My first bow should be...

[Species8472]

Who's been telling you lies...they have never been the top bow even in North America

If you are talking sales numbers or number of users you are likely correct.

If you are talking about wins at 3-D shooting competitions than you are incorrect as they have more wins than every other brand combined in the last 10 years. I tend to put more stock in the 3-D wins. So the statement they are #1 could easily be accepted as true.

[MikePal]

I tend to put more stock in the 3-D wins.

I tend to put more stock in independent 'lab' comparison testing... 3D competition results will reflect more the performance of the Archer than the bow.

'Outdoor Life' performs a truly independent review of crossbows every year and Excalibur's are always included. They do well, usually in the top 50%, but they have never been the 'top' bow...

http://www.outdoorlife.com/photos/gallery/hunting/2011/08/new-crossbows-2011-new-hunting-crossbows-best-hunting-crossbows/?image=1

[MikePal]

There is a video at the link that shows how the testing is done...

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/hun...-crossbow-test

[Hunter John]

Haven't read all the posts here but I am assuming ( say what you will ) that u have never taken a deer with archery equipment before . So if thats the case and you are spending most of your time securing and scouting places to hunt ( what you should be doing ) then I reccomend a crossbow until you get a few deer under your belt.
Crossbow will have you shooting wit confidence quicker than a compound and will allow for lots of time in the forest gaining experience on when to move or not to move or when to shoot or not to shoot. Then if you want more of a challenge then by all means move to a compound. Remember one thing , with either bow you need to practice and know your yardage.

[MikePal]

Here are the results for 2013 with the then new Excalibur Matrix 380, were it ranked 4th out of 7.

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/hun...013-bowhunting

[JUDGE]

They are comparing Excalibur Axiom SXD to the top crossbows The AXIOM is Excaliburs lowest performing crossbow.
They should at least try one of the Matrix series.

I tend to put more stock in independent 'lab' comparison testing... 3D competition results will reflect more the performance of the Archer than the bow.

'Outdoor Life' performs a truly independent review of crossbows every year and Excalibur's are always included. They do well, usually in the top 50%, but they have never been the 'top' bow...

http://www.outdoorlife.com/photos/gallery/hunting/2011/08/new-crossbows-2011-new-hunting-crossbows-best-hunting-crossbows/?image=1




http://www.outdoorlife.com/photos/gallery/hunting/2012/07/compound-bow-new-bows-bow-test-hunting-bows-2012

[MikePal]

They are comparing Excalibur Axiom SXD to the top crossbows The AXIOM is Excaliburs lowest performing crossbow.
They should at least try one of the Matrix series.

Keep reading..see post #35.

They test the NEW bows each year, the Axiom was the new bow that year. If you read back thru the years (like I posted) you see them all being evaluated.

[buckluck_9pt]

I understand your point MIkepal , that they are comparing new bows of that same year.. however, you can't deny that comparing a top line bow from one manufacturer against the bottom line bow from Excalibur is comparing apples to Cadillac's.. .. I agree, it would be more fair to compare a Tenpoint top line bow against every other manufacturer's top bow..
I also prefer to see tournament results over "lab" tests.. those tests are done in controlled settings, not real life events or environments.. it's the same as comparing fuel mileage between a top line truck to a bottom line Honda civic.. even the fuel consumption readings aren't accurate as they are also done in controlled "lab" settings.. I prefer real life, out in the field results over anything else.. and again, when I see results comparing a company's top line $1200 crossbow against other company's bottom line $499 crossbow, than it's not even a test as far as I'm concerned.. but like I say, agree to disagree... this is getting off the OP's conversation...
OP, please go out and try a few of each, and get what suits and feels best to YOU.. don't worry about the name on the side of the bow.. but I would strongly consider asking about that bow company's warranty policy and customer service reputation..

[Species8472]

I tend to put more stock in independent 'lab' comparison testing... 3D competition results will reflect more the performance of the Archer than the bow.

The fact that the guys that win and who are also likely the highest volume shooters in the world consistently choose excalibur tells me more than any lab geek ever could. I'll trust the winning archers every time over some magazine lab geeks funded by advertising dollars.

Extending your logic to say chainsaws would you take the advice of a few magazine lab techs over that of the majority of foresters? I know whose advice I'd follow.

To the OP - sorry for the tangent. If you have lots of time go with a vertical bow. If time to practice will be an issue choose a crossbow. Whichever route you go try out a bunch of brands and models and choose the one you are most comfortable with.

[TPM]

The fact that the guys that win and who are also likely the highest volume shooters in the world consistently choose excalibur tells me more than any lab geek ever could. I'll trust the winning archers every time over some magazine lab geeks funded by advertising dollars.

Yup. As an active 3D competitor I can assure you there are many bows out there that are pleasant to shoot and quite accurate but non are anywhere near Excalibur when it comes to long term reliability and durability when high volume shooting. Most crossbows out there now will serve hunters quite well as most hunters probably shoot less than 50 shots a year. If that's what you plan on doing then buy whatever floats your boat but if you're going to put 1000+ arrows down range every year it's hard to beat an Excalibur. Over the years while shooting 3D I've seen TenPoints and Barnetts fail and Hortons and Scorpyds literally fly apart. Crossbows pack a lot of energy into a small package and they literally try to destroy themselves every time you pull the trigger. Most manufactures try to push the limits of a design to achieve maximum performance and since the vast majority of crossbows are used for hunting high volume shooting isn't even a consideration. I'd love to see Outdoor Life take all their test bows and run 2000 consecutive shots through them and see which ones still function in the end.