PSE X Appeal Riser– Recurve Done Right!

This is my new riser.  I haven’t had a new bow for 20 years, but then I haven’t been shooting for the last 16 years.  I was looking at different models of Hoyt and Win&Win, and perhaps Samick.  I was fascinated by the PSE X Appeal, as it had good but didn’t give it much thought as I didn’t know anyone who had one, and knew PSE as largely a compound bow company. 



PSE X-Appeal Riser, with X-Pression Limbs

I walked into my local pro-shop, Boorman Archery in New Westminster, and found an X Appeal riser hanging on the wall.  The price on it was very reasonable, and as a PSE dealer they could also order in my limbs (PSE X-Pression Limbs, Medium length, 46lbs).
I really liked the grip on the bow, however I found it really thick in the throat of the grip.  I sanded it down, but it is still thicker than a Hoyt grip.  It’s the same with the lower portion of the grip; wider than the Hoyt grip, but still very comfortable in the hand. 

I thought the paint job was pretty high quality, looks like a nicely done anodized finished.  The threads for the cushion plunger were pretty clean.  I really liked the groove down the riser handle, as it makes lining up for center shot really easy. 
When I got the riser it was missing the lock screws that hold the tiller bolts in place, but once I got them, setup was pretty straight forward.  PSE does not make a manual for the X-Appeal.  Why?  I have no idea. 

The clicker extension is a screw in rod that extends in front of the riser.  I don't like this design.  While it is sturdy, and has never vibrated loose on me, there is a bit of no-man's land where your clicker will neither cleanly contact the riser, nor the extension.  My clicker for my indoor arrows currently sits on the edge of the riser, so I am keeping the clicker extension on there just as a bumper to protect anything from moving my clicker when using the bow, or when it is taken down and put in the case.  I would have preferred a clicker extension that is flush to the riser. 

The dovetail groove is cut into the riser, and some people have speculated that if it wears out you will have to replace the riser.  I have run thousands of arrows through older model bows that had the dovetail cut into the riser, and I had no such concerns.  The limb alignment is done by moving the tiller bolt, which is different to how a bow company like Sebastian Flute and Samick accomplish the task.  Those companies have a moveable dovetail.  Limb adjustment was pretty easy, and I like that there are two screws that hold everything in place.  They have not rattled loose on me once. 

One thing I noticed was that on my last practice I have a little limb wear on one side of the top limb, and the opposite side of the lower limb.  Perhaps I need to adjust my alignment further?  I will check this with a friend who has Beiter limb aligning tools.  My limbs show no sign of twisting, and from day one have been strung and unstrung properly.  If it continues, I will document it, and look for a solution.

The main stabilizer bushing looks close, but when I align the string to the groove on the shelf, it appears to angle off a bit to the left.  This is not a deal breaker, as lots of risers have stabilizer bushings that are just a bit off, (although my Yamaha Eolla was perfect). 

When I installed my sight block, I noticed that I had to re-install the vertical adjustment of the sight higher, which says that the holes for the sight block are a little lower on the riser than some other models.  Threads again were clean of paint build up, and smooth.  I really appreciate when companies take the time to do the finer details.

When I first shot the PSE X-Appeal, the first thing I noticed was that it was comfortable, balanced and quiet.  In short, it was everything I was looking for in a world class piece of equipment.  It is quite forgiving, in that even when I make a small mistake in my form, the arrow doesn’t deviate as much as it could.  Now, to get my arrow volume up, do a better job tuning, and start shooting in more tournaments.