Worth every penny! I did a lot of research on many bows before hand that wouldn't break the bank but also would be a quality bow and decided to go with the Spyder XL. Glad I did. I have a little over 30" draw and when I pull back its smooth and gives no feel of stacking like a shorter 62" bow I've shot with. If you have a shorter than 29" draw you might be better fitted with the Original size Spyder:
Spyder Takedown Recurve Bow & arrow by Southwest Archery USA | weights 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 lb | LEFT or RIGHT HAND Archery Kit | Designed by Engineers of the Samick Sage | WS 40 lb RH W/ TOOL
though. I personally went with 40lb limbs because of a couple reasons, although beginners may want less poundage like 30-35lbs and then purchase more heavy limbs down the road. I wanted to work on form/ shot cycle more without getting to exhausted during shooting sessions that last 45-60 minutes or longer and because of my 30" draw I was 2" above the 28" that the bow poundage was rated at. I did a pull test at my anchor point distance and it read almost 45 lbs because of my draw length being that 2" longer. That makes every inch past the 28" about 2 pounds more to pull which some might want to know.
Like other reviewers have pointed out its 'basically' the Sage 2 but more refined and even better made. The riser is smooth, rounded and feels nice in my hand, I would say I have medium-large hands. The wood work is truly gorgeous for a bow in this price range. There were some very minor blemishes on the riser but nothing to fret over. A previous reviewer had said the darker brown looked green-ish in the pictures but not when they got it. I think its both actually. A green hue comes out when your inside or low light areas such as an overcast but looks more brown when I'm outside or near daylight style bulbs. The limbs are a nice semi-matte black. Another minor thing was that one of the limb tip string grooves could of been a bit smoother. You could use some steel wool or fine sandpaper to resolve this. Instead I took some paracord, while holding the bow between my legs, and pulled back and forth in a 'sawing' manner in the limb tips to slowly smooth them out. Worked well and didn't have to worry about over doing it. Minor thing to note, I believe the logo design of the spider might be an older logo since I see almost all their bows are now stamped with their name as text instead. I'll attach a picture to show.
You will get a standard Dacron(B50 I believe) string with it and an adhesive style plastic arrow rest. I did not use the arrow rest since I shoot off-shelf. I did use the string for a short time. It however stretched to much and forced me to put far to many twists in to try and keep a good brace height. Because of the amount of twists, about 65-70, to even get it into the high zone of the suggested manufacture brace height my arrows were hitting inconstantly. At first I thought I might of received the wrong size string but after measuring it the string was 4" under the bow length which should of been perfect. The serving was also little to thick for my arrow nocks. I also had some major 'Twang' when I was shooting the original string. I added some industrial (soft-side) velcro along the string grooves on the limbs to reduce string slap but it was still loud and twangy. I replaced it with a 'Fast-Flight' Flemish Twist and all above issues were resolved. New string allowed me to tune the bow to a brace height of about 8-1/8" with only 3 additional twists in it after letting it set for 24 hours. Manufacturer specs state that the XL should be between 8 and 8-3/4.I now have a better arrow release, more quiet/ faster bow and its much more fun to shoot.
As a side note, I also don't take my recurve "down" all the way. I used blue Loctite(non-permanent) to keep my limb bolts from backing out due to vibration. Also, since I shoot at least every other day, if not daily, I keep mine strung. Yes, I know that its a widely debated thing but I lean towards the side that it shouldn't be an issue if used often. If I ever do plan on not shooting for a long time I will de-string it using a stringer tool only. If you need one I'd suggest something like this:
Selway Limbsaver Recurve Bow Stringer
which is what I use along with others I know. While I do keep it strung for daily use I hang it by the string on the wall with hooks, about 40" apart, that come away from the wall enough to allow the bow to 'free-float' and not touch the wall. This assures no extra limb stress/ twist since it has clearance away from the wall.
Well, I always like to wait awhile before I give review on anything that way I can test the product out as much as possible. With that being said, I love the bow and have shot hundreds of arrows down range and could easily recommend the bow to anyone whether they're a beginner or more experienced. It really is a nice bow that should last many many years if not a lifetime if taken care of properly. I know that this review is extensive and long but I hope it helps others out like previous reviewers did for me.
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 26 x 7.75 x 2 inches |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 53 Ounces |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 8 x 25 x 2 inches |
| Item Weight | 5 Pounds |
| Brand Name | Southwest Archery |
| Warranty Description | 1 Year Manufacturer Warranty |
| Model Name | SpyderXL-25L |
| Color | Wood |
| Material | Wood |
| Suggested Users | unisex-adult |
| Manufacturer | Southwest Archery |
| Style | SpyderXL-25L |
| Included Components | SpyderXL-25L |
| Size | 25lb |
| Sport Type | Hunting |
| Hand Orientation | Left Hand |
