LAST UPDATED: May 1st, 2015
By: Hunting Network Contributor, Tim Herald.
Carbon Express arrows have a long-standing reputation for quality, and they have always been an industry leader in innovation. CX has teamed up with Lee and Tiffany Lakosky this year for a new hunting arrow called The Crush, and that along with their Maxima line of Dual Spine Weight Forward (DSWF) arrows, allows CX to offer the perfect arrow for anyone.
Many people don’t know that Lee is an engineer, and he shared with me that 20 years ago, he also worked in a bow shop, and he is as meticulous about his archery equipment as he is proficient with it. Lakosky told me when he worked in the archery shop, he also shot competitively and Carbon Express was his choice of arrows even way back then. “When CX came out with the 3D select, I shot it exclusively. I loved the consistency of spine and straightness, so when we were developing the CRUSH, that was a must”, he said.
Lee went on, “Carbon Express has all the great arrow technology in place, and the goal for us with the CRUSH was to build what I consider the perfect hunting arrow. By that I mean something that the average hunter can afford without breaking the bank, but he can count on it every time to perform perfectly on any game in North America. I honestly think we have achieved that in the CRUSH.”
“Of course we started with a high quality arrow shaft and the Carbon Express guarantee of consistent spine, weight and straightness. The straightness is .003” and weight is .001 grains. You know your arrows are going to perform the same with tolerances that small.”
“Then we wanted all the components to be top of the line as well. I wanted an arrow that would perform from end to end, not just the shaft. So we have CX’s great inserts that self center, and their new Precision Nock that is the best on the market. We also added Raptor vanes for broadhead accuracy as this is a hunting arrow, and finally finished the arrow with Diamond Coat.”
“Diamond Coat finish was really important to me because I shoot a lot, and I wanted an arrow that would pull out easily from my targets and not leave any residue behind, but most importantly I wanted a finish that would slide over my rest like silk and be perfectly quiet. Diamond Coat does all of these things, and the arrows are still very tough and durable. We feel that end to end it is the perfect hunting arrow at a great value”, Lee explained.
Along with the popular Crush arrow, Carbon Express has had an incredible line of Maxima arrows out for a few years that feature Dual Spine Weight Forward technology that is one of the biggest arrow innovations in decades.
Just what is Dual Spine? There are two types of spine to consider on an arrow; dynamic spine and static spine. So when an arrow is designed with Dual spine, both spines are considered and properly accounted for.
Static spine is how an arrow is gauged. It is how much deflection or bend the arrow has on a 28” shaft with a weight (just over a pound) hung from the center. When you see a number on a shaft, it is generally static spine. For example, a 250 spined arrow bends 250/1000 at 28”, where a 350 bends 350/1000 at 28”.
Then the dynamic spine is how the shaft reacts or bends at actual thrust when the energy from the released bow string is transferred. It really factors in to how forgiving the arrow is and how quickly it recovers.
So with the DSWF arrows, both spines are considered. Then the weight forward part means that the front end is heavier and flexes more for forgiveness as well as keeping the arrow in track better, but the back third of the arrow is lighter and fairly stiff for much quicker recovery while getting the arrow on track quicker.
So…DSWF delivers unbelievable groupings and is easy to tune because high-speed bows put a tremendous load on the arrow upon release, which causes the arrow to flex and oscillate when fired. Managing this energy transformation is the key to making arrows shoot better. Dual-spine technology better manages energy from the bow to the arrow, and improved energy-management causes the arrow to spin sooner and recover faster. Arrows that recover faster are more accurate. The CX patented multi-layer, multi-material spine construction creates two arrow spines in one: a lighter and stiffer back harnesses energy to get on track faster and a heavier front end maximized forgiveness to stay on track better. Finally spinning sooner means shooting straighter for superior accuracy to help you shoot better.
OK, now we have all the technical stuff taken care of, what are the real results of this, and how can it help us as shooters and hunters? Carbon Express did a blind test with 8 professional shooters and they shot groups with DSWF and non-DSWF arrows with broadheads. The results were that at 40 yards, the average was 50% tighter groups with DSWF arrows. I don’t know about you, but I would sure like to shoot 50% better groups at 40 yards, especially with broadheads!
This technology will help hunters be more accurate with their shot placement on game, as well as extend their effective and ethical killing range. If you shoot more accurately, you will kill more cleanly. If you can shoot better groups at long range, it is more ethical to shoot animals at further distances. The benefit to competitive shooters is also pretty obvious. If you can shoot more accurately, especially at distance, you will win more tournaments. Isn’t this what we all truly want, to shoot better whatever our application?
Carbon express always strives to be the best, and with The Crush and Maxima lines, they seem to have achieved their goal. Whether you are a hunter, competitive shooter, or both, you owe it to yourself to check out the full lineup from Carbon Express. You will not be disappointed.
