Archery Talk Forum banner

Is the new Mathews Heli-m really their most quiet bow to date?

8K views 19 replies 16 participants last post by  juspassinthru 
#1 ·
I just thought I'd share my experience I had in choosing my latest bow purchase. Hopefully it will help someone in their decision making of what bow to get. Up until now, I had shot Mathews bows for the past 10 years. Back in Dec of 2011, I purchased the Mathews Heli-m and hunted with it for the last 2 weeks of the season. While I was target practicing with my other hunting partners, who shoot the Z7 and Z7 Extreme, we all noticed that the Heli-m was, in fact, much louder than theirs. Another characteristic I was really becoming aware of was the amount of hand vibration it has when it was shot. It still had an incredible smooth draw, like all Mathews bows have, but between the hand shock and the noise when being shot, I had become very disappointed. The bow also has a large amount of "creep" when at full draw as well.

So, I took it back to the dealer to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with it, and he said everything looked great. After that visit, I called around to several other people I knew who had shot it and they confirmed my thoughts as well. That the Heli-m is actually louder than the Z7 and z7 Extreme and has a much larger amount of handshock than the other bows that Mathews has made. I know with a lighter bow, comes sacrifices in other areas, but there are other manufacturers that have taken care of that with their bows.

Don't get me wrong here. The Heli-m bow I'm sure is a fantastic bow, and will provide many hunters with many kills. I just wanted to share my experience with it so that it may help someone in choosing their next bow.

You can see by my signature what bow I ended up with. And I must say, it is the sweetest and smoothest bow I've ever shot in my life!
 
See less See more
#4 ·
I agree with your assessment. I recently completed shopping for a new bow where I shot 13 different bows from 5 different manufacturers. I wanted to try everything and would have shot even more if not for being a left-handed shooter and the limited inventory that is out there to try. When trying out the Mathews bows, I preferred the z7 Extreme over the Heli-m due to the vibration after the shock. I couldn't tell a difference in noise because I was shooting indoors in a confined space where they all sounded pretty loud. In the end I chose a Hoyt Vector 32, but if I had to choose a Mathews it would have been a z7e.
 
#12 ·
I just called the dealer I got the bow from and he said the 250's should be plenty since I'm at a 28 1/2 draw and 68 pounds. But it seems to me to be right on the boarder of needing 350's. As expensive as this bow is, I might get some 350's just to give me some piece of mind of not damaging the bow. The bad thing is, I bought a dozen of the 250's....and they ain't cheap. But I might go get some 350's just to be safe. He said he recommends people use the 350's for 29 inch and longer draws and well above 70 lbs of pull.
 
#7 ·
I guess different people have different experiences. I loved my original Z7 and will probably regret not keeping it and getting the Heli-m but I can't tell any noise difference in my two after being set up. In fact, a guy I shoot with regularly commented on how quiet it was after having shot beside me shooting my old Z7. With no stabilizer, it does have a little shock, but absolutely none with the stabilizer on it. As for creep, there's never been a Mathews made with less creep than the Heli-m. After all, it has the first draw stop. Something sounds wrong if you have any creep issues at all. I've drawn back 30+ different Heli-m's and have yet to have one with a creeping feeling except for one specific bow that had the draw stop removed. In that case, it is very spongy, but it also wasn't meant to be shot that way. I agree with the OP about having a sweet bow, though. I've shot a few Elements and they are VERY nice.
 
#11 ·
Dealers should have the new Draw Stop sleeve in stock now. Try one, it still has a solid back wall but takes away a bit of the "rat trap" effect. I own and shoot two Z7's regularly, I bought a Heli-m and find it to be just as quiet as my Z7s. I do use a fairly heavy arrow on my Heli-m and hunting Z7 so that helps with those bows. Maybe I'm just too old and hard of hearing to notice but most folks seem to agree with me.
 
#17 ·
I bought the Heli-m and was dead set on buying a Hoyt. I was so impressed with the back wall, light weight, no creep, smooth draw cycle, and how quiet it was. Maybe mine is a freak of nature but everyone tells me how quiet it is, seriously. I don't like Mathews but I love this Heli-m. I know it'll take a heck of a bow to take its place... However the Hoyt Spyder 30 looks like it probably could give it a a good run.
 
#18 ·
I feel the same way, im not a Mathews guy at all. But my HeliM was quiet and vibe free, drew and held like a dream, and was easy to shoot accurately. I did end up selling it, but I regret it. It made a great pack bow that shot well when in a blind.
 
#20 ·
Had a helim for all of 5 days. It wasnt loud by any means but not nearly as quiet as my buddys Reezen. I have a short draw length and was NOT impressed with the lack of speed. The grip didnt jive with me either. I even tried a focus grip and a Hicks pro. The balance i didnt care for either. Bow was severely top heavy. In the end, i went back to Bowtech. And I'll stay with my Invasion. Only Mathews I had that would have stood a serious chance was a 60# Monster 6.7. Had that thing not rivaled a cinder block in the weight dept, Id still have it
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top