Hoyt Satori Recurve Review
By Matt Davis, Guest Contributor
I’ll start out by clarifying that my role at Hoyt, during my time as an employee there, was NOT an engineer. I didn’t single handedly piece the Satori Recurve together. The Satori however, is a compilation of every thought, idea, and need that I felt a true ILF designed riser needed. A huge product gap Hoyt had at that point in time. That’s no longer the case.
During my last year at Hoyt, back in 2015, I was tasked with concepting and creating Hoyt’s new traditional line for 2017. I was stoked! Finally… After years of begging for the line to be changed they were opening the door. About time, right? So, with a bazillion ideas, concepts, experience, and feedback from other traditional enthusiasts, I went to outlining what I felt would be the most complete traditional line on the market.
Fast forward to ATA 2016, past all the boring B.S. I’m wasting your time with, and the Satori was born. No, I did not name it. Yes, it is the most tunable and customizable riser on the market. So, let’s dive into this bad mama-jama..
Also, just as a forewarning, you might think I’m a little over the top, but for me, and I’m sure many of you, your equipment must be perfect. A traditional bow, or any bow or gun for that matter, only has so much performance to offer. So why on earth wouldn’t you want to make sure your weapon is performing the best that it can? Hopefully you’re nodding your head and agreeing with me. If not, you’re in for a ride because I’m about to nerd out on this bow and highlight what I’d consider to be its top three key features:
1 – First up is the lateral adjustable dovetail system. This is a ‘U’ shaped piece inside the limb pocket that allows you to shift the base of the limb from side to side to achieve perfect limb alignment. Anyone who has dealt with or used manufactured products knows that on occasion there can be small variances in tolerances that can affect the limbs and risers. If the limbs and risers don’t seat together, perfect tuning can be a hair ripper.
What I’m getting at is there’s nothing more frustrating than getting a new set of limbs, slapping them into the riser, stringing it up and finding that the limbs don’t align perfectly straight and appear twisted. Does that mean the limbs really aren’t straight? No. Does that mean the riser is broken and you need a new one? Not with this system! The lateral adjustability allows you to tweak limb alignment and ensure proper limb straightness every time which means a more consistent, repeatable platform to shoot from. This will pay dividends when it comes to fine tuning your equipment.
2 – Adjustable center shot with modular strike plates. You want to talk about the ultimate tunability gadget? This is it. No more throwing a matchstick or toothpick under the leather of your striker plate to build the shelf out and minimize arrow to shelf contact. We’ve done that for you. Not only is the striker plate adjustable to help assist with stiffening or weakening an arrow, it’s also radiused so you’re getting minimal arrow contact on the shelf and striker plate. This equates to a very forgiving and easy to tune platform. That being said, for you plunger goof-balls out there, the Satori is spring plunger compatible. Not my personal preference since there’s enough variables in shooting already. Ultimately, if you’re looking for a simple, tried and true set-up, shooting off the shelf is the way to go and the Hoyt Satori is the slickest setup for just that.
Also, your #BroStaff tip of the day is DO NOT use the rug-rest mustache shaped thing they send for the shelf.. That thing is the devil and will cause you more inconsistent arrow flight than shooting in 100 MPH crosswinds. Slap some calf hair on the shelf and call ‘er good!
An additional benefit that often gets overlooked and misunderstood with this sytem is it’s ability to change the dynamic spine of an arrow. You might have heard an old trad brethren say “This bow likes a .400 spine and that’s it” or “I can only shoot 125 grain heads on .340’s to keep my arrow stiff enough”. All that bologna is a thing of the past! Anytime you adjust the center shot out, it causes your arrow to act stiffer. So say you’ve got three dozen .400’s you want to shoot and you’re too cheap to go snag some .340’s. Well, within reason, you can build the striker plate out and get that arrow to fly like a dart. I know this isn’t a tuning article so I won’t go into it any further, but know that the adjustable striker plate opens up an entirely new world of acheiving perfect arrow flight. Don’t settle for anything less than perfect.
3 – The bow’s grip – Now before you “LOL”, just give me a second to explain. I can’t stress HOW IMPORTANT the grip of a bow is. It’s your most direct connection with the bow and being able to grip the bow the same way, every shot, is…well I’ve said it already, “very important”. If you’re wanting to be accurate beyond 10″ groups at 10 yards (just a joke guys) you have to be able to repeat what you’re doing every shot.
Not only is the grip on the Satori very comfortable but it puts your hand in the same place. The throat of the grip is thin, has a thumb index and a nice palm swell that fits most hands very well. This boils down to meaning that out of the all the shot sequence variables, you can sleep at night knowing that your grip will be the same every time. Let me explain why this matters with my “machine” analogy…
Take a look at a compound. Pulleys, wheels, cams, modules, etc. It’s a machine. Argue all you want, but a compound bow is a machine. You set it up, tune it, dial ‘er in and no matter what you do, within reason, that bow is going to fire the same and react the same every single time, delivering good arrow flight and accuracy. Yes, I’m aware of torque and all other shooter influenced variables, but the point I’m trying to make is that a compound bow is VERY consistent, regardless of shooter input. Even if a shooter donkey punches a trigger, if the pin is on target, they’ll be pretty dang close.
Now look at a traditional style bow. You’ve basically got a stick and string. You can pull it back 10″, 30″, 20.456″ and let it go. It will produce different results every time. Every time you do something different, the bow will do something different too. It is not a machine. It reacts 100% to shooter input. So, because a trad bow is not a consistent, repeatable machine, the shooter must “become the machine” (Say that in a Terminator voice for a good laugh.. LOL) and be the constant in each shot. Same grip, same anchor, same release, etc. So, coming full circle to my point of grip importance, hopefully my example has painted a mental picture; a repeatable grip is critical to enjoying shooting a bow and truly maximizing its potential of tuning and accuracy (plus, the comfort factor in your hand is kinda neat, too.)
Honestly, I could probably go on about the Satori Recurve for a while, but I’m sure you’re ready to stop reading and go give this bow a gander! It’s offered in 17″, 19″ and 21″ riser lengths and can be purchased as a complete bow with short or medium length limb. You can special order long limbs, which are what I shoot with a 17″ riser to make a 62″ bow, and you can also order their high-end Carbon X-Tour series limbs if you’re wanting to really up your game. I personally use the X-Tours as you’d be hard pressed to find a more rugged, durable, high-performance limb on the market. These things are TOUGH and boy are they smooth and fast. Especially with their new Bamboo core! If you’re serious about your shooting, they are a no-brainer addition to any Satori riser.
Happy Shooting!
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