Thursday, April 7, 2016

The Samick Sage Oddyssey...

A trip long overdue...


I've been wanting to check out an archery shop in Malacca for some time. It wasn't until I had the opportunity to upgrade my wife's bow that I had finally gotten the break I wanted.
The plan was to get a new bow for Michelle and after much research, we settled for the Samick Sage takedown recurve bow.

Taking the long drive

Malacca is located some 130km away from where we live.
The path to this coastal city is rather straight-forward. We take the highway and get off at the Ayer Keroh interchange.
My last trip to this historical state was a year ago. I attended a traditional archery tournament organized by the same archery shop.
After completing our daily chores, Michelle and I took the car down the Elite Highway and headed South.
It took us about an hour and a half to reach Malacca.
Much of the recognizable landscape here has changed tremendously. I used to work in Malacca and am familiar on how to get around.
From Ayer Keroh, we turned towards Bukit Baru and located the archery shop.

The exterior of the shop in Bukit Baru, Malacca
Bows displayed at the store

Michelle checking out the goods

3D archery targets 

Traditional bows

Michelle was impressed with the selection of goods at the store

Archery accessories
Re-homing the Sage...

The Samick Sage takedown recurve bow received rave reviews by archers from all over the world.
Basically, it's a cheap bow that performs. The shop, Monster Chill archery sells them around RM633 inclusive of GST.
I sponsored 70% of the cost and Michelle settled the rest. This includes the bow string, arrow rest and a set of new Easton Tribute arrows spined for a #35lb bow.
After we checked out the condition of the new bow, Michelle was satisfied. So, one of the sales guy went to to set it up.

Something we didn't quite expect from a Professional archery store...

I was browsing around and noticed that the sales guy was struggling to string the bow. What was appalling was the fact that he didn't know how to string a recurve bow. The guy had literally forced the limbs down while another worker held the bow's riser with both his hands.
If they broke it, we would walk out.
Michelle was rather pissed off. But she kept her cool. Clumsy services like this is something that will sink the store's reputation. We inspected the bow and found no visible damage and went on paying the bill.

I didn't leave empty-handed...

I saw a 3D target on the shelf. 
It was a hog and the quality, fit, and finish were not bad.
And for that, I blew about RM650. Having given much thought to foreign currency exchange, freight charges, and tax, I settled for the 3D target. It was not cheap, but sure became something that I would welcome at the range outside our home.

This little piggy is headed to Subang Jaya
After picking up the 3D target, it was time for lunch. We drove towards Bukit Cina and had a meal in a noodle shop.
From Malacca, we begin our journey home. It was another one and a half hour of driving and after we crossed the Malacca - Negeri Sembilan state border, we witnessed an accident.
There was a body lying on the road and it was covered with a bath towel. Next to the victim, I can see another person seated by the road shoulder with her head hanging down. It was a bad day for them.
We reached home around 3.30pm. Michelle went to work while I took the time to fletch my damaged arrow shaft.
The Monster Chill shop was impressive. But the stuff the sell are very expensive. Other than the fool who couldn't string a bow, I guess all is good...


No comments: