Siren Zelos Traditional Recurve Bow Review

Swift. Smooth. Sexy. Anyway, let's talk about the bow. The Siren Xeolos is the product of the combined work of Simon's Bow Company and Bolt Bows, under the Siren brand. At a glance, the Siren Xeolos looks like a bolt recurve with the Simon manufacturing method and aesthetic. The Xeolos is a 60-inch one-piece wooden recurve bow, priced in the luxury performance range. The core is laminated bamboo with black multi-directional fibreglass and reinforced phenolic tips. The bow comes with a string and rest pre-installed and is ready to shoot out of the box. Visually, the bow has a natural wood pattern, though I might observe that it isn't as glossy as it looks in the promo photos. The black fibreglass creates a distinct two-tone look. The biggest distinction would have to be the thick grip, and this is a thick grip, definitely suitable for big hands, and this geometry does a lot to nullify the hand shock. So first impressions, as with most trad bows, the feel of the bow when you're holding it in your hand is quite light and simple. The standout feature I feel from a user perspective, from just holding the bow, is that grip. It is very thick, as you can see here, substantial in its bulk, which makes it quite suitable for nice, big, meaty hands, which I don't have, but it is a good feel. So when you hold the bow, it doesn't feel like it's too thin or flimsy, which gives you a bit more confidence. When you shoot the shot, it has a bit of a damping effect because it is not heavy or bulky, it's just large in size, so you feel you've got more surface area to work with. It feels like it dampens the shot, and in that sense, it has pretty good vibration, dampening, and control. I'm not using any string silencers, didn't come with any. It is a recurve, so you will expect a bit of contact on the limb tips, but nonetheless, the bow is very comfortable to hold and to shoot. We'll send a few arrows into our 5mm target down here, we'll see how it sounds and shoots. Pretty nice! This is 47 pounds, about 44 my draw length, approximately. My impressions there, I didn't say much, but that is a solid bow. My initial thought when shooting it is it is a solid, well-designed, very workable bow. It is fast, I'm not measuring speed in a chronometer, but it does feel like it zips quite quickly, partly because it's draw weight, but I imagine that there's a lot of the design and geometry which makes it a bit more zippy. I've shot this outdoor before, it does fly quite well given its design, so it is a zippy bow, but it doesn't feel very aggressive or punchy. It isn't the smoothest bow, so when you pull it back, it is quite aggressive on the draw. It's hard to explain sometimes without actually giving it to you, but if you were to hold this, the actual drawing isn't the smoothest that you can probably imagine. It's not the first bow I would use, so it is a very well-recurved bow, so I would expect a bit more speed, a bit more punch, less smoothness, but it's balanced out by its design on this side with the handle, where even though it is an aggressive recurve, you don't feel it when you let go. So it isn't silky smooth, that's not my impression. Hard to describe bows sometimes, but silky smooth, this is not. What this is, is a heavy punching bow, but you don't feel that recoil, it's not recoil, you don't feel that vibration as much. That's another shot. You kind of don't realize you're still holding the bow, that's kind of how well managed that vibration is. So we are shooting a heavy bow, you pull it back, you release, and you literally don't feel it's still in your hand, like you're just there. I feel zero vibration. I actually don't feel any vibration in the handle. Again, I'm not using string silencers or dampeners, there's no other vibration control tools. That shape and thickness does a lot to mitigate hand shock. That is actually really impressive. I was struggling to think of how to describe the bow, but given that I'm not even thinking about the part that most people think about, which is the shock or vibration, that's actually really comfortable. Yeah, even though I'm holding onto the bow with my fingers or in a loose grip, you just don't feel it. That is a really big selling point, I think, for this bow. The shape, it might be a hit or miss depending on what you like aesthetically, but in terms of performance and feel, this actually works really, really well. For that reason, this is my surprise pick here. I tend to like different shaped bows of different aesthetics, but the feeling of this bow is probably an edge above most competitors. That was about 60, 80 arrows down range in the past 45 minutes or so. Good workout. My impressions, shooting this at 30 and 50 meters, this is a capable workhorse of a bow. It is a bit on the pricier range, a bit more the luxury side or the premium side, not top, top end, but above the mid-range. I think this bow is a very capable bow. Definitely, if you're shooting target or recreational, this is a tick-the-box kind of bow. It does feel good, stable, easy to use. If you're thinking about using it for hunting or field, equally as good. I think it will fit very well into both categories. A good general-purpose bow that's a bit more high-performance, a bit more high-end than the average beginner bow. Overall, very nice feel. Shootability, like I said earlier, it doesn't feel like there's a lot of feedback. It can be a little off-putting because you expect a bit of vibration or shock. Definitely, when shooting at 50 meters, I felt a bit more of that vibration. Maybe I was more stressed. I was clenching the bow a bit more tightly. But shooting it normally with a relaxed grip, you really don't feel it. Again, shooting at 30 or 10 meters, you release and you forget you're holding the bow. It is that dampened that you don't notice that the bow is still there in your hands. So, very impressive that they designed the bow with that feedback in mind. So, do I recommend this bow? The answer is yes, of course. Bows of this quality really don't go without question. They're very good bows. The question is, is it your kind of bow? Now, the make or break for this bow, I think, is whether you like the aesthetics. A lot of people buy bows for the look. Not going to lie there. If you like the look of it, then this is a great shooting bow. If you don't like the look of it or you find it might be a bit too bulky compared to what you're used to, then it might be a bit less attractive to you. Again, people buy bows for different reasons. For me, I actually like a sleeker bow. But that said, as a modern Olympic recurve style shooter, the transition to this bow is extremely smooth. Just because the shape of the grip, the feel, the width, the feedback. It feels like you're shooting a modern recurve, but with that triad look. And I think that's what they were going for. So, in that regard, this is quite a unique bow because of the design features, because of all the elements in it. And I feel that the main selling point here is that it does feel comfortable to shoot in the hand. So, thumbs up to the Sirens Elos. I really enjoyed using this bow. Found it comfortable, easy to get used to, and overall a good performer. Anyway, I hope that was interesting and helpful. Thank you all for watching and hopefully we'll see you again next time.