I had read a lot of articles about the Bowtech RPM 360 and the Mathews Chill X and I wanted to judge for myself. I drove down the Springhill Outfitters near my home to shoot them both. The first bow I picked up once getting there was the Bowtech RPM 360. First impression was I was a little disappointed with the finish. The camo pattern was Mossy Oak Infinity and it was probably fine but it just did not seem as vibrant as it should. There was a few small machining blemishes. For example in the sight holes there was a piece if milled out material on the outside edge. It could have been easily removed with a toothpick but was a visual distractor. The limbs were black with lighting bolts and the RPM 360 logo. The grip was plastic but it did not take away from the over feel of the bow and we must not forget the Mathews Focus grip is a composite grip as well. On this particular bow Bowtech had completely replaced the ball bearing in the vibration dampeners on the riser. The dampener was all rubber. The cams reminded me of a skeletalized Elite K8 cam from the original Snergy, Looking at the bow I would not have thought it was a flagship bow. The draw cycle. Oh my!! The draw weight in this bow came in at 69.5. I did not believe it so I put it on a scale myself. To me this bow felt like I was pulling 50 lbs. The draw had an ever so slight hump at the start but after that it was smooth as butter. The valley was not bad and it did not want to jerk your arm out of socket like the PSE Omen on let down. If fact it was very easy to let down. At the shot there is very minimal hand shock but that could be resolved with a decent stabilizer. The bow seems to be very quiet at the shot. I say seems to be because I have no good way to measure it and things are always louder indoors. For a 360 IBO bow this thing puts some 320 IBO bows to shame in regards to draw cycle. I unfortunately had no way to measure the speeds but sure would have liked too. I would be interested on what others would have to say about this. If so the draw cycle and speed of this bow makes up for the cosmetic issues. Next I shot the Chill X. Overall the finish was very well and on par with what Mathews normally produces. The camo pattern was crisp and riser was clean of any blemishes. The bow reminded very much of the original Monster but balanced very well in the hand and seemed lighter. I liked the 35” ATA and & inch brace height. The start of the draw cycle was not as smooth as the RPM 360 but it evened out nicely about middle way. Please note that the draw length was 28 inches vice the 26.5 I shot on the RPM 360. Once in the valley the bow rivaled the Elite bows. There was very little holding weight and surprising to me the new rock mods do give the bows a very solid back wall. At the shot there was some hand shock but that could be minimized by a good stabilizer. The bow seemed quiet but the RPM won out slightly here I think. Overall it was nice shooting both bows. The RPM 360 really surprised me with its draw cycle. In the end f I had to choose between the two I would go with the Chill X. Mainly because I am looking for bow with a longer A2A and I am not as concerned about speed anymore. The bows are in two different classes I realized but the draw cycle on the 360 is awesome in my opinion. To clarify in my opinion there is not a lot of differences in the draw cycle of the RPM 360 and the Chill X but if the 360 makes the IBO it advertises that has to be accounted for. The back wall and the ability to hold the Chill X will make it an excellent hunting or 3D bow which is what it is made for. Thanks for reading and hopefully this helps someone.
