[NDPronghorn]

Got a message from Ravin yesterday to join their blog & I did. Wrote them a litany of issues their having starting with no longer putting the customer first with crossbows being a year late to market(R18/R500) & then failing. Pointed out dealers are pulling them & sending back and it was unconscionable to keep putting the R500 out there knowing of it’s failure rate & costing guys valuable hunting time/extra costs. Hit on lack of safety, R&D issues, non existent Alpha & Beta testing, poor CS response times and them apparent only having focus on the bottom line. Said it was sad what the new company has done and stated multiple cases why they are losing many repeat customers. Concluded I was moving on. If anyone else gets that please take the opportunity to respond cuz it won’t change until they actually get a lot of negative customer feedback on their issues directly versus only posting about them on CBN. Stated I waited 2 years for a “ reliable” R500 and will in all likelihood be purchasing a TenPoint Nitro 505 as it’s reviews have been stellar which is the opposite of Ravin’s. Something to be said about coming in a year after Ravin & blowing their doors off. That’s because TP did the testing to make it right for the customer versus selling the same broken model year after year. I welcomed a response back and will be interesting if it happens.

 

[scienceguy]

Their response would be interesting. Maybe they will rise to the occasion and make the necessary changes, or will they be content to continue to lose market share and slide into oblivion?

 

[bowmanmt]

Don't hold your breath on a response. That's why I just feel fortunate I got a good bow from them and it's been bulletproof so far. I just happen to have a go-to guy at Raven that's on the ball he has been a Godsend

 

[Yelpy]

They are well aware of where and what the problems are.

They lost me after the R500 deal and after hearing they are going to a cheaper limb.

The snap on nocks, the weight and full bridged rail is the biggest reason I chose the ravin over a tenpoint. I wont buy another Ravin. The only support they will get from me is any replacement parts if not under warranty, nocks / strings and cables for what I already have.

 

[Iron Duke]

Don't hold your breath on a response. That's why I just feel fortunate I got a good bow from them and it's been bulletproof so far. I just happen to have a go-to guy at Raven that's on the ball he has been a Godsend

Your post ... triggered a thought for me. I owned two Scorpyds simultaneously for about 10 or 12 years. Low to no maintenance and I never needed a "go to " guy at Scorpyd. Matter of fact, I never needed ANY guy at Scorpyd!...lol For anything. I owned a Ravin for 15 months and it blew up with 50 arrows through it. 😂

 

[Moon]

RavIn today is Not the RavIn it was a few years ago. If the new owners continue without product and service change………bye bye🙄

 

[bigbird1]

Your post ... triggered a thought for me. I owned two Scorpyds simultaneously for about 10 or 12 years. Low to no maintenance and I never needed a "go to " guy at Scorpyd. Matter of fact, I never needed ANY guy at Scorpyd!...lol For anything. I owned a Ravin for 15 months and it blew up with 50 arrows through it. 😂

I've owned 2 Ravins - 1 since the fall of 2016 and the other since early spring 2018.
They both have been very reliable and maintenance free. Furthermore, I've never needed Ravin to hold my hand for anything.
The design is outstanding and has a lot going for it as an effective hunting weapon.

But if anyone actually believes the factory Ravin cables are sufficient to provide long life on a bow with highly preloaded 300 pound limbs, well they simply haven't looked closely at those cables.

Surely you guys must know that Velocity Outdoors is well aware of the problems with the R500. And anyone who threatens to leave them and move on to a TP 505 is kind of like pissing in the wind.
If you want a 505, my advice is to get off of your dog and pony show and buy one.

 

[Driftless Hunter]

I've owned 2 Ravins - 1 since the fall of 2016 and the other since early spring 2018.
They both have been very reliable and maintenance free. Furthermore, I've never needed Ravin to hold my hand for anything.
The design is outstanding and has a lot going for it as an effective hunting weapon.

But if anyone actually believes the factory Ravin cables are sufficient to provide long life on a bow with highly preloaded 300 pound limbs, well they simply haven't looked closely at those cables.

Surely you guys must know that Velocity Outdoors is well aware of the problems with the R500. And anyone who threatens to leave them and move on to a TP 505 is kind of like pissing in the wind.
If you want a 505, my advice is to get off of your dog and pony show and buy one.

Everyone sort of knows the R9 & R10 are fairly reliable.

You own Ravin's most affordable crossbow offerings? Those who pay top dollar for their top-of-line models probably want the same experience as you.

If someone offered you a free R500 or a free Nitro 505, which one would you pick today?

 

[Leaf]

I would take the Ten point in a heart beat. I wouldnt own a Ravin even if it was free. Despicable company.

 

[Huntersthompson]

Little early for claims of durability. Next year at this time a clearer picture.

 

[Norm newsome]

Man, I'm glad I got my ravin when I did..the R10 has been great since I've owned it. Hope they get back on there game with the C.S. I've been hearing about

 

[woodsman]

If I see another R9 or R10, at this seasons gun shows etc, I will grab it
10 point, no tha

 

[bowmanmt]

Your post ... triggered a thought for me. I owned two Scorpyds simultaneously for about 10 or 12 years. Low to no maintenance and I never needed a "go to " guy at Scorpyd. Matter of fact, I never needed ANY guy at Scorpyd!...lol For anything. I owned a Ravin for 15 months and it blew up with 50 arrows through it. 😂

Duke you keep mentioning it blew up after 15 months. When we Ravin owners were told to change out strings and cables after a year.. So is it Ravin's fault your bow blew up. I only question this because I have seen you mentioning the bow blew up comment after 15 months. Your very good with words and I personally enjoy your commentary. But the bow blowing up thing is getting a bit old.
Update . I was informed that my info was incorrect.. Even thought Dave at Wyvern and the Ravin Rep Brock both told me to change string and cables once a year. If one reads Ravins booklet it says 2 years. So Duke has all the rights in the world to be pissed. I stand corrected.

