PSE Archery Carbon Air Bow Review: WebXtra May
PSE raises archery‘s technology bar yet again with its 2016 Pro Series Carbon Air. PSE made one of the first Carbon-fiber compound in 1996. PSE calls the monocoque-designed Carbon Air “TrueCarbon Technology.” Monocoque construction creates a single structural carbon-fiber shell that’s rigid, strong, durable and lightweight. PSE’s Carbon Air has more notable features such as its foam-filled Rigid Acoustic Core, or S-RAC, carbon construction, and its “Arch Bridge” riser design.
The result is the industry’s lightest ultra-performance compound, weighing only 3.2 pounds, and delivering dead-quiet, vibration-free shooting and excellent insulating qualities. Although cutting-edge carbon forms the heart of the Carbon Air, features like titanium limb and pocket hardware, a customized HD hybrid cam, Center Lock Speed Pockets, and patented X-Force parallel split limbs help achieve the bow’s raw performance, accuracy and shooting ease.
The Carbon Air’s grip is integral to the riser, and offers a comfortable flat back for repeatable hand placement. The carbon rod holding the Backstop 4 string stop also molds into the riser, translating into one less set-screw to work loose after hard use. The riser on this compound also includes four molded-in, precision-milled aluminum sight taps, an inset aluminum rest mount, and a stainless-steel stabilizer mount.
PSE customized a version of its proven HD hybrid cam to hold ABB Platinum low-stretch strings and cables, all of which pair with past-parallel X-Force limbs to deliver an extremely smooth, bump-free draw cycle. The draw cycle on the Carbon Air builds to peak evenly, dropping into an 80 percent let-off without surprises. The shooter must pull through many inches of peak before hitting the solid back wall, which is created by a string stop on the bottom cam that’s also part of the draw-length adjustment.
The Carbon Air’s HD hybrid cam offers wide-ranging drawlength adjustments with a rotating module that’s anchored by two set-screws. Both set-screws are on curved slots, with the bottom correlating to alphabetized holes that accept a stainless pin when tightened. Top and bottom HD cams include laser-etched hash marks that correlate to the forward-most buss cables to show proper timing/tuning reference. The HD cam system offers such symmetrical turnover that the cable-guard holding the slide is a stubby 1.5 inches and curved inward.
The Carbon Air includes four sets of speed buttons are included on the bowstring top and bottom. The foam-filled carbon-shell riser, past-parallel limbs, and a highly adjustable Backstop string suppressor. In addition, the Carbon Air holds Shock Modz Limb Dampeners, which are press-fit between the split limbs and include three fins with outboard weights. The TrueCarbon riser construction also makes the Carbon Air dead in the hand on release. Its design and inner S-RAC material see to that.
In a word, the riser defines refinement. Further, the bow balances extremely well in the hand with or without a stabilizer. Although adding a vibration-dampening active stabilizer almost seems redundant, there’s no such thing as a bow that’s too quiet or vibration-free. The Carbon Air comes with a custom padded soft case with accessory pockets, a great complement whether lashing the bow to an ATV rack or tossing it into a pickup bed.
To learn more, please visit PSE Archery’s website.
