Prime or Elite?

[Brightwhite]

I haven't shot a bow in 15-20 years, but really want to get back into it, even if I spend the next year just shooting targets in my backyard. I know very little about bows other than how to draw, aim, and shoot them....

I went to a local shop a week ago looking to try out some of the elites because everyone on here seems to speak so highly of them. The salesman kept pushing me towards Prime saying that the warranty and overall craftsmanship was superior to Elite.

They were busy so the only bow I got to shoot was the Prime Rize, which was a pleasure to draw and shoot.

Two questions...1) would you buy a prime or an elite? Taking price out of the equation because I think elites were about $200 less.

2) which model of either brand would you lean towards?

This will be for bow hunting deer/elk/antelope in Colorado, as well as a lot of backyard practice.

 

[FURMAN]

I thought the Rival was the closest thing to the Impulse I shot. The Rival was the slowest bow I shot. The Elite was the second slowest. I chose the Impulse 31. It was fast enough for me but the letoff sold me. There are too many great bows to limit yourself to these two bows. If you are going to spend that kind of money on a new bow go shoot as many as possible before making your decision.

 

[doverpack12]

Pick whichever feels best. I don't think you will have any issues with warranty stuff if something should come up from either company and they are both similar in feel to me. If both models are the same year $200 sounds like a big difference to me on price. Most places I have been they are within $50 depending on the model. I would shoot all the models that interest you in both brands and pick the one that feels best. I personally really like both companies and their bows but that doesn't mean they are the only two options either. It may be worth your time to test shoot a few other brands to either confirm your decision on prime or elite or open up alot more possibilities.

 

[ssliger]

I am in the process of buying a new bow this year as well. I spent an hour at a shop last week and shot the Elite Impulse 34, Prime Rize, Prime Rival, and Hoyt Defiant 34. They all felt good in my hands. The Prime Rival felt the best to me. But remember bows are a personal thing. Don't let a salesman talk you into anything, and shoot every bow you are looking at. As far as price goes, the Prime was less expensive at the shop I was at.

 

[BackcountryMT]

There is nothing superior about Prime over Elite. They both have the best warranties in the business. I would recommend shooting both and see what fits you. I love the way Prime's shoot and draw but I just can't get used to their grip. For me, Elite is where it's at. Im currently shooting and Impulse 31.

As far as a bow recommendation. What are you after? Speed, longer or shorter ATA? Whats your draw length?

 

[Pontius]

I'm an amateur, but have spent the winter totally preoccupied with the Prime vs. Elite choice. Be mindful of draw length, the current Prime lineup maxes out at 30" There are two ways around this: One is the quiet announcement of a longer limbed Rival for 2016 that will draw to 31", but is basically unobtainium, the Prime dealer I talked to had no knowledge of this unicorn. Second solution is the one I chose, the 2011/2012 Centroid with PC#1 cams features a 31" draw. I just bought a used one. Note the 2011s ran heavy, mine is a boat anchor at 4.7 pounds.

The Rize is beautiful, amusingly its new riser material may be too stiff for the application, there's chatter about a unique twang from this bow. I liked the Elites very much, but was swayed to the Prime line by the engineering style. They're built like a Grumman made for carrier landings.

 

[squeekieslayer]

If the dealer is pushing toward the prime because of "better warranty" or "better craftsmanship" there is probably another incentive for him to sell you the Prime vs the Elite... i.e. he makes more money.

Any GOOD dealer will let you shoot them, ask you questions, assess your application, and make a recommendation for YOU based on what is BEST FOR YOU... Not what is best for him.

I love my Elite, but if you are going to drop the money for a brand new bow, find a dealer that is there for your best interest and shoot more than 2 brands.

Joe

 

[sodaksooner]

When I bought my alloy, i shot it next to the Elite. Loved them both, but walked away with Prime. Just a bit more high tech, but no reason other than that. Think it was a bit faster as well, but that wasn't really a huge factor. Shoot em both. I don't think you could go wrong with either.

