Introduction

Welcome to the 2009 Head2Head Bow Test. We have been at this for 7 years now and as happens with other worthwhile products others have copied Bowsite's test. In 2003 there was no other test that took many of the top rigs and put them up against one another for a real comparison, however, by 2005/2006 there were several. As they say, "Imitation is the ultimate form of flattery." Still, we are set apart through our methods and integrity. Brand loyalty is held at bay through blindfolds while rules and methods are followed strictly and all companies are placed on exactly the same playing field.

In past years we have ranked all of the bows from 1st through 9th (8th the first few years) using various methods. We started out with sort of a bracketed tournament type test and moved into a complete 1st to last elimination in the last few years. I think the full elimination method is the best and will stick to it, however, for the second year I have decided to only post the top five for each individual category and overall results. This is done to protect the companies and individuals that are represented by a bow that find themselves toward the bottom of the rankings. Consider things from the manufacturer's point of view. Nobody wants to bust their tail creating a bow and then have it come in 9th place out of 9 bows. In past years I tried to explain to you, the reader, and to the manufacturers that 9th place isn't a bad thing when you consider these are probably the best 9 bows in the business. There is a good chance that our number 9 bow would still be number nine if we tested 30 bows - then 9th wouldn't seem to bad, would it? Still, I struggled with it and in the end decided that it will be better for everyone if only the top five are posted. These are all quality bows worthy of a first-hand look should you be in the market for a new rig.

I have added another feature for 2009. For each bow you will see a completed force draw curve and associated information such as kinetic energy, dynamic efficiency, etc. In recent years I have worked with two skilled engineers to produce a force draw system with integrated software package - the Silks Outdoors Bow Analysis Program. While the system has certain automatic features and calculations we are in the process of upgrading it to fully automated.
What you will see this year: