Kinetic Impact

Everyone knows the names of Win&Win or hoyt<spit>. Innovative leaders in the field of archery kit, these companies have a new, cutting edge riser out every year. The new hotness is shown off during the World Cup by the best of the best and experienced archers dribble in their collective lust. However, these risers are extremely expensive and have little to commend them to newer archers. Brands like WNS (W&W’s intermediate range) and Mybo (Merlin Archery) produce extremely good kit at much more reasonable prices but can still be a little steep for the new archer who wants to just dip their toe into archery. Usually at the entry level you tend to find risers a little lacking in features and likely to be painted rather than anodized. Enter Kinetic.

Novius Ghost – that’s a sexy colour scheme!

We’ve already reviewed two risers from Kinetic here – the Scopus and the Vygo. The first is a 23″ riser perfect for smaller ladies and for juniors. The second is a 25″ specialist barebow riser. We have both at the club and they are well liked by their owners. But what about bloke and taller lady archers thinking recurve? Do they get to enjoy Kinetic’s brand characteristics of great price, functionality, good looks and features? Well yes, yes they do!
But first, lets set some parameters. We’re looking for an entry level riser that will take you through your first few years in archery without breaking the bank. It should supply performance, look goods and be reliable. It will be a solid performer until you reach the point you want to go full “vice-chair” … ie just having this months salary sent straight to an archery shop to pay for your most recent order! ;o)

Kinetic have two risers that can fulfill these requirements and are separated by only a few £’s. The risers are called the Novius 2 and the Arios 2. These risers are very similar. Both are cut from a block of aluminium alloy using a CNC machine, both are 25″ risers and both are available in left and right.

The Arios – We’re calling this shade GA Red!

The Arios 2 weighs in at only 1080 grams which is extremely light for a CNC cut aluminium riser. The resulting bow will not be a struggle to hold steady but will be a little more prone to minor tremors affecting the shot. The Novius 2 weighs in at 1150 grams and obviously heavier than the Arios 2. It will be a little more resistant to tremors at the cost of more of a strain to hold steady but its always swings and roundabouts with weight. Both of these puppies are at the lighter end of things since risers can get up to 1450g. So if bow weight is a worry after the super light training bows, worth remembering.

You have the standard top/bottom rod bushings and of course one for the longrod. Sight, button and clicker mounting screw holes are all present as is a clicker plate. Colours are nice shades and are bright but the Novius has GHOST** which is just gorgeous! The colour finish is anodized which give the bows a much more expensive look than if they were painted. Each riser has a wooden handle/grip, which is colour matched to the rest of the riser. This is unusual as risers in this price range usually come with rubberized handles. The wood gives a fantastic aesthetic to the bow and is said to be pretty comfortable in the hand.

All in all, these risers are fantastic value at around £139-£149. While neither has all the latest features, they have everything the new archer could want.  Either would be an extremely good entry level riser for you to get your arch on. And if you ever felt like moving up to a more expensive riser, there are bound to be noobies willing to take these bad boys off your hands.

As always, do your own research and don’t just take our word for it. Whats perfect for one archer need not be perfect for another and while we are archery smart asses … we aren’t infallible no matter what our editor claims!

Final thought: Its just an opinion but the Novius looks to have more material around the limb pockets (where the limbs slot in). This may reduce hand shock (post shot vibration) in the bow and be a little more dead in the hand (a good thing).

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** Just be aware there are rules in AGB – Rule 307(c)(ii) – about no camouflage in competitions and Ghost might be ruled camo by judges taking a harsh line. Just something to consider.

Arios II at Alternative
Novius II at Alternative