 

[HeavyUser]

Their response would be interesting. Maybe they will rise to the occasion and make the necessary changes, or will they be content to continue to lose market share and slide into oblivion?

The first "good" sign is that they didn't release any new crossbows this year.

 

[HeavyUser]

When we Ravin owners were told to change out strings and cables after a year.

My R29X manual says every 2 years or 400 shots, who told you every year?

 

[bowmanmt]

My R29X manual says every 2 years or 400 shots, who told you every year?

Read my original post

 

[HeavyUser]

Read my original post

That'll do it!

 

[frederick d. be]

Duke you keep mentioning it blew up after 15 months. When we Ravin owners were told to change out strings and cables after a year.. So is it Ravin's fault your bow blew up. I only question this because I have seen you mentioning the bow blew up comment after 15 months. Your very good with words and I personally enjoy your commentary. But the bow blowing up thing is getting a bit old.
Update . I was informed that my info was incorrect.. Even thought Dave at Wyvern and the Ravin Rep Brock both told me to change string and cables once a year. If one reads Ravins booklet it says 2 years. So Duke has all the rights in the world to be pissed. I stand corrected.

Good follow up. I personally like the size and maneuverability of both the 29 and 29X. Am I living on borrowed time?.....do not know and really do not care at this point. Good on you for owning it.

 

[bigbird1]

I don't own either the R500 or the TP 505 but I have total confidence in AJ, Duke and others who own or have owned the TP 505. Hopefully, I will get the opportunity to take a first hand look at the R500 soon but I assure you I have no intensions of buying either.
Like I have said before, I've never shot a deer with my R10 that wasn't a clean pass thru. Furthermore, I have no intension of taking a shot past 40 yards anyway even with the OX on my Ravin. I'm very fortunate to own the land where I hunt and am even more fortunate to have a dear friend who lets me hunt with him in the midwest where he owns his own awesome hunting property. Of course, this means I usually have multiple opportunities to shoot decent deer within my 40 yard range limit.

I had a rotten year last year hunting with my R10 but it was totally my fault and not the xbow. When I finally took a decent 8 pointer, it was close to the end of legal shooting time and I had to take the shot rather quickly. The buck was angle slightly away from me at 30 yards and I got closer in to the elbow than I normally shoot. But I was losing light and had no time to check the bubble level. My 434 grain arrow when through the lower shoulder on the backside of that buck like shooting through paper. Besides, I'm a huge fan of cut-on-contact broadheads which can penetrate a deer's hide like butter.

However with that said, someone like Ron (NDPronghorn) hunts out West where 50 to 60 yard shots are more the norm.
I fully understand why he would have better use for a 500 fps crossbow. If it were me and I have a friend like AJ who has proven he can make great arrows for just about any crossbow whether it's the lighter spine BEEs for Ravins or the heavier spine Zombies for TenPoints, it would be a real simple choice.

The TenPoint 505 would hands down be my first choice.

Who knows, maybe Ravin will get the kinks worked out of the R500 in the future. But like many others, I've kind of lost faith in them after they were purchased by the Velocity Outdoors bean counters.

 

[Iron Duke]

Duke you keep mentioning it blew up after 15 months. When we Ravin owners were told to change out strings and cables after a year.. So is it Ravin's fault your bow blew up. I only question this because I have seen you mentioning the bow blew up comment after 15 months. Your very good with words and I personally enjoy your commentary. But the bow blowing up thing is getting a bit old.

I absolutely ... believe "it's Ravin's fault." A renown lawyer once said: "the number of warnings, regulations and laws are becoming so overwhelming and burdensome that the very volume is a defense against them." PLUS, 95% of it is useless CYA stuff from them which makes people gloss over and skip the tripe even more so. Almost NOBODY reads through all the warnings anymore. Everybody knows it too. I just bought a Sig Sauer pistol. Literally the first 21 pages of a 123 page manual was SOLID safety warnings. Thereafter the remaining 102 pages was peppered with additional warnings. So that's point #1. Point #2 is that everybody knows most of the legalize is CYA with exaggerated requirements. Point #3 is that every piece of equipment, every tool I've ever used, rope, chain or cable I've tugged on has a generous safety factor built in. Some Ravins aren't even making it to their claimed string change. My buddy's Ravin R29 blew up in 3 months. So much for a "safety factor." My final point #4 is "what's the normal in the community?" Nobody I know of or have known ever changed his string and cables in one season. It's abnormal. Most crossbowers hunt a few months then hang up their bows for 9 or 10 months. Most will do that for years without even considering a cable change. Now I'm sure there are some target guys who "wear out" a string in a season, but I'm talking the other 99% of shooters, hunters. There is no precedent. Ravins should come with a warning to change their string and cables every 365 days on the box in 6" red & yellow letters. Of course that wouldn't have made any difference for my buddy...lol Now it may be "getting old" reading about it but it's not like I'm on some campaign vendetta here. When it comes up I share the experience. Hopefully I have made other Ravin owners aware and diligent in their clearly necessary, ludicrously necessary, yearly string and cable changes.