TenPoint vs Excalibur
TenPoint vs Excalibur
This is the compound-versus-recurve argument with brand names attached. One gives you published figures and low effort; the other gives you a bow you can fix in camp.
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Ranked
Quick picks
| # | Product | Cocking effort | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank 1 | TenPoint Titan X De-Cock | 5 lb | 9.0 | $799.99Amazon |
| Rank 2 |  Excalibur Micro 360 Pro TD | 7.4 | $1,399.00Amazon | |
| Rank 3 |  TenPoint Titan 400 | 5 lb | 8.9 | $799.99Amazon |
| Rank 4 |  Excalibur TwinStrike | 7.2 | $979.99Amazon | |
| Rank 5 |  Excalibur Charger EXT | 8.4 | $249.98Amazon |
TenPoint builds compound crossbows with integrated cranks publishing 5 pounds of cocking effort and safe de-cocking. Excalibur builds recurves with no cams, no cables and a string you can change in the field. Pick TenPoint for low effort and published numbers; Excalibur for reliability and self-service.
The two brands barely compete on specification, because Excalibur's Amazon listings publish almost none. What they compete on is philosophy, and both positions are defensible.
In detail
The bows and the Excalibur crank
TenPoint Titan X De-Cock
The de-cocking version of TenPoint's best-selling bow, and the most complete answer on this site to the question that brings most people here. The integrated ACUdraw De-Cock drops cocking effort to 5 pounds, and it backwinds, so you can unload the bow at the end of a sit without firing a bolt into the dirt. 400 fps and a 9.75-inch front end are the supporting cast.
| Published spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Speed | 400 fps |
| Cocking effort | 5 lb |
| Cocked width | 9.75 in |
| Cocking aid | ACUdraw De-Cock, integrated |
| De-cocks | Yes, backwind the handle |
| Trigger pull | 3.5 lb |
| Included | Pro-View 400 lighted scope, three Pro Elite 400 arrows, quiver, bow hanger |
What it does well
- 5 lb of cocking effort is the lowest figure any bow on this site publishes
- Safe de-cocking: the Auto-Brake gear system holds the handle wherever you let go
- A 9.75-inch front end clears blind windows and stand rails
- Ships assembled and pre-sighted, so first setup is a scope zero and nothing else
Where it falls short
Our rubric
- 9.6
- 8.4
- 8.5
- 9.0
- 7.8
- 8.6
Excalibur Micro 360 Pro TD
Excalibur builds recurve crossbows almost exclusively, and the Micro series is the compact end of that line. TD means take-down: the limb assembly comes off without tools, which is why it travels well. The Amazon listing publishes no specifications, so the figures below stay empty rather than guessed.
| Published spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Design | Recurve, take-down |
| Speed | |
| Draw weight | |
| Cocked width | |
| Weight | |
| Cocking aid |
What it does well
- A take-down limb assembly packs smaller than any compound here
- Recurve architecture means no cams or cables to serve
- String replacement is a field job rather than a press job
Where it falls short
Our rubric
- 6.4
- 8.0
- 7.4
- 6.0
- 8.0
- 6.6
TenPoint Titan 400
The same 5-pound cocking effort as the Titan X, the same 9.75-inch front end, 6 pounds on the sling, and no de-cocking. If you never planned to unload the bow without shooting it, this is the cheaper half of the Titan decision.
| Published spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Speed | 400 fps |
| Cocking effort | 5 lb |
| Cocked width | 9.75 in |
| Weight | 6 lb |
| Cocking aid | ACUdraw Silent, integrated |
| De-cocks | No |
| Scope | Pro-View 400, illuminated, aim points to 70 yd |
What it does well
- 5 lb cocking effort at the lowest price TenPoint publishes it at
- 6 pounds is light for a full-size bow with an integrated crank
- A built-in crank cannot be left at home
- Arrives assembled and pre-sighted
Where it falls short
Our rubric
- 9.5
- 8.4
- 8.4
- 9.0
- 9.0
- 8.8
Excalibur TwinStrike
The TwinStrike is Excalibur's double-bolt platform: two limb sets, two strings, two triggers, so a follow-up shot does not require re-cocking. It is a genuinely unusual answer to the crossbow's biggest weakness. The listing publishes no performance figures, so none appear below.
