MK Zest Limbs vs MK MX Limbs

Hi all.

I've broke my MK Veracity Limbs few days ago (upset). I'm planning to get a new replacement for my MK bow.
Can anyone compare between Zest and MX limbs please?
Also, I'm feeling worried about getting my new bow limbs because I might break my new limbs again so would anyone help me? How to prevent that happen again?
 

Timid Toad

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How old were they when they broke, how did they break, how long were they, what is your draw length and what is your string material, for starters?
 
I've got my veracity limbs in February 2019. When I make my full draw, bottom limb is snapped. My draw length is 31. My string is from podium bowstrings.

Is it because my bracing height is too high or I leave my bow strung for too long?
 

Timid Toad

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Well, they are out of warranty. Were they long limbs on a 25" riser? I ask to see if you were overdrawing the. You don't say what type of bowstring you are using, just the manufacturer. I'm interested in if you were using one with an X-blend string. Some manufacturers don't recommend them, so if you have had issues in the past it's one variable you can avoid.
You don't say what your brace height was.
These days it usually isn't an issue to leave a bow strung unless the manufacturer says not.
You may have just had bad luck, but if you can eliminate a few problems it's for the best.
 

Stretch

Well-known member
Less than 3 years is not great on top end limbs. I would not hold out much hope but I would still contact MK and ask them for the answers to your questions. They may (or may not) offer some support. (Send more details that you put in your post and include a few photos).

MK don’t have a great reputation for riser life span but you don’t hear about their limbs failing often (at least I haven’t) :geek:

Limbs from all manufacturers break (as we witnessed at the Olympics) - if your are not doing anything silly (see Timid’s questions) it’s just bad luck. If you have them braced over the manufacturers recommendation and leave the bow strung it does put more stress on them but not to failure - but it may make an issue show up sooner. I‘ve had my Velos limbs pretty much braced for 3 years (maybe I shouldn’t have tempted fate with that…) :rolleyes:

To the other part of the question - choosing between Zest and MX just comes down to whether you prefer foam or wood core. The difference is pretty narrow with current wood epoxy cores. The MX will be “a bit” snappier, the Zest will be less so. My preference would be the Zest as I generally prefer wood core (Bamboo is OK but I prefer the softer after shot feel of wood). Performance wise … “same same” as coach Kim would say. You may find more comparisons on ArcheryTalk.

Sorry for your loss :poop:

Stretch
 
Well, they are out of warranty. Were they long limbs on a 25" riser? I ask to see if you were overdrawing the. You don't say what type of bowstring you are using, just the manufacturer. I'm interested in if you were using one with an X-blend string. Some manufacturers don't recommend them, so if you have had issues in the past it's one variable you can avoid.
You don't say what your brace height was.
These days it usually isn't an issue to leave a bow strung unless the manufacturer says not.
You may have just had bad luck, but if you can eliminate a few problems it's for the best.
70/40, I'm pulling 42. BCY 8125 of my bowstring's material. My bracing height is 9.5 or 24cm.
 

Timid Toad

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Your brace height sounds quite high, but apart from that it probably was just bad luck. As Shirt suggests, it might not get you anywhere, but you could try contacting MK and see what they say.
 

Stretch

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I’m not sure about Veracity’s but MK are usually just under 9.5” as the max for a 70”. Something like 22.5 to 24cm. At a relatively modest draw weight and shooting 8125 you didn’t really do anything to kill them.

Even with a thin string (16st or less) and ACE you wouldn’t exactly be pounding them to bits. Was the bow quiet?

My concern for you is will you be confident in a new set of MK limbs? Archery is so much a confidence thing… breaking a set of limbs (or riser) can set your brain to be waiting for the next breakage. If you still feel confident in MK then go for it but there are also good alternatives.

Stretch
 
I’m not sure about Veracity’s but MK are usually just under 9.5” as the max for a 70”. Something like 22.5 to 24cm. At a relatively modest draw weight and shooting 8125 you didn’t really do anything to kill them.

Even with a thin string (16st or less) and ACE you wouldn’t exactly be pounding them to bits. Was the bow quiet?

My concern for you is will you be confident in a new set of MK limbs? Archery is so much a confidence thing… breaking a set of limbs (or riser) can set your brain to be waiting for the next breakage. If you still feel confident in MK then go for it but there are also good alternatives.

Stretch
My bow is a bit quiet. I don't mind getting different limbs like hoyt velo's or uukha limbs.
 

Stretch

Well-known member
Quiet is good, it means that there is not a ton of wasted energy going into nose and vibration. Noise and vibration can lead to failure.

