I just received my new Omega Imperial on Nov. 15, 2019.

It was ordered on Oct. 2, 2019, great turn around IMHO

I had specific needs and this bow will it them well. This bow is intended only for recreational shooting and Trad or Instinctive 3D, I wanted a bow in a draw weight that I could shoot for hours and not tire; with my various 60+ aches and pains. Also, I wanted a bow with more physical mass and longer length.

My Imperial is marked 30# @ 30" (my draw length), Kegan hit this bang on what I requested.

Bow Description;

- Omega Imperial - 68" AMO - Ipe wood riser with accent - 30# @ 30" - Physical Mass, 32 oz., by my scale - Maple Limb Cores, two lamination's - Shows excellent preparation prior to finishing, very smooth w/o any marks under the finish, finish coats very even. My bow has a matt finish which I suspect will slick up with use, which is fine with me. - came fitted with a rest and strike plate

Dealing with Kegan

In summary, a real pleasure. He answers all questions, has a lot of integrity and does exactly what he says he will. I would not hesitate to recommend him to anyone looking for a bow, and would buy another bow from him, if I need/want another. I can see he takes great pleasure and pride in his work, not everyone can say that about their job, it is nice to see someone that does.

What they say about his packaging is true, it is very well done, in a reinforced plastic tube.

Shooting The Bow

Draws very smooth, no stacking at 30". Quiet on the shot. Very little vibration in the limbs or string and feels "dead in the hand" to me, my arthritic left elbow could not detect any unpleasant sensations that I feel with some bows.

All this is from shooting in my basement. I will not be able to enjoy this one on our club's outdoor range until mid-January due to some health issues described at the bottom of this post. I do normally shoot outdoors, on the range or 3D trail, 3 or 4 times a week, as long as the temperature is over 20F.

The bow has a bevel cut on the shelf, similar to what I have seen on videos from Wolfie Hughes, I recall he cuts his factory bows this way, my Imperial came right from Kegan with this feature

As I mentioned, it will be a while before I get to try the new bow out on our club’s outdoor range.

I was diagnosed with colon cancer on August, 2019 and had surgery on Aug. 30, 2019.

Surgery went well, fortunately they were able to remove the bad section and splice things together, everything works.

They told me the prognosis was good, but I could up my odds with chemo, which I decided to take. Consists of 4 treatments of intravenous, and two weeks of pills, one week off, repeat 4 times. I am finishing up treatment 2.

From an archery viewpoint, the side effects of treatment are; - Cold sensitivity, hands and respiratory system (not good in our Southern Ontario, Canada climate) - Fingertips that are susceptible to damage - General lethargy and weakness - Soles of feet prone to damage, i.e. walking our 3D trails

If treatments stick to schedule, I should be done the first week of January 2019. From what I understand, the symptoms from the treatment abate in a few weeks, so I should be able to phase in outdoor shooting later in January.

Once I can get back out there, I will be able to relay some more meaningful shooting experiences with the Imperial; it is a psychological boost to have a nice, new bow ready and waiting for you.

Packaging

Shelf Bevel

Riser

Full View

Hope you get better will say a prayer for you!

Looks very good, enjoy it! Get well and if you are able to shoot outdoor in January we are living on different planets!

4t5

Thanks, much appreciated.

"if you are able to shoot outdoor in January we are living on different planets!"

I did a lot of trapshooting from 1970 up to a couple years ago, including winter leagues.

I am OK if I dress for it, but at 67 I draw the line at about 20F and I am selective, choosing days w/o snow, sleet etc.

Our 3D trail is in thick woods and this provides great shelter from the wind.

On the up side, there's no tick or other bugs ;)

Prayers for you

gonna have to fondle the new bow until January cat looks happy with it

In January here the weather is in -30C (-22 F) area, without wind factor.

Andy Man

Thanks, it'll get some use in the basement for now, it help keep my conditioning up a bit and I get to play with the new bow.

Timmy likes anything to do with archery, need to keep the fletching storage closed, he looks like a cougar, a 9 pound one, he never grew very big.

"In January here the weather is in -30C (-22 F) area, without wind factor."

EEEEEEK!

Were sandwiched between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, which moderate the temperature compared to the west and northern regions.

