Summary
After getting a chance to review the Bowtech Carbon Knight, you can tell this is a high quality bow. It has all of the features you would expect from a top of the line bow and is incredibly light. Not only that, but it is fast and can be very accurate in the right hands. One aspect of the Carbon Knight that is very unique is the carbon construction, because it is light, strong, and won’t freeze your hands in cold weather. Overall, this bow is solid, and would be a good choice for an experienced archer looking to try something new.
Table of Contents
Intro
Knights have quite a history in western culture. King Arthur and his knights of the round table, William Wallace, and of course the Dark Knight; Batman. We’re taught these knights fought for justice with flair, style, and honored a code of chivalry throughout it all. You may think knights are a thing of the past, but you’d need to think again. In 2013 Bowtech released a knight into their lineup. It was christened the Carbon Knight, and it has some of the qualities you’d expect from a 21st century knight.
Ratings, Pros and Cons
What we liked:
- Adaptable
- Fast
- Accurate
- Light
- Tool free and quick assembly
What we didn’t:
- Axle to Axle
- Complex cam system
Features / Specifications
| Draw weights (lbs): | 50, 60, 70 |
| Draw length (min-max): | 26.5-30.5 |
| Weight (lbs): | 3.2 |
| ATA Length (inches): | 31 |
| IBO Speed Rating (fps): | 335 |
| Riser: | Carbon |
| Let Off: | 80% |
| Price Range: | Medium |
| Handedness: | Available for both LH and RH |
| Warranty: | Non-transferable lifetime (Bowtech) |
Videos
In-Depth Review
Riser
The riser of this bow is actually one of it’s major features. In terms of design, the Carbon Knight features a skeletonized design many bows use these days. Removing the extra material helps to cut down on weight, and contributes to the bow’s edgy appearance. Bowtech also decided to make this riser out of carbon. Carbon risers have the major advantage of being light. At 3.2 pounds, I’d say Bowtech is achieving their goal. Having a bow this light might be appealing to folks who are planning on long hikes, or who just want to carry less weight. On the other hand, some folks shy away from light bows because they may be louder than heavy bows. For this reason, the bow takes a .5 ding on its overall rating.
In terms of accessories, this riser will accommodate all the accessories you would expect. It has all the mounting brackets for your quivers, sights, rests, and stabilizers. Having the option to customize the bow means you should be able to transition gear on your current bow to the Knight.
Grip
The grip on the Knight is made from the same carbon material as the rest of the riser. This is advantageous if you hunt in cold weather, as archers attest to the fact carbon will not get as cold as aluminum. Anyone who has ever had frozen hands after toting a bow through the December woods can appreciate this fact.
Cam System
The cam system on this bow incorporates Bowtech’s binary cam system. In the Bowtech binary cam system, the bow has 2 cams and both cams are identical to one another. Bowtech claims that by making their cams identical to one another the string will travel consistently and you won’t experience any nock travel (Bowtech). Reduced nock travel is ideal because it increases your accuracy.
These cams are also said to be “slaved” to one another. This implies that the bow will not get out of tune. In fact, The Shooter’s Bible by Todd Kuhn claims that binary cams are the “wave of the future” since they smooth, fast, and don’t have the timing issues of other twin cam bows (The Shooter’s Bible PG 35). The cams of the Knight also have “timing dots” that help shooters identify if their cams are still firing simultaneously (Bowtech). This helps take the guesswork out of timing.
If the slaved cams will in fact require little-to-no tuning, they are an excellent option because they overcome a major pitfall of twin cam bows. On the other hand, anytime you add complexity you add another component that can malfunction. We’ll dock it a point here until the binary cam system earns a bulletproof reputation over time.
Limbs
When reviewing the limbs of the Carbon Knight you can tell they are high quality. Bowtech was trying to make this bow light, so when designing the limbs they had to keep them small. Rather than go with the popular split limb design, the Carbon Knight uses a skinny limb design. These limbs are also designed using a composite material infused with carbon. Although this technology wasn’t new when the Knight was released, it does help decrease the weight of the bow and add strength to the limbs. This is all beneficial for shooters because it all decreases the weight of the bow while still being stout.
