Latest News

Brady Arview the new vice president of sales and marketing for New Archery Products, came to the Bowhunting Round Table with longtime NAP Engineer Chris Kozlick. They started with a demonstration of how easy it is to crest and fletch arrows in a single step using the Quik Fletch system. The white shrink wrap tubing is pre-fletched with the company's Speed Hunter vanes. These premium vanes have a molded in kicker fin on one side, micro grooves on the other, to increase spin and the stabilization that offers. To demonstrate how well they work, NAP used a $7,000 high speed camera that has the depth of field needed to track an arrow's flight from the shooter's point of view.

I was surprised to see the arrow was well on it's way to the target before wind pressure on conventional high profile vanes over came the arrows rotational inertia and set it spinning. Fletched the same way, the Quik Spin Speed Hunter fletching had the arrow rotating in what appeared to be half the distance.

Many dealers are applying Quick Spin vanes with conventional hand fletching jigs but it's hard to beat the speed and simplicity of the Quik Fletch system, which shrinks the adhesive lined tube onto the shaft when you dip it in hot water. The rubber adhesive is also easier than fletching adhesive to remove when it's time to re-fletch and Kozlick said removing the shrink tubing is much easier than removing conventional arrow wraps. You can do one shaft at a time in something as simple as a styrofoam cup of water heated in a microwave oven. Or you can place a 9500 order for Quik Fletch and receive the dipping rack, dip tank and induction hot plate I saw demonstrated that day.

The surface of the hot plate stays cool while the tall metal tank and its water are heated, an important safety consideration for retailers. The rack holds six arrows and can be set for nock length so all the cresting comes right to the end of the shaft. With the rack, your fingers never come near the hot water. Counting the time it takes to slip on the tubes and load and unload the rack twice, Arview said your staff member could fletch a dozen arrows in just a few minutes with this system.

Next Kozlick showed us the Quik Tune Freedom rest, which had been beefed up internally since the ATA show introduction so extremely fast bows wouldn't overcome the braking mechanism that keeps it retracted and out of the way of fletching. New Archery Products named this dropaway rest the Freedom because there are no strings, cables or rods. Instead the slight friction of the accelerating arrow against the launcher flips it dornrn and out of the way. The lightweight launcher is molded of a polymer so tough Kozlick said you can fold the containment arms straight down without breaking them, yet it has the give to accommodate any carbon shaft up to the 2264 diameter. Again, high speed photography was used to demonstrate to the media how quickly the QuikTune Freedom retracts and that, unlike some models on the market, it cannot bounce back up to interfere with arrowflight.

Turning to broadheads Kozlick told me he shoots all the many NAP styles for testing but sticks to the Spitfire models when he can pick his personal favorite. For 2009 NAP introduced a Spitfire Maxx with a larger 1.75 inch cutting diameter. The cut-on-contact tip and three .027 inch thick main blades are all replaceable. Kozlick said he's never known a Spitfire to fail to open when it hits a game animal, though a competitor advertises their rear deploying blades are a better way to go. Kozlick decided to test both brands by firing them into a transparent water ballon. In the footage the press saw that day the Spitfire opened freely in that fragile medium, the competitor was partially deployed when it exited the far side.

The Bloodrunner broadhead from New Archery Products was introduced as a hybrid model that can calm the concerns some people still have about mechanicals. It launches as a 1 inch wide fixed head. The moment the spring loaded tip touches hide the .037 inch thick blades move back and out to cut a 1.5 inch circle. That gives you a head that flies like a "mini" but cuts like a "maxi." Arview had brought a bag of ripe tomatoes to PASA Park so we could see just how little force it takes to spring the blades open. Retailers might want to keep a tomato on their counter for the same demonstration, because the blades were deploying without even contacting the skin of this soft target.

Arview and Kozlick also gave me a preview of the new broadheads the company is developing for 2010 but asked ArrowTrade to keep that information confidential until later this fall. I can say some of the world's best-known broadhead brands are going to have exciting newlooks and performance.