Got the opportunity to go shoot a lot of different bows today. It was a ton of fun. I even took some notes so here is my take on what I shot. Everything except the Halon was shot at 30" DL at 60ish lbs. Halon was 28" @ 60 Mathews Halon 6- Very Balanced, weight was not an issue like I thought it might be. Good draw cycle but I didn't like the rollover. The bow always wanted to do the shimmy in my hand when it rolled over. Back wall was solid, valley is a bit short for me and kind of wanted to take off but it held nice as long as I stayed on my toes. String angle not great for me. A bit of jump and vibration on the shot but nothing crazy, decently quiet overall I liked it. Would like to shoot the 7 with the correct DL for me. Mathews No Cam HTR-Didn't shoot the HTX because of DL but since this was here so I shot it. I like this bow. Draw takes some getting used to but it holds solid and is whisper quiet, doesn't try to take off. Downsides for me are string angle and just the feel of a bow that short at full draw. For me when I hit that 32" ATA and shorter things just feel weird. Not bad just weird. This one feels like it's shooting in slow motion on the shot. Hoyt Defiant 34- worst bow I shot by far. I was so excited to shoot this and it was just awful. Bad cycle, wants to take off really bad, lots of shock on the shot, bow tries to jump out of your hand, grip is terrible. Not really sure what Hoyt was thinking here. Hoyt Deifant 30- See above but add in bad string angle G5 Rival- Very cool bow. Nice draw good rollover, nice valley and let off. Held solid and shot nice. Little bit vibration but a tune and set up would probably get it out. Biggest downside was the grip. I hate having aluminum touching my hand. Gets slick and damn cold. Would have to wrap it in gutted paracord. Elite synergy-see G5 Rival it's almost like the same guy designed them. Only thing was the G5 had a very slight advantage in the vibration department. Elite Impulse 34- I loved this one. Easy draw, let off for days. To let down it almost felt like I needed to push the string down. I held it at full draw for 3 minutes like nothing. Bow is dead on the shot and cooks pretty good for being as smooth as it is. Only slight complaint is it rolls over a little hard into the valley but the other ups more than outweigh that one down. Both elites did have the same a grip issue at the G5 but nothing a few feet of paracord couldn't handle. Going to see what Bowtech does and want to get my hands on some bear stuff but right know I believe the Impulse 34 is the bow to beat for me although a Halon 7 with the correct draw will have to be in my search as well.
Good for you - glad you were able to try so many brands!! It's always fun to play around a little. Being a lefty, I don't get those options. Keep us updated. rr
Going again to shoot bows tomorrow or Saturday. I want to shoot an Energy 35 and have found one in-stock. This dealer also has the Impulse 34 so I can really do a side by side. I love everything about the Impulse except for that big rollover into the valley. From what I'm reading the Energy has a very similar cycle but without the harsh rollover. Also want to shoot the Hoyts again. I can't believe those bows were that bad. I wonder if they could have just been that far out of tune. They did say they just got them the day before.
Great review feelings. Keep on shooting and letting us know. Wish that I had that many offerings close to home.
Got to shoot a lot again today. Offerings from Elite, Bowtech, Mathews, Hoyt and PSE. Some of these are repeats from my Original post so I won't repeat those. Energy 35- very stiff draw nice rollover. Jumped a bit and vibration. Not crazy but noticeable. Held nice, seemed quiet. Great elite back wall and valley. The energy 32 was much the same but it felt it had a slightly easier draw but the string angle wasn't great. Bowtech prodigy- super stiff. Had a really bad spot on the draw cycle. Felt like it wanted to pull my shoulder out. Let off sucked. Bow jumped on the shot. Literally had to catch it. This was in the comfort setting. Just didn't like it at all. Bowtech boss. Much like the prodigy but held nicer and didn't jump so much. But still not my cup of tea. PSE decree HD- this bow had a nice draw and solid wall. Really reminded me of my Vendetta. Which makes sense because I believe that cam system is an evolution of what's on the Vendetta. Held nice but did not feel like an 80% let off bow. Shot killed this thing. Lots of vibe and jump to it. Repeats were the Impulse 34, HTR,Halon and the Defiant 34. The guy said I needed to shoot a Nitrum 34 before making a decision but they didn't have one. So now I have shot everything except Bear. From what I have read and heard I won't be impressed but I will give them a fair go. Right know the Impulse 34 is still my favorite. Easiest draw, best holding and most dead on the shot of everything so far.
Was wondering about the new lineup. Want to shoot the mathews and bear and elite. Its going to take alot to make me unhappy with my Energy 32 though.