We're almost in the tropics by comparison, but the lakes often provide more snow than is necessary ;)

Congratulations on the new bow and the prognosis. I enjoy your posts, I've got you down as one of the sane ones here. However, you make me feel like a cold weather wimp.

Prayers and good wishes from NY.

Yamaha good going. Love the new bow.

Kegan builds a great bow - performance is excellent and his finish has come a long way from when he started. A buddy of mine has two and they really impressed me.

Timmy steasl the feathers? Ha Ha

one of my wifes cats is always "helping" me in the archery room (curiosity)

always stealing stuff I'm messing with (feathers, loose odds N ins and the stolen stuff can always be found in the Dogs water Bowel for safe keeping

God forbid you try to make a string with her back here

Enjoy that new bow. Prayer sent.

Andy Man, does the SPCA know you're starving that critter. :)

Actually, we have one with a similar physique.

This is actually the worst predictor of archery accessories.

Hit the send button by mistake, and edit function would be nice for guys like me;

Andy Man, does the SPCA know you're starving that critter. :) Actually, we have one with a similar physique.

This is actually the worst predictor of archery accessories.

15 pounds, not fat just big, may be part Maine Coon. Our's are indoor, but this none likes things that smell of the outdoors and is too smart; one time I left my archery accessory case open one night...... you know the rest ;)

Reb, thanks

Get better. Nice cat, and God be with you.

Best in your recovery. Shoot stright and often.

Naw! she hasn't missed any meals even eats with the dog from the same bowel

"Naw! she hasn't missed any meals even eats with the dog from the same bowel"

Yeah, we had one like that who made it to 17 years of age, he got to 23 pounds.

He found this toy cat tunnel was a bit smaller than his belt size.

As for the Imperial, I am working on the best spine for it, its early in the game, I will report my conclusions; may take a bit but I've got to January to sort it out.

Ha Ha cute

Cats and Dogs do get along with each other, always wanting to know what you are doing, prayers and take care, enjoy the bow when you can.

You can’t go wrong with a Omega!

Here's a picture of the Imperial, unstrung.

GLEN? Hope that ALL is GOOD?? PRAYERS UP! BLESSED BE! Batman

BATMAN

Thanks, I'm doing OK, all considered. The treatments are tough on me, I know people are dealing with worse stuff than me.

If things go according to schedule, I should be shooting at the club, outdoors by the 2nd half of January. It will probably look like this picture by then :)

Well, things are looking up; I finished my final treatment on Jan. 2nd and I am starting to rally around.

I managed to get out to the local bow shop's indoor range on Jan 13th, with the Imperial.

Basically, there aren't enough o's in smooth to describe how this bow behaves on the draw, and shot. Everything is totally to my liking. It is as "dead in the hand", to me, as my old Yamaha YG68 68" 1972 vintage one piece target recurve, which weighs 3 pounds, as bare bow.

Needless to say, I am very pleased.

My bare shaft testing seems to favour a 700 spine for my 30" draw with this bow putting 31# on the fingers at that draw length. I might have though 600's would have done it.

The 600's contact the riser frequently, as shown in the picture, which I believe may indicate a spine that is too stiff; good thing I use painters tape for testing. The 600's are not consistent, I assume because of the impact.

I want to some more testing, including fletched shafts.

Prayer sent for you. Cool looking bow.

Thanks, on both counts :)

Glad your on the mend and getting around to enjoying your new bow. I look forward to reading more reviews on the Imperial.

You will have lots of fun with that bow . I have owned 3 Imperials . Kegan makes a great bow !

I managed to get out to the club outdoor range this morning, starting to feel better, spent about an hour there; I will be building my endurance over the next few weeks.

I wanted to get out there because the weather was good, today and the forecast for the next four days is poor.

The Imperial shot the now fletched Gold Tip 700 extremely well, better than the 600's. The Gold Tips are just over 9.5 grains per pound of draw weight. They fly consistently well and as would be expected, the trajectory is noticeably favourable, compared to the 600's which run around 13 9.5 grains per pound of draw weight. Kegan's website says Omegas ca go down to 8 grains per pound of draw weight and in some communication, he indicated the 9.5 grain/pound arrows were fine.

20 yards is point on w/o too much drop at 30 yards; ideal for the type of shooting that I do.

