ITERATIVE DESIGN PHILOSOPHY EVOLVES THE CROSSBOW - THE ADDER

The innovative R-Series line of carbine crossbows by Ek Archery was conceptualised by Matt Liu, the CEO of Taiwan’s Poe Lang, with the vision of revitalising the crossbow’s presence beyond the confines of the North American hunting industry. Liu aimed to broaden its functionality to cater to the needs of survivalists and off -grid enthusiasts. Recognising that historically, the crossbow served as both a weapon for soldiers and a hunting tool, Liu’s R&D team aspired to develop a product that paid homage to the crossbow’s origins while addressing the limitations that render modern versions unsuitable for a dual purpose.

The now well-established Adder has been thoughtfully redesigned to align with its operators’ requirements.

Stepping Away from Mass Production, the Journey towards Product Refinement

As a manufacturer of an extensive range of archery products, Ek Archery Research’s parent company, Poe Lang Enterprises, has been in the business of product development in both the sports and hunting sectors of the industry for three decades. While this proved to be an excellent industrial platform with which to potentially explore new sales channels and reimagine existing product lines; there is an inherent unwieldiness in how traditional OEM/ODM companies typically focus on mass production and fulfilling specific client requirements. Th is worldview creates a “production mindset”, which de-emphasises the need for continuous improvement, experimentation, and flexibility. It was from this limitation that Matt Liu saw that the next step in the evolution of the crossbow and compound bow would need to be facilitated by an incremental design process and nimble manufacturing approach that balances customization and standardisation with the integration of end-user feedback loops.

As Matt sees the iterative design process as an extension of his guiding principle, “Integrity is the essence of everything successful” it became imperative that his design and manufacturing teams would need to embrace continuous cycles of creation and refi nement by layering agile prototyping and empirical testing with pre-emptive error mitigation. From this foundation, Ek Archery Research’s iterative design methodology became the driving force behind their reimagining of the conventional modern crossbow.

Come out shooting with the R-Series

In 2018, Ek Archery introduced the Cobra R9 crossbow, a ground-breaking innovation that can be disassembled into small components for easy transport and quickly reassembled without tools. Th is compact crossbow includes interchangeable 90lb and 110lb recurve limb sets and features a clever built-in cocking lever, making it utilizable for women and children. By eliminating cumbersome cocking ropes and winch systems, the R9 overcame the traditional crossbow’s drawbacks. It gained popularity among survivalists for its compactness, lightweight design, and field-serviceability.

To address the rate of fire limitations of the modern crossbow, Ek Archery released the highly popular Cobra RX “Adder” in 2019. Th is tactical version incorporates a five-shot top-loaded magazine, developed in collaboration with Jörg Sprave of the Slingshot Channel. Th e Adder enables the operator to perform rapid follow-up shots, transforming the R-Series platform into an effective close-range defensive weapon. It features a magazine retention arm that facilitates operation while running and easy reloading in low-light conditions. 

Iterations that would make William Tell envious

Over the next three years Ek Archery continued their user-centred approach to develop and refine the Whipshot/Anvil, a slick magazine-fed compound bow and the VLAD, a subcompact multi-shot crossbow featuring a range of limb-sets in different poundages. In parallel development, Ek Archery fielded the powerful and compact SIEGE compound crossbow which incorporates features of the R-Series, including the integrated cocking lever and a quick-release limb set. What is worth noting is that communities of enthusiasts have arisen around these product lines that “mod” the original designs to create higher performance metrics or different usages. 

Ask and You shall receive: the Adder 2.0

As the Ek design team strives to refine and optimise their product even after its initial release; the now well-established Adder has been thoughtfully redesigned to align with its operators’ requirements. The latest evolution in the R-Series, the Adder 2.0, abounds with tweaks

and refinements including a higher capacity 7-shot magazine with ergonomic improvements that facilitate faster reloading. The new magazine can digest several aftermarket bolts including broadheads. Operators of the original 130lb Adder requested a milder 60lb limb set for backyard practice but there was a strong demand for 150lb limbs for hunting.

Instead of an intermediate poundage, Ek Archery opted to build the Adder 2.0 around a 180lb limb set. This decision necessitated the inclusion of a fortified cocking arm and strengthened frame; mated to a more robust trigger box. To optimise the cycling of the crossbow, an extension to the cocking arm gives the user more leverage. In this new configuration the Adder 2.0 propels the standard 190g, 7.5in bolt at a very respectable 300fps making it suitable for both hunting and defence applications.