Bamboo Archery - Malaysia

WARNING: DISTURBING IMAGE

One of my bowyer (Smaug & Mini-Smaug), had been injured in a work accident. Fortunately, it isn't too serious and he will recover in about a month. But this unprecedented incident will cause some production delay. To bowyers around the world, SAFETY FIRST!

In case some people wondered why I had unfriended them on my personal FB account. It's not targeting them alone for any precise reason, I literally purged everyone that I don't really know, indiscriminately and I'm not done yet. Whenever I'm free, I scroll down the friend list and remove every person that doesn't ring a bell.

The decision was driven by the need to separate personal vs work account, and this realization came because people were overstepping boundaries. Do you ever drive into the fuel station and find the need to correct the owner's political view? Or go groceries shopping while trying to persuade everyone to support your ideology? Normal people don't! You are there for supplies, not spreading propaganda.

In public, everything is fair game. But on my own page, it's my rule and I can do whatever I want in my own private space. I don't visit other people's page to spread my ideology. Just as I would not interfere with what you can or cannot do in your own private space, you have no rights to interfere with mine. So if you do interfere, especially negatively, you'll win a permanent ban for life. Play stupid game, win stupid prize.

I'm a real fast learner. What people did to me, I will remember, and I won't hesitate to use it back against them. So before anyone tries to screw with me, make sure that you'll never ever need me again.

Holy sheet! The improved Mini-Smaug is extremely formidable and the force-draw curve proves it. I was right about it feeling smoother than Moonchase. In fact, it is smoother than everything and anything else. Even Smaug 2XL marginally lost between 29-31" draw from belly. This is the absolute peak optimization for the Mini.

Mini-Smaug was first proposed as a budget-friendly alternative to the Smaug. Due to the extremely high cost of the Smaug, I was concerned that it won't sell enough to recover my initial investment. So I needed a backup plan, a cheaper but toned-down version that I can sell in larger volume.

Mini-Smaug saves cost with narrower carbon sheets, local bamboo core, significantly smaller G10 riser, limited customization options, reduced warranty duration, and reduced size to make it both easier to build and cheaper to ship. The first prototype wasn't good enough, but this improved version is an absolute beast.

Strung, it spans 47.5" and weighs 594g. With 28" draw from belly, you get 203fps at 10gpp, and 212fps at 9gpp. Max drawlength of 31" from belly (32.5" from back) with absolutely no stacking in between (check the force-draw curve). Riser is heavy enough to still nullify handshock, dampen vibrations, and provide stability for the full shot cycle, without compromising mobility. Flemish string with qiviut silencers make the Mini completely silent for those who care.

Who is it for? Archers who have tried all kinds of traditional bows, but aren't satisfied with the stacky draw feel, and want an indisputably smooth bow. Archers who are tired of compensating for slow arrows, and want something much faster. Archers who are serious about competitions, and want every possible technical advantage. Archers who understand that traditional bow design has already reached its limits, so unless they embrace new design, they'll be stuck getting essentially the same bow with different finishing.

Pricing-wise, the Mini-Smaug is RM2600 (USD636) before shipping. Grip offset, shelf, decorative wood overlay, exotic beaver tail/alligator leather grip, Flemish Fastflight string, muskox qiviut silencers, and premium fleece bow sock are all included in the price.

💬https://wa.me/60122669631

Prepped the Mini-Smaug for testing. Corrected a slight twist on the top limb, installed the qiviut silencers, stretched the flemish string, and set the brace height. This bow draws ultra-smooth! Recalling from memory, I think this Mini felt slightly smoother than the recent Moonchase. Strung, it spans 47.5" with a max draw of 31" from belly.

The alligator leather grip actually felt good and very interesting. I would describe it as feeling like latex, molding itself to conform and adhere to my palm. It has a high-tack, high-friction, non-slip surface, and squeezing it felt supple, pliable. I have not had any other leather felt this way, so this is a new experience.

Same black G10 riser as Smaug, just smaller. There's less riser mass but still sufficient to nullify handshock and dampen vibrations. Qiviut silencers worked fabulously on the Smaug, so I did not hesitate to put them on the Mini-Smaug. This son-of-a-dragon is now silent-as-fark.

This unit is 36 # 28" with a grip offset for right-handed thumb draw. Green Curly Maple overlays, G10 riser, alligator grip, bamboo core, carbon back and belly, 2 years warranty for the price of just RM2600 (USD636). You may also customize your own Mini-Smaug for the same price.

Performance data:
203fps 10gpp (28" draw from belly)
212fps 9gpp (28" draw from belly)

💬https://wa.me/60122669631

Gorgeous and Insanely Silent!

This one actually arrived a few weeks ago, but I had been busy. Finally took the time to properly prep and test it. Such a beautiful piece, so I must take photos before packing and sending off to the UK🇬🇧 (Absirloot Basterd). During test, I've noted the bow being insanely quiet. Asymmetric harmonic damping with muskox qiviut silencers made such a huge difference, I almost couldn't believe it myself. The release sounded like an owl swooping past!

Smaug 2XL
Black G10 Riser
Beaver Tail Leather
Antelope Horn Overlays
Diamondback Rattlesnake
French Poplar Burl Veneer
Flemish Fastflight String
Qiviut String Silencers

💬https://wa.me/60122669631

Mini-Smaug: "I'm just a baby!"

