There have been quite a few times when I’ve heard what I consider "archery snobs" bad mouth brands like Krossen, Topoint and most of all Junxing for their quality. I’ve even seen posts online showing bows from these and other brands break apart. I am willing to bet those posts don’t show the whole picture. Like in many things, the cheaper the bow the more likely its quality would also be lower compared to more expensive ones. Does this mean they are bad products? I don’t think so. To me, it’s more about knowing the limitations of what you are buying and managing expectations.
Junxing is a Chinese Archery manufacturer I think of as an ODM like how tech companies all over the world have Chinese manufacturers make gadgets for them and stick their brand on them. The F165 has been used by Lancaster Archery and labeled it as the Galaxy Tourch. PSE rebranded it as the Theory.
The F165 is a 25 inch cast magnesium alloy ILF Riser. It has all the features you would expect of an ILF bow. Top, mid, and bottom stabilizer mounts. Clicker and sight mounts. Since this is an ILF bow, tiller adjustment bolts are present as well as a lateral limb alignment system with small grub screws. One thing I have noticed with all the F165’s I’ve seen, and I have seen a lot, they all seem to miss the screw-on clicker plate extension.
This bow is sexy. I love its curves and elegant profile. And for such a cheap bow, the paint finishes are pretty good. It looks awesome in full Olympic setup. It looks even better bare. It’s a beautiful bow in my opinion.
Tuning the bow is straight forward and since it uses opposing set screws for the limb alignment, you don’t really need to take the bow down to make an adjustment. Another thing I have noticed in all the F165’s I’ve tuned is the bottom tiller bolt locking screw groove tends to strip when tightened which is a problem since for some reason, the bottom tiller bolt loosens over time. Your experience might vary but this is worth looking out for.
The F165 is a pleasant bow to shoot. Although it uses a low grip, it feels comfortable and has just to right thickness. It’s easy to get the correct grip position with this bow. The sight window is just the right height so no problems shooting close range with sights here. Drawing the bow back, it feels adequate, for lack of a better term. I have drawn back softer, “mushier” risers. The F165 is not like that but it doesn’t feel stiff or rigid either. I have been lucky enough to have tried shooting the F165 with different draw weights. Using low poundage limbs feels fun on this bow and show exactly what this bow is designed for.. 32 pounds feel awesome on it. The bow felt happy with that poundage and I found that it shot really well. 38 pounds feel right on the limit of what it can handle. The bow still sounded good but you can tell that it was about all it can manage. Using 40-pound limbs on it, I could feel it struggle already. I’ve actually seen an F165 crack due to prolonged use with 40-pound carbon foam limbs. Thus bringing me back to a point I wanted to make earlier. Know the limits of your bow. You can’t just slap on high end, high poundage limbs on an entry level bow. It’s not gonna handle it well. It’s also worth noting that cracking or breaking also happens to high end bows. I’ve seen a Hoyt GMX break before. Structural failure due to manufacturing defects are possible as well, at all levels. In my head, I’ve even made up a rough estimate of what poundages different ILF bows can handle. I could be wrong about these but I use it as a rough guide for safety purposes. The maximum draw weight I would put on a cast riser would be 36 to 38 pounds although I have seen ones that handle 40 just fine. Forged risers should be able to handle up to 40 to 42 pounds. I shot 46lbs on my fingers using an SF Forged plus for some time. I could feel the riser flex a tiny bit already. Then there are the CNC Machined risers. Depending on the alloy they use, they should be able to handle well above 46 pounds in draw weight. Mauro Nespoli famously shoots 62 to 67 lbs on his CNC machined Fivics bows.
The F165 is one of the cheapest 25 inch ILF risers in the market now. It has helped make ILF risers more accessible to more people. That is awesome! Does it have flaws. Yes. Definitely. But I sure has a soft spot in my heart. I like it. It looks awesome and shoots good when you use the right draw weight on it. Don’t let archery snobs deter you from taking your first steps into archery even if it means infesting in a “cheap Chinese bow.” As long as you know the limits, you will have fun. Side note: avoid those cheap fiber glass/ plastic bows. Burn them on site if you can. 😊
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