Bought myself a new Toelke Whip.

[Mick Smith]

As my renewed interest in archery has taken hold recently, I was a little disheartened to find that my ability to handle some of my older bows has deteriorated. Maybe with more practice I can build myself back up to handle their moderate draw weights, but I'm getting older and everything seems heavier and more difficult to do these days. I can still shoot them well enough (at times) for short sessions, but my endurance and ability to shoot them all day, like you would in a competition, has waned.

I have owned a 62 inch, 53# Toelke Whip for about 5 or 6 years. I bought it primarily as a hunting bow, but it's so good to shoot, I have used it in several comps. It's a bow that I like very much, so with this in mind, I have ordered myself another Whip. My new Whip will be used mainly for comps and general knockabout target shooting. This time I went for the longest length that they come in, which is 66 inches and I decided to go for a 2 piece takedown. I figured that a draw weight of just 45# would allow me to shoot it all day and hopefully I will be able to continue shooting it well into the future. This is about the lowest draw weight that I would want for general competition shooting. Anything with a lower draw weight just wouldn't have a flat enough trajectory or range to be competitive, IMO. On the plus side, I believe that the inherent efficiency of the Whip will go a long way to giving my new bow the performance of a slightly heavier bow that's perhaps not quite as efficient.

I have ordered custom made bows in the past that have taken over a year to arrive, so I find it very refreshing to be told that my new Whip should be ready in just 8 days from the order being placed and the money changing hands. Dan Toelke must run a very efficient workshop indeed.

I haven't received it yet. I was going to wait until it arrived before sharing it with everyone, but ... you know, it's pretty exciting to be getting a new bow.

Mine should look very much like the one in the below photo. It's a 66 inch deflex reflex 'longbow' (or recurve to Jeff ).

[Goatchaser]

and it looks like I'm buying new undies , very nice Mick.

[Nephew]

They sure are a good looking bow, Mick, and everyone that I've spoken to that has shot 'em swears by 'em! Hope you enjoy it for many years to come, mate.
Oh, and it's SEMI recurve...get it right mate! You don't want to draw Jeffies fire now, do you?

[Chase N. Nocks]

Truly beautiful bows in the hand, to the eye and to shoot.

My only regret with my last Toelke take-down is that in hindsight I wish I had gotten it in a longer length for AA.

That said it is a beautiful bow to shoot and easily the best sub 60inch bow I own, and one of the best I have ever shot of any length, period.

Cheers
Troy

[Len]

Good onya Mick, they are a beautiful bow. Good to hear your getting back into archery too.

[Stickbow Hunter]

Those colours don't look bad at all Mick. The riser looks like dymonwood but what are the limb veneers?

Jeff

[bigbob]

bit like quilted Maple.

[Gringa Bows]

Very nice Mick,have the limbs got bubinga veneers

[Mick Smith]

Thanks for the kind words fellas.

I believe it has super quilted Pynma limb faces and Pau ferro in the overlays to match. These are new timbers to me. The black parts of the riser are micarta. Dan only uses micarta on his 2 piece, T/D bows. I believe that's because it's stronger and more stable.

You will be able to have a few shots of it Len, when I'm at Leongatha next.

[Stickbow Hunter]

believe it has super quilted Pynma limb faces and Pau ferro in the overlays to match.

Thanks Mick. The Quilted Pynma is a new one to me also. It should look nice.

Jeff

[Gringa Bows]

Me too,is it an artificial timber??

[Mick Smith]

Me too,is it an artificial timber??

I certainly hope it isn't artificial, Rod. There must be lots of different timbers around the world that we haven't heard of. I might have to ask Dan Toelke where it comes from to satisfy my curiosity. It does look good though, IMO.

[Stickbow Hunter]

It is actually Pyinma wood which is an Asian timber. Google it and look at some of the photos. Looks pretty good.

Jeff

[Guy Layton]

Hi Mick,

I've always wanted one of these bows....

Cocobolo and Yew

Or Bacote and Osage

They look like they can spit an arrow out well....

Cheers Guy

[Mick Smith]

Hi Guy.

Whips are pretty good shooters. I don't have anyway of measuring arrow velocity, but my older 53#
Whip is certainly no slouch in the efficiency department. If you ever decide to order one for yourself, Dan Toelke has almost unbelievably quick production rates. He advertises that it will take 30 days from order to shipping, which is extremely quick compared to most custom bowyers that I know of. He mentioned that my bow should take even less time than that, as he wasn't particularly busy.

