Trad Talk Forums banner

TT Blackmax extremes- A review

5K views 26 replies 12 participants last post by  wilde7575 
#1 ·
Got my extremes in today from Lancasters. Only had time for a few shots, but here are my preliminary thoughts.

Fit and finish is very good. No issues. Weight came in exactly as marked and on my 15" Morrison, turned down snug and back out one turn. Shot reaction was that I shot about a foot high from normal sight picture. Very good speed and fairly flat out to 25 yards. Draw cycle smooth back to 29", which is as far as I drew it. At the shot, riser was dead in the hand. Bow was DEAD quiet with some very small wool puffs. These limbs are very forgiving. I intentionally short drew by about 1/2" and hit in the same spot as my normal draw at 20 yards. Didn't try it farther back yet.

As a comparison to Winex, I'd say maybe 5 fps slower, but a much smoother release. The Winex seem to be a bit harsh or crisp as some have said before. Fit and finish is as good as the Winex. I would compare these limbs to S/F Elites. Shot side by side, if both limbs were flat black, I don't think that you could tell the difference.

I was willing to pay more to lose the graphics. If you don't mind the graphics, or want to paint or film dip, then these limbs would be about the same as the Elites. One area I would give the nod to as far as finish, the flutes scratched and chipped easily. The finish on the Extremes looked pretty tough to me.

These limbs are 5 pounds lighter, than I normally shoot, and I thought about sending them back, but they have a cast like limbs 5 pounds heavier. I use them for 3D only, so I figured what the heck, I can shoot even longer without getting tired. So there you have it. If anyone has any questions let me know. I know that this is pretty general and a quick back yard review, but it's better than nothing! LOL!

Really, if you are pinching pennies and don't mind graphics, a good set of flutes are pretty close to these. But as I said, I'm happy with the black and don't mind a few extra dollars to get a good solid limb, which these are.

John
 
See less See more
#2 ·
More info. Got to shoot a few more arrows after church. These limbs are something else. I didn't mention that they scale 35 lbs. I was comparing them to 40 pound Winex. I don't have a chrono, but they are shooting almost as fast as the 40 lb Winex. I'm still shooting a foot high. They are really messing with my gap, but I'm loving it! Got to thinking about other limbs and what they cost. For $399.00 and free freight, I don't think that you can do better. Now I've never owned the BF Extremes or the high end Hoyts, but I don't see how they could be any better. I'm well satisfied with these, and I'm planning on another longer riser in a couple of months, and another set of the Extremes, but in 40 lbs. I plan to call Jon at Lancasters in the morning, and tell him he sure hit it out of the park for me this time.

BTW, my arrows ranged from 345 grains to 435 grains at a 27" draw length. They spit them all out with equal force. I'm afraid to go any lighter with the arrows, as they might disappear! LOL! Not really, but these are some quick limbs for such a light weight and short draw length. I can't wait to see what they do in a higher draw weight.
 
#3 ·
I'm glad you made the second post, John. I was scratching my head there for a minute. :^)

My Winex limbs weighed 1# heavier than these BlackMax Carbon Extreme's, yet the Extreme's chrono'd several fps faster than the Winex. Darn things felt nearly the same to me through the shot cycle, except these Extreme's are much quieter--hunting quiet.

I'm so thrilled with mine that I ordered another set of them--got them today too.
 
#4 ·
Yes Jim, my first post was a bit quick. Trying to get it done before church. That's why the second one to clarify. I agree with you about the speed. I wish I had a chrono. I have some flutes to compare them to. I know what they will do next to the Winex. But, as you well know, it takes a lot of serious testing and averaging to get good results. I'm not nearly as smart as most guys on this forum, nor as well versed on equipment as they are, but with my limited experience with a wide variety of limbs, these are pretty darn good. I sure hope that Blacky gets his review up soon. I know that HE has all the right stuff!
 
#5 ·
John

Glad they are working out better than your first post stated.
I could sense some disappointment and felt kind of bummed for you.

I know I hate spending money to improve my equipment and have the feeling
you aren't any better off than before. :(
Hope you really enjoy your new limbs.

