Home > Bow Reviews > Firefly Tx Td 62" 55#@29"
Firefly Tx Td 62" 55#@29"
Reviewed By Andy , 6 November 2009
I got this bow via a charity auction, I had been wanting to try one for a while as they had good reviews and were a very good price for a custom made bow. In the end I ended up paying more than I would have done for a new one but the money went to a good cause. The usual wait for customs ensued and I took delivery a few weeks later.
The bow is a long bow, take down, with the obligatory limb reflex, strung it's not too pronounced but being a 3PC take down would not go under the radar as a flat bow in competition. The riser is bubinga with maple accents and looks very nice, the limb cores are action'boo with American walnut stained fiddleback mertlewood veneers under clear glass, the limb tips are laminations of bubinga/maple/micarta, the workmanship is very good, don't get me wrong it's a really nice bow but it's just doesn't have that top notch look you get with other much more expensive bows, however the exotic wood does set it apart. However this was a second hand bow and does look really nice but up against the Morrisons and Borders of this world it just hasn't got that slight edge.
The bow is 62" long which is on the short side for me but is available in other longer options, as standard it also comes with D-97 Flemish string, with silencers and nocking point installed. This means the bow is pretty much ready to shoot when delivered which isn't always the case even with very expensive bows so kudos for that. The limbs are held on to the rise by means of two holding pins and the bolt and this gives a nice solid feel to the fit. Firefly bows are made by Jim Jones and he obviously knows what he is doing as it is very well made, especially for the price as I have seen similar priced bows which have fallen well short of this in terms of build quality.
The bow is marked at 55#@29" and when measured was 53# at my 28" and a bit draw length. Of course the true test of a bow is the shooting.The bow is smooth to draw and feels very nice in the hand, the riser is not bulky but is a decent handful, at first we were shooting at 20 yards or so and I was getting very good groups in the gold, we then had to bring the target closer to around 10-15 and again the groups were very consistent. For the given materials the performance was good spitting the arrow out with some decent speed. I didn't take any time to set the bow up and I simply used it as it had been delievered, however I didn't need to as it seemed to have been done perfectly by the previous owner, there was of course little to no hand shock and it had a really nice feel in the shot. I spent most of the day shooting the bow and really enjoyed using it.
All in all it's a great bow, looks pretty good, shoots excellently and was pretty cheap when all was said and done. The new price is also pretty reasonable at around $490-$600 depending on woods and I would definitely recommend it.Unfortunately I had this bow only for a short time and I was unable to get decent and consistent chronograph readings or take any pictures that would do it justice, Jim Jones the bowyer has allowed us to include some pictures of Philip Sutton's Firefly, the bow pictured is Cocobolo with bamboo cores and Tamo Ash limbs and I'm sure you agree looks wonderful.
All images published with kind permission
of Firefly bowyer Jim Jones and owner Philip Sutton
| Rating | |
|---|---|
| Features & Design |   |
| Looks nice but lacks the certain something you get with the much more expensive bows. But it is very well made and comes with everything you need. | |
| Performance | |
| Not stunning, but pretty good for what is essentially an entry level custom bow. What it might lack in out and out speed it more than makes up for in it's shooting ability. | |
| Value for Money | |
| A $400 starting price means this is great value for money. | |
| Overall | |
| Does what it says on the tin, great value with decent performance. Recommended for anybody on a budget looking for something a little better than the mass produced Korean stuff. | |
Steve Nicholson and Andy Gilfrin, are real archers interested in the best archery suppliers have to offer. In our search for the very best bow, arrows and equipment we have shot, used and worn pretty much everything on offer.
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| Essential Details | |
|---|---|
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What : Firefly Tx Td 62" 55#@29" Price : From $400 |
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A Firefly in it's natural environment.
A close up of the medallion set in to the riser
Two Firefly bows strung to show limb profile
Lovely finish to the riser.
All images published with kind permission of Firefly bowyer Jim Jones and owner Philip Sutton
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Latest |
Magazine
We were very pleased to give our support to the James Whale Kidney Foundation shoot which we cover in this months magazine. We were also contacted by Lars Pilø with news on the archery related finds on Jovfonna, and while we couldn't get out there ourselves Lars kindly filled in some background information for us.
A mixed bag this month, me in the South West, Geoff putting the record straight, a chat with Keith Stay and the wisdom comes from South Cox of Stalker bows.
We take a tour the length and breadth of the British mainland to visit Scotland with Border Bows, Yorkshire with Aidy Hayes, the Wirral with Jason from thelongbowshop.com, down South with the Company of Canterbury Longbowman, and Geoff is in Spain.
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Your Comments
Tell us what you think, do you agree with the review or have something to add?
Posted by: Terry on Nov 6, 19:56
Intrigued by this bow as my budget is around £300 – you compared it to an acs which is well over my budget, how would this stack up against other £300 bows ? and what else is out there at that price ? I am looking to buy new and any input will be welcomed.
Posted by: Andy@archers-review on Nov 6, 20:25
Hi Terry, it stacks up very well indeed, for £300 you are looking at the higher end of the mass produced bows, which personally I stay clear of. Not because they are no good but because your money will be better spent on a custom bow like the Firefly.
Another option is the Herb Meland Pronghorn (reviewed elsewhere) which is slightly more expensive but personally for your budget I’d go for the Firefly and spend the difference on a decent set of arrows.
Posted by: philip sutton on Nov 9, 05:49
Hey Andy
Thanks for the review on Jim’s bows. They are actually my two bows that you have used in the photos above. You may have got them off the ‘Product Reviews’ on Tradgang. I wrote a long report on there about Firefly bows.
I love my Firefly bows and Jim is starting to make me another in about a months time. I am getting his new Carbon model so this should address any lack of performance issues that you mentioned – as compared to the ACS. It is no more expensive than his usual model!
Jim is an awesome guy to deal with and I have had many big ticket-bows that are not a patch on his bows.
When all is stacked up – price, performance, customer service, quality of construction – I think Jim’s bows are the best of the best.
I have had Hornes, Bob Lee, Black Widow, Swan, Fox, Renegade, Predator – the list goes on – but my Firefly bows are my only keepers, all the others are sold and gone.
The timber used on my bow in the picture is actually Cocobolo with bamboo cores and Tamo Ash limbs.
Keep up the good work – Phil
Posted by: Andy@archers-review on Nov 9, 10:07
Hi Phil,
Great to hear from you, the review had originally mentioned the ACS which I was shooting on the same day but I have since removed those references as it would be unfair to compare the two directly and we wouldn’t want that to reflect badly on the Firefly.
I was very impressed with the bow and I would love to try the carbon based version in the near future if we get the chance, if it is the same or a similar price and improves the performance then that would be a real winner.