Shooting at 10, 20 and 30 yards with the 700 gave me a great deal of confidence. With the 700's, there was no riser contact; I have a great deal of confidence in them.

I ordered some Gold Tip 700's from Lancaster, and fletching from a Canadian supplier. Oddly, the Canadian supplier I deal with has the best pricing on Trueflight 4: shield cut, this is very unusual. I will be making up arrows for the Imperial as soon as these items come in.

This is the first time outdoors with the new Imperial, it is a joy to shoot and it will be my "go to" bow from now on.

I just ordered a new imperial from omega 70 inch 30 inch draw 38 pounds. I like the new handle desighn and hope it will be a shooter. Good luck with your bow and wish you the best of luck

Gold Tip 700 arrow shafts came in today, busy fletching.

Will being shooting the Imperial a lot more, soon :)

Nice story, real pretty bow and I’m glad you’re feeling good enough to get out there.

Fletching up the new set of arrows for the Imperial.

Gold Tip Warriors, 700 spine, 5.4 gpi; with 100 grain field point, 4" Trueflight shield cut, right wing with a helical clamp.

Finished weight is 300 grains, 9.5 grains/pound of draw weight, Kegan's site says a minimum of 8 grains per pound, so we're good.

Ive got a 68" 43# ipe Imperial arriving Friday. I have shot Fox Triple Crowns, Timberpoints, 21st Centuries, Im really curious to try Kegans version of a target longbow. Full review will come.

I hope you like it as much as I do mine.

My Ipe riser 68" Imperial has a physical weight of 32 oz., I think this is heavier than a lot of other one piece longbow and I really like the way the grip fits my hand; IMHO, these two feature make these bows excellent "shooters".

I had enough 700's ready so I went to the club this aft.

There was just enough snow that the mud was covered up, a bonus.

Basically, it appears I have chosen the right bow for me. Heavy enough for good shooting but not as big a "load" to carry as my old Yamaha YG68.

It is a very easy bow to shoot well and the 700's fly very nicely.

I am still shaky so I kept things close. I have attached a picture of a 3D that I shot at about 17 yards.

I feel the effects of the 3 month layoff and chemo; I walked 1 to 2 km, fortunately its flat here. I am not ready for the steep grades at Forest City in London, Ontario, yet, but it is early and I have months to get into better shape. I WILL be ready by spring

It was great to get out in the woods, today.

Close up of the riser, bow is hanging by the bowstring.

Best 3 shot group at 20 yards.

I'm not posting the bad one's ;)

Should have added in the last post, that arrows are all askew because our targets are pretty shot up, they fly great. We'll fix the butts at the spring work parties.

Here's a full view of the Imperial.

I have had a PM inquiry about the arrows I am using so I posted this picture.

When the Imperial arrived, I did not have any 600 or 700 shafts to test.

Fortunately, Lancaster Archery will sell you single shafts so I bought one 600 and one 700; better than having to buy a dozen and finding out they don't do what you want.

The 700's won out and I have had a few very encouraging shooting sessions with them, already.

An update on my first post on this thread;

I had my Oncologist appointment, today, after having a CAT scan and blood work 10 days ago.

Everything is good. I do more blood work in Dec. 2020 and another CAT scan in June 2021.

He did say the type of cancer I had, associated with the Lynch Syndrome, generally has a better cure rate, so that was interesting.

On Monday June 22nd, I talk to the Thrombosis Specialist and hopefully can get off the blood thinners. The side effects are fatigue and confusion, amongst other things; I have enough confusion and fatigue, normally, even without med.'s ;)

As for the Imperial, it has pretty much spoiled me for everything else in my "inventory", though my 1972 Yamaha YG68 vintage target bow is pretty nice, but its 10# too heavy in draw weigh. Didn't seem to be a problem when I was 23 ;)

Glen, I was very happy to read your update. I am also a cancer survivor having had one of my kidneys removed in Oct 2018. It now feels like something from my distant past that has zero impact on what I do and how I do it. Obey your doctor's directions, keep shooting and hopefully it will become an almost forgotten speed bump in a life with many more twists, turns, and adventures.

Keeping you in our prayers Glen for a full recovery. Hope you get to spend some time with that beauty this year.

Thanks, Guys!

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