Max
 
#6 ·
I've not had much experience with a lot of different limbs. The Winex are probably the best I've owned, so really the only thing I had to compare these Extreme's too. I'm mostly a hunter and just wanted a comparable limb to the Winex, but quieter. These Extreme's seem to be everything I was looking for--for now anyway. :^) The extra speed is just a bonus.

btw.... I'm shooting mine high too--6 or 8 inches at 20 yards. I'm going to have to move my 20 yard crawl down the string before our opener on Saturday.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ben maher
#7 ·
Max, I'm sure that I will. The more that I shoot, the better they look and feel. Jim, I feel the same way that you do. I'm fairly new to ILF, only about 4 years. I shot a lot of NFAA years ago, with Olympic style equipment. Hunted with what we now call vintage bows, but they were new back then. Showing my age I suppose. I never completely left traditional, but most of my time was spent with compounds. I was a guru of the compound for many years, but got tired of them for several reasons and went back to trad. I found a buddy in graysquirrel, and spent hours on end grilling him on everything he knew about the ILF thing. Then the hunt was on. I bought and sold warfs, morrisons, DAS, and now back to Morrison. Limbs, Winex, and S/F. Spent a fair amount of money looking for the RIGHT bow in ILF. I won't address all the custom recurves and longbows, but probably around two dozen or more. All in the last 10 years or so. I currently have two customs from a local bowyer, a Black Widow, and the Morrison. Another ILF or two in the near future. I hunt mostly with the BW. The others are for 3D work, and fairly lightweight, so that I can shoot a lot without tiring out. I fought the target panic thing, and found out that lighter is better to cure it.

I like around 60" in length, for all around shooting, and 56 to 58 for hunting. The Morrison is 58". With these limbs and the riser weight, it is very stable. Much more so than I expected. Bob Morrison told me that the exotic wood in the riser was heavy and I would like it. Boy was he right! It took me a lot of time and money to finally find the right combo, but this one is a keeper. I think that these limbs on a DAS or TT Titan or both, would be pretty good also. I hunt with only one bow, and I'm good with it, but for 3D, I like to shoot more than just one.

I kid Steve Long all the time about being a limb hoarder, but I understand why he does it. I'm just as bad, but I don't admit it. And graysquirrel has enough bows to outfit an Indian uprising, but hey why not? The kids and grandkids are taken care of, so grandpa is gonna have fun! I can't take it with me and I'm not gonna try.
 
#8 · (Edited)
JOHN, you dirty dog, you found a set of limbs I've not tried out, and now here you are dangling them in front of me.
I'm glad you like them.....maybe a picture of your Morrison and these limbs might make me feel better.
Dog.
 
#11 ·
Glenn, glad you posted the pic. Saved me the time. I'll get one up as soon as I get time. I spoke to Jon today at Lancasters. I decided to go for a little heavier weight, so he said send them back and he would ship out a new set today. He said that on a Titan riser, they scaled 38 1/2 @ 28. On my Morrison they scaled right at 36 @ 28. I told him my scale could be off a bit, as I think that it might weigh light. So, if I go up a bit, I should have more equal performance to the 40 @ 28 Winex that I'm used to. I have a buddy that has a chrono, so after I get things sorted out, I'm off to his house.

It gets kind of tricky matching limbs to different risers, and since the BM limbs are rated + or - a couple of pounds, it gets even trickier. I'm convinced though, that these are very bit as good as the Winex and $80 cheaper. We will see.

And lastly, Steve I have a set and you don't! NaNa , NaNa, Naaaana!. Wonder how long before you break and order a set? I'll give it two weeks max. LOL!
 
#14 ·
still waitin' for pictures of your Morrison riser
I've seen black limbs before and regardless of how stellar they shoot
all black limbs loooooook the same.....
 
#15 ·
Thanks for sharing. Being comparable to Winex is saying a lot. I wonder how they compare to the other $400ish limbs like the SF ultimate and Elite+. I know it's all subjective but will also be interested in hearing about other shooting attributes of the limbs besides speed. Smoothness of draw, recoil, vibration, accuracy, etc. Again thanks for sharing!
 
#16 · (Edited)
OK, I'll try to clarify. As I stated earlier, the draw is smooth all the way through the draw cycle. No stack. No recoil. When you release, the string just stops. I felt no vibration, and the riser sits dead in my hand. No movement. As far as accuracy, I would say there was a definite improvement. I've had bows tend to jump a bit, and a little bit of handshock, causing the riser to move a little, but this time, everything is pretty still. The arrow is gone, and you are just holding the bow. My groups did tend to tighten a bit, but high, as the arrow was faster.

I've had the S/F Elites, in carbon foam. These are pretty much a carbon copy in appearance and construction. Now you have a flat finish, rather than glossy. No graphics. Finish in the BM, appears to be tougher. The S/F scratched and chipped easily. I don't think these will, but time will tell. Shot cycle in both limbs, and feel, about the same. I think that these are a bit faster though. These limbs seem to have more of a power stroke, at a lighter weight. As I stated earlier, they turned out to be about 4 to 5 pounds lighter than my others, but with more power and speed.

