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The Xceed 25 inch Grand Prix/ILF riser from Hoyt released late 2019 is the latest premium ILF riser from the company that brought us medal winning risers such as the Avalon, GMX and the Epik. This anodized aluminum riser is compatible with any pair of ILF (international limb fitting) limbs. Provisions for top, bottom and rear dampers are available as well as the standard mount for the stabilizers.
The Xceed comes with the vertitune rest plate system standard in all new high end risers from Hoyt. This allows archers to choose from 3 different arrow rest height positions.
The clicker plate has laser etched markings to help keep your clicker position consistent. Out of the box, the bow comes with 2 Hoyt grips. The black one preinstalled on the riser and a white spare. Both are high(ish) grip positions.
It would have been cool if one was high and the other was mid but great to have 2 grips nonetheless. In case you mess up customizing one. New features on this model include a solid limb bolt system with an opposing set screw instead of the floating bolt system with the collet style lock.
Another new feature is the limb alignment system which now uses opposing set screws for making adjustments instead of the old dowel or insert system. This makes limb alignment on the Xceed a lot more convenient compared to the previous models. Additional weight mounts in the limb pockets are new as well.
The limb tip alignment system from last year’s formula bows is still present but with a cool new twist. One of the key features of this bow, the string tension technology which allows archers to customize the feel of the shot from smooth and soft to aggressive and stiff.
The Xceed has a lot in common with its predecessor, the popular Epik. Some might say it’s the beefier brother of the Epik. The geometry is very similar if not identical to the Epik and the limb pocket design is similar. As far I can tell, the grips are identical on both bows. The biggest structural and aesthetic difference between the Xceed and the Epik is the former’s wider profile. This gives the Xceed more rigidity compared to the Epik. This design change also has the added benefit of making the Xceed kinda look like the Batman symbol. The number 1 reason why I got one.
I got my Xceed mid February this year and have been shooting with it almost exclusively since. I have it setup with a pair of long Uukha UX1000, Angel Majesty 777 String, WnW sights, modded Decut Crown stabilizers and a whole load of weights and dampers. I use 29.5 inch 600 spine Victory VAP Elites with Jet6 vanes. All the same parts with my old SF Forged Plus setup. Right off the bat, the biggest difference I have noticed comparing my previous setup to the Xceed setup is th
e speed. With my SF Forged setup(I call it Dark Forge), I set it to 46lbs on the fingers to get it to tune with my arrows.
With the Xceed or as I like to call it Gwynbleidd, I had to let the limb bolts out a bit and reduce the poundage to 42 lbs on the fingers to get it to tune. I also had to use a thicker string.
The Xceed feels lighter than the much slimmer Forged Plus. Because of its profile however, I feel the Xceed is more susceptible to wind. Something I didn’t really have a problem with when using the Dark Forge. The vibrations post shot are very subdued yet not as refined as the Fivics Titan Ex. It definitely feels more aggressive than the Fivics flagship. Feedback to me is very clear. You’ll know if you made a bad or weak shot. Good shots feel awesome and super satisfying. With the pair of Uukhas I have on, the bow makes a nice bass hum when shot.
The grip, the most subjective part of the bow, I’m still getting used to. I still haven’t customized the grip because… reasons. But out of the box, I feel, emphasis on “I feel”, the grip is better than any Win and Win grip I have tried but not as great as the grip on the Titan Ex.
The feature though that I think is the highlight of the bow is the string tension technology. Basically it allows you to change the feel of the bow at full draw by adjusting the limbs’ pivot point on the pocket. By doing so, you can make the bow full like it has let off, like it has a back wall or something in the middle. Interestingly, my Uukhas already felt like they let off a bit at full draw. The Xceed's “STT” amplified that feeling. So much so that I found myself getting lazy with my release. So I tried the other 2 settings to see which felt better for me. I first tried the middle setting and was amazed at how different it felt. Almost like a new setup. My release felt a lot more crisp as the added tension made me expand more aggressively. I then tried the “performance” setting and I think this will be something Uukha users will have to take note of. Because of the shape of the limbs’ dove tail and pivot point, it doesn’t really make good contact with the STT system. Because of that, it didn’t feel any different to the mid setting. Your mileage using different limbs will vary.
Tuning the bow was not as straightforward as I had expected but no real deal breakers. The updates on the bow’s limb alignment and limb bolt systems made things a lot easier. Out of the box, I had to tweak the bottom pocket a little bit to get everything aligned. I probably spent more time aligning the limbs than I wanted. Probably the main thing I do not like about tuning the Xceed is that it doesn’t use metric system for the bolts. The riser had all the needed wrenches for adjusting the bow. I just felt I had to have another set of tools in my quiver on top of the ones I always had.
All in all, I think the Hoyt Xceed is a great addition to their line of top level recurve bows. It feels great to shoot, it’s fast and it seems like it’s built like a tank. I love the way it looks but it does feel like you’re holding up wings, or bat wings, in the wind. Nothing a ton of weights can’t fix. The string tension technology for me is a game changer or at the very least, changing the settings from time to time keeps the bow from being boring to shoot. I don’t feel I’m qualified to give it a number rating but if Kim Woo-Jin thinks it’s good enough to use, that’s more than good enough for me.
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