I was fortunate enough to spend a few days comparing the Mathews V3x and Phase 4 on my home range this week. I am just as impressed with the Phase 4 as I was with the V3X. Speed and Sound were very similar in both models, with a distinct advantage in measured vibration. I hope you all enjoy the video, if you have any bows or products you’d like to see reviewed/tested in the future, please leave a comment.
The draw is exactly the same, as these two bows are the same cams, mods, and ergonomics/geometry. The only real changes are the new limbs and inline stabilizer cutouts. I also have a video about the stabs, and my conclusion is, they are a really well engineered and manufactured product that answers a question that no one is asking.
There may also be some errors in my data, so take into consideration. The vibration meter I have one has one accelerometer, it was placed on the berger hole bolt holding the rest on the bows. Mathews likely had a vibe meter with multiple measuring points and took averages from that. I don’t know if I can accurately refute, or support Mathews’ claims of improvements. The measurements I did get showed an improvement in vibration for the Phase 4. I also do not know what difference in vibration a human can detect through the sense of feel. I feel like I did felt like a felt difference, could be a placebo, idk.
Phase 4: 31.965 mm/s
V3X: 44.18 mm/s
Speed: No change. There was .5 fps difference between the 2 groups and there are many variables that could cause a difference when testing with a chronograph.
Sound : I will make a retraction video for my test video for sound. I’m not entirely sure that what is seen in the videos Ive made isn’t the arrow impacting the target rather than the actual sound of the bow. The measurements I recorded had a slight favor towards the V3X, in a 1.3 dB advantage. Ive read that humans change only detect changes in the 10-decibel volume range. After working on aircraft for my entire career, mine is probably around 25 dB, when my ears are ringing.
V3X: 79.1 dB
Phase 4: 80.425 dB
Grip: Exact same
Draw: Exact same
Hold: Exact Same
Shot: Slight improvement in felt vibration for the Phase 4. I didn’t notice any improvement in balance using the new stabs.
Technology: Phase 4 has the new vibe and sound suppressing material sandwiched between each set of limbs and a new integrated stabilizer system, that is very costly. Everything else is the same as the V3X.
Conclusion. If you have a V3X like me, I personally wouldn’t buy a Phase 4. It would be cheaper to add limb dampeners between the limbs or buy an adjustable stab, like the crossover stabs on my V3X.
If you don’t have a Phase 4, it is one of the top 2 bows Ive shot this year. The Hoyt VTM 31 and Phase 4 29 are still the top of the class in my opinion. I really like the SS34 and Omnia, but the Mathews and Hoyt were just so effortless to hold on target and shoot repeatable shoots for me.