Now to the Winex. I think that the Winex has a tougher finish, or it looks to be. Construction seems to be a bit thicker through the limbs. The S/F and BM seem to be a tiny bit thinner through the limb, and a more sleek appearance. Personally, other than speed, I don't care for the Winex much, because they seem to thump hard at the shot. One poster described it as a crisp feel. To me, it seems a bit harsh. And, as a hunter/3D shooter, I don't like the graphics. Too gaudy for me. I don't need to advertise.

I'm not wordy, and not very good at expressing, the finer points of both limbs, but probably the best thing would be for Blacky to complete his test. He is obviously the best for that job! LOL! I've shot a lot of bows and different limbs, but I can only relate in simple terms, my thoughts. As I stated earlier, there are a lot of guys a lot more experienced and smarter than I am, with regard to ILF, but I think that these limbs are quality, and have all the attributes that I am looking for, so I'll keep them.

And of course opinions are subjective. I've heard that Winex are the holy grail. Not to me. They are good for sure, but I am just not satisfied that they are the best. These probably aren't either, but good enough for me, and the price is within reach for me.

Steve probably has tested a lot more than I have, and he's still looking! ( Laughing here).
So, I don't know what else to offer, but I sure tried hard! ( Laughing again). I'm happy, and that's all that matters. Now to pay for the limbs and riser before the wife finds out how much I spent! But, most of us have been there!

John
 
#19 ·
Oh, you are welcome. I'm like a 63 year old kid with a new toy. And a blabbermouth to boot! (Laughing here). Seriously, I've been looking hard and spending a lot of money to find something that works for me, and now I've found it. Excitement overload I guess! LOL!
 
#22 ·
Just thought I would bring this back up. I purchased a used set of longs 40#ers about a month ago, but have been in the middle of hunting season and didn't want to mix things up much. Today I mounted them on my 19" morrison and shot a few. I really didn't know what poundage I would have so I grabbed my 500gr hunting arrows that I was shooting out of 50#morrison riser and xlong carbon foam longbow limbs.. I am very happy! My arrows impacted almost to the same spot at 30yds, very very smooth at my 30.5" draw. I even had to fling a bareshaft and it impacted almost perfect at 30, I got back in the shop and put the bow on a scale. It came in at 45#....nice. Whats not to like about holding 5 pounds less and maybe even better speed. I 'm not a recurve guy, but these limbs might convert me.
Doug
 
#23 ·
Doug, glad you brought it back up. My replacement set, and hopefully heavier, will arrive tomorrow. I've been tracking them. Hopefully, I can post up some limb pics for J-archer of the limb tips, and an overall pic of them mounted on my Morrison. I hope to run my arrows through the chronograph by Friday, and post the results. I have some ranging from very light to fairly heavy. I'm anxious to see what I get. I sold a Hoyt TD3 warf to a buddy with Winex limbs that were pulling right at 42. He has some 450 to 500 grain arrows that he was getting around 212 fps out of. Will be fun to see how they compare. Different bows for sure, but it would give me SOME idea of performance with these limbs.
 
#24 ·
Keep us posted. Obvious nothing scientific on my end. All I know is I sent back a set of limbs that were almost $300 more than these, new price, they were not in the same class.
I think TT found a good price point, I would have no problem ordering another set tomorrow. And might:)
Doug
 
#25 ·
Well, I'm pretty bummed out tonight. Got the second set in today, and guess what. They are only one pound heavier. Boxed them up and calling Lancasters in the morning. Perhaps third time is a charm. I'm going up 5 pounds this time to 45's and gonna live with them. I think I can adjust them on the Morrison and get the weight that I want. The first time, I got 35 on my scale, Jon's 38.5. Limbs marked at 35. I was trying to hit 40 to 44. Second set, marked 40, I got 36 on my scale. Jon probably got 39. Based on this, I'm assuming that the limbs measure weaker than marked. So, I figure that if I order 45's, they ought to come in around 41 or 42, which is what I wanted in the first place. Jon said that they could weigh heavy or light, and I guess that I got the light sets. Don't know, but I do know that I'm out $21 so far in shipping costs to get the right limbs. Jon has been very nice and helpful, but this is getting to be a pain. Hope the next ones will do it, as I'm about ready to call it quits, and buy some other limbs.
 
#26 ·
love my extreme's. do have a small issue with them. the protective sheet that is glued on to the limb and fits between the limb and riser is a hard sheet of plastic (clear) on these limbs, as against softer material on my other trad tech limbs, and comes unglued and vibrates upon the shot, giving me an extra undesirable "whooshing" or "singing" noise. will replace this with cork and see if this solves the problem.
:)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top