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In the past I had the idea that Parker was a
somewhat conservative manufacturer as they did not
introduce many new products in past years and even
when they did it was an evolution of previous
concepts. Las year Parker introduced the Cyclone : a
radically new crossbow incorporating many state of
the art technologies. It was not clear to me that
that was the first step toward taking the world by
storm. This year they had some 8 new models on
display and a completely new line of accessories.
Let’s start with the Tornado as this is the model
that excited me most. It may be considered the
Cyclone/Hurricane little brother as it
uses a similar design and features: for example the
reversed cams to gain some power stroke while
containing the overall length. At 165 Lbs it
is slightly less powerful than the Cyclone but since
it is shorter and thanks to its concentrated masses
design it is considerably better to
handle … to me this is a crossbow to watch closely
and consider seriously: it is fast enough at 330
FPS, not too heavy (7.2LBS) ,
sweet to handle , and moderately
priced. Two words: A Winner.
On the opposite of the spectrum Parker was
showing the Spartan : a no frills approach to
crossbow. The Spartan may appeal to archers new to
the sport or on a budget at $399 (in bare bow
configuration) it is the entry level
ticket to the sport. While basic in the finish the
Spartan features 150 Lbs draw weigh for a solid 285
Fps arrow speed. Again I was impressed by the
handling: the stock features a nice dimensioning the
trigger pull is just perfect (at least for me at 6’)
and balance, thanks to a front riser and limb
assembly not so heavy, it is very nice considering
the $399 price tag.
Parker has also three new recurves models: the
Cyclone Extreme Recurve(220 lbs), Terminator Recurve
(220 Lbs) and Buck Buster Recurve(190 lbs) that are
the recurves version of the similar named compounds
(same stock) . There is also a Pink Camo version of
the stinger named …well Stinger Pink with a 150 Lbs
draw weight is dedicated to female shooters.
Last but not least Parker refined the Cyclone ,
now Cyclone Extreme that at 175 Lbs and 350+ FPS is
represent the flagship model, sharing the same
foundation and features is the Hurricane Extreme ,
only difference being a fixed stock and $50 less.
Las but not least a new accessory line named
RedHot. This new “performance” line features a
complete set of replacement cables and strings not
just for Parker crossbow but for most of crossbows
in the market (past and present) . There are also:
Wax and lube kit, Crosspro 100FX Broadheads, special
arrow inserts and nocks, High velocity carbon
arrows, two scopes, a red dot,and scope rings.
A Hot Shot kit is also part of the
accessory line, this special kit contains Arrows,
Field points, Broadheads rope cocking device and
wax&lube.
Just a couple of notes as we possibly will soon
come back on these:
Arrows: Parker is now proposing in the Red Hot
line a specially designed CarbonExpress arrow ,
these have the weight forward technology and a
TuffBluff hard finish (in custom color to match the
rest of the Red Hot product line) but are extra
strong. In order to make the arrow stronger Parker
cut it shorter, the missing length is provided by a
special (longer) insert and nock. The arrows also
use the new Fusion Dura Vane.
Optics: Parker now offers two scopes, a 4x32
multi reticle and a 4x32 Illuminated reticle, both
are supplied with a terrific ballistic software that
taking your exact bow arrow setup data will print
out arrow drop and provide a printout label with the
correct match for distance-drop for your reticle.
See the PARKER picture gallery
HERE
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