On behalf of Elite Archery we really appreciate you adding us into this bow review. If I can ever be of assistance to help you get a better understanding of our new technology please reach out to me. I hope you are planning on making the 2020 ATA show. I would love for you to come by the shooting lane or the booth so I can give you really great rundown on how it works. Thanks again and good job!
I've got a elite judge rated at 345 great bow nice linesshoots hard why don't the company make a bow just like the judge withal 5.5 brace height and 90 percent let off
I just left my flag ship Bowtech to an Elite VALOR! All my friends laughed until we tuned it and started shooting💪🏻 Elite makes the most shootable bow on the market hands down!
I remember my first time shooting the elite impulse 34 , the tech asked me to draw it back to set peep , when it was time to let it down I told him it was stuck ! Never seen a bow with that kind of let off still haven’t found a better bow to date
P B watch callum from inside out precision. He has perfect form, works as a bow tech all day every day and actually comes to anchor when he shoots. I think u haven’t looked very hard if you think this is the gold standard in reviews. No disrespect meant to this guy. He seems nice.
Really enjoy your unbiased reviews of everything you do! Very refreshing! Just fyi on the pse nxt bows you can remove the bulky grip and you have the traditional thin grip pse is known for. Also I switched to sevr broadheads because of your great reviews! Keep them coming!
Great video. I like how at the end you emphasize how important it is to try each one out for yourself. I am a big Mathews fan. In fact I went to buy a new bow yesterday and thought I was going to bring home a vxr when I left for the local shop. I ended up with the revolt. It just felt smoother and fit my hands like a glove.
Now you have a bow with quality strings and cables. I stopped buying Mathews bows because I got tired of shelling out money for aftermarket strings on brand new bows.Every Mathews shooter I knows has had the same problems. The strings on Bowtechs last forever and your peep will stay aligned!!!
I have a PSE STEALTH CARBON AIR and it's a badass bow and I have shot most of the ones you tested, I agree for the most part. The biggest names all did awesome on their bows this year and before 2019 I was a Hoyt/Mathews man but after I shot the EVOLVE CAM it was all over. Not to much shock and fast as hell, I'm getting 290s out of 65 pounds and 281/2 inches with a 400 grain arrow so I'm a happy Hunter.
Does the carbon riser and evolve cam feels solid? I looking for a lightweight bow, and i need an opinion from an owner ( i live in argentina so i cant try it) i want to change my halon 6 because its to much heavyweight and the valley its to short, so results me uncomfortable
@@franciscocarbini1523 oh yes it's a very solid bow. After I bought mine, and I also couldn't try, I was a little worried I might not like it but do not worry. This bow is easy to draw, smooth, fast, light weight, and my favorite in 25+ years of bowhunting.
I appreciate the line up of bows you presented so many reviews whether arrow rest or bow sights only include 2 or 3 for the comparison. Great review. thumbs up!
Me too here in aus the prices are ridiculously inflated especially on the mathews but arfter this the pse nxt seems to bee a good option considering at normal price the pse is $400 cheeper here
I had a 2019 pse carbon stealth. And ive had nothing but problems with it. Now i dunno if it was the shop i took it to but the limbs were 60 lbs limbs. I had to contact pse and the limbs were stamped wrong. They " sent " new limbs to my bow shop. When i got it back the limbs were still 60lbs even though he said it was 70 lbs limbs. Went hunting and noticed it kept dropping by 10 yards. I took it to a new bow shop and they noticed the brace height was off almost a half inch. And the ATA was also off as well. I traded it for the 31.5 VXR. I hope that one has less problems than the carbon air. But i love watching your videos! Keep up the good work !
Man, I'm sorry to hear that. But i do really appreciate it when people share their real world experiences. I can only test all of these in the shop....and I know what actually happens out in the field can be a different story. I do have many other friends who've loved that bow, but I appreciate you sharing your experience.
Hello good video and thank you for the effort. When you make video of this type is really helpful to add bookmarks in the timeline and/or in the description so it is easy to jump to each bow. Just a tip for future thanks!
Interesting how the PSE and the Bowtech with the lowest IBOs were the fastest bows. And had the smoothest cam (PSE) and largest brace height (Bowtech) at that.... Impressive!
I have a pse evo nxt 31 ibo 329. Its smooth, balanced and faster than its 329fps ibo, its sitting around the 338 mark. Awesome bow and so glad i bought it!
Gene Halteman just a note about the Mach 1. Great bow but it has a 6.5” brace as opposed to 7” on all of the other PSE flagships. I loved the 33” evo nxt. All the pse bows r shooting around 5-8 FPS over ibo this year.
Thanks John. That is encouraging to hear. I try to do that in all my tests, with broadheads too. I need to test the Primes! They are not very popular in this part of the country, but are gaining ground. I will have to track them down and do a test.