 

[elkyinzer]

As others said, both good bows. I love my Elite Answer. When I bought it, I was just starting to hear of Prime, and no one around me sold them. No one on the internet can answer this for you, if you have access to both shoot each one, and buy the one you like most. For that matter, why narrow it down to two brands. Shoot a hoyt, mathews, bowtech, whatever. Each has a different feel from the grip through the draw cycle and vibration after the shot. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[littlebrotherC]

From what I understand the two companies are step cousins of sorts. They both have pieces of MR Strothers engineering in their design. If someone know more abut this please let me know b/c I'd love to understand the history. I like the Elite Energy bows which I'd encourage you to shoot even though they aren't the flagship bows this year. Elite didn't change too much about their bows the last 3 years outside of riser length. The cam on the energy 35 and 32 is by far my favorite but I would say the Prime bows are a close second followed by Xpedition Archery. In my mind it comes down to how you like the feel of the draw, the shot, how steady it holds on target, and the most important is how the string angle fits you. Are you having to lean you head into the peep or can you maintain you posture and look through the peep without changing anything in your stance.

 

[elkguide]

I like the draw on the Prime but it just doesn't fit my hand well. The Elite is a great bow but not quite enough different than what I am currently shooting to make me open my wallet, yet. If I had to have a new bow today, I would probably go with the Elite because of the way it feels in my hand. My local dealer sells both. He shoots an Elite but his son swears by the Prime.

Don't let a dealer sway you.

 

[Aussie-bowman]

I just got my new impulse 34 the other day and love it! I shot right handed for 4 years now im swapping to left handed because of eye dominance. I was really surprised when I could draw 73lb left handed with it. It shoots great but not as smooth as the synergy i had. All in all great bow. BTW. Last year i shot every bow i could get my hands on to see what i liked best and settled in the elite. Great bows and great warranty. However. Pick which ever bow you shoot best and feels most comfortable.

 

[littlebrotherC]

I will add that I tested out the warranty policy where Elite promises to ship a bow out to use if you have some go wrong on a hunt. They lived up to their end of the deal and took about a 1.5 days.

 

[novaman64]

I am going to get a Elite sometime soon. Brought my old Mathews Z7 down to the shop to get a new Vapor Trail string put on, and shot a Elite Impulse 31 and Energy 32 while I was down there. What a big mistake, my old faithful Mathews will be going on the chopping block soon. The valley was amazing, the back wall was rock solid and it was a nice smooth draw (which is what made me buy my Z7 way back when)....

 

[sodaksooner]

I hear guys complain that they think the Prime's valleys are short. Obviously never shot a z7 series Mathews. Elite was almost too much...lol.

 

[Matt W.]

If your dealer has them you should pull back an Xpedition as well. Great company and solid bow. I'm more of a backyard / range archer than a bow hunter, but I shoot mine a lot and couldn't be happier with my X7.

 

[Brightwhite]

There is nothing superior about Prime over Elite. They both have the best warranties in the business. I would recommend shooting both and see what fits you. I love the way Prime's shoot and draw but I just can't get used to their grip. For me, Elite is where it's at. Im currently shooting and Impulse 31.

As far as a bow recommendation. What are you after? Speed, longer or shorter ATA? Whats your draw length?

Thank you everyone for your replies. I will be trying a different shop that happens to be even closer to me that carries a wide variety of brands. Anyone in Colorado have any experience with Archery in the Wild in Longmont CO?

To answer your question BackcountryMT, I am looking for a solid all around hunting bow for western big game. Since I haven't shot a bow in 15 years, I'll likely try to do some target shooting and might even do the 3D shooting this summer to get as much practice as possible, but a "hunt first" bow is my priority.

 

[boom]

I just got my new impulse 34 the other day and love it! I shot right handed for 4 years now im swapping to left handed because of eye dominance. I was really surprised when I could draw 73lb left handed with it. It shoots great but not as smooth as the synergy i had. All in all great bow. BTW. Last year i shot every bow i could get my hands on to see what i liked best and settled in the elite. Great bows and great warranty. However. Pick which ever bow you shoot best and feels most comfortable.

Lots of people are swapping. Nice! I need to do this as well


Primes are nice! I went with my Elite 35 because I liked the grip and letoff. I felt I could hold full draw longer.

 

[boom]

I shot the defiant 34 right handed and loved it.

 

[ssliger]

Thank you everyone for your replies. I will be trying a different shop that happens to be even closer to me that carries a wide variety of brands. Anyone in Colorado have any experience with Archery in the Wild in Longmont CO?

To answer your question BackcountryMT, I am looking for a solid all around hunting bow for western big game. Since I haven't shot a bow in 15 years, I'll likely try to do some target shooting and might even do the 3D shooting this summer to get as much practice as possible, but a "hunt first" bow is my priority.

That is the shop I shot at last week from my earlier post. It is where I'm ordering my bow from. I dealt with the owner and it was awesome customer service.