Spyder Takedown Recurve Bow - 62"-64" Hunting & Target Bow - Fast, Accurate, Versatile Handcrafted Riser - Fiber Glass Maple Limbs - 20-60lb Draw - Beginner to Intermediate

Excellent, quality bow for beginners. I bought the 29-lb draw so that my wife can use it as well. Smooth draw and release. Very easy to assemble and takedown. The riser feels and looks good. If you're looking to get into archery without committing $500+ to a bow, this is a great value and I highly recommend it over buying a cheap $50 set that will not shoot as well.

I am a beginner archer currently learning to shoot instinctive and I have to say that this bow is great. Given my style and interests, I will eventually make the transition to a Mongolian horse bow, but am using this bow to get my basics down and learn what I am doing. The bow comes packaged nicely with a set of basic instructions. It's easy to assemble and the wood of the riser is beautiful and feels great in my hand. You can tell that its well made once you start loosing some arrows. From what I can tell its an accurate bow and launches the arrows nicely and smoothly. As far as durability is concerned, I have yet to have any issues. I have dropped it a few times and have let my teenage sons take some cracks at it and we all know how delicate teenagers can be with things. When I ordered mine, I purchased 35 pound limbs just to get a feel for things. I am reasonably fit, so I am getting to the point where I would like higher poundage limbs, which I can easily do by purchasing new limbs through Southwest Archery. That's one of the things I love about takedown recurves. You don't have to buy an entirely new bow if you want to increase your draw weight. I have shot this bow from as close as 5 yards to as far as 30-40 and I can say that it is an accurate bow with enough power behind it to get the arrow where its going. At the time of trying the 30-40 range, I was experimenting with string walking and with using that method I was able to get good results at that distance. It was something that really resonated with me because string walking, I feel, is a good test of the accuracy of a bow. If you want a bow to learn on that will last a long time, I would highly recommend this bow. The only downside of this bow that I can give, which isn't any fault of Southwest, is that the length of the bow is a bit too short for me. That is something that I knew going into it. I am 6 feet tall with a draw length of about 29 inches, which puts my bow length between 68 and 70 inches. Because of that, I do experience arrow pinching at times, but again, that is not an issue with the bow.

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.

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.

I waited a while to write this review, because I hadn't shot a bow since I was a kid. I have since taken archery lessons and tried a few different bows. I really like it. I am 6'1" and have a pretty long draw length, so the XL makes sense. I ordered a 40# bow, which is too heavy for a beginner, but I didn't want to pay for more than one set of limbs. The bows we used in class to learn technique are 20#. Since I probably will not be hunting, a 30-35# draw would have probably been more appropriate. Still, when my target (field tip) arrows blast through 3 layers of heavy-duty cardboard boxes, it's awesome! The look and feel of this bow is outstanding. It would be a five-star purchase, but when I contacted the manufacturer about some minor blemishes, their response was, "If you don't like it, return it for a refund." That kind of irritated me. Update: I purchased the 30# limbs to make it easier to hold the sight on target at 20 yards. This helped a lot. I also upgraded the sight, rest, and string, and added a stabilizer. My accuracy improved significantly. Not quite a work of art from a quality control standpoint, but a functional bow at a reasonable price.