I know a few other Whip owners and they're all very satisfied with them. I'm sure you also be happy with yours if you eventually decide to go down that track. Dan has lots and lots of very unusual and spectacular timbers available.

I have high hopes for the shooting qualities of my new 45# Whip. I believe that the extra length at 66 inches will hopefully make it a very stable and forgiving bow for comps. Dan introduced the longer 66 inch model especially for competition shooters.

I plan to continue to use my two piece, 62 inch, 53# Whip for all my hunting.

[Guy Layton]

Hi Guy.

Whips are pretty good shooters. I don't have anyway of measuring arrow velocity, but my older 53#
Whip is certainly no slouch in the efficiency department. If you ever decide to order one for yourself, Dan Toelke has almost unbelievably quick production rates. He advertises that it will take 30 days from order to shipping, which is extremely quick compared to most custom bowyers that I know of. He mentioned that my bow should take even less time than that, as he wasn't particularly busy.

I know a few other Whip owners and they're all very satisfied with them. I'm sure you also be happy with yours if you eventually decide to go down that track. Dan has lots and lots of very unusual and spectacular timbers available.

I have high hopes for the shooting qualities of my new 45# Whip. I believe that the extra length at 66 inches will hopefully make it a very stable and forgiving bow for comps. Dan introduced the longer 66 inch model especially for competition shooters.

I plan to continue to use my two piece, 62 inch, 53# Whip for all my hunting.

Hi Mick,

I remember a few years ago when Gavin from Wildwood came up for Robs shoot at Wisemans.... He was shooting a Whip and shooting it very well I might add.... To bad Gav is a lefty...

I've spoken to Dan a few time via email... Seems like a nice guy that's for sure....

I've always been fascinated by them and I have just been waiting for the right one to turn up...

Happy hunting with it mate.... Hoping one day to get the same opportunity soon...

cheers Guy

[Fanto]

http://peteward.com/test.montanawhip.html

here's pete wards review and some speed tests.

no surprises, it's quick.

[Nephew]

Hi Mick,



I've always been fascinated by them and I have just been waiting for the right one to turn up...


cheers Guy

Yeah, 'cause Lord knows you don't have enough bows, hey Bow Ho?

[Mick Smith]

The new Whip arrived the other day. I'd almost forgotten how much fun it is to unwrap a new bow when it arrives. Needless to say, it's a thing of beauty, to my eyes at least. This is the first time I've had anything to do with the bow bolt takedown system. I've seen photos in the past and I always thought it looked to be a nice, neat system. I put the bow together quickly and easily. I just lined up the squared off section where the threads have been ground off, inserted the two pieces together firmly and gave them a quarter turn, which, in effect, gave me the rock solid feel and appearance of a one piece bow. There's absolutely no movement or noise, even when shooting.

Talking of shooting. This bow is sweet. I know that's what everyone says when they try out their new bow, but this one is just that bit sweeter again. I haven't made up any arrows especially for this bow yet, but I happen to have dozens and dozens of other arrows about the place. First up, I tried some 11/32 Sitka spruce arrows, spined at 50-55, with 3x5 inch fletches and 160 grain brass points, which I made up for my 51# Mohawk longbow. They flew perfectly.

Next up I tried some of the bamboo shafted arrows that I made up recently. These arrows are supposedly spined 40-60#, which to me, means they're not really spined at all. I actually made up these arrows to suit my 45# osage selfbow. They have self nocks, 3x4 inch fletches and 160 grains up the front. They also flew perfectly.

I have a dozen or so old aluminium shafts. I don't remember what spine they are and as I've painted over the printed details on the shaft, I probably will never know. They were the camo colour Game Getter shafts and this is why I painted them white, they were too hard to find. Shooting these arrows was almost a surreal experience. I could do no wrong. The only arrows that didn't go precisely where I was looking, where the ones where I had made an obvious error and yet, even then they landed just a few inches away from my aiming spot. Maybe I was just having a good day. I wish they were all like that.

So, the Whip is obviously not very fussy about arrows at all. It shoots every bit as hard as my 51# Mohawk bow, if not quicker.

I'm a happy chappy.

I will try to get some photos up soon.

[bstan86]

Gday Mick.

Good to hear you like the new bow.

