BlackOvis.com Custom Arrow Builder

Jordan Budd

Super Moderator
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Aug 8, 2012
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NW Nebraska
Hey everyone. So I’m not much of an archery technician/arrow builder, but this year I wanted to add some customization to my arrow setup. I’m about 3 hours to the nearest pro shop and was about to order a fletching jig and dive into all that when I heard Kendall with Black Ovis taking on a podcast about their arrow builder. So I hopped on and it’s pretty dang cool. Since I hadn’t heard much on it I thought I’d do a video review for everyone. As I say in the video, it’s such a great value for what you get. From my calculations it costed me an addition 15$ for a dozen of arrows fletched, wrapped, cut and outserts installed over what a box of dozen bare shafts would have run. This may change of course with each order but that’s what mine was.

https://youtu.be/SKPPiFifs_0

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nphunter

WKR
Joined
Jul 27, 2016
Messages
1,699
Location
Oregon
Very cool, i just started doing my own this year. I really like being able to do it but i have 4 in my house shooting so repairing fletching is a common chore. Those turned out really well, seems like a good service to have available.
 

TXNHNTR

FNG
Joined
May 18, 2019
Messages
11
Location
Texas
I was playing around with the builder the other day and it definitely looks like a sweet deal. Im going to my new arrows from them soon.
 

kpc03qb

FNG
Joined
May 27, 2019
Messages
37
Location
Catawissa, PA
Saw your youtube video, Jordan and I ordered a dozen a couple weeks ago . very impressed! Thanks for the heads up! I was shocked at how fast the turn around was, less than 2 weeks to my door.
 

Sorry slinger

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Aug 25, 2016
Messages
261
Location
Eastern Oregon
The only problem I see is they only carry a few that are 300 spine, can get anything in 400-500 but anything stiffer and you cant get the shafts I want. so its a better deal for me to stay at the shop or order shafts online. neat idea but wont work for everyone.
 

kpc03qb

FNG
Joined
May 27, 2019
Messages
37
Location
Catawissa, PA
The only problem I see is they only carry a few that are 300 spine, can get anything in 400-500 but anything stiffer and you cant get the shafts I want. so its a better deal for me to stay at the shop or order shafts online. neat idea but wont work for everyone.
I did notice that, I ended up going with a heavier setup with FMJs, instead of Axis, but the representative I had spoke with said that they would be getting more supply in June sometime. So, hopefully they will be restocked, etc soon!
 
OP
Jordan Budd

Jordan Budd

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Aug 8, 2012
Messages
2,743
Location
NW Nebraska
The only problem I see is they only carry a few that are 300 spine, can get anything in 400-500 but anything stiffer and you cant get the shafts I want. so its a better deal for me to stay at the shop or order shafts online. neat idea but wont work for everyone.

Like what has been said above, I think that’s a stocking issue right now. Maybe not though.


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Joined
Aug 25, 2015
Messages
536
Location
Wyoming
Got my Black Eagle Spartans in the mail today. Great build quality. And for the time and convenience, hard to beat.

Also super impressed with the consistency. Within about 5 grains for the whole dozen.
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Went up a spine this year. Half hour of tuning and right back in the zone at 45!


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NDGuy

WKR
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Feb 13, 2017
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ND
I bought 2 dozen from them the last two years. I like them they turned out great!
 
Joined
Jul 30, 2015
Messages
5,615
Location
Lenexa, KS
I had a poor experience. They forgot to include the outserts and the field points I paid for. When I called they sent me some outserts. They were the wrong size. I called back. They said they didn’t have the correct size in stock and it would be a huge PITA to get them, so they gave me $25 in store credit to buy them from Amazon.

The arrows were otherwise of excellent build quality and fly great. I’m honestly shooting as confidently as I have in the last 5 years.

I would try/buy again, though.
 

TX_Diver

WKR
Joined
May 27, 2019
Messages
2,203
I just received some cut shafts I ordered and am not particularly stoked on them.

I selected inserts not glued in and received them glued in with varying amounts of glue or residue on them. The shafts had glue in a few spots too.. More importantly/irritatingly though they are about 3/16" shorter than I ordered.

I just sent an e-mail with some pics so we'll see what the response is. The shafts I ordered cut from lancaster were perfect but I have had good luck with blackovis in the past and like that there is a code from this site also. They shipped the same day I ordered and I had them 2 days later which was great. I'm hoping that this is just a one off as they seem to be a great site otherwise.