I am not trying to put you off Zest limbs - I’m just pointing out that confidence is possibly the biggest deal in archery. I think you were just unlucky but that can mess with your head.

If you liked the Veracity limbs I’m not sure Velos or Uukha limbs would be the best choice. Something like a W&W NS Wood or NS-G Wood would be a closer match. Velos would feel very soft under the clicker by comparison (and I think most Uukhas too) - as would the W&W MXT/MXT-G.

I shoot Velos, I’m not trying to put you off them either, they are just a very different limb to the Veracity.

Stretch
 
Quiet is good, it means that there is not a ton of wasted energy going into nose and vibration. Noise and vibration can lead to failure.

I am not trying to put you off Zest limbs - I’m just pointing out that confidence is possibly the biggest deal in archery. I think you were just unlucky but that can mess with your head.

If you liked the Veracity limbs I’m not sure Velos or Uukha limbs would be the best choice. Something like a W&W NS Wood or NS-G Wood would be a closer match. Velos would feel very soft under the clicker by comparison (and I think most Uukhas too) - as would the W&W MXT/MXT-G.

I shoot Velos, I’m not trying to put you off them either, they are just a very different limb to the Veracity.

Stretch
Sorry for late reply.

Update. Veracity limbs has been discontinued. I've shot MK MX limbs, they're good accuracy and stable but unfortunatley, they're not fast, smooth and they're stacking (hard to pull and hard expansion) so I'm going to sell them. I need to stop buying cheap limbs, I need to buy a good limbs. For example best limbs with extra speed and smoothness with no stacking.

I'm getting a new riser later as all different brand of limbs can fit into my MK Z riser (ILF). Which limbs do you think is good? Latest limbs, not old one.
 

Stretch

Well-known member
If you’re looking for faster than MK MX then I think you’re looking for a non-traditional curve.

So I’d go W&W MXT 10 which is just a slightly increased curve not a super recurve. Gillo GTL88 is also good value In a similar space (I rate them very highly). Velos are quite quick but I’m not convinced they’d have much on the MK MX.

If you’re looking at super-recurves the Border offerings are beautifully made but not my cup of tea. Very fast if you can handle the high initial draw, low brace height and limited “feel” at the clicker. (When the limbs are increasing at 0.6# or less per inch you can hardly feel the difference between clicker and a few mm off - you have to know your draw length by the mechanics of your body, not the feel of the bow).

If you want a smooth clicker zone I think you’re looking at the wrong risers. MKs are pretty straight, more deflex will smooth things out. Xceed even has the tension adjuster that might do what you are looking for. The feel is noticeable softer in the “soft“ setting. Other manufacturers have more deflex offerrings too but deflex typically comes with a bit less speed and a bit more stability.

Stretch
 
Thanks! My draw length is 31. You mentioned about Xceed riser that has adjustable setting, performance, hybrid and smooth. Sounds good. I'm lack of stacking so I prefer the smooth.

Also you mentioned about W&W MXT 10 limbs. I've research on their website and Jake Kaminski video. On the W&W site, MXT 10's smoothness is high, smoother than NS G and standard speed but NS G limbs is a bit faster than MXT 10.

I've watched the video of Jake Kaminski's comparing between Velos and MXT 10 about faster limbs. Velo's fps is 203.8 and MXT 10's fps is 204.4. Well it depends on other archers experience on their limbs.

I don't know the difference between Foam and Wood on MXT 10 limbs.

Thanks for helping me out.
 

Stretch

Well-known member
The only thing to watch out for with the Xceed is that there is quite a lot mass on the archer side of the bow centre line. This typically means that you will end up with a slightly heavier stabiliser setup or stabiliser mass shifted forward.

I would guess that the Foam MXT 10 will be slightly lighter and therefore slightly (very slightly) faster. The wood core will maybe be a bit quieter and less snappy after the shot. Happy to be corrected if someone has experience of both. As they both have a damper there may be less difference.

The Velos limb is a good option but nothing like MK Veracitys. My Velos increase in draw weight about 1.5# per inch around 31” so that is pretty smooth, rising to nearly 2# per inch at 32”. That is a Formula limb on an Xi. Bear in mind that a W&W or MK limb is measured at lowest weight and Hoyt limb is measured mid range. So typically a 40# W&W is a 42# Hoyt but exact correlation depends on the force curve. But I would have expected 40# MK limbs to be more like 46# at 31” (minimum setting). There reputation is for more of a wall - like the W&W NS.

My only criticism of the Velos is that if the alignment is off it is hard to tune and can be a bit noisy. Once well aligned they are great. (I had some problems with my Prodigy RX which has a bit of a twist in the lower section. No problem on the Xi.)

Stretch
 
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