Southwest Archery Spyder XL Takedown Recurve Bow – Compact Fast Accurate 64" Hunting & Target Bow – Right & Left Hand – Draw Weights in 30-55 lb – Beginner to Intermediate - USA Company

Worth every penny! I did a lot of research on many bows before hand that wouldn't break the bank but also would be a quality bow and decided to go with the Spyder XL. Glad I did. I have a little over 30" draw and when I pull back its smooth and gives no feel of stacking like a shorter 62" bow I've shot with. If you have a shorter than 29" draw you might be better fitted with the Original size Spyder: Spyder Takedown Recurve Bow & arrow by Southwest Archery USA | weights 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 lb | LEFT or RIGHT HAND Archery Kit | Designed by Engineers of the Samick Sage | WS 40 lb RH W/ TOOL  though. I personally went with 40lb limbs because of a couple reasons, although beginners may want less poundage like 30-35lbs and then purchase more heavy limbs down the road. I wanted to work on form/ shot cycle more without getting to exhausted during shooting sessions that last 45-60 minutes or longer and because of my 30" draw I was 2" above the 28" that the bow poundage was rated at. I did a pull test at my anchor point distance and it read almost 45 lbs because of my draw length being that 2" longer. That makes every inch past the 28" about 2 pounds more to pull which some might want to know.Like other reviewers have pointed out its 'basically' the Sage 2 but more refined and even better made. The riser is smooth, rounded and feels nice in my hand, I would say I have medium-large hands. The wood work is truly gorgeous for a bow in this price range. There were some very minor blemishes on the riser but nothing to fret over. A previous reviewer had said the darker brown looked green-ish in the pictures but not when they got it. I think its both actually. A green hue comes out when your inside or low light areas such as an overcast but looks more brown when I'm outside or near daylight style bulbs. The limbs are a nice semi-matte black. Another minor thing was that one of the limb tip string grooves could of been a bit smoother. You could use some steel wool or fine sandpaper to resolve this. Instead I took some paracord, while holding the bow between my legs, and pulled back and forth in a 'sawing' manner in the limb tips to slowly smooth them out. Worked well and didn't have to worry about over doing it. Minor thing to note, I believe the logo design of the spider might be an older logo since I see almost all their bows are now stamped with their name as text instead. I'll attach a picture to show.You will get a standard Dacron(B50 I believe) string with it and an adhesive style plastic arrow rest. I did not use the arrow rest since I shoot off-shelf. I did use the string for a short time. It however stretched to much and forced me to put far to many twists in to try and keep a good brace height. Because of the amount of twists, about 65-70, to even get it into the high zone of the suggested manufacture brace height my arrows were hitting inconstantly. At first I thought I might of received the wrong size string but after measuring it the string was 4" under the bow length which should of been perfect. The serving was also little to thick for my arrow nocks. I also had some major 'Twang' when I was shooting the original string. I added some industrial (soft-side) velcro along the string grooves on the limbs to reduce string slap but it was still loud and twangy. I replaced it with a 'Fast-Flight' Flemish Twist and all above issues were resolved. New string allowed me to tune the bow to a brace height of about 8-1/8" with only 3 additional twists in it after letting it set for 24 hours. Manufacturer specs state that the XL should be between 8 and 8-3/4.I now have a better arrow release, more quiet/ faster bow and its much more fun to shoot.As a side note, I also don't take my recurve "down" all the way. I used blue Loctite(non-permanent) to keep my limb bolts from backing out due to vibration. Also, since I shoot at least every other day, if not daily, I keep mine strung. Yes, I know that its a widely debated thing but I lean towards the side that it shouldn't be an issue if used often. If I ever do plan on not shooting for a long time I will de-string it using a stringer tool only. If you need one I'd suggest something like this:  Selway Limbsaver Recurve Bow Stringer  which is what I use along with others I know. While I do keep it strung for daily use I hang it by the string on the wall with hooks, about 40" apart, that come away from the wall enough to allow the bow to 'free-float' and not touch the wall. This assures no extra limb stress/ twist since it has clearance away from the wall.Well, I always like to wait awhile before I give review on anything that way I can test the product out as much as possible. With that being said, I love the bow and have shot hundreds of arrows down range and could easily recommend the bow to anyone whether they're a beginner or more experienced. It really is a nice bow that should last many many years if not a lifetime if taken care of properly. I know that this review is extensive and long but I hope it helps others out like previous reviewers did for me.

