For anyone that’s interested in the Mathews Triax, here’s a copy of the review I did along with the bow’s force draw curve and corresponding information. This is one of the truly great bows that’s available to us shooters. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments. Happy hunting and shooting!! 2018 has Mathews going compact with a 28” axle to axle offering called the Triax. This bow blends proven technologies and desirable attributes from their Halon and NoCam lines of the past two years and combines them with sound dampening refinement in a truly unique package. Before I get into anything in detail, let’s take a look at the specs: ATA LENGTH: 28” BH: 6” IBO SPEED: 343 FPS DRAW LENGTHS: 24.5 - 30.5” LETOFF: 75% OR 85% (85% for my testing) WEIGHT: 4.4 LBS CAM: CROSSCENTRIC MSRP: $1099.00 My initial impressions of the Triax for fit and finish were excellent. No blemishes and cleanly machined (as all high end bows should be and usually are). The lower damping unit isn’t as visually prominent when handling the bow as it seems to be in pics, and the lines flow more naturally than I expected. Mathews once again stresses structural rigidity by using the upper and lower bridged riser, the top hat system with extra wide limbs and pockets that look like they could jack up a truck. As has been the case for over a decade now, the risers are machined from a forging rather than an extrusion for increased strength. Drawing the bow back for the first time was the familiar feeling that I got when drawing both the Halon and Halon32. the bow builds to max poundage smoothly and somewhat quickly with draw stops providing a solid back wall without and jarring. The draw isn’t as soft as their NoCam line, but is, in my opinion, unequaled for the speed it provides. Up until the Halon series, I was never a fan of speed bows regardless of who made them, and always drifted toward comfort for a more consistent shot and less noise. Setting the bow at 70lbs with just a tied in nock prepared me to test the speed with an arrow weighing exactly 350 grains. My results are as follows: SHOT #1: 319 FPS SHOT #2: 320FPS SHOT #3: 320FPS (TRIAX AT 85% LETOFF) SHOT #4: 320FPS SHOT #5: 320FPS As the included force draw curve chart shows, the holding weight was 12 lbs. The power stroke was 20.3” and the bow stores 90.2 ft/lbs of energy at 70 lbs of draw weight at my 28” draw length. The efficiency rating I came up with was 88.3% which is great for any platform, but almost unheard of for a bow that uses an eccentrics system with the axles positioned so close to the centerline of the cams. As impressed as I was at the speed in relation to the draw, the most significant feature (in my opinion) was the noise level, or lack thereof. Mathews advertises this bow as their quietest and most vibration-free ever. I’ll touch on the lack of vibration first. For many people it’s a huge concern and a bow that has it in excess is a huge turn-off. Me personally……as long as the vibration doesn’t manifest itself as noise during the shot, I’ve never really cared one way or another. By far my favorite facet of this bow is the unbelievably low amount of noise at the shot. My initial testing was done in my low ceiling shop and I can honestly say I was blown away. I would’ve liked to have this report out a bit earlier for everyone, but with the Triax being touted as the quietest bow Mathews has ever produced, I just had to test decibel levels against the reigning quietness champion, the NoCam HTR. Sure enough, shooting each bow with identical setups verified what is being advertised that the Triax is in fact slightly quieter than the HTR. This is where research and development comes into play. Mathews states that they redesigned the damper and positioned it to more effectively cancel out vibrations along three separate axis (hence the Triax name). They accomplished what they set out to do in spades. Strictly from a specs standpoint, this bow checks all the boxes for me without compromising a single thing. I loved the quietness of the HTR and couldn’t see myself ever getting rid of it. The Halon series came along and, although not quite as quiet as the NoCam line (but still stealthy), the speed, smoothness and stability it exhibited was enough to finally make me opt towards a faster bow for hunting. Everything is great so far, but I still haven’t shot the bow at any meaningful distances. that was next on my to-do list. Over the years, Mathews has twice taught me to never judge a book by it’s cover. The first time is when they introduced the DXT. At that time, the Drenalin was, by far, my favorite bow. When I shot the DXT I didn’t want to like it as much as the Drenalin but the fact was that I was simply more accurate with it. Repeated sessions at the range shooting both bows proved it every time. The second time was when Mathews came out with the Z7 Xtreme. I saw the 28” axle to axle length and never gave it a chance. Instead I went with the Z7 Magnum. I loved the Mag and had no regrets. It wasn’t until a few years later that I spent some time with the Xtreme and was kicking myself for not giving it a fair shake earlier. Never going to happen again. Getting the Triax to the range was everything I hoped it would be. When at full draw the pin just floats on the point of impact. With a medium to high wrist position, if a bow doesn't agree with me, most of my shot deviations show up drifting left or right. With the Triax, I didn’t experience any of these variances at all. The bow simply remains stable when releasing the arrow. I shot this bow side by side with my Halon32 at saw no difference in group sizes whatsoever at distances up to 40 yards (the max I could go indoors ). A few slight adjustments to the rest had me shooting field points, Grim Reaper expandables and Montec fixed blades all to the same point of impact with my .350 spine arrows Those who know me hear me say it every year, but I’ll say it again. I really can’t see myself ever getting rid of this bow. For me, it has no down side whatsoever. It’s compact, deadly accurate like a longer bow and the quietest that I’ve ever tested. I’m so impressed with the Triax that I’m ordering a second one in black for dedicated ground blind use. I can go on and on about how good this bow is, but that is something that each individual has to decide for themselves. the best advice I can give is to go to your local dealer an shoot the Triax against the bow you have now as well as the other great choices that are out there. It really is that good.
Thanks for the review. Been trying to read up on the bow. I am in the market after this season and looking at my options.
I will never buy a Mathews brand new as I cannot personally justify the cost...however after shooting a Triax...I may have found my 2019 bow purchase LOL
My only question is do I upgrade before then to a Halon or wait? I made the dumb mistake of shooting a newer bow and can't believe the difference...newer being anything made after 2000 Sent from my SM-G930V using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
I only personally have ever bought a brand new model once, and it was a Mission LOL. My Elite 32 I'm in love with was used when purchased and even now is considered old by many despite only being like 2 years out of production if memory serves.
Yeah, I won't buy new, but I can find used Halon's for a decent price. Of course, I have shot my friend's DXT and might look for one of those and save more money. Sent from my SM-G930V using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
I'll shoot it when I get to the shop next time. I really want wanted to like the Halons, as the shot itself was outstanding. I just couldn't get past the draw cycle. Too rough for my liking.