The Spyder recurve (I got the XL version) is very well built and is a STEAL at this price point. Pick the correct draw weight and you won't want to put this thing down. I'm 6'7" tall with a long draw length of 32.5" - the SPYDER XL version works perfectly for me. As another reviewer noted, every inch past 28" draw adds about 2lbs to 2.5lbs of draw weight. So it is very important to take this into account when ordering. I was originally going to order the 50lb draw, but took some good advice from forums/reviews and ordered the 40lb. At full draw for me this setup renders a 50lbs+ bow and is perfect. SHOPPING LIST: I paired this bow up with the following arrows/accessories all available on amazon and all these items get 5 stars in my opinion. (I spent a LOT of time researching only the highest rated/forum recommended items that were available on Prime so hopefully this will help save someone else some time.) 1) Southwest's Carbon Arrows (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F80X8WI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s04?ie=UTF8&psc=1) 2) Opted to install Bear's arrow rest instead of the one supplied by Southwest (due to a recommendation) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AVDKQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1 3) Ordered this Stringer tool vs. ordering the Bow + Stringer option from Southwest https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002L9C7SQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1 4) Easton Elite Multi-Pliers for the nock install https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K97ONFC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1 5) Mossy Oak nock https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004VQ6170/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1 6) Easton T Bow Square for nock install https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K97O96A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Grand total for bow and listed accessories (everything on Prime) was right at $270. I set the nock at 3/8" above the center line, arrow locks under it and it shoots perfectly straight with no wobble. If you are on a budget and don't want to nock the bow yourself, you can disregard items 4-6 from above, reducing your total investment by roughly $42. Many local bow shops/outdoor stores will do it for less than $10. While I have a modest background in archery in my younger years with a compound bow, it has been 15 years since I shot an arrow before buying this bow. It is amazing how the muscle memory is still there and how addictive shooting can be. I shot over 300 arrows the first day I got it and missed the pictured target from 30' all of 3 times. That is a testament to this bow, not my skill. You really can't go wrong with this setup.

I started shooting archery a few years ago, started with a compound bow and now I shoot exclusively traditional only. A have a few long bows and recurves, higher and and low end. I purchased this bow for my friend that just started this year shooting one of my bows. So he's now hooked and ready for his own first bow. I bought this bow, as it states, that it is a step up from the famous entry level Samick Sage. I have shot Sage before on a range and I can fully support that statement. The bow arrived nicely and securely wrapped. I was pleasantly surprised on the quality and craftsmanship on the riser. It actually has a very nice wood grains found in a lot more expansive bows. It does have all the accessory threads for optional arrow quiver, stabilizer and sights. I shoot instinctively so I would prefer to have a choice without all these threaded wholes. But in this price range I accept that. The handle fits nice in my regular sized hands (glove size large), it is a little narrower then my other higher end recurves, but I think I actually prefer that. So I'm sure it will also fit good medium sized hands. Strongly recommend having the bow set up by professionals. Once I figured out the perfect brace height (just over 8" for me) and knock point on the string, most vibrations and noise went away. Your brace height might be a little different depending on the draw weight and your draw length. I'm sure after I install silencers on the string like cat whiskers, the rest of the small vibrations and noises will be gone. This is not a problem on target archery, you don't care about little noise, but it matters when hunting. You need an arm guard and stringer for this bow. I bought it with the stringer and it's worth it, the plastic/rubbery ends fit very nicely these limbs, making it super easy to string and unstring this bow. I also recommend shooting glove, the shooting tabs never really worked for me. As with other entry level bows, the string appears to be in the B50 Dacron category and needs to be waxed often to prevent fraying. I highly recommend upgrading the string in future for something like flemish twist string, they are usually quieter and faster.

Spyder Takedown Recurve Bow and arrow by Southwest Archery USA | weights 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 lb | LEFT or RIGHT HANDED Archery Kit | Designed by Engineers of the Samick Sage | 60 lb LEFT - I have had my bow (a Southwest Archery 62” Spyder w/ 60lb and 35lb limbs) for a month now and it has been an absolute joy shooting it! It is sooo much fun and very relaxing (I have a somewhat stressful job and shooting my bow is therapeutic). - Even with the light-weight bow limbs (35lbs) my arrows fly so fast! I am a bit of a larger sized guy (years of weight lifting) so the 35lb limbs seem like a child’s toy - it most certainly is not!!! I was advised by experienced archers to get the 35lb limbs so I can perfect my “shooting form” and I think that was the right decision. - With the 60lb limbs the arrows fly absolutely blazingly fast! Incidentally, I do use different arrows for the 60lb limbs than for the 35lb limbs. - My actual draw length is 29 ¾” so technically (according to Southwest Archery’s recommendations) the 64” Spyder should be better for me. However, even though I am about at the limit for the draw length of my 62” Spyder and where other recurve bows begin “stacking” my bow remains soooo smooth all the way to my anchor point. - I LOVE my Southwest Archery Spyder!!! (BTW - I am not paid for my review – the bow really is this good – it’s a great bargain even though $149 isn’t chicken scratch).