Archery Magazines

dvd8n

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Does anyone read archery magazines?

I got an e-mail the other day saying my Bow International subscription is up for renewal and I'm really not sure that I'm going to bother.

I find that I'm reading about two articles per magazine which is getting on for a pound a page.

I get a similar amount of reading from the AGB magazine.

Does everyone else feel the same or is it just me? Is there better reading out there that I'm not seeing?
 

Graham Smith

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Personally I only get the AGB magazine and that's because it comes as part of the subscription cost. I think it is a big waste of time and money especially as it has a price of ?4.95 on the front.
It is full of adverts, a lot of them American. Total waste of money. It ends up in the bin within an hour of arriving.
 

mk1

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Personally I only get the AGB magazine and that's because it comes as part of the subscription cost. I think it is a big waste of time and money especially as it has a price of ?4.95 on the front.
It is full of adverts, a lot of them American. Total waste of money. It ends up in the bin within an hour of arriving.
The price is an RRP it's not what the magazine costs to produce and distribute - that's nearer ?4.80 for the 4 editions and of course the advertising keeps down the cost. If you don't want to receive the magazine then log in to your AGB account and tick the box to not get it sent out to you :)
 

dvd8n

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I'll continue getting the AGB magazine as there is some reading to it, and I am paying for it anyway. I was going by the cover price of Bow International; I don't know what offer I got the last time I renewed. But however much it was, it's too much for 6-8 pages of reading.

I buy car magazines once or twice a month; they can be up to 100 pages and I'll pretty much read them cover to cover. Why doesn't that happen with the archery mags? I spend way more time on archery than I do on cars so it's not an enthusiasm thing. I just get the feeling that there's a lot of padding to get the page count looking reasonable when I'm reading the archery mags.

And I don't mind the adverts personally. I sometimes think that they do a better job of letting you know what kit's out there than the articles do. Which is an indictment in itself.........................
 

TJ Mason

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Bow International used to be pretty decent when it had competition from The Glade. But Bow then took over The Glade, leaving no competition. They just seem to be coasting these days. I have a quick glance in WH Smith to see whether anything attracts my interest, but nothing has for six or seven issues now.
 

ferraris

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Bow International is one of the hundreds of magazines on Readly so if you have other interests it maybe worth subscribing to that.
 

dvd8n

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One thing that annoys me is that the equipment reviews are superficial or non-existent.

Where are the surveys of string materials? Where are the comparative tests of super-recurves on a hooter shooter? Where are the nock consistency and durability tests?

It would be nice to have something better than a what's new section that's little more than a collection of reprinted press releases.
 

bimble

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One thing that annoys me is that the equipment reviews are superficial or non-existent.

Where are the surveys of string materials? Where are the comparative tests of super-recurves on a hooter shooter? Where are the nock consistency and durability tests?

It would be nice to have something better than a what's new section that's little more than a collection of reprinted press releases.
you could always offer to do it and become a contributor... can't be worse than a 15 page, over 5 editions, description on how to fletch an arrow... ;)
 
Where are the surveys of string materials? Where are the comparative tests of super-recurves on a hooter shooter? Where are the nock consistency and durability tests?
Can you write this piece, or do these tests? Do you know somebody who can?

If so please PM me. Am in touch with the editor.
 

AndyW

Well-known member
Field Archery News is free and a lot more interesting. It's obviously not target but it's a good read to while away a few minutes - you even get Del.
 

dvd8n

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Can you write this piece, or do these tests? Do you know somebody who can?

If so please PM me. Am in touch with the editor.
Much as I'd like to, I'm not really in a position to do it.

Here's an example of why. I recently needed some new string material; I had been using Angel and wanted more of the same but in a particular colour. I had trouble finding any in any of the web shops. Eventually I discovered that the manufacturer had brought out a new version and had changed the name slightly. I had no idea that this had happened. So, did I want the new version? What was better about it? I had no way of finding out other than going to the manufacturer's website which obviously said that it was awesome. Eventually I decided that I needed some material so it was my best option, probably being an incremental improvement on the old stuff.

When it arrived it was quite different to the old stuff. I made up a string; it worked fine. Was it better than the old stuff? I can't really say that it was; it may have been but these things are hard to judge subjectively when the changes are small.

It later occurred to me that I had done little more than buy a random product from the internet, guessing at what I needed. At one time the consumer would have gone to the local archery shop, looked at the various products, asked for advice and made a choice that was at least partly informed, but those days are over for an awful lot of people, me included. My local shop closed a long time ago. Even the incredible Quicks catalogue is long gone.

In my opinion there is a big gap here that needs filling. Unfortunately I can see why Bow International does not fill it; I'd guess that their margins are too small to finance a journalist to purchase examples of all the sting materials and then spend weeks objectively testing it. But doesn't Archery GB do this? If not, why not? What are their sports scientists doing if not surveying kit to identify the best option for their competitors? And couldn't they publish the results for the benefit of the members that pay for it and put something useful and informative in their magazine?
 

AndyW

Well-known member
I recently signed up for it and had the first one come through the post a week or so ago. I do hope it gets better but after reading this thread I wish had waited a couple of months and saved the money.
 

dvd8n

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Field Archery News is free and a lot more interesting. It's obviously not target but it's a good read to while away a few minutes - you even get Del.
Thanks, I'll give that a go, but I'm not usually that keen on online magazines. I think it comes from a working life of staring at a screen for eight hours a day..........
 
In my opinion there is a big gap here that needs filling. Unfortunately I can see why Bow International does not fill it; I'd guess that their margins are too small to finance a journalist to purchase examples of all the sting materials and then spend weeks objectively testing it.
Apart from the money side, the technical skills and time needed to do a string shootout are enormous. It's not just a journalist, it needs to be an expert. Who knows enough about that to do it, and then is available to do it properly, to the degree where the reader can trust the information?

Doing it with top-end recurves would be even more difficult; you'd have to buy what you couldn't persuade the manufacturers to loan, and then find archers who are good enough to evaluate the equipment (but aren't already sponsored by someone else), who have the time and expertise to evaluate them with a degree of objectivity, and preferably who can write clear, punchy copy too. You need to get all the stuff to them, and get it back. Then you need someone to photograph them all, which needs a studio. Then you have to send the gear back. This is why magazines like Which are so expensive. That evaluation expertise takes a lot of money and resources.

Bow International is currently going through a re-vamp of all its content. As I say, if you (or anyone else reading this) know someone who has the skills and time to produce objective archery equipment reviews, please get in touch.
 

dvd8n

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I absolutely understand this. I understand that a commercial enterprise would have concerns alienating advertisers too. But it was just an idea.

I can tell you what I don't need too; I don't need half a magazine filled with competition results that I'm not interested in, I don't need the inevitable six-monthly prepare for the outdoor/indoor season article, I don't want yet another airy-fairy mental archery article or to be told yet again how to use thera-bands or how to do squats. And I'm not singling out Bow International here; the Archery GB magazine is just the same.

On a more positive note I have enjoyed the following recent articles in the last three issues, or at least found them diverting:
- The smartphone app roundup
- Arrow care (even though a lot of it was quite obvious)
- Fixing recurve errors
- Designing a 3d course
- Fletching angles (even though the conclusion was unsurprising)
- Release basics

But we're talking two articles an issue here.

I'm trying to be constructive here, I'm a long time reader with a collection going back ten years. But I'm standing here with my money in my hand and thinking of putting it back in my pocket.
 

Old Bloke

New member
Try this one. It is online and free. Loads of stuff in it and Del the Cat has some very good articles. (Is my cheque in the post Del?)
fieldarcherynewsuk.wixsite.com/fanuk



 
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