Sanlida Dragon X9
The Sanlida Dragon X9 compound bow. Yup, I got into compound bows as well. Today I am reviewing the Sanlida Dragon X9.
Why not the x8 or x10? Good question. I did look up reviews on all 3 compound bows and there are a couple of factors that had me decide on buying the x9. One particular thing I noticed with the X8 is in reviews the arrows are not reaching the claimed 310 fps, rather moving in the 260 range. I'm not hunting anything, but at the same time I want a bow to perform as is stated. Also, X8 is lighter than the X9 by about 1/2 a pound, not a lot but it's noticeable after some time shooting. Also,build wise the X9 uses better limbs and from what I've read the extras like the site and arrow rest are also improved. The X9 is $269, only 70 bucks more than the X8. So why not the X10, simple really, it was over my price limit. The X8 and X9 both come in a kit with all the gear and arrows you need to start shooting as soon as possible. The X10 sells by itself. It was almost 200 bucks more than I wanted to spend at the time.
Shooting compound is a stretch different than the recurve bows I've been playing with lately. So this is very new to me.
The bow comes in a big box with parts needing to be installed. The arrow rest, pin sight, hand strap, and stabilizer. I will admit, the pin sight is cool and what was unexpected to me is that it has an LED light which lights up the pins and the bubble. Makes it really easy to see.
I set my X9 up for a 30 inch draw and kept the draw weight it arrived at, which was 38.62 lbs. The draw length adjustment was simple, loosen a screw on the back of the cam, then remove the screw on the front of the cam, twist the draw length adjustment to the desired spot and screw it back togther.
The bow is not as heavy as I expected, the weight is nice, and the draw is really smooth. The string comes with a d-loop installed, so I used that to help set up the arrow rest and sight. Honestly, I worked on sighting this thing in for 2 hours. I am almost there, lol.
Oh yeah, I got a new toy to use along with this new bow, I picked up a chronograph and I tested it out with this Sanlida Dragon X9. First shot was registered at 204 FPS, the fastest was 214 FPS. And just because, the slowest was 199 FPS. Not to bad for 38.62 lbs.
My first day impressions. After tweaking and adjusting and shooting for 2 hours, I asked myself the question, am I having fun with this bow? The answer to that was, not really. This is a lot of work just to hit a target. I want to like shooting a compound bow, but this is a lot to start for my first time using one. Guess I've spoiled myself with recurve where my first shots can be on target without much thought. My back was not overly tired and my arm was not too sore for holding up the bow for so long on the first day. I find that a win.
After many more days of shooting many more arrows I learned a few things. Like keeping my finger off the release trigger while pulling back the string. I popped myself in the lower lip with the back of my hand. That smart. Might start looking into the different types of releases there are and finding one I like and trust. Which oddly I found you need to have trust in your release to not fail. If those thoughts get in your head, good luck.
