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I recently took delivery of an Omega Imperial from Kegan (62", 45# @ 27"). It has the usual hickory cores and black glass back and belly lams, but has a paperstone riser instead of oak. I had chatted with Kegan about the paperstone material. Sounded like he had obtained it for use as riser accent laminations and had experimented with it as a sole riser material. He didn't seem too confident it would turn out as well as an oak riser, but I think he did an amazing job. I like how the white of the hickory contrasts with the black glass and riser.
The bow is definitely heavier than an all wood model and it feels nice and solid. Compared to my original Omega (1.46#) the paperstone Imperial weighs 2.02#. Not a huge difference, but I can definitely feel it when I pick it up. While the paperstone doesn't feel as warm as wood, it is much warmer than aluminum. I would say it feels similar to my RCX17.
My Imperial is a you-finish-it type where it arrived mostly complete. I like to do some minor shaping of the grip to my liking. I immediately noticed the paperstone is pretty hard and dense. It did not cut nearly as easily as wood and sanding took extra passes to obtain a smooth surface. Apparently, it is a paper product impregnated with epoxy resin. I am still working on shaping the grip and hope to have it finished this weekend. It's been unseasonably cold here in MN (mid 40s) so I will have to hold off on applying the spar urethane finish until it warms up a bit. I hope to get out and shoot it later next week or weekend!


The bow is definitely heavier than an all wood model and it feels nice and solid. Compared to my original Omega (1.46#) the paperstone Imperial weighs 2.02#. Not a huge difference, but I can definitely feel it when I pick it up. While the paperstone doesn't feel as warm as wood, it is much warmer than aluminum. I would say it feels similar to my RCX17.
My Imperial is a you-finish-it type where it arrived mostly complete. I like to do some minor shaping of the grip to my liking. I immediately noticed the paperstone is pretty hard and dense. It did not cut nearly as easily as wood and sanding took extra passes to obtain a smooth surface. Apparently, it is a paper product impregnated with epoxy resin. I am still working on shaping the grip and hope to have it finished this weekend. It's been unseasonably cold here in MN (mid 40s) so I will have to hold off on applying the spar urethane finish until it warms up a bit. I hope to get out and shoot it later next week or weekend!

