$$ for a new product, then having to buy spare parts as insurance!
They should be made right the first time! If they can't be made to last then perhaps it's time to look for something more reliable. (Which would probably mean higher recommended arrow weights, lighter draw weights, and less advertised speed.)
The recurve crossbow is much more user friendly as far as maintenance & repair, but the competition (compounds) focuses on speed. To compete the recurve models have been pushed to the limits and failures occur (and I personally don't buy the story the failure rate has not gone up).

Maybe it's time to take a step back to the old straight riser and long limbs like the first models had. I started with a Vixen and abused that bow more than I like to admit through both ignorance and carelessness.
Dry fires did nothing but make a horrible noise - the bow still shot the next arrow right into the bullseye! I could change the string without a stringer with no problem, and those strings lasted for years if I took care of them (watched for wear and re-served if needed).
Arrow speed was slow (by today's standards), but accuracy was great, so hunting simply meant getting close. I never failed to get a pass-through on a deer if I did my part, and they all were easy recoveries. I had to HUNT, not simply SHOOT, but then why do we pick archery in the first place?

If Excalibur would re-introduce the Vixen & Exo lines with forward risers (machined is fine), skip the camo step (go with a solid color that blends with the woods), put a reinforced string groove in the limbs instead of a glue-on tip (like a longbow has today - an extra layer or two of material), add a dacron string and leave out the imported scope so I could put my Leupold on it, I'll pre-order it today!

Amen

[Excalibur Marketing Dude]

I never like to hear negative feedback about our products or customer service as we work very hard to keep our customers happy. However, we are not perfect and do make mistakes.

The fact is during hunting season we receive hundreds of calls and emails a day and it can be difficult to get hold of us which is the main reason we came up with our on-line warranty system. The system will automatically provide an RMA number plus the address to send parts to. If you need parts for a hunt we will gladly work something out to get you fixed up sooner. We are constantly sending out product overnight to every corner of North America on a daily basis and do what it takes so nobody misses too much time hunting.

I have a hard time believing 8 messages were left as we are pretty diligent about returning calls as soon as we can. But if that indeed happened I apologize and it's not acceptable.

Recently Vixenmaster posted a thread about Excalibur's warranty only being 5 years for the older models, and apparently Excalibur has decided to now enforce that clause in warranty.
Seems like the new owner(s) are more concerned with profits than the bulletproof customer service we had when Bill T. was at the helm.

This is 100% false. Vixenmaster had an old carved tip limbed Vixen that we no longer have original limbs for and only were charging for a magtip limb upgrade. For a 16+ year old crossbow that's not bad. I worked closely with Bill T for years and our warranty is being run exactly the same as when Bill was here so nothing has changed. In many ways its much better.

We will continue to do the best for our customers and do whatever it takes to keep them hunting. We are human though and may make a mistake but you can be certain we will make it right. If you ever have a concern or question please feel free to call me anytime.

Regards,

Peter

[sproulman]

I shoot an old Phoenix and am on my 3rd set of limbs, so I know limbs can and will splinter & break. My biggest complaint is the the limbs I have now are nowhere close to matching the camo of the stock.
Recently Vixenmaster posted a thread about Excalibur's warranty only being 5 years for the older models, and apparently Excalibur has decided to now enforce that clause in warranty.
Seems like the new owner(s) are more concerned with profits than the bulletproof customer service we had when Bill T. was at the helm.

If you buy a new gun do you need to buy a spare barrel just in case the original splits? No - they build enough of a safety margin into those products to eliminate most failures with recommended loads (like proof testing barrels).

Sorry folks, but I can't see spending the $$$$ for a new product, then having to buy spare parts as insurance!
They should be made right the first time! If they can't be made to last then perhaps it's time to look for something more reliable. (Which would probably mean higher recommended arrow weights, lighter draw weights, and less advertised speed.)
The recurve crossbow is much more user friendly as far as maintenance & repair, but the competition (compounds) focuses on speed. To compete the recurve models have been pushed to the limits and failures occur (and I personally don't buy the story the failure rate has not gone up).

