Darton Tempest E T Review

Editors' review

Spend most of a shot holding, and the Tempest E T starts to make sense. This is the indoor, Vegas, and spot member of Darton's Tempest E target line - the longest and tallest-braced of the three, tuned not for speed but for the dead-still hold a known-distance archer lives on. It arrived the year Darton joined the Black Eagle and Conquest target group, and it carries the brand's E-System cable roller, a thin angled machined grip, and a firm cable-stop wall - a smaller American maker's take on the serious spot bow. Where the 3D sibling trades brace height for a little velocity, the E T goes the other way: a tall 7 5/16-inch brace and a 37.25-inch bar buy forgiveness and a settled sight picture. It is a bow for the archer who scores by how long the pin floats on the middle, not by how fast the arrow gets there. For that shooter, the E-System's forgiveness is a genuinely different pitch from what the established spot names offer.

Finish

The Tempest E T comes in Darton's Target Colors and in matte schemes, with the usual family finish caveat: this is paint, not a hard anodize. On setup that means seating accessories cleanly and checking the sight-screw holes, and in service it means a painted riser is more prone to lifting where grip tape is applied and peeled than an anodized one. It is a handling note, not a shooting one - the finish has no bearing on how the bow aims or releases. For an indoor bow that mostly lives in a case between the garage and the line, the painted finish holds up fine with ordinary care, and the target color options look right at home on a spot range.

Riser

The riser is a long machined aluminum bar cut for rigidity, and the extra length is the point: at 37.25 inches axle-to-axle the Tempest E T sits toward the longer end of its own family, which lengthens the sight radius and calms the aim. It is a conventional riser rather than the shoot-through design Darton uses on the companion Vegas E T, so it reads as a standard single-piece target bar in the hand. Mass is part of the design brief here - Darton publishes it around 5.2 pounds, and even the lighter figure cited in hands-on handling still puts real weight into the riser, which is what a spot archer wants steadying the hold. The geometry choices all point the same direction: length, stiffness, and mass serving a still, forgiving platform rather than a fast one.

Grip

The grip is the detail that wins people over. It is machined directly into the riser, but unlike a chunky vertical block it is thin, with an even thinner flat spot at the top right where the webbing of the hand sits, and it is angled so that it pushes the hand slightly forward into the shot. The first time I set my hand into it, the position came out natural and repeatable, and that forward bias does more for stability than a steeper grip tends to - the kind of thing that shows up as a quieter float on the target rather than anything you notice consciously. It is a sharp contrast to the squared grip feel on the 3D sibling; where that one divides opinion, this slimmer angled shape is the easier grip to like. Because it is part of the riser there is nothing to bolt on or swap, but it rarely needs it. A thin wrap is all it takes to personalize the surface.

Limbs

The Tempest E T runs split limbs that start more vertical at the pocket and ease toward parallel at the tips - the geometry that pairs the performance of vertical limbs with the forgiveness and quiet of a parallel stance. Supporting that transition is a long machined limb pocket, deliberately extended to brace the limbs where they load up, so the assembly stays locked in place once the bolts are set. It is a reassuring arrangement on a bow meant to be shot thousands of times a season: the long pocket is exactly the kind of support that keeps limb timing honest over a competitive year. Peak draw weight comes in the standard 40, 50, 60, and 70-pound options, and for a spot archer the lighter brackets are often the sensible pick, since this bow earns its keep by holding, not by storing maximum energy.

Eccentric System

The cams are Darton's E-System target cams, and the roller that gives the system its name is the technical heart of the bow. Rather than a conventional yoke pulling down on the outside of each limb at a single point, the E-System routes the yoke through a roller and ties it back to the cam, which spreads the limb stress and takes load off the cam bearings - Darton's route to the forgiveness the line is built on, and notably it adds no extra felt string movement as you draw. The published rating is 310 to 315 fps IBO, the slowest of the three Tempest E bows by design; the tall brace and long bar that make it forgiving are the same things that keep it off the top of the speed chart, and for an indoor bow that trade is exactly right. Let-off is 85 percent and adjustable, and the method is elegant: the limb stop sets the timing, and sliding it forward trims let-off for a shooter who wants more holding weight at the wall. The cable stop provides the standard firm stop, with the limb stop available alongside it for added stability.

Draw Cycle/Shootability

The draw is smooth in the way a spot archer wants - it builds steadily to the wall with no high point to fight over, so nothing in the cycle disrupts a practiced shot sequence. At full draw I found it did the thing that matters most on a target line: it sat still, settled under the pin, and simply waited while I executed. The back wall is the standout, a big flat cable-stop pad that meets the cable rock-solid with almost no sponginess, giving a definite reference to pull into. There is a little vibration into the hand as the string returns to the stop, a direct consequence of the grip being a machined part of the riser with nothing added to soak it up, but the bow stays planted rather than jumping, and it reads as comfortable rather than harsh. Run with the stabilizer setup any spot archer already shoots, that residual buzz all but disappears. The overall impression is of a calm, forgiving bow that rewards a long hold and a clean release.

