33 replies to this topic

[FuzzyFultz]

xbowguy, on 23 December 2011 - 07:22 AM, said:

My insight was not geared at all exclusively to Parker but the limb, its technology and the industry as a whole.  

Being responsible for more than a half million crossbows in the market I have seen it all.  Its not a shooter issue at all though it can be.  Mostly it comes down to the material and how it's asked to perform.  As with anything there is always the possibility of defective material.  No one is trying to make bad limbs as it does have a huge cost associated with replacement no matter how wonderful how your service may be.  In this industry bad or poorly designed limbs dont get you far.

Aluminum has no Elasticity

Yes I agree. Why would a company knowing it has problems, keep replacing limbs. I am sure they would rather not have the issues and the negative feed back from consumers. I am sure that a lot of bow manufactures have had these same issues also. I hope that Parker has got them worked out for the 2011 models. If I have a problem, you all will be the second ones to know about it.
I had a Bear - Whitetail Two blow up in my face at full draw. I lucked out and was not injured, but it happens.

Edited by FuzzyFultz, 23 December 2011 - 11:19 PM.

[oldtimer]

wow I just ordered a parker enforcer 3 days ago. I thought that by not getting the fastes xbow 350 450 fps that maby the limbs would stand up to normal use. I ck warrenty on tenpoint and warrier and they are 5 years accross the board per ther rep. The mfg are not very proud of there product if you have trouble finding what there warrenty is. I called 3 mfg nad got return calls from 2. Anyway hope my slower xbow will not blow up oldtimer.

[oldtimer]

Where do I go to find stuf other people have for sale I have not figured it out oldtimer

[SPECIALIZED]

oldtimer, on 23 December 2011 - 10:52 AM, said:

Where do I go to find stuf other people have for sale I have not figured it out oldtimer

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[mad hunter]

I would bet many companies are using off the shelf limbs from gordon composites.In that case the company would be at the mercy of the supplier as far as quality control goes.Or maybe they are just trying to push the limbs past their limits. Either way if they know its an issue the bows should be recalled and discontinued until its resolved. I know i would never want to sell a bow knowing someone could get wacked in the face by a piece of limb.

[robertyb]

I clicked a picture for Parker. I am sure most of the guys have seen it but for the ones that did not here it is again. Failed while hunting at full cock with a broadhead in place.

[Sherman7057]

We are beating a dead horse. But the way I see it..we are just looking out for each other.

[mad hunter]

Ya i didnt intend to get into a debate, i was just wondering if the newer parkers were likely to have the same problems. It seems like it might be wiser to wait a bit more before buying their bows. They do make nice looking bows and have been around a long time so i dont doubt they will get back on track soon. No way I could see the limb in the pic being related to user error. It looks like delamination 100%

[xbowguy]

Just so you guys better understand, Gordon Composites manufactures the raw glass billet.  Today, they also do some fabricating of their material.  All items they supply are to customer specs!  Nothing is off the shelf or from stock designs.  They do an outstanding job with helping manufactures to understand their materials but how they are used and designed is on each and every manufacture.  They do warrant their raw material but not what you do with it.

[davidmi]

mad hunter, on 19 December 2011 - 12:38 PM, said:

I am looking at new bows for next yr. I think i will be getting one with pistol style grips. Parker has some very nice looking models but i'm wondering if they have still got problems with limb failure or is it mostly due to user error.

parker buyers and users are not more stupid or more careless than other crossbow owners, on average, so when you see a post implying user error, take it with a grain of salt. there is a reason limb problems with parkers outnumber, by far, all the rest

[Jack Pine]

Sherman7057, on 22 December 2011 - 08:39 AM, said:

I'm a shooter not an engineer.  I have one question.Why can't limbs be made from aluminum? There has to be an aluminum that would flex just as well as glass.Kevlar...carbon...steel even.

Aluminum can indeed flex, bend, and store potential energy.  The problem with aluminum is, it has a crystalline structure that is prone to fatigue and stress that causes cracks from the oscillations of the string.  Aircraft must be constantly inspected for these cracks caused by the slightest flexing and sympathetic vibration.  I've had the leaf springs on my boat trailer break enough to know that I don't want steel either.
I started shooting crossbows in 1968, my first crossbow [still have one] was a Wham-O Powermaster with an aluminum prod.  The reason you don't see crossbows made by Wham-O is because they were sued out of existence over personal injuries suffered over their failing aluminum prods.  Not likely Barnett et al is eager to follow.

