Oak Ridge Shade Bow review | A Modern Bow for the Traditional Archer

When I first set my eyes on this bow, my jaw dropped. I’ve seen quite a few bows in my day but I can still count in 1 hand the number of times this has happened. Add-in the knowledge of how reasonably priced this ILF Traditional Recurve is and I was more than impressed.

The Shade is a 19 inch hunting ILF riser made from Dymond Wood. Being an ILF bow, its limb pockets feature tiller adjustments via the bolts allowing for about a 10% adjustment in draw weight. The shade also has a limb alignment system the uses opposing set screws. These features make tuning a breeze on this bow. Trad shooters and purists will be glad to know however that those are all the modern creature comforts the Shade has. You won’t find any mounting holes for sights and stabilizers. It does not even have Burger holes for rests or a plunger. This bow was meant to be shot off the shelf, with only skill, form and instinct to guide arrows to the target.

The shade is as beautiful as it is simple. The Dark Dymond Wood finish with the red semi-circle surrounding the grip gives the shade an absolutely stunning look. Considering the price, I was pleasantly surprised not to find any flaws in the fit and finish. The black tiller bolts and the brass limb alignment blocks look superb and add to the bow’s premium, classic look. Black tiller bolts add 100 points to any bow’s looks. 😊

Weighing only 795g, the bow is light and easy to move around with. The grip is thick, yet comfortable. Mid height, and well-shaped. Holding the bow reminds me of holding kamagong arnis stick. It feels dense and solid without the heavy weight of metal risers. Holding and shooting the bow feels very organic. It feels natural in the hands. I’m sure the riser being made of wood has something to do with that, but you definitely feel a connection to it after shooting a few arrows.

The bow was setup with a pair of 55lb Samick Discovery Foam limbs. Drawing the bow back felt as smooth as silk with just a tiny hint of stacking mere millimeters close to full draw. Though significantly above my regular draw weight, the bow felt easy to draw and shoot. The release felt quick and aggressive. I really felt the power of this hunter. The shots themselves very quiet. The vibrations post shot though were something else. Remember moments ago, I mentioned it feeling like a kamagong stick? The feedback and vibrations felt like hitting a tree with said arnis stick or a baseball bat hitting the ball. I don’t however think this is a flaw in the bow’s design. It’s a traditional bow. A beautiful one at that. There’s only so much vibration a solid piece of hard wood can absorb.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQnEFGEN7pM

The Oak Ridge shade is a good Traditional Hunting bow that brings some modern conveniences with it. Price-wise, it sits above bolt on traditional bows and even some entry level modern recurves. Yet its look and feel are way above them. Compared to bolt on or take down traditional bows, the Shade gives you the benefits of being able to adjust tiller and poundage. It is a great bow for the archery purists who want a classic looking trad bow and still have the option to switch to whatever ILF limbs they want.

Is the Shade for everyone? Definitely not. Unlike modern recurve bows, the Shade is a highly specialized piece of kit. What it does specialize in however is being able to deliver a powerful shot while feeling absolutely connected to the archer. There are bows that when you get used to them, they feel like extensions of your own being. I think the Oak Ridge Shade, whether intentional or not, is definitely one of those bows.

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