When it comes to renowned archery manufacturers with iconic brand names, it’s easy to assume their success happened by way of a genie. You can almost imagine that at, some point early on, the founder, owner or president found a lamp, rubbed it and poof! Success.
And while it’s now impossible to imagine the vertical bow world without the name Bowtech in it, the manufacturer’s rise to the top, like most legendary brands, came through hard work, innovation and a relentless drive to produce technology-rich archery products that the end user could count on.
My hunting experience with Bowtech’s vertical bows runs deep. My first Bowtech rig was the 2009 Admiral, and that bow led to the demise of many a game animal, both big and small. Over the years, I’ve shot more Bowtech models, including the Destroyer, Fanatic, Carbon Knight and Reign 7, just to name a few. Naturally, when I had the chance to sit down with Bowtech’s Brand Manager Todd Snader and talk shop, I was excited about what we could tell the industry about this high-quality brand.
AB: Tell me a little bit about the history of Bowtech Archery.
TS: Bowtech was founded in 1999 based on a demand for a product that provides the latest, most tangible technologies the industry offers. We have always been big on technology. We enjoy pushing it to the brink and discovering new ways to help those who put their trust in Bowtech have the best shooting experience possible. I mean, the second syllable in our name is “tech.”
This became our mission as the company grew. In 2005, Bowtech purchased the Diamond Archery name to provide a mid-price product to be offered in mass merchant channels, as well as through dealers that were not able to sell Bowtech due to falling inside current Bowtech dealer territories. As the company further evolved, our goal was to provide consumers the best archery experience across all product types, so in 2015 Bowtech purchased Excalibur Crossbow. At the time of purchase, Excalibur had been producing top-end crossbows for over 30 years, making it a logical partnership to put under the Bowtech umbrella. Excalibur was and still is one of the most respected brands in the exciting world of crossbows. To further round out Bowtech’s portfolio, we purchased the Montana Group, which consisted of Black Gold Sights, TightSpot Quivers and Ripcord arrow rests. This allowed us to also provide the industry with an incredible range of high-end accessories and truly become the one-stop shop for all things archery.
AB: How does the design of Bowtech bows benefit the archer and archery dealer?
TS: Our history and commitment to creating the most advanced technologies has really separated us from the pack. The tangibility of our many technologies, based on feedback from consumers, just makes us different in a way that we love. We actively engage our users at every level of the bow-building process to create features that offer the ultimate benefit in accuracy, but also give our end user a number of customizable features. Our uber-popular OverDrive Binary Cam System isn’t draw length specific. Adjustments can be made to a shooter’s draw length without having to purchase different modules. In most instances, shooters don’t even need a bow press to change draw length. And now, with our line of Smart Bows, shooters can even customize their draw cycle via our Performance and Comfort settings. Our bows offer high performance, durability and optimal weight married with incredible speed.
AB: How does this design distinguish it from other brands?
TS: It really comes down to making them the most successful archer that they can be. It’s not just about creating new features that offer nothing more than aesthetic value, or new widgets, it’s about making the most accurate, easiest-to-tune bow on the planet. As a dealer, this means less time tuning. Time is money. With Bowtech, we give them the ability to set the bow up quickly and tune the bow quicker than they can tune our competitors’ models. Additionally, our bows stay in tune, which means eliminating consumer trips to the shop to re-tune their bow. More time in the field and less time in the shop is what we all want.
Plus, because our bows are so innovative, easy-to-tune and teeming with purposeful technology, it makes it easier for the dealer to move them. Once guys and gals start shooting Bowtech, they quickly tell their friends, and those friends want to go to their local pro shop and send a few Bowtech-powered arrows downrange.
AB: The OverDrive Binary Cam System may very well be one of the best cam systems ever designed. What makes this system so effective?
TS: It’s quite simple, really. The OverDrive Binary Cam System is the only cam system that provides quick and easy left and right string adjustments. When paper-tuning the bow, you can literally walk the arrow left or right. These are adjustments that truly tune the bow. The competitors require the rest to be moved, which is really a Band-Aid for poor performance. Adjusting the string left and right perfects the string path, putting the energy directly behind the arrow. With the energy directly behind the arrow, the overall performance of the bow can really be seen.
AB: Many believe we are at the top of the bow-design pinnacle. What does Bowtech say about this?
TS: To this we say, “Challenge accepted.” Our focus is to engage consumers to tell us what they want. That is of the utmost importance to us. I’ll be transparent: We have been guilty of trying to over-tell how a technology functions and performs. Consumers and dealers just want to know what the ultimate end result is. Our technologies are about making the lives of consumers and dealers easier and making their bowhunting experience the best it can be. Again, I go back to spending less time in the shop and more time in the field. To sum up a short answer though, there are big things coming from Bowtech. Just wait and see.
AB: Tell us about the new Realm SR6 and Realm SS.
TS: The Realm SR6 is the fastest, most powerful model in the Realm series. It boasts an effortless draw that redefines what fast should feel like. You won’t believe a bow this fast draws this smoothly — until, that is, you shoot it. All this performance is driven by a new strategically weighted OverDrive Binary Cam System, which increases speed without the harsh draw cycle associated with typical high-speed bows.
The Realm SS is without a doubt the smoothest-drawing bow known to mankind. Period. With smoothness at the forefront, this bow was put through an extensive, independent sound and vibration laboratory test. As we measured and fine-tuned the Realm SS for optimal results, this created a super-smooth bow before and after the shot. As with the SR6, much of this smoothness is generated by the newly designed weighted OverDrive Binary Cam System.
AB: What new technologies make these bows so appealing to the archery retailer? What are archers going to love about them?
TS: Besides the weighted OverDrive Binary Cam System, there really are no new technologies. This goes back to our extensive consumer research and direct feedback letting us know that accuracy is the No. 1 attribute consumers look for in a bow. Over the past year, consumers have conveyed that they purchased our competitors’ bows based on what we call the 5-yard test. They test the bows on the range, and when they go to tune the bows, the accuracy is lacking.
The Realm series emerged as the most accurate bows series in 2018. The series offered the Realm for extreme versatility and the Realm X for extended range. The addition of the Realm SS and SR6 provides the additional attributes requested by specific customers. For dealers, this means happier customers and more referrals.
AB: What’s next? What does the future of Bowtech Archery look like going forward?
TS: Our focus will continue to be putting consumers’ needs and wants first. They tell us what they want, and we’ll develop a bow that not only meets our standards, but theirs as well. We are not only about products. We are about bringing consumers closer, making them part of the Bowtech family and driving them to dealers. Additionally, we will be offering much more training for dealers in terms of technical product training, as well as sales training. This will help them seal the deal when consumers come in the door.
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