The whips are just bloody brilliant aren't they!

my first was a 58" one (baught second hand) which had a very light riser wood and was just nothing to carry (incredibly light) and shot really well.
but later i decided it was really a bit too short for my 29.5" draw so sold it.

i now have a 62" (46lb@30") which is my favourite bow and has been great for hunting as well.

i then decided i needed (wanted ) a 2-peice to compliment it - so ordered one - 55lb@29.5" and 64" long.
it is an ideal hunting bow IMO but am thinking of selling it as it really is a bit heavy for my liking - should've ordered it a few pounds lighter. if i shot more often it'd be fine but i'm just too busy these days to shoot it often enough to shoot it well.

anyway - they are the BEST d/r bows i've ever seen and shot - and i have owned some very nice bows. My centaur comes close but i prefer the whip.

what ever he is doing in his workshop is right - down to the last detail. when you go over one with a fine-tooth comb, the glue-lines are just faultless. there is not a blemish or tiny mistake anywhere - truly great craftsmenship.

i'm thinking of ordering another one (this time a lighter 2-peice - going down the same route as you).

good luck with it - looking forward to pics.

[greybeard]

Hi Mick, congratulations on the new bow.
I have only handled the one piece bow and I must admit that the bow was very well finished.

This is the first time I've had anything to do with the bow bolt takedown system. I've seen photos in the past and I always thought it looked to be a nice, neat system. I put the bow together quickly and easily. I just lined up the squared off section where the threads have been ground off, inserted the two pieces together firmly and gave them a quarter turn, which, in effect, gave me the rock solid feel and appearance of a one piece bow. There's absolutely no movement or noise, even when shooting.

I have been wanting to try the 'bow bolt system' for some time but wondered how good it was, no point spending $100.00 or so on something if it does not come up to expectations.

Perhaps when you have taken it apart a few times and shot heaps of arrows you may be able to give us an update.

Daryl.

[Mick Smith]

No worries Daryl. I have already put a couple of hundred arrows though it, but its still early days. I can remember reading somewhere that they have been known to become loose after a while with very heavy draw weight bows. I'm hoping that this will not be an issue for my bow at just 45# though.

The new Whip has been taken down about 3 times so far, without any obvious problems. I'm very confident that it will outlast me.



Hi bstan86. When I was thinking about buying another bow, it was only a case of deciding on the draw weight and the length. It was always going to be a Whip. Yep, they're bloody brilliant!

[The big Kahuna]

Daryl, I have used the bow bolt system. They work well. I don't know about a heavy
poundage bow but around 50lb seems OK. Just make sure that it is positioned close to the back of the bow
so that you create a heel so to speak on the belly side of the handle. Also use a really good material for the handle. I had one let go that was a Black Walnut handle. The timber was to soft to cope with the stress.
That bow was 65lb. The other thing to consider,.........you have to cut a perfectly good bow in half!!!
regards Mark

[Mick Smith]

Dan Toelke only uses risers made from linen micarta for his 2 piece bows. According to my limited understanding, the reason for this policy is that it gives him the necessary strength and the uniformity of the material around the bolt, to ensure the longevity of the bow. So, if there are any drawbacks with this takedown system, it could be that it places a lot of stress in one small area. The bolt is probably strong enough, but the surrounding material might not be.

[the celt]

Or,you could call it a longcurve or a rebow

[greybeard]

Dan Toelke only uses risers made from linen micarta for his 2 piece bows. According to my limited understanding, the reason for this policy is that it gives him the necessary strength and the uniformity of the material around the bolt, to ensure the longevity of the bow. So, if there are any drawbacks with this takedown system, it could be that it places a lot of stress in one small area. The bolt is probably strong enough, but the surrounding material might not be.

Mick, thank you for the Information.

I have been doing a bit of research on the internet and it would appear that Dan Toelke has an excellent reputation when it comes to installing the bow-bolt system.

The other thing to consider,.........you have to cut a perfectly good bow in half!!!

Mark,

I don't know if you have seen this link before but it details how to install the bow-bolt when building the bow.

http://www.warrenarchery.com/new-bb.html

Daryl.

[Stickbow Hunter]

Congrats on the new bow Mick and I'm glad you've taken a liking to it straight away.

Jeff

[Mick Smith]

Thanks Jeff. I've been a big fan of these bows for quite a while and this one hasn't disappointed me.