Like many other bows out there, the limbs of this bow are sold in different poundages. You can purchase 50,60,or 70 pound limbs depending on the draw weight you would like to shoot. Each limb range has a 10 pound weight range you can adjust by turning the limb bolts (Bowtech). The advantage this offers is the ability to find your sweet spot. Oftentimes we have a draw weight that just feels good to us and works for our setup. Having slightly adjustable limbs allows you to do that.
Styling
The Carbon Knight just flat-out looks cool. With its skeletonized riser and flashy finish, if it were high school age, you can bet it would have a prom date. Not only is it flashy, but the carbon design is stout and built to use. Few archers may realize that carbon bows are actually not a new idea. Companies first started experimenting with the process back in the 1990’s. What that means for archers today is that when you buy a carbon bow, you are not buying an experiment. You are buying the culmination of over 20 years of redesigning and problem solving. If it happens to break over time, you’ll always have the Bowtech lifetime warranty.
One downfall of the Knight may be the fact that it does not come in a wide array of colors. It comes is Mossy Oak Infinity and Black. Although this doesn’t take away from the bow’s performance, it would be nice to have a few color choices available.
Shooting
Here is where it counts. The real question is, how does the bow actually perform on the range? This appears to be another area where the Carbon Knight meets all expectations. It is advertised as being smooth from start to finish and having a solid back wall. Most folks agree that having a smooth bow is more enjoyable to shoot, and having a solid back wall improves accuracy.
One interesting proclamation about this bow’s performance is the reported quietness of the bow. Generally speaking, lighter bows tend to be louder than heavy bows. The reason is that a heavy object transmits less vibration (Bowhunter). If the featherlight Knight is also quiet, that must mean the carbon material is better at soaking up vibration than aluminum risers. Having a quiet bow is great for hunters because it decreases the chance an animal will jump the string. Not only is this bow reported to be quiet, but dead in the hand as well. No vibration upon release helps to improve accuracy.
The mark against this bow is the short axle to axle measurement. Shorter bows tend to be more sensitive to bow torque and canting (Outdoor Life). If you have solid form, you’ll likely not have a problem. Any form issues just may become magnified and leave you wishing you had a longer bow.
All tallied, the Carbon Knight is a high performing shooting machine if you’ve got the skills.
“How does it compare?”
Carbon Knight vs Genesis
The Genesis Original compound bow is a great bow for youngsters getting their first taste in archery. It is a very simple bow from top to bottom and has no frills. It doesn’t rank anywhere near the Carbon Knight in terms of performance, and should be viewed strictly as a target bow. It adjusts from 10 to 20 pounds of draw weight, so the Genesis should be a good fit for your elementary school age kid. If you are looking for an ultra simple compound bow that will give a kid their first taste of target archery, this might be worth a closer look.
Carbon Knight vs Infinite Edge Pro
The Infinite Edge Pro is very similar to the Infinite Edge, and the same general review applies. It will be a better buy for someone who is growing in strength or size, but won’t have the same performance as the Knight. It has a bit more range and versatility than the standard Edge. Read more.
Carbon Knight vs SAS Siege
Finally, another option out there is the SAS Siege. SAS has a reputation for producing good bows for a very affordable price and the Siege is no different. It is much longer axle to axle than the Carbon Knight, stretching the tape at 41.5”. Long axle to axle bows tend to be more accurate. With a draw weight range of 40-55 pounds this bow also has a lighter draw weight range as well. This is more of a bargain hunters bow, and doesn’t tout the same performance as the Knight. Arrows out the Siege register around 206 fps through the chronograph.
Compound Bow Comparison Tables
All the bows we review (and some we haven’t yet) get added to our comparison tables. They’re a great place to get a quick overview of what’s on the market, and find something that fits with your requirements. We’ve also a great guide that helps you understand what all features and specifications actually mean as part of our article on the best compound bows.
About the Manufacturer
Bowtech are a company on a mission to provide the most advanced and innovative archery products and couple that with outstanding customer service. Their HQ is in Orgeon where they employ over 300 people. All Bowtech bows are made in America with pride.
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