Maybe it's time to take a step back to the old straight riser and long limbs like the first models had. I started with a Vixen and abused that bow more than I like to admit through both ignorance and carelessness.
Dry fires did nothing but make a horrible noise - the bow still shot the next arrow right into the bullseye! I could change the string without a stringer with no problem, and those strings lasted for years if I took care of them (watched for wear and re-served if needed).
Arrow speed was slow (by today's standards), but accuracy was great, so hunting simply meant getting close. I never failed to get a pass-through on a deer if I did my part, and they all were easy recoveries. I had to HUNT, not simply SHOOT, but then why do we pick archery in the first place?

If Excalibur would re-introduce the Vixen & Exo lines with forward risers (machined is fine), skip the camo step (go with a solid color that blends with the woods), put a reinforced string groove in the limbs instead of a glue-on tip (like a longbow has today - an extra layer or two of material), add a dacron string and leave out the imported scope so I could put my Leupold on it, I'll pre-order it today!

You are right on Camo of new limbs on micro 335 they are real light in color you have dark stock and light limbs ..I do not like it at all but living with it..

[one shot scott]

What I've learned in the few years of being on this forum is the die hard Excalibur users refuse to hear any negative reviews or comments about this product. I was once a stubborn excel guy who only thought Excalibur made the best bows. Last year I shot a ten point titan and realized I was blind. Excalibur has terrible trigger units, the matrix limbs are un reliable and the tact zone scopes are a joke. I sold my matrix models and am currently using a ten point which I find very accurate and reliable. I still own an exomag which is a solid bow but for the right price it's gone. I'll never buy another Excalibur product either

tenpoint eh? I seem to recall that some of their models had trigger issues??

Further proof that no matter what make your going to run into issues sooner or later. How its handled by the Co. make all the difference. Good luck with the $tenpoint$. lol

[Boo]

What I've learned in the few years of being on this forum is the die hard Excalibur users refuse to hear any negative reviews or comments about this product. I was once a stubborn excel guy who only thought Excalibur made the best bows. Last year I shot a ten point titan and realized I was blind. Excalibur has terrible trigger units, the matrix limbs are un reliable and the tact zone scopes are a joke. I sold my matrix models and am currently using a ten point which I find very accurate and reliable. I still own an exomag which is a solid bow but for the right price it's gone. I'll never buy another Excalibur product either

tenpoint eh? I seem to recall that some of their models had trigger issues??

Further proof that no matter what make your going to run into issues sooner or later. How its handled by the Co. make all the difference. Good luck with the $tenpoint$. lol

I have recall notices on my 2 Tenpoints because they may fire when the safety is taken off. When the bows were firing on release of the safety, Tenpoint was blaming the operators, saying it was their mistake. Yes, they had their fair share of limb issues. If you use an aftermarket string, the warranty is void. If you don't change your string with regularity, your warranty is void. So Tenpoints are certainly not nearly the perfect bow. Infact there are no perfect bows and no bows with zero issues. They are mechanical devices and all subject to breakdowns.

[Green380]

I never like to hear negative feedback about our products or customer service as we work very hard to keep our customers happy. However, we are not perfect and do make mistakes.

The fact is during hunting season we receive hundreds of calls and emails a day and it can be difficult to get hold of us which is the main reason we came up with our on-line warranty system. The system will automatically provide an RMA number plus the address to send parts to. If you need parts for a hunt we will gladly work something out to get you fixed up sooner. We are constantly sending out product overnight to every corner of North America on a daily basis and do what it takes so nobody misses too much time hunting.

I have a hard time believing 8 messages were left as we are pretty diligent about returning calls as soon as we can. But if that indeed happened I apologize and it's not acceptable.

