On Monday, I received my first custom slingshot from a member on this forum. It was from jskeen, who made me a gorgeous laminate that includes a thick oak core, walnut faces, and ebony palm swells that have ziricote spacers separating the ebony from the walnut. I asked for a darker wood combination from jskeen as one of my requests, and he certainly delivered with just that! As you can see in the many pictures below, the wood combination on this slingshot is absolutely stunning. It has a classic oil and wax finish, which was a nice change of pace from the plethora of polyurethane coated slingshots out and about right now. Furthermore, I love how smooth the ebony palm swell is in my hand. This slingshot gets a well deserved 9.5/10 in terms of beauty!
Let's move on to how this custom feels in my hand. The first thing I noticed was that, yes, it is a thick frame. However, if I choke on up on my grip, it does feel comfortable. Indeed, with a high-choked grip, I receive the benefits of the palm swell and the one thing I love most about the ergonomics of this slingshot....the thumb brace! The thumb brace is so comfortable; it is like a nest for my thumb. My one grievance about the ergonomics of this slingshot is that due to the thickness of the frame, my index finger does get sore after 50 shots or so since it has a lot of wood to wrap around. Moreover, the fork width of 2.5 inches is a great one for me, as I love knowing that fork hits have a minimal possibility of occurring when the slingshot is used correctly. In addition, I love how I do not have to fold Theraband Gold on the fork tips since they are wide enough. And another great thing is how James puts a little split in the fork so that one does not have to use pliers or another device to tie the bands to the frame... you just pull the stretched rubber through the split and let it go! It works really well! I give the design/comfort/ergonomics of this frame a 9/10.
Although I already posted a review of James (jskeen) in the seller reviews section (http://slingshotforu...stomer-service/), I will repeat the main points here for convenience. He is really a terrific guy- his communication is fast and thorough and he really wants to please his customer. Through this transaction, I have not just found a great seller, I have also found a friend.
The price for a custom with James is a good one, making the deal all the more sweeter.
The slingshot shoots really well when I let it.
Nice, flat shots.
Do yourself a favor and contact James (jskeen) on the forum. I don't think you will regret it. He is one of the best woodworkers on the forum.
Please check out some pictures below of my awesome slingshot.
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