Summary
PSE’s Razorback is an attractive wooden bow. A good choice for a beginner. A youth model is also available, perfect also for archery schools. Would work as well for an experienced recreational target, 3D or field shooter who only needs upto 35lbs draw. Not enough poundage and camouflage for serious hunters. Missing a couple of necessary accessories (stringer/arrow rest) in the basic package.
Table of Contents
Intro
The PSE razorback recurve is tucked away on the PSE website down in the Heritage Bows > Traditional Recurve section. Finding it might not be the easiest thing you’ll do on their website because the majority of their site is dedicated to compound bows and they sponsor some world class athletes who use them.
This shouldn’t put you off a PSE bow, quite the opposite, PSE are (at time of writing) the largest archery equipment manufacturer in the US, and they make all sorts of bows from competition, hunting, youth through to traditional longbows.
Ratings, Pros and Cons
What we liked:
- Left or right hand
- Light
- Worldwide availability
- Takedown (Tool free)
- Junior version available (PSE Jr Razorback)
What we didn’t:
- Low draw weights only
- Usually ships without stringer and arrow rest
- White limbs
Features / Specifications
| Draw weights (lbs): | 20, 25, 30, 35 |
| Brace height (inches): | 7.5-8 (recommended) |
| Weight (lbs): | 2.5 |
| AMO Length (inches): | 62 |
| Max Draw (inches): | 30 (estimated) |
| Riser: | Wood laminated walnut, nurmawhite and beech |
| Limbs: | Maple wood and fiberglass |
| Price Range: | Low |
| Handedness: | Left and right hand models available |
Videos
Riser
The riser is made of 3 types of wood, walnut, nurmawhite and beech combined together using lamination techniques, each type of wood gives a nice contrast to the others and you end up with a beautiful matte smooth finish on the riser, this is nice to look at and hold.
The riser on the razorback comes equipment with mountings for a sight and stabilizer.
Limbs
Made from a fiberglass and maple wood lamination and coated with a final layer of white fiberglass the limbs on this come in a restrictive 20 to 35 draw weight range, that may not be enough for some big game hunters, but is certainly enough for the recreational target archer or beginner.
The limbs are white in color, that’s different to a lot of other bows who finish the limbs in black, so if you want to use this for hunting you’ll need to add some camo tape unless you’re hunting in the snow of course. The limbs are also emblazoned on the front with the PSE Razorback logo, which you may or may not like.
Shooting
Setup correctly and using a decent arrow you’ll notice very little vibration passed back from this bow to the hand, the sound of the string can also be made extremely quiet using string silencers.
You should find this is an easy bow to shoot, a great choice for a beginner.
Styling
The stylish and handsome riser has a quality finish and the protruding thumbscrews and white limbs emblazoned with the PSE logo won’t be everyone’s taste, this bow design is more suited to the target, field or 3D archer than the hunter however the limbs could easily be camouflaged with some camo tape should you find that necessary.
Assembly
This is a tool-less takedown bow, this basically means you can assemble it and change limbs without remembering where you put the allen key. That’s a very useful feature for both recreational target shooters and hunters as it’s one less thing you need to remember when you take your bow somewhere.
The limbs slide into a metal pocket on the either end of the riser and then are secured with a thumbscrew that doesn’t take all that many turns to tighten. You should be able to assemble this bow (not including stringing it) in under 2-3 minutes. The screws do have a hole for an allen key if you need them super tight or have weak fingers.
Accessories
Although not supplied in the basic package the Razorback can be fitted with stabilizer and sight.
String
A Dacron 12 strand string is usually included with the bow however it won’t have a nock installed so you’ll have to do that yourself.
Arrow Rest
This bow unless you are purchasing it as part of a kit doesn’t usually come delivered with an arrow rest so again you’ll either need to make one (maybe using a bit of sticky backed velcro, the fluffy side) or purchase one separately to or to come alongside the bow. If you want to shoot of the shelf I’d recommend arrow with feathers rather than plastic vanes.
Stringer
Normally out of the box in the basic package with this bow you’ll get string, but not a stringer, that’s not a massive issue, you can just order one separately, or if you’re a handy type, then just make one.
“How does it compare?”
Razorback vs Sage
The Sage is the same AMO length at this bow at 62″ but is available in 64″ in the guide of the Journey model. The Razorback is lighter than the Sage by about one pound and a lighter bow is a good choice for a beginner. The Sage however does come in a wider variety of draw weights for both hands as as you progress it offers more upgradeability options. Both the bows feature a tool free takedown which is good.. Checkout the full review here.
Razorback vs Spyder
The ‘Sage killer’ or ‘Sage v2’ is designed by the same people (but not sold by the same company) and it lives upto the name, it’s lighter, more polished and has slightly better build quality than the Sage. A good looking bow with a wide range of draw weights and also available in 62″ or 64″ AMO lengths. The Razorback is slightly (but only slightly) heaver than the Spyder, but the Spyder is available in a much wider range of draw weights however it does not feature the tool free takedown that the Razorback has. More in our full review.
Razorback vs Jaguar Elite
The Martin Jaguar is a good entry point into ownership of a metal riser on a recurve. It weighs about the same as the Razorback and you can get it in two different skins (black and camo). However the Jaguar only comes in a right handed variant and has a slightly fiddly takedown. If you must have a metal riser or camo/black styling this would be the obvious choice over the Razorback. In-depth on the Jaguar here.
Razorback vs SAS Courage
A decent quality traditional wooden takedown barebow. The Courage comes in a range of draw weights, is light, nice to look at and is supplied with a 3 year limited manufacturer warranty and a furry ‘rug’ style stick on arrow rest. All the necessary fitment points for quiver/sight, stabilizer and arrow rest are pre-installed on the latest iteration of this bow. As a beginner though, you may want to look at something with a longer AMO length for an easier experience as this one only comes in at 60” as opposed to the 62″ Razorback. Our lowdown on the courage is here.
Our Comparison Tables
We’ve compiled all our reviews and scores into some handy comparison tables along with a buying guide. Take a look at all the data here and make an informed decision.
About the Manufacturer
PSE is the largest privately owned archery equipment manufacturer in the United States. PSE stands for “Precision Shooting Equipment” and is a US company founded by a product engineer with a love of archery. PSE was one of the first companies to machine bow risers and accessories from solid aluminium and pioneered the four stage forging process to create strong and lightweight bows.
Did you like our review?
If you enjoyed this review, please take a second to share it on your favorite social media channel using the sharing tool bar, also if you have any feedback or questions, please leave a comment below!