💬https://wa.me/60122669631

REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

There are actually people out there who really think that a smoother, faster bow will naturally be more silent and less handshock. I know some marketing out there is totally misleading, but it's completely untrue. So I just want to clear up some real physics and real world expectations. If you magically make an existing bow draw smoother, it will store more energy. A stacky bow does the opposite, it will store less energy. If the bow maintains the original efficiency, then the smoother bow would transfer more energy to the arrow and still have more residual energy because the total stored energy is higher. This isn't a contradiction, it's just pure math and physics.

More kinetic energy to the arrow means higher speed, but that also means the string and limbs travel faster too. Since the string and limb mass didn't change, that means they carry more kinetic energy and momentum, which must either be dissipated or absorbed after each shot. The string will dissipate that extra energy as sound, meaning it'll be louder. You can add string silencers to help with sound damping, but it won't be naturally silent. The limbs are much heavier than the string, so the excess energy and momentum will translate to higher handshock and vibrations. You can dampen this with significant mass to the riser, but it'll sacrifice something else, lightness/nimbleness/mobility.

Every design is a compromise, you cannot have it all. To get something, you must give up something else. Why I mention this? Cause I had two past cases where one complained that the Mariner Warring States 2 Premium Carbon had higher handshock (which hurts his post-injured elbow), and another complained that the Super Babylon with Lead Counterweight was loud. Both cases tried to accuse the bow being faulty and want a replacement. I've thoroughly investigated both cases and there's absolutely nothing wrong with the bows.

It isn't my fault that the customer never once mentioned about his old injury that made his elbow much more sensitive to any slight handshock. An old personal injury is not a bow manufacturing defect, it is not a valid reason for bow replacement. Warranty is meant for replacing broken bows, not for healing old trauma/injury. If a bow is too loud for you, use heavier arrows or add string silencers. You cannot claim warranty for not liking how the bow sounds. If you need an ultra silent bow, you need to clearly specify that before purchasing because every bow has its own sound profile and that is not a defect. Carbon bows generally produce a higher pitch sound, so if you don't like that, don't buy carbon.

Finally, an efficient bow will feel stiff and springy. If you prefer a soft, spongy bow, get an inefficient bow. Why? A highly efficient bow means that if you draw 40 #, it returns 40 #, so it feels exactly like a steel spring, stiff and springy. But an inefficient bow will feel like rubber, you draw 40 #, it returns just 36 #, so it feels soft to hold because you are in fact holding less weight than you drew. Energy is lost to internal friction (hysteresis). You simply can't have a soft, spongy draw, but also expect it to be efficient. It is physically impossible. A Super Recurve with a flat draw curve (such as the Smaug) don't feel spongy at all. It simply feels very smooth, but also very aggressively ready to pounce forward the moment you relax even the slightest. So please be realistic and if unsure, always ask instead of blindly assuming anything that I had never claimed.

Sometimes my marketing looks boring because I really don't hype my stuff. I try to convey information as accurate and realistic as possible. Also, I avoid exaggerating stunts because it can mislead people into thinking the product can do something it shouldn't and couldn't. However, despite me being truthful, your subjective interpretation is still your own responsibility.

For example, customer asks for a bow that can be left in a hot car. I told him to keep any bow below 40°C even though my bows were baked in much higher temperature during production. In fact, I sometimes do leave bows in a hot car to stress test, especially if the bow had a recent twist that I just fixed. I do it to ensure the twist won't come back. But I do not want customers to make it a habit of abusing their bows.

I once had a bowyer who boasted about using award winning glue that can withstand over 100°C, but the actual bow failed at room temperature. He tried to blame that Malaysia weather is too hot, but the bow was never even taken outdoor into the sun. It had only been in a fully air-conditioned room since it was unboxed. He's really good with overclaiming and people love it, but I don't want to do that. Realistic is better for me.

In fact, I had never showed off the Josyrian-X being able to shoot in wet conditions. Technically, all the critical components are either waterproof, or highly water-resistant, including the exposed wood made of white oak. This is a material historically used for casks to store, age, and transport liquids. Even to this day, white oak remains as the absolute global gold standard for wooden cask construction. It should be left as a hidden capability in case of accidentally getting wet, or in an emergency.

I also never do extreme bending or dryfire stunt. In extreme bending stunt, limbs are usually bent evenly, so it can achieve extreme curves, even reaching an "O" shape. But during real world use, the bend is actually quite concentrated near the riser fades. So bows often fail at much shorter draw, even though the bowyer showed off his extreme bending stunt. The stunt only misleads customers into thinking the bow can handle longer drawlength than it realistically can, which comes with a high risk of customers abusing it.

I do not want to deal with the situation where the customer had abused the bow, then try to claim warranty, and argue that my video/post is dishonest/misleading. My description is always as accurate as possible. For example, you want a smooth and fast bow, you get exactly that, but don't complain about the sound being loud because you had never mentioned or specified "silence" as a requirement. If you never specified it, I assume it does not matter because every bow is a tradeoff. To get something, you must give up something else. It is not a contradiction, it is the consequences. Fast strings whack louder, fast limbs carry more momentum (handshock).

I don't sell gimmicks, I expose them. I sell practicality.

According to customer feedback, my modified version (Mariner Premium Carbon) does actually feel smoother than the standard version (Mariner Premium). He now owns both and he compared them. Both are recent model of Mariner Ming Moon 6. The Premium Carbon 50 # 32" (belly) is easier to draw (smoother) than the Premium 45 # 32" (belly). Why? That would be a trade secret, but safe to say better strain distribution = smoother draw = more durable bow. Price is only slightly more, so if you can afford, it is actually smarter to go for the smoother and more durable version. A warranty would wipe out whatever small saving you had, and every time that you shoot it, you pay with extra struggle against the stacking. Even I would appreciate handling less warranty claims.