The the review (flatline)

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stumper
Posts: 2688
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2016 7:40 pm

The the review (flatline)

#1 Post by stumper »

I will start by saying that this review has been a long time coming. At the end, I'll post some pictures of both of the custom bows that I received from Jose.

This story starts like many others, a person (me) looking for something more. There is nothing wrong with a Bear bow or any other manufactured bow for that matter, but I always had been curious to try and own a top-tier custom bow. Since getting both of my custom bows, I have been asked several times by members on this site "Is it worth it?" or I will see something on the site that says, I can't justify one because (insert reason here). So before I get into the specifics of each bow, I figured I would walk you through the experience I had with Jose.

At the time, I would have told you that there was no way, I could get a custom bow for a reasonable price. Undeterred by this I began searching and was mostly looking at Big Jim's bows. Well, after some encouragement (thanks, shadow), I expanded my horizons and found Flatline bows. Not a day later, I ended up calling Jose and drooling through his site (some really wonderful bows on there). What ensued was amazing, probably a one or two-hour conversation about a variety of topics ranging from bows all the way to work life. We talked bows, woods, draw weights, handgrips, and more. And the entire time, I was speaking to the head of the company. I say this because there is more to making a purchase than just the final in hand product. The one on one time with Bowyer is something that just adds to the experience of buying a bow. So I told Jose the woods I liked and fortunately for me, there were several bows on his site (already made) that featured those woods. I would say that picking out the exact woods used would be a cool experience, but the last time I did that, I wasn't completely thrilled with the end product..... Here I had dozens of photos of each bow and could really find one that I liked. Jose told me that he would go down to the shop to see if the bow I was interested in was still there. Again fortunately for me, it was..... Jose was completely upfront about this bow and told me it had a defect in the glass. Some clear glass has streaks in it and you cannot tell until it is applied to the bow. It should also be noted that Jose is way too hard on himself... but He just really wanted me to be happy with it, so no strings attached he sent to bow to me to try out and simply said that if I didn't like it to send it back. (WHO DOES THIS! This is crazy!) I knew from the moment that I opened the box (Jose is a packaging beast) that the bow eventually named Ara would not be going back. Jose always told me that he received so many compliments on the way this particular bow shot... Yeah....well, there is a reason for that... To date, this bow draws and shoots smoother than any other recurve I have ever fired and blows the bear takedown I shot at the archery shop out of the water (and cost me less)... Even though it is technically the lightest poundage bow I own, it is not the slowest in my collection. I guess what I am trying to get at is that Jose went out of his way to make sure that I was pleased and absolutely sure about my decision... You cannot review these bows without also reviewing my experience with Jose and that is what sets buying a custom bow apart from a manufactured bow for me. So why a second bow...... well window shopping is dangerous and Jose planted the seed saying, hey you check out this bow that has all the woods in you like... The only problem was it was a left-handed bow... The more I looked and thought about the bow, the more I had to have it... Before long, I was toying with the notion that I would get a left-handed bow even if I wouldn't get to shoot it that much or even that well (now, it's pretty much all I shoot lol). And the rest is history. So below, I will provide you with the stats on these two bows but I think the review should really come from the pictures themselves... The beautiful woods, finish, construction, attention to detail. I really could go on and on but the pictures are worth a 1000 words.


Bow 1
Name: Ara (the alter)
Model: Widow Maker Recurve
Length:62"
Woods: limbs are red cedar, the handle is bubinga and maple with a couple of accent stripes and an inlay.
Poundage: 42lbs @ 28"

Bow 2
Name: Phenoix
Model: Cardiac Arrest
Length: 66"
Woods, Red cedar, bubinga riser, maple pinstripes and multi-wood inlay.
Poundage: 43lbs @ 28 (pay attention to how much reflex is in this one.)

So is it worth it? Yes and you should call Jose. Can't say enough good about these bows and yes, I am already planning my next one...
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Nothing clears a troubled mind like shooting a bow.

Carpdaddy
Site Admin
Posts: 9469
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2013 7:36 pm

Re: The the review (flatline)

#2 Post by Carpdaddy »

Great :mrgreen: Never had the pleasure of shooting one but the feedback from those who have is always good. They sure are great looking bows!

Captainkirk
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Posts: 12787
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2014 8:19 pm

Re: The the review (flatline)

#3 Post by Captainkirk »

All I can say is...WHOA! You are really getting my appetite up for a Flatline!
Aim small, miss small!

User avatar
Graps
Posts: 6696
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2014 8:39 pm

Re: The the review (flatline)

#4 Post by Graps »

Jose is a pleasure to do business with.
He is one in a million, and his hunting abilities are a close second to Joses bow building skills.
His concern for the customer is second to none.
Very good write up and no exaggeration of Jose and his product.
"Maybe the truly handicapped people are the ones that don't need God as much." ~ Joni Eareckson Tada

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