Hey all its been awhile since I have been on but I am starting to get back into the swing of things so i figured I would share my OPINION on the six bows I shot today. I went on a little road trip and on the return swung into the local bow shop in hopes to get an idea of what bow I will be hunting with this year?? I have been putting off buying a new one for the past three(3) yrs, figure its about time?!?! I went in with an open mind, i was not bias to any certain brand of bow!! So here goes in the order I shot them......all set up with a WB and a string loop thats it... 1. Hoyt AlphaMax 32~~ Initial thought was WOW this thing is SOOOOOOO much lighter then any hoyt I have ever held in my hand and a good balance. It felt good in my hand. The draw was awesome, smooth very easy break at the valley. It did however have a spongy wall to it that allowed me to creep a good bit at full draw. The bow had a slight vibration and slght thunk sound to it, but overall I would rate this bow a solid 8 out of 10!!! I was highly impressed, in my head I was thinking these other bows better perform to be able to beat this one!! 2. G5 Quest~~ Initial thought was slightly top heavy, bad riser shelf design almost hurt to draw but the bow looked somewhat nice. It felt basically horrible in my hand. The draw was not bad but not great either if I could get past the pain it was putting on my grip hand. It did have a solid back wall that it slammed into at the valley kind of unexpecting, but no sponginess(is that even a word?) at all at full draw. The bow was a little loud with a small amount of vibration. I would rate this bow 5.5 out of 10!! 3. Bowtech Admiral~~ Initial thought was VERY well balanced! It felt like it belonged in my hand!! In my head I am thinking the Hoyt has competition!! The draw was smooth, but not AS smooth as the hoyt. It slowly rolled past the valley into the back wall, very smooth and had a solid back wall with basically no creep at full draw. This bow felt absolutely wonderful at full draw once again like it was made to fit me!! I then shot and did not even know I had let the arrow go? This bow has ZERO(0) vibration and ZERO sound at the shot I was HIGHLY impressed, it is now the top runner in my head!!! I would rate this bow a 9 out of 10!!!!! 4. Mathews Monster~~ Initial thought was I need a crane to pick this thing up, WOW talk about top heavy and whats up with this cable/buss sysyem??!! It did not feel good in my hand at all. The draw, haha well the draw was horrendous all the way through! It absolutely slammed into the back wall and I couldnt even think about creeping at all as it nearly took off at minimal movement! The shot well once again horrendous it had much vibration and a nice loud crack sound to the shot! I am now thinking maybe I shouldnt have shot this bow right after the Admiral???? I would rate this bow a 4 out of 10!!! 5. Mathews Reezen 6.5~~ Initial thought was the bow is not bad on the weight but still has a top heavy side to it that I do not like?! The draw was not smooth but it was not horrible either it was tolerable. It also slammed into the back wall through the valley but was sturdy at full draw. The vibration was definantely noticeable and it also had a SLIGHT crack sound to it?? I would rate this bow just above the G5 because of the grip but the two did feel very similiar to each other, a 6 out of 10! 6. Bowtech Airraid~~ Initial thought, what is it with this cable system?? It just looks like one more thing to have to worry about on the bow, something else to stretch/go out of tune? It did however have a good balance of weight to it though. The grip was comfortable in my hand. The draw was smooth, better then b
What bow do you currently own? I shoot a Switchback XT and have yet to find a bow that I liked better and I have owned it for 3 years now.
I am currently shooting a 10yr old Martin Jaguar. It has been a good bow to me, but I am up for a change!
I'm assuming you're wanting a smaller (ATA) bow? I'm not a short ATA fan really, but you're definitely on the right track shooting as many as you can. If you can find a Ross dealer, take a look at the Carnivore, I've been hearing good things about its draw cycle, and I was very happy with my CR334.
I have shot the Alphamax and liked it a lot, the one I shot had no vibration or loud thud but then again it is Mechdoc's bow(9 out of 10). I do like the draw cycle a little more on the Katera but the Alphamax is sweet and light. The Reezen and Monster were both sweet shooting bows, the Monster was very quiet for a speed bow and I would give them a 8 out of 10. I haven't shot the Bowtechs yet so can't comment.
yup, at the Friday night GTG before the beer started flowing several commented on how quiet the carnivore was... in fact I had never heard one shot by someone else until Ferg pulled mine back... definitely worth taking a look at... super smooth draw cycle, good speed, quietest bow i've ever heard, and dead still in your hand...
I just traded my SBXT for a Bowmadness and so far , plus it is cheaper than most of the ones you shot. Good luck and I hope you find something you like.
I think the Mathews bows you should have check out are the DXT and Drenalin. Those would be a better comparison to the Admiral IMO.
The simple fact that there are so many great bows out in the market today makes bow selection a mind numbing process. You are doing the right thing by shooting as many different bows as you can. Remember, no one can tell you which bow will be right for you. I have owned bows from pretty much every "big named" bow manufacturer out there... and I have been happy with 95% of them. I usually buy a new bow every 2 seasons... don't know why, I guess I'm just one of those guys who likes to try the "next new thing" I currently own (in my very humble opinion) one of the most overlooked and underrated bows on the market right now... its a 2009 Darton Pro 3500. This is the best fitting bow (for me) that I have ever owned and because of this fact I'm shooting better than I ever have. It has a fairly aggressive 6" brace height, but because it fits me so well it seems to shoot like a bow with a much longer brace height(very forgiving for a "speed bow") If the 6" brace height frightens you a bit... they also make the Pro 2500 which has a 7" brace height. Give them a try if you get a chance. Good luck on finding your pefect bow. Good luck on finding your perfect bow... keep shooting different ones until you find your perfect fit
My buddy just bought that admiral and got rid of his general after her shot it. He was a Mathews guy, but now he's been enlightened. It is a sweet bow. what more can you ask for, dead quiet & fast, perfect match for hunting.
Whatever bow feels best to YOU when you shoot it is the one you should buy.Don't buy one because someone else said it was good. You will shoot the best with a bow that feels like it fits you perfectly.
I feel the same way you do about the Hoyt and Bowtech. I really liked the Hoyt and thought wow, thats nice but there was something about the Bowtech Armiral that just felt better. I know the Hoyt had a little nicer draw but the shot hands down went to the Bowtech in my opinion with Zero vibration....thats why i purchased that one
I shot the General and I love it. I also shot several manufactures as well, and for me the Truth2 was a close 2nd.
