Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Carbon Express vs. Beeman ICS

Hi guys,

I've been shooting Beeman ICS Hunters with a 4 inch vane for years, but have started looking at the Carbon Express Maxima and Mayhem with Blazer vanes. Anybody shoot Beemans and Carbon Express, and what are your thoughts on them? I'm wondering about:

1) Blazers over 4 inch vanes wrt accuracy differences
2) Broadhead flight differences between Beeman and Carbon Express (with their weight forward technology)

i switched from 4 inch beemans to carbon maximas with 2 inch blazers. the best thing i've done. groups are tight. steer a broadhead perfectly.the carbo express i believe are a little bigger in diameter, but that won't make any difference. you won't be sorry

I have a few Carbon Express that are 12 yrs old and have taken multiple deer, turkey, rodents, etc. Very good stuff.

A couple years ago I bought a dozen ICS Hunters and they seem to be accurate and tough as well. Several pass thru lung shots. No gripes yet.

I have not tried the weight forward arrows.

There are so many good products out there, unless you are a premier archer, you probably wont see much difference with good shafts.

carbon express with blazers for me and they work exceptionally well

I a using the ICS Hunters and Blazers. They are very accurate/consistant.

I havent heard anything bad about the CE's shafts.

I can get a couple dozen of the Bemans for the cost of a dozen CE's.

Regards
Mark

I like the Beman ICS Hunters, have used them for years with no problems. I like to add the unibushings and g nocks - really helps with dourability and splitting of shafts at the nock. I have not tried the CE's, but I have tried some of the cheaper Gold Tips Entradas and was not impressed.

After doing more research, and seeing too many reports on forums about Carbon Express Maximas shattering, I went with the Beeman ICS Hunters with Blazers. I wanted to get a little bit more FOC with broadheads; should have it with the lighter Blazers compared to the 4 inch vanes...

not a premier archer but I feel I'm very good,,, and I concure.

I do not shoot vanes but...Carbon Express shafts are very good. I have had alot of luck with them. They just do not seem to be as "touchy" as the Beemans. Maybe it is how they are made? When I competed with them Beemans shot very well as long as my form was just right, and I won some titles with them including outdoor FITA type matches. When I was not "on", neither were they. Carbon Express shafts just seem to be more forgiving. Just what I am looking for when that "Buck of a Lifetime" steps out and I am losing my composure.

I've used the ICS quite a bit and in most pro shops they're considered the "Gold Standard", for cost, endurance and consistency of construction.

I haven't used the C.E.s at all, but hear good comments from those that have them.

I'm currently shooting the Easton N-Fused carbons and like them very much.

The weight forward concept is a good one... helps with FOC and lighter heads.
An easy way to accomplish this with any shaft is to simply roll on a wrap to the front end of the shaft ( which is pretty much what the weight forward technology has done ). You can adjust FOC by custom tailoring the weight and/or position of the wrap.

It's pretty hard to find a bad arrow these days.
My decision is usually based on cost and how much technology I can really used.

My $.02

I shot a 3X 25 on a 5 spot target last night with my Beman ICS Bowhunters (the cheap ones). Oh, it was shot at 50 yards.......I agree that most modern carbons are very good, but I just stick to the tried and true Bemans.

Yowzer!! Maybe you could follow me around and shoot my elk for me...?...

Have a great fourth everybody...Fly our flag !

Ready when you are Blacktail53...........got the 'hardly waits' already. 45 days until antelope season opens, 60 for deer and elk here in Idaho, but who's counting!

I bought a dozen of the carbon express maxima hunters 2 years ago and they are still working great. I'm down 3 arrows. 2 from a robinhood and 1 broke off in a deer when I stuck it through her spine. I might buy 6 more this fall but will probably just refletch the 4 damaged ones I have and take my 9 arrows hunting. I've shot a lot of different shafts the last 10 years and I'm more than satisfied with these arrows.

I tried Maxima Hunters for a little bit and wasn't impressed, they broke right behind the insert too frequently for my tastes, but I came to find that the archery shop had sold me way too light of a spine. The guy sold me 250s when I needed 350s. That being said I'm giving them another try in the correct spine this year and will give you a report after I've shot them a little more. I will also say that Maxima 3-d selects were responsible for some of my best groups ever.

The best shooting arrows I've ever owned were CX 3d select (older than the maxima). I've gone through a pile of beman ICS hunters also. The bemans are a great hunting arrow. They have a little more weight and I really like the ultra smooth finish. I personally won't shoot a cheaper (less straight) arrow than the ics hunter because I can tell the differance.