You folks who make your purchasing decisions based on reviews can sometimes let yourselves in for trouble. I have seen rave reviews on the worst crossbows on the market, with few follow-up reviews to warn of problems later.  Better to ask someone who has had one for a while because everyone is thrilled with their new weapon at first; problems are usually only revealed after the owner has had it a while.  Reviews are made while still in the honeymoon stage of ownership before the new owner comes out of the ether, and are notoriously inaccurate IMO.  Even at that, sometimes you might not get the full story as someone who bought a crossbow might be reluctant to reveal a problem to a prospective buyer of the same make/model because it would be seen like an admission of making a bad decision.  Reviews are really only helpful when problems surface right away and are reported.  Doesn't happen much, so a lot of problems are "reviewed" over and missed until after the purchase.

Jack ><>

Edited by Jack Pine, 26 December 2011 - 07:34 AM.

[FuzzyFultz]

Jack Pine, on 26 December 2011 - 07:25 AM, said:

You folks who make your purchasing decisions based on reviews can sometimes let yourselves in for trouble. I have seen rave reviews on the worst crossbows on the market, with few follow-up reviews to warn of problems later.  Better to ask someone who has had one for a while because everyone is thrilled with their new weapon at first; problems are usually only revealed after the owner has had it a while.  Reviews are made while still in the honeymoon stage of ownership before the new owner comes out of the ether, and are notoriously inaccurate IMO.  Even at that, sometimes you might not get the full story as someone who bought a crossbow might be reluctant to reveal a problem to a prospective buyer of the same make/model because it would be seen like an admission of making a bad decision.  Reviews are really only helpful when problems surface right away and are reported.  Doesn't happen much, so a lot of problems are "reviewed" over and missed until after the purchase.

Jack ><>

Yes Jack, I agree. Thank you for your review of the reviews. This is true and has brought me to look at the reviews somewhat different. I have been thinking of this same thing in the back of my small mind for several years. No one wants to let everyone know of a problem of something they decided on purchasing. I did take that into conclusion. But if you look at a lot of the reviews on anything you want. You will find something wrong,with everything, everyone is different in their opinions. And talking to a owner is a very good idea. I did and they had no problems and loved everything about the Parker Cyclone. But I still have my fingers crossed.

I bought a 2007 Yamaha Royal Star Tour Deluxe motorcycle in 2008. I researched different brands for 5, yes 5 years, and came down to two different brands of touring bikes that I would be comfortable with paying payments on for several years. I went to my first choice brand show room dealer's business. I walked in and looked around a bit. No one greeted me or looked my way hardly. Finally someone spoke to me and I replied that I was there to buy a motorcycle today. No one helped me in any way. This was the second attempt actually. I had the same experience about two weeks earlier. Remember I have been planning for 5 years. So I left the place and went 5 miles up the road to a Yamaha dealer and was greeted at the door. They where very busy, the owner came and talked to me. He said that they where busy at the moment and would help me as soon as possible, just take your time and look around, there is coffee over there, help yourself.

Well I bought a Yamaha and have been very very very pleased with it. Even knowing the problems that some have had, I still just took that into consideration and fixed these things as they came up. All the problems happened just as others had said, and even at the mileage they said. The warranty was five years from one end to the other. They have fixed the problems and I am a very happy rider.

So I said all this to say. I agree with you. We need to be careful how we read the reviews. If we find a problem, then tell it like it is. Talk to someone whom owns one. That is why I said that everyone here would be the second ones to hear it from me. For whether I made a bad decision or not, I will try to help someone else. Just give me a holler or phone call. But not everyone is like this.

I feel that I could ask you Jack and you would tell it like it is, the truth.

Thanks, Fuzzy

Edited by FuzzyFultz, 26 December 2011 - 10:30 AM.

[pa crossbow]

Ive owned four Parker Crossbows.The first was a Parker Safari Magnum 150# no problem at all with this bow other then front end heavy. I sold that one and bought a Parker Tornado no problems at all with the limbs although the trigger isnt the best. I bought another Parker a Buck Buster for my grandson no problems at all with the limbs on that one. The last Parker i bought is another Tornado for my sons to use again no problems with that one.So right now I have three Parkers 2 Tornados and 1 Buck Buster with no limb issues.Maybe Im one of the lucky onesbut they are good bows with a fantastic warranty.

[FuzzyFultz]

pa crossbow, on 26 December 2011 - 12:29 PM, said:

Ive owned four Parker Crossbows.The first was a Parker Safari Magnum 150# no problem at all with this bow other then front end heavy. I sold that one and bought a Parker Tornado no problems at all with the limbs although the trigger isnt the best. I bought another Parker a Buck Buster for my grandson no problems at all with the limbs on that one. The last Parker i bought is another Tornado for my sons to use again no problems with that one.So right now I have three Parkers 2 Tornados and 1 Buck Buster with no limb issues.Maybe Im one of the lucky onesbut they are good bows with a fantastic warranty.

thank you.....