[drenalin1418]

Personal preference

I feel that your bow has to be what makes you feel the most comfortable. The speed and adjustment will come as you get more comfortable with your bow. I shoot a Mathews Drenalin and a Mathews Conquest 4. For me these bows just felt right. Smooth draw and a soild back wall. I have shot Hoyt and PSE both, and they are great bows. I am partial to Mathews, but I have heard the new Hoyt AlphaMax is a bow you really need to shoot. If I was in the market for a new hunting bow I might just have to look at the Hoyt. But I would also say that if you could find a Drenalin out there you wouldn't be disappointed. It is the best bow in my opinion that Mathews has ever built. Good luck in your search!

 

[elk country rp]

i honestly think the performance differences are too small for me to quantify. it's a ford/ chevy thing until you shoot & fall for 1 specific bow.

 

[bkmilw]

thanks guys, from what ive shot Im partial to Matthews too and I like they're in WI (support your local economy) but I just want to here some more experienced guys opinions before I commit one way or the other.

 

[Archersteve]

I have to agree with the above comments. It really is a personal thing.

Mathews makes a great bow, but for many of us we either buy a custom grip or don't buy a Mathews. I would have to say that in my humble opinion, the Mathews grip sucks. Otherwise, there bows are top notch.

Hoyt makes a great bow, with a grip I like, don't love, but like. It is fast, generally among the fastest, and they are pretty shock free. With speed comes smoothness issues, especially on a let down, but their bows are top notch. My back up bow is a Hoyt, and I will probably buy from them again.

PSE, especially in their Mach X series, is awesome as well. The limb style requires an adapter that I don't want to buy for my bow press, and we don't have a pro shop dealer that caries the PSE locally, so I don't own one, but if they are available in your area, they are sure worth a look into them. There speed is right up there, the smoothness is somewhere near the top, and, well, check them out. As for the Grip, well it is fair, perhaps OK.

Bowtech makes a great bow, with many of their bows being smooth, fast, and almost silent. Ya, Ya, just like what the previous, and following, bows are. I am currently shooting a bow that I bought from them last year, and I love it. Still, they are not for everyone, and the grip, like PSE, was just OK. I bought a custom grip for mine.

Martin is the wild-card here. Their Pro Line bows are indeed top notch, but not as fast as the others (generally). They are great bows, with excellent smoothness, durable, and sufficient speed. There standard line is less expensive, and they are not as fast, but they are good beginner and intermediate bows. I have owned several of Martin's bows, mostly their Pro Line of bows, and I probably will again some day. Their Pro Line grips are a lot better then their standard models in my opinion.

Bear, and all of that line, was a lost bow company in my opinion, but they have come back. I would not call them a Pro Line type company, but for a good mid range bow, they are great. I have directed a couple friends to them, and they are pretty smooth, pretty fast, and generally lower in price.

There really are not a lot of bad bow companies out there right now. You would be well served to shoot as many brands, and models, as you can. Don't buy too fast, go back and test your favorites a couple of times, and pick what meets the criteria you want.

 

[eflanders]

You might want to consider the Mission line of bows as they are a division of Mathews and are a bit more reasonable while still offering a quality product. The others have spoken well in that it is a matter of opinion and feel with the more common bow makers: Bear, Mathews, Bowtech, Hoyt, PSE, Martin and others.

 

[pabuckslayer08]

I have always been a Bowtech and Hoyt guy so if I were you I would look at the Powerhawk and Superhawk from Hoyt, They are very good bows for a little less then some of the other ones, also you should consider shooting a Bowtech, maybe the SWAT, its one of the Best hunting bows ive ever shot.

 

[BruceW63]

Another Wisconsinite here - and while I agree with the notion of supporting the state economy, I'm also a "value conscious" consumer and honestly don't see a tremendous value in a gold-lettered, fancy script decal on some bow limbs.

There are so many good, even great, bows available today that I just can't see automatically plunking down the extra $$$ for a Mathews bow (which I used to do, by the way.)

Please note the use of the word "automatically".

Mathews continues to make an excellent bow. But, as everyone says, the bow you select has to be what works best for you on the day you open your wallet. There will always be a better bow, later: that's a given. The technology keeps evolving, and you keep changing too. All of the brands you mention are good companies - but don't be afraid to add Bowtech's Diamond line to the list, or the Ross. This past weekend, I got to shoot the 2009 Elites (drove up to Waupun to try them), and left with a severe case of "bow envy" just like I thought I would.

 

[xman59]

it really is pesonal pref,, everybody has a favorite usually what there shooting at the time.. some like myself have no use for mathews... and thats mostly my opinion sure theres reasons I dont like them but they are what they are... some dont like hoyt, I do.. I dont care about bowtech one way or the other.. but not likelly to buy one.. next guy will bu everyone he can get his hands on.. and might not like hoyt...

but believe it or not... most people do like martin... they make a great bow at less money... but if a person likes a little flash, they pass them and go for a more expensive bow, not thats its better.. but its what trips their trigger...

it wold be nice someday if real figures cold be aquired without any bias at all,, just to see what the true percentages of problem bows each maker had... I just received my first to elite 500's today.. I like them too!!!! now waiting on the quests!!