Thanks for replying Peter, what I wrote was "I left a message didn't get a call back but I did finally get through on probably the 8th call", I didn't meant that to mean I had left 8 messages simply that I left a message (just one I'm not an idiot) and then kept calling in the hopes of getting somebody.
If you do regularly expedite limbs or other needs to people I have no idea why it wouldn't be offered when I said "Will this take out all my season?" And Dawn said "I don't know how long is your season?" When I told her Dec. 10 she said "no our turn around time is pretty good you should get it before then."
The expediting was never offered, not even suggested.
You probably don't remember but we had an email exchange where you said you'd mail me a replacement string last year. I'm still waiting.


I did get the new limbs sighted in, and indeed it appears the limbs sit a bit differently now. Dialed the scope down by 10fps, and was at a bullseye at 40yards. (and yes I shot it first of course to see it was shooting a bit low now) in other words bow works great.

Then headed to my stand and should have got a little buck that showed up...but that's another story. I have three days left, anything could happen.

[Fred T]

I have recall notices on my 2 Tenpoints because they may fire when the safety is taken off. When the bows were firing on release of the safety, Tenpoint was blaming the operators, saying it was their mistake. .

Auto trigger eh!Novel idea ,they must have borrowed that from the Rem 700.

[BrotherRon]

When I first came to this sight looking for help choosing a crossbow there was a few people that told me speed isn't always a good thing. So I stuck with the ones I could cock without using a crankaroo (310 & 330) and have never had a problem. I shoot the 310 year round and the 330 leading up to and during hunting season. I will stick with the ones I have knowing that there are a lot less problems with the slower models. If I ever do have a problem I at least have a back-up, and can perform my own maintenance on my equipment without needing a bow press. The 310 and 330 might not be the fastest models but I have not had any problems with deer jumping the shot, and they are very reliable models

[Riflemanz]

Just buy LE Carrols 355!
End of problem!

[SEW]

Green 380,
Sorry for your frustration. I've been shooting and hunting with xbows for 33 years. I've had a wide variety of xbows. Each company and individual models have their pros and cons. I'm extremely good to my equipment. I shot a Parker Saf Mag for 7 years. Every 1,500 +/-100 shots, a limb broke. Over 450g arrows. Major problems with Strykeforce trigger, Solution trigger/anti-dryfire, etc. Being an incessant shooter and hunter, often 2,000 shots or more a year, I've had a few problems. Most common problem is compound xbows going out of time and clueless pro shop people.
Being a slow learner, I just really discovered Excalibur's advantages 4 years ago, and bought a M380, the next year a M405, and now a BD400. Cams can't go out of time, I can easily do all my own work, with TT triggers, a spare set of blemished limbs (never needed them: over 4,000 shots), spare , stretched strings, factory triggers as spares(will send them in for smoothing), etc.
Whatever might happen to any one of these xbows can be fixed in a matter of minutes. Yes, compound xbows can shoot great groups; but if, a bow shot one arrow a month at 60 yards for 3 months, I'll bet virtually no compound Xbow would come close to the 3 shot group of the Excalibur. It's just the same month after month.
FYI, I think I got a terrible Warrenty experience from Bowteck with my Strykeforce. Just terrible! Then I won a Solution (350) at Boofest. It was messed up. Sent in and still not good. Contacted them, was civil, it came back good. That very day , my 10 year old grandson shot it, hit a cam against my Hart rest and destroyed the cam, limb , cable and string. Yuk!! Sent it in the 3rd time. Explained that it was totally our fault and that we fully expected to pay for the repairs. A new Xbow was sent back to the dealer(Bowtecks go thru dealers). No charge. I told the dealer to call them and get an amount for me to send, that it wasn't their fault, it was mine. They said" No. They owed it to me". Win, win!
For Bowteck and me.
Don't give up on Excal, but do have backup limbs and strings.
Bet you'll have a win win relationship with Excalibur.
I've yet to run into any company as customer sensitive as Excalibur.