| Published spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Design | Recurve, dual-limb double shot |
| Follow-up shot | Second bolt without re-cocking |
| Speed | |
| Draw weight | |
| Cocked width | |
| Weight |
What it does well
- A second shot with no re-cocking, which no other bow here offers
- Recurve limbs, so no cam service
- Compatible with Excalibur's Charger EXT crank
Where it falls short
Our rubric
- 6.0
- 8.0
- 7.2
- 5.8
- 6.4
- 7.2
Excalibur Charger EXT
12 pounds of draw effort, and a quick-detach system that lets you pull the whole crank off in seconds and put it in a pack. That is the difference that matters: most cranks live on the bow and add weight for the whole walk. Excalibur bows only — TwinStrike, Micro and Bulldog series.
| Published spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Draw effort | 12 lb |
| Type | Crank, quick-detach |
| Handed | Ambidextrous, detachable handle |
| Fits | Excalibur TwinStrike, Micro and Bulldog series |
| Material | High-strength aluminum alloy |
| Carry | Removes in seconds for pack or pocket |
| De-cocks |
What it does well
- 12 lb of effort, among the lowest published figures here
- Quick-detach, so the weight is only on the bow when you need it
- Aluminum alloy rather than a polymer body
- Ambidextrous and the handle itself detaches
Where it falls short
Our rubric
- 9.4
- 6.8
- 7.6
- 9.2
- 7.0
The architectural difference, in one paragraph
A compound crossbow uses cams and cables to multiply the limbs' force, so it stores more energy in a shorter, narrower package. More parts, more maintenance, more speed, less width. A recurve is a simple limb assembly bolted to a rail: fewer parts, nothing to serve, wider when cocked, slower for the same draw weight. Everything below follows from that.
The comparison
| TenPoint (compound) | Excalibur (recurve) | |
|---|---|---|
| Published cocking effort | 5 lb (ACUdraw, ACUslide) | 12 lb with the Charger EXT crank |
| Integrated cocking aid | Yes, built into the stock | No — the crank quick-detaches instead |
| Safe de-cocking | Yes | Rope cocker publishes load and unload |
| Cams and cables to service | Yes | None |
| Field string replacement | No — bow press | Yes, with a stringing aid |
| Cocked width | 9.75 in published (Titan) | Not published; recurves are wider as a class |
| Published speed | 400-415 fps | Not published on these listings |
| Follow-up shot without re-cocking | No | Yes, on the TwinStrike |
Where TenPoint wins
- Cocking effort. 5 lb integrated against 12 lb with an accessory crank. Both are good; one is better and built in.
- Published figures. Every TenPoint model publishes speed, effort and cocked width. Neither Excalibur bow here publishes any of them.
- Cocked width. 9.75 in published, against a class of bow that is inherently wider.
- Scope quality in the box. A 100-yard illuminated RangeMaster or Pro-View, calibrated and documented.
Where Excalibur wins
- Nothing to serve. No cams, no cables, no cable serving — the three things that take a compound crossbow out of service.
- Field-replaceable strings. With a stringing aid, in camp, in ten minutes. A compound string is a press job.
- Take-down packing. The Micro TD's limb assembly comes off without tools.
- A second shot. The TwinStrike fires twice without re-cocking. Nothing else on this site does.
- A crank that comes off. The Charger EXT quick-detaches, so the weight is not on the bow for the whole walk in.
Who should pick which
Match the brand to how you hunt
- Cocking effort is the problemTenPoint. 5 lb, integrated, and the bow de-cocks.
- Tight ground blindTenPoint at 9.75 in published, or a Ravin if it is tighter than that.
- Multi-day backcountry tripExcalibur. A string you can change in camp is worth more than 15 fps.
- You want a follow-up shotExcalibur TwinStrike — the only bow here that offers one.
- You want to buy on specificationsTenPoint. Excalibur's listings do not give you the numbers to compare.
The honest summary
For most hunters on this site, TenPoint. The 5 lb figure, the de-cocking and the published specifications all point the same way, and the 9.75 in cocked width is good enough for most blinds.
Excalibur earns its place for a specific hunter: one who goes somewhere remote, values a machine with nothing to fail, and will trade width and published numbers for it. That is a real preference and the recurve argument is not nostalgia — it is a maintenance argument, and it holds.
