In its sixth year of business Elite Archery continues to gain a following, especially among bowhunters who like not only speed but an easy draw, deep valley, and high letoff. This year Elite adds three new bows to its line-up. It’s no industry secret that bows are trending toward increasingly compact, so the Elite bow garnering the most attention at this year’s ATA was the new Hunter, at 31 3/4 inches axle-to-axle. Elite’s ESX Cams and a 7 1/2-inch brace height make for a smooth-shooting and forgiving bow at top speeds up to 323 fps. The Hunter is available in a variety of finishes including Realtree AP, Realtree AP Snow, two bright target bow colors, and a matte Black Ninja Edition, to name a few. All Elite bows start at a suggested retail price of $870, with target colors at a higher price.
At 34 1/4 inches axle-to-axle, and with a slightly skinnier brace height of 6 inches, the Pulse is clearly Elite’s speed bow, though without sacrificing the aforementioned characteristics that make Elite bows popular. With the ESX Cams generating speeds of over 340 fps, this is a very fast bow. The designers at Elite concede there are faster bows on the planet, but insist none of them can compare to the Pulse in terms of shootability. Our experience: it is indeed a very pleasant bow to shoot. It weighs 4.3 pounds with modular draw lengths of 26 to 30 inches in half-inch increments, and is available in the same variety of finishes as Elite’s other new bows.
All else being equal, a bow that has a higher brace height and a longer riser will be more forgiving. All else isn’t always equal, but in the case of Elite’s Pure it is, since it shares much in the way of technology and materials with the previously mentioned bows. The same efficient EFX Cams that drive the Pulse push arrows out of the Pure at IBO speeds up to 330 fps, but the 36-inch axle-to-axle length and the 7-inch brace height make this bow even smoother and softer shooting than the Pulse. Is it worth the 10 fps decrease in speed? Take your pick: super fast and very smooth, or very fast and super smooth. The Pulse is available in draw weights from 50 to 80 pounds, and in draw lengths from 27 1/2 inches all the way up to 31 1/2 inches. www.elitearchery.com