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Update - I've talked with 3 different people today at blackovis and ultimately they've made this right to my satisfaction/as best they can. The initial e-mail response wasn't super helpful and gave me some suggestions on cleaning the arrows as well as stating no returns could be made, and offering a small discount on my next order. After reading that I called up and talked to Kelsie (not responsible for the initial response). Kelsie understood the issue and offered to send a return label and try to get new arrows out ASAP. A few hours later I received another call from one of the managers who explained that they were out of the .001 300 spines and that he'd called my local shop to see if they had them and if he could just get them locally for me. My local shop doesn't carry black eagle though so he offered a full refund or a partial refund that would equate to a significant discount on some other arrows as well as fletching them up for me etc. (still leaving the inserts out for me though if I wanted so I could be OCD about spinning them and matching weights, etc.). He wasn't to stoked with the product I'd received or the initial response either and assured me it was not their standard practice or response and that since they were busy he would personally fletch up the arrows in order to try and ship them out today.

I'm happy with how it's been addressed so while the inconvenience sucks I am inclined to believe this was a one off and not normal practice. I'll definitely continue to shop there in the future. Only downside is now I don't get to use the custom vanes from my old local shop which are arriving today. At the rate I lose/break arrows I'm sure I'll get another chance to use those vanes soon though. Anyways, just wanted to provide an update rather than leaving a negative impression out there with no resolution. Cheers.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jun 27, 2019
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The Boot
I dont have any experience using BO custom arrows, but if you can fletch and build your own arrows youre light years ahead of having someone else do it (I order from BO a good bit, and have never had any issues with any order Ive made). But, it's nowhere near as complicated as it seems if you are intimidated with arrow building. It may have some up front costs in buying an arrow saw and a bitz, but if you lose a vane or want to try other vane combinations, you can do it all yourself. One of the best investments Ive made. I did buy 2 bitz's, one with straight and one with a RH clamp. I use the straight to do 4 fletch arrows with offset, and the RH for 3 fletch. I will say that the zenith upgrade is worth its weight in gold on my 3 fletch bitz. Every vane is spaced evenly without fail - I dont have any issues with the 4 fletch bitz spacing as is from the factory.

Also no one is going to care as much about the building of your arrows more than you do. This year Ive tested 3 and 4 fletch heat, 3 fletch blazer, 4 fletch aae pro max, 3 and 4 fletch aae hybrid 26 and 3 and 4 fletch max 23. It wouldve been a serious PITA having a pro shop do all that. Some people cant stand fletching arrows, I actually like doing it. So theres that to factor into it.

Lastly, its a hell of a lot easier removing vanes if you use vinyl wraps and those are ridiculously overpriced from 8-20 bucks for 12. Another up front cost, but I bought a 12"x20' roll of oracal 6510 (651 for non flo colors) for $30 on etsy. A $21 Fiskars Surecut 12" paper trimmer, a $19 creative grids 12.5x6.5 quilting ruler and an $11 OLFA rotary cutter and make my own wraps just as precise as you can buy them. Thats $81 up front, but I can make 720 wraps with those supplies (I make arrows for friends/family as well). 720 arrow wraps, even if you buy the cheapest dozen at $8, would cost you $480. For $81, I could get 120 arrow wraps pre made. For the same price I can make 600 more wraps. Some of the ones I bought prior to making my own cost 19.99 for 12 and use the same material but just doesnt have printing on them. For those, I can get 48 wraps for $81. I can make the same material wraps - 720 of them - for the same amount of $. Thats 672 more wraps, and just costs me some time cutting them.
 
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Joined
Jul 30, 2015
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Lenexa, KS
I have all the equipment and even materials to build my own (minus the shafts) but I used BlackOvis because I simply don’t have the time. I’d rather spend those hours shooting or running.
 
Joined
Jun 27, 2019
Messages
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The Boot
I have all the equipment and even materials to build my own (minus the shafts) but I used BlackOvis because I simply don’t have the time. I’d rather spend those hours shooting or running.

Yeah that’s the catch, time. Can’t argue with wanting to spend more time running and shooting though.
 

gretch6364

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Sep 5, 2017
Messages
211
Location
Aspen
Seem like a big catch is them not having the arrows you need in the stiffer spines. No 250 BE Rampage?
 
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