My first thought of the Dragon X9 when I opened the box was that it looked a lot like the Dragon X8. The moment I took the bow out of the box, I was happy to see that Sanlida took my recommendation and placed a tag on the D-loop, instructing customers not to dry fire the bow. Sanlida used to have many people buy one of their bows, take it out of the box, pull it back, and then let go. This is called dry firing the bow, which usually causes the string to pop off. A lot of people then put the bow back into the box and returned it. To avoid those problems, I recommended to Sanlida that they place a tag on the D-loop so that people knew that an arrow always needed to be clamped onto the bowstring before the bow could be shot. (Please note that there are several videos available related to the Dragon X9 at the end of this written review.)
My next observation was that the riser had a slightly different design but the same overall shape and dimensions as the Dragon x8. To verify this, I laid my Dragon x8 on top of it. This enabled me to confirm what I had thought; they had the same overall shape and dimensions. As I pulled the accessories out of the box, I could immediately see that the rest was a little nicer than the one that came with my Dragon X8. The material it was made with simply seemed better. The bolt for the arrow rest was already in the riser of the bow, so I had to take it out to install the rest. After putting the rest on the bow, I could see that it was too far to the left. I clipped an arrow onto the string and placed it in the rest to help set the center shot. To help me do this, I set the bottom cam on the floor and looked from the top limb bolt down to the bottom limb bolt to see how far the arrow was pointing to the left. After I adjusted the rest to the right and had the arrow pointing somewhat straight, I removed the arrow and moved on to installing the sight.
The sight looked very similar to the one that came on my Dragon X8, but I could also see a slight difference in appearance compared to the one on the X8. The mounting screws for the sight were already in the riser, so I removed them and installed the sight. There were three sets of holes for mounting the sight. This was probably one of the most noticeable differences between the Dragon X8 sight and the Dragon X9. Whereas the X9 has three sets of holes to choose from, the X8 only has two. I chose the last set of holes, which positioned the sight pins farthest from me while shooting. Just as in all the Sanlida sights I have received, there is a clear plastic disk in the sight light that prevents the batteries for the sight light from being engaged. To remove this piece of plastic, you need to unscrew the top part of the light and dig out the plastic piece. It did not come out by tapping it on the table, so I used a pen to push one edge down and pop the other edge up to be able to dig it the rest of the way out.
The screws for the quiver mounting bracket were in the box. It seemed as though there were two sets, so I used the longer set of screws. Before selecting these, I looked in the owners manual to see if they recommended one set over the other, but they did not. However, while I was looking in the owner’s manual, I noticed that the instructions showed installing the quiver mounting bracket upside down. I know this because about 25 years ago I purchased a quiver with the same basic mounting design as the one Sanlida uses. After mounting it back then the way Sanlida was proposing, and then shooting it that way for a few days back then, my quiver began to fall off after I would take a shot. This type of mounting bracket has a horizontal-facing slot and a vertical-facing slot. In my experience, you want the vertical-facing slot pointed upward. This will prevent the quiver from falling to the ground if the horizontal-facing slot gets dislodged. You also want to make sure the horizontal-facing slot points toward you. If it faces away from you, it is possible for the quiver to hit the sight or rest when trying to remove it.
The wrist sling looked like the one for the Dragon X8, but the stabilizer looked a little different. The rubber seemed to be a little better quality and a different design from the one on the Dragon X8, but it had the same overall dimensions and weight. It is extremely light and adds virtually no weight to the bow. Typically, a stabilizer is intended to add weight to the bow for balancing purposes, so these stabilizers, on both the X8 and X9, are essentially useless in my opinion.
The peep sight in the Dragon X9 looks like better quality than the one that came with my Dragon X8. However, just as with the X8, the peep can be slid up or down in the string to be placed at the desired height for each archer. I personally prefer to tie in my peep sight more permanently once the correct height is found. I use serving to do this, but you could even use dental floss if you do not have any serving on hand.
The 12 arrows that come with the package all had field points installed. The arrows were a noticeable upgrade from the ones that come with the Dragon X8 Pro package. They are a 300 spine arrow, whereas the arrows that come with the X8 are only 500 spine. I was happy to see this because you cannot shoot a 500-spine arrow above about 45 to 50 pounds and longer draw lengths. For adults who will be shooting at higher draw weights, the 300 spine arrows are needed. The nocks on the arrows disappointed me. They were very small and generally the type used for target archery. They require an aluminum insert, so they cannot be replaced with a larger nock or a light-up nock, which are often used by hunters. Another disappointment with the arrows was that the fletchings were glued onto the arrow too far from the nock so they were in the arrow rest when the arrow was clipped onto the string. When I attempted to take my first shot, the arrow immediately popped off the string and could not be fired. I immediately contacted Sanlida and told them about these issues, and they assured me they would fix it. I recommended moving the fletching toward the nock a half inch and also using fletching that is a half inch shorter. This will keep the fletching out of the rest, which will enable the archer to draw the bow and shoot. If you happen to purchase one of these bows, and if you get one of the kits that were shipped from the factory to the United States before I reviewed the bow and contacted them about the problems, simply reach out to them and ask for assistance in getting arrows that will work.
The other accessories in the box are a bow case that has a divider in the middle to separate the bow from the accessories. There are also velcro straps to hold things in place. There is a rubber arrow puller, which is used to help remove arrows from a target that seems difficult to pull the arrows out. There is also a stand that clips onto the bottom limb enabling you to stand the bow up while retrieving arrows. This kit also comes with a mechanical release. The release seems to have been constructed with a little better quality than the release that comes with the Dragon X8 Pro package.
Many people have asked me what the main difference is between the X9 and the X8 and if it is worth the higher cost of the X9. In many respects, the bow seems about the same, but the accessories are what sets the X9 apart from the X8. The main accessory is the arrow that is a noticeable upgrade. The next question that should be in your mind is, do these accessories amount to the added price? In my opinion, not really. However, if you are an adult who plans to shoot at higher poundage, you will need the X9 over the X8 because the spine of the arrows for the X8 are intended for children shooting at low draw weights. Even with the increased price of the Dragon X9, it still is a really good deal, in my opinion. If you have more interest in this product, check the videos below. If you are thinking of buying one, you can help support my efforts by using one of the affiliate links I provide here. You can buy the Dragon X9 through Amazon using this link HERE. You can order one through their website HERE. If you are more interested in the Dragon X8, you can order it from Amazon HERE.
There are several videos in the playlist provided below. To select a different video, click on the icon on the top right of the video to see the titles of the other videos. Click on the desired video in this list to watch it.