Usage Scenarios

The Tempest E T is built for the indoor and spot world first - Vegas rounds, indoor 300 and 450 games, and outdoor field and known-distance shooting where a long, still, forgiving platform is worth more than velocity. It is the bow for the league shooter who steps to the line every week through the winter, and the forgiving E-System and tall brace make it a forgiving teacher for an archer still tightening their form. The 26 to 31-inch adjustable draw covers most adult target archers; anyone needing a very long draw, or a shooter who wants a faster bow for 3D, is better served by a different member of the family. It is not a hunting bow and does not pretend to be - the length, mass, and speed profile are all pointed at paper and known distances. For a competitive indoor archer on a budget, or someone building their first dedicated spot setup without spending flagship money, it slots in exactly where it is meant to.

Versions

The Tempest E T is one of three bows in Darton's 2021-2022 Tempest E target line, each a separate model on the shared E-System platform, machined riser, split limbs, and machined grip:- Tempest E T - the indoor/spot member reviewed here: 37.25-inch ATA, 7 5/16-inch brace, 310-315 fps, 26-31-inch draw, around 5.2 lb, $1,249.99 launch (target colors).- Tempest E 3D - the balanced 3D member: a shorter 36-inch ATA and lower 6.5-inch brace for a touch more speed at 320-325 fps, 25-30-inch draw, 5.1 lb, $799.99 launch.- Tempest E 3D LD (marketed as the "Tempest XT 3D/LD") - the long-draw member on the adjustable Maverick-XT cam: 27 to 32.5-inch draw and a much lighter 3.9-lb mass, $799.99 launch.For the E T itself, the buyer's choices are peak draw weight (40/50/60/70), right or left hand, and target versus matte color schemes. Both back-wall stops and the let-off adjustment come with the bow, not as separate SKUs. Note the separate Darton Vegas E T is a different bow - a shoot-through riser design - not a version of this one.

Darton Tempest E T vs Hoyt Pro Comp Elite, PSE Citation

Bow	Darton Tempest E T	Hoyt Pro Comp Elite	PSE Citation
Version	2022	2014 GTX cam	2022 SE
Picture
Brace Height	7.3125 "	8.125 "	7.75 "
AtA Length	37.25 "	37.875 "	40 "
Draw Length	26 " - 31 "	24.5 " - 31 "	28 " - 33.5 "
Draw Weight	40 lbs - 70 lbs	30 lbs - 70 lbs	40 lbs - 60 lbs
IBO Speed	310 fps - 315 fps	305 fps	306 fps - 314 fps
Weight	5.2 lbs	4.8 lbs	5.2 lbs
Let-Off	85%	65% or 75%	65% - 75%
Where to buy Best prices online	$849.99 Compare prices	Not available now. Please check later.	$69.99 to $1500 Compare prices
	compare more bows

In the dedicated spot and Vegas category, the Tempest E T lines up against established flagships at a comparable price. The Hoyt Pro Comp Elite is a 37.875-inch target bow rated at 305 fps with a 24.5 to 31-inch draw, a long-running spot platform known for Hoyt's finish and tunability. The PSE Citation stretches to 40 inches with a 306 to 314 fps rating and a long 28 to 33.5-inch draw, a true Vegas-and-spot bar favored by shooters who want maximum sight radius. The Tempest E T sits between them on length and matches them closely on speed, and its case rests on the E-System's distinctive forgiveness and a smaller American maker's attention rather than on price; what it concedes is the anodized finish and the brand-wide support those names carry. The decision comes down to priorities: the Hoyt Pro Comp Elite or the PSE Citation for the archer who wants a proven name and top-tier finish, the Darton Tempest E T for the shooter drawn to the E-System's forgiving hold and willing to shoot a smaller brand.

Summary

The Tempest E T launched at $1,249.99 in target colors as the indoor and spot member of Darton's 2021 Tempest E line, trading speed for a long 37.25-inch bar, a tall 7 5/16-inch brace, and the forgiving E-System roller - everything pointed at a still hold rather than a fast arrow. Its 310 to 315 fps IBO is the slowest of the three siblings on purpose, because on a spot line the float under the pin is the whole game and this bow delivers it. What makes it work is the combination I keep coming back to: a thin angled grip that seats the hand perfectly, a rock-solid cable-stop wall, and a platform that simply sits still while you aim. The minor in-hand buzz and the painted finish are small things handled with a stabilizer and ordinary care. An excellent bow for the competitive indoor and spot archer, particularly strong in Vegas and known-distance rounds where a forgiving long hold matters most. Buyers who want a proven flagship name and anodized refinement should also look at the Hoyt Pro Comp Elite or the PSE Citation.