Chek-Mate Crusader T/D Review

Disclaimer: This is a review from one archer who's shot this bow enough to feel that she knows the bow well and thus is biased towards the short-draw archer who likes performance and comfort, preferably in the same bow.

Specifications
Bowyer: Marc Moriez
Length: 64"
Poundage: 48 lbs @ 28"
Design: 2-piece reflex-deflex takedown
Limb woods: Pacific yew with red actionwood core
Riser materials: Black phenolic with Pacific yew and red actionwood stripes
Arrows: 45-50 lb spined cedar shafts with 125 grain shafts
Interesting Tidbit: The limbs have a double taper in the actionwood layer.

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The Story:
I pretty much fell in love with this bow when I test-shot it. Originally, I had actually been debating between this bow and the Chek-Mate Longhorn but opted for the more radical model out of curiosity. Suffice to say, it seems that fate has a way of doing strange things and I now have a Chek-Mate Crusader in my hand. I will openly admit that I do have a real soft spot for Chek-Mate bows because their grips are very comfortable and fit me extremely well.

The take-down mechanism is very discreet compared to other take-down mechanisms I have seen, although not quite as discreet as the socket mechanism I've seen on some other longbows. The bolt mechanism, while hard to see, does worry me a bit when it gets wet and thus I don't like to take this bow apart except when absolutely necessary such as to dry things out or when travelling in a vehicle that won't let me take it in one piece. The 64" length is a great length because it adds stability but is still short enough for me to fit into my little Honda Civic without too much trouble (ie, I can still have a human passenger in the car). The cut on the phenolic riser is also discreet and has been mistaken for "decoration", making this a very sleek and elegant 2-piece design. The downside to this design is that I can't change the limb weight/length, but given the applications for this bow, I'm not too worried about that.

The bow draws extremely smoothly and is hands-down one of the most comfortable bows I've shot from draw to follow-through. The bow isn't quite as center-cut as my other "Alpha" bow (ie, the Four Winds Phoenix T/D) but the increased comfort from a combination of the lower draw weight and longer length compensates for the slower speed. This is definitely not a particularly fast bow, but neither is it a slug.

After an initial learning curve in getting used to the bow and tuning in, I have found this bow to be a very consistent shooter. This bow feels a bit picky about what I shoot through it even with a relatively high brace-height (7.5") and it took a fair amount of trial and error to figure out that shaft/point and nock location and brace height combination worked best. Once tuned in, though, the bow itself is very forgiving -- it takes pretty poor form to really mess up the shot and as long as I'm consistent in my form, good or bad, my groups are tight. In a nutshell, if I get an outlier with reasonably matched arrows, then I know that I did something wrong and typically what I did wrong. This is an all-around a well-made shootable bow.

Pros: Very comfortable riser, very precise (when form is consistent), nearly silent when well-tuned, very forgiving, aims very intuitively
Cons: Can be a bit hard to find shafts that spine right, can be hard to maneuver in tight spots or cars, gets mistaken for a Black Widow, bolt can be misplaced
Best for: Target shoots of all sorts especially under 40 or 50 yards, both 3D and spots.
Recommended For: Archers who want a comfortable, stable, and forgiving bow with a blend of traditional and contemporary look.

Overall verdict: Easily one of the best bows I've ever shot and is tied with the Four Winds Phoenix T/D as my personal favorite bow. This bow may have the slight edge over the Four Winds because it is an easier bow for me to shoot in an endurance shoot and if old age drains my strength.

Coming up next: Chek-Mate Longhorn