Limbsaver Deadzone DZ-32 Review

Editors' review

In 2008 Steve Sims and his Limbsaver company, which have been known for making high quality archery accessories, decided to design and manufacture their first bow. In doing so, Steve wanted to combine the advantages of his proprietary NAVCOM vibration dampening material with some innovative bow designs to create a quiet, efficient, easy to shoot bow that is virtually vibration free and build it with high quality materials. The Limbsaver DeadZone 32 (DZ 32) was the product of this creation and still remains a popular bow in the Limbsaver line-up.

Finish

The DZ 32 is outfitted with a top notch fit and finish. The G1 Next Generation Camo looks incredible. This finish is designed to withstand the elements and never fade or wear off.

Riser

The DZ 32 employs a nearly straight riser, making this bow very easy to point, aim and hold on target. Limbsaver was able to reduce the mass of the 6061-T6 aluminum riser while giving itself more strength by placing cut-outs in a waffle design. The added strength comes from the modified I-beam structure of these cut-outs which in effect reduces riser flex.

Limbs and Limb Pockets

This rig benefits from using the best vibration dampening concept available to become the epitome of smooth drawing, quiet and a virtually vibration-free shooter. To accomplish this feat the design team had 3 pre-requisites: the opposing action of parallel limbs would reduce hand-shock, they also wanted to reduce the mass and length of the limbs, and minimize limb travel. The limb pockets on the DZ 32 definitely deserve our attention. The 6061-T6 aluminum limb pockets extend beyond the riser, increasing balance and reducing noise and vibration. Limbsaver also incorporates a Rolling Fulcrum system that is not just for draw weight adjustments, with this system any shooter can effectively press the bow with just two allen wrenches and make string adjustments in the field.

Grip

The DZ 32 comes with both a wood grip and black side plates for a slim grip. The wood grip is fatter but does have a thin neck thanks to the thumb grooves. This grip allows the shooter to have more control over the bow, which could be good or bad since fatter grips tend to produce more hand torque. The slim grip reduces the possibility of hand torque giving most archers more consistency and accuracy.

Eccentric System

The High Efficiency Active Transfer (H.E.A.T.) Cam system optimizes energy transfer to the arrow at each draw length allowing for maximum speed. The DeadZone 32 advertises arrow speeds of 325-330 fps IBO. These speeds are quite impressive considering how smooth of a draw cycle this bow has. The ability of this bow to be this fast and this smooth comes from its hybrid modular H.E.A.T. cam system. They actually use two different sizes of Cams to allow overall draw length adjustments of 25-30 inches in half inch increments. A smaller cam is used for shorter draw lengths of 25 - 27.5, while a larger cam is used for the longer draw lengths of 28 - 30 inches. Adjustments do not require a bow press, only the use of allen wrenches making this bow very user friendly even for someone who may not have a lot of experience with archery equipment.

Draw Cycle and Shootability

Limbsaver gave the DZ 32 a very smooth draw cycle with a solid back wall. The 80% let off allows any archer to hold at full draw for lengthy periods of time, whether you are waiting for that big buck to step into a shooting lane or just trying to zero in on the "X". Additionally, upon release there is no noticeable hand shock but there is the slightest noise factor without the addition of a stabilizer. Once a quality stabilizer is added this bow becomes one of the quietest bows on the market.

Silencing Package

The DZ 32 takes advantage of Limbsaver's proprietary NAVCOM vibration control products to help keep this bow quiet. This bow comes standard with 6 string leaches, 2 Ultramax Limbsavers, cable guard dampener and integrates a strip of NAVCOM into the riser shelf. All of these components combine to give this bow a very quiet, soft feel while still producing some impressive numbers.

Limbsaver DZ-32 vs DZ-30, DZ-36, and Speedzone

Limbsaver manufacture 3 other bows based on the DZ 32 design. These bows are the DZ 30, DZ 36 and the SZ 34 (Speedzone). They each have their own specific purpose. While the DZ-32 is the best "all-around" bow in the line-up, the Limbsaver Deadzone DZ-30 is a lighter weight and shorter model designed for the tight hunting situations and the Limbsaver Deadzone DZ-36 is designed to be more forgiving and to allow for finger shooting. The Limbsaver Speedzone SZ-34 is made with raw speed in mind, this bow still maintains a fairly smooth draw but incorporates a Hyperdrive speed module into the cam to produce an impressive IBO of 350 fps. Of their selection this rig is most noteworthy for being an all-around bow that can be used for any archery activity.

Bow	Limbsaver Deadzone DZ-32	Limbsaver Deadzone DZ-30	Limbsaver Deadzone DZ-36	Limbsaver Speedzone SZ-34
Version	2013 (large cam)	2013 (large cam)	2013 (large cam)	2013 (large cam)
Picture
Brace Height	7.125 "	7.25 "	7.875 "	5.875 "
AtA Length	32 "	30 "	36 "	34 "
Draw Length	28 " - 30.5 "	27.5 " - 30 "	30 " - 32.5 "	27.5 " - 30 "
Draw Weight	40 lbs - 70 lbs	40 lbs - 70 lbs	40 lbs - 70 lbs	40 lbs - 70 lbs
IBO Speed	325 fps - 330 fps	320 fps - 325 fps	320 fps - 325 fps	345 fps - 350 fps
Weight	4.5 lbs	3.9 lbs	3.8 lbs	3.8 lbs
Let-Off	80%	80%	80%	80%
Where to buy Best prices online	$250 Compare prices	Not available now. Please check later.	Not available now. Please check later.	Not available now. Please check later.
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Best Usage

The Deadzone 32 is quite a good all-around bow that is best suited for hunting but it would hold its own shooting 3-D also. The forgiving 7 1/8" brace height combined with the smooth draw cycle and ease of holding on target truly make this bow a shooter in most senarios.

Value

One of Limbsaver's goals is to make high quality products but keep the cost down so that anyone who wants to shoot their bows can afford to. The DZ 32's MSRP of $749.99 is less than most archery companies are selling their top end bows for. When you consider some of the technology Limbsaver has incorporated into this bow it really becomes a great value for the money.

Summary

The DeadZone 32 is the Do-it-all bow suited for every archer. This bow utilized a lot of new technology that the archery world has not seen previous to Limbsaver. These technologies combine to produce vibration-free performance in a smooth, well balanced and quiet bow with a tough look that can shoot arrows at 330 fps. This is easily fast enough to take down any game you are after. Not to mention this may be the easiest bow to tune on the market since it does not require a bow press for anything. There is not much negative to say about this bow. Shooters may hear a small amount of noise upon release if there is no stabilizer installed, and at full draw this bow may want to creep forward on you a bit, but that is typical of most bows with IBO speeds over 310 fps. Limbsaver's company motto is "Products That Work". Well, the DZ 32 sure fits the bill.