BigRedOak What this means is that there is a solid point when you are at full draw where the draw cycle stops. The Z7X has a solid wall and it also has what they call a narrow valley ( At least I think that is the term) where you have to keep rear pressure on the draw or you will let the string creep foward and you will be out of that narrow valley. The the bow will then try to launch the arrow whether you are ready or not. In other words it will snatch your release hand forward and let down. On my Z7X this valley is about a 1/2 inch or maybe a little less. It took me awhile to get use to it because if you get a little fatigued or just are not paying attention you are going to get a surprize. I always felt this was something positive about the bow because it wouldn't let you creep much. You can change where your arrow is going to hit quite a bit if the bow allows you to creep a lot and get away with it.
Went to the pro shop yesterday to take a peak in person. Ive got to say it is quite a bit lighter. Few noticable changes were the grip which was a different type of wood possibly some type of ultra light weight something. The dead end string stop is a little different, there is no longer a aluminum bracket holding it on the bow it's just a carbon rod that looks as if it has a set screw for adjustment. And last but not least the roller-guard bracket is also a carbon cylindrical rod, no longer a milled aluminum piece. Didnt shoot the bow but took a good overall look. Seems like they may have fallen a little short on the WOW factor for a brand new bow, but when you have something as perfect as the Z7 line there isnt much else to improve
I love my Xtreme, I am sure this Heli-M is awesome! They always are. I will wait a few years before I upgrade.
I will be ordering. If it doesn't work for me it will be a first with a Mathews product. Wish I could get me hands on one now!
Looking forward to shooting this bow to form my own opinion. It's available in my friends new local shop... one thing however, weight means nothing to me, it's been shown and proven to me over posts and my own preference that I and competitive shooters prefer a slightly heavier bow, not an anchor but there is such a thing as "too light" to me.. the difference can be made up with a heavier stabilizer so like I said, I look forward to shooting it to base my own opinion. It's gonna all be about the handle like Hoyt and BowTech and others offer, I prefer a slim handle and Mathews have always turned me off. I wasn't even a fan of the BowTech Air Raid handle.
Ok, I shot one yesterday, and a Carbon Element, and some Prime bow. Honestly, the Heli-m shot just as good as the Carbon Element but for $400 less and it is 1oz lighter. The draw is real nice, I think it is basically a Z7x but lighter, both of which I like. It was set at 64lbs and it felt like 55lbs, but I am also comparing that to my bow which is old and an Invasion that I shot a couple weeks ago(that was not good).They were asking $899, which is $50 more than the Extreme, so you might as well pay the extra money for a little bit better bow. I guess I'm going to start saving up now.
Looks like another nice bow from Mathews. The weight thing isn't really an issue for me though. A "light" bow these days is 3.5. A "heavy" bow is 4.5 or maybe 5? The bow isn't what makes it heavy or light. IMO it's accessories.