Great bow for the money. Consistent draw weight. Great customer service from Southwest Archery.By contrast, I bought a samick sage from SLS, ordered a 45lb bow, when I got it it measured 60. It's basically useless, SLS refused to take it back.I'd buy from Southwest Archery Supply again.

Excellent packaging , good instructions with color pictures. Shot 30+ arrows immediately unpon assembly and shoots great

I want to start off with my very concise opinion as i get kind of long winded and detailed. This is a great bow for the money even with the few issues i have with the provided arrow rest & string. I don't think you are going to find a better deal and within an existing brand ecosystem with supporting limbs available. I did extensive research and simply put this is a great all around choice.In my very limited experience with this bow starting with first impressions. On unboxing the limbs look nice and free of any functional defects, but the wood of the limbs seems to have minimal protection so i am saying any exposure to moisture until i have some chance at adding some would not be a good idea and they do seem to fit well in the limb pockets. The riser like the limbs seems free of any functional defects the finish well that leaves something to be desired as it has multiple tiny imperfections& only one i find annoying a splinter at lower sight insert hole because that sort of thing is 100% avoidable, but still small. Looking at it casually it looks very good and honestly better than i expected for the price.So why did i give it 4 stars for beginner. First of all that stick on arrow rest looks like a real vane stripper so no way i would suggest using it. My only suggestion for new archers arrows and arrow rests are the most important decisions you are going to make right from the start followed closely by instinctual shooting or with a sight.I would suggest if you think off the shelf instinctual start with bear hair & silent plate, but keep in mind if you want that to work well for you feather or faux feather vanes 5" better than 4". I am not going any deeper here or this review would never end so do the research. I would suggest an old stand by bear all weather rest or the cheap white plastic with the weak looking arrow support as some pros use them and replace them often, but me right now trying magnetic wire and plunger.The second reason i took a star for beginner is the string as i have had to twist it so many times for proper minimal height that i can only describe it as poorly sized & minimal. This brings me to the other important upgrade for this bow for anyone a good Flemish twist fast flight string. Then you have to deal with string nock & square and what route to go release method ect. and while i have gone old school split finger Neet calf hair tab and no sight that is the way i learned.The bow draws nice and feels good in the hand while mine @ 55lb is a little stiff that's more down to my large frame and overdraw. I do not feel giving any bow an accuracy critique is fair before settling on a quality dozen arrows and string and rest and besides all that i don't know what to judge it against. I have owned and shot quite a few recurve bows in the last 35 years from old fiberglass Ben Pearson, Bear Kodiak magnum, PSE Coyote v.1 & a custom 74" AMO #42 @28 and that was the only one i have owned suited to my draw length and in my estimate proper consistent form and an arrow rest you feel is working and a good string, but most importantly you must have GOOD ARROWS.I have never shot a bow that without practice couldn't turn in decent hunting grouping at 20yds, but the PSE Coyote taught me that i have a BIG dislike of reflex risers.

Absolutely gorgeous bow, very sleek and well made. I loved it so much than I order an extra set of limbs for it. Originally, I bought the 55lb. This is a bit stiff for beginning. I am a big guy and I already shot bows when i was younger, but the 55 lb is a bit hard to pull, so I decided to get a smaller weight to practice until I build up my muscles for the 55 lb. So I decided to get the 45 lb limbs which is lighter but still the minimum weigh for hunting big game.So I contacted the seller and had a long chat with him. They were suppose to send me a set of limbs of 45 lb for my 64 inches XL bow. Instead I received a set of 40 lb for the regular 62 inches bow. So I receive the wrong weight for the wrong bow. I contacted the seller They say to return the limbs to them and they will replace them. but when I mentioned the duties I paid for the first set of limbs and that it wasn't a postage free return.... 7 days later I still did not had any news from the seller.Too bad as I really love that bow.

Very good, for beginners, also the seller us very helpful with the warranty, and fast respond for the issue, u gave with my previous bowl, highly recommended 👍

AWESOME BOW FOR THE MONEY,,,MY GO TO BOW ABOVE OTHERS

Easy 5 stars. Well worth the money.