I have been a rifle hunter for years after much needling by my hunting buddy and guru. I am making the switch and jumping in with both feet. Was going to buy the Matthew's but now I went and tried the Revolt and the Kure. Love these two. Might go with the Revolt b/c of the ease of adjusting and torn rotator cuff in my shoulders. Love the review. Thank you thank you
I liked how you kept saying shooter preference because that is the game,at my own dl @ 27 it was the best review I've ever seen,very good job from a fellow dl lol
Hahahahaha and once again, pse is the only bow hitting it’s ibo! Keep it up Shepley. U r destroying the competition. The new bows shoot amazingly well. I’d say that is the biggest change to the trend that bow companies have been following for the last 30 or so years
It's what they do. Honestly, I think all the bows made a good showing this year. The stand outs to me are the Bowtech in that they seem to be hitting their design marks for what they are going for and that PSE Mach 1 is incredible if you consider its a carbon bow, that light with that brace height -- you would figure something would have to be given up in terms of draw or hand shock.
So appreciate the "let down" aspect of your reviews. Lots of great reviews/reviews out in RU-vidVerse yet so few include let down. Thanks for being an outlier in the best of ways!
What an awesome guy really really impressed with this review definitely subscribing! I've just gotten back into bows after a few years away shooting rifles and pistols. My last bow was a Xpedition Xcentric 7 and I absolutely loved it! That was at a time when they had some real speed bows coming out so I've bought another bow from around that era. It's a PSE Decree HD which has a 6.5" brace height, 35" ata, 80% let off, 342 fps, 4.2 lbs and honeslty I'm really happy as it was less than half the price of a new bow and in my eyes still a very very good bow! Thank you for the review I can't wait to start shooting some 3d competitions again and don't think I'll ever leave the sport again.
Thank you for those kind words. Nice to have you back in the archery community! Xpedition makes some great bows; I've been able to test their last two years of lineups.
I tried two of these before i bought my new bow. I replaced my PSE Stinger X.I tried the PSE Evoke 3/Evolve, Bowtech Realm and the Hoyt RX-4. I ended up going with the Hoyt Alpha Axius. I chose this bow because it felt the smoothest release and held on target well. PSE Evoke was a serious contender but i it had some vibration i didn't like.
Evan Prytula Thank you for watching Evan and for sharing this. I applaud you for texting a few bows and picking the one that’s best for you. Glad you found a winner.
Haha. That's nice of you to say. I'm also a Pastor; you can check out my church and watch my sermons as well :) Des Moines Church of Christ. Sermons are broadcast on our Facebook page.
I'm a Hoyt fan myself,honestly though the Mathews top hat system sounds kind of technical n pricey, if the supplied shims aren't enough.funny though they're both running very very close in comparison. Most EXCELLENT Review SIR !!!!
I gotta hoyt powermax I'm happy w it and I'm not gonna keep buying new bows every season because they want to keep upgrading stuff that really doesnt make that big a deal in difference my main thing is the weight and the way it feels and shoots I'm 6 2 205lbs the bow does it thing I tried alot of the rest and the hoyt stuck out most for me
@@wildman8601 I have a 2011 Hoyt rampage xt 65 lb draw with my 27 in.draw and 406 grain arrows it's hitting 276 fps.I also have the hyperforce at 70 lbs it was hitting 268,before I had the let off modules changed to 80%it's 278+that's with the 3 cam too.I'll keep these 2 for awhile happy hunting dude
Thank you for the first Bear Status review I have been able to find. Still want to find some real world review on the Prime black 3 and the xpedition mx-16 .
Mate if you track any down can you let me know? I havent been able to find any ether . think im leaning towards th pse nxt 31 tho that one seems to be a bit of a sleeper
Thank you. I really appreciate you watching and commenting. I can't add a list to the video at this point, but I can keep testing more bows. I've done that a bit more this year, but would like to test even more.
Aweome reviews, best out there. You should add the prime into your reviews would love to see how they stack up. Also if you are ever looking for a spring black bear hunt we would love to have you hunt with us here in Saskatchewan. Seem like an aweome guy. Any way keep up the good work.
Thank you Swamper 91. I appreciate the encouragement. I would like to include the Prime. Unfortunately, the nearest shop is a few hours away from me. In this particularly line up, I'm limited to the bows that are sold at this particular shop. I did get to test the Primes at the ATA this year, and spent a good chunk of time with the designer. I really liked them and would like to do a more formal test of them in the future. And I do love hunting spring bears! I've hunted in Manitoba and Alberta, but not Saskatchewan. Do you have an outfit there?
@@LuskArcheryAdventures I see I was wondering why they were not in there. I am a bowtech guy but definitely not brand loyal. I like to see how they all stack up and the ups and downs. Yes we do have an outfitting business here in Saskatchewan. My brother and I are taking over my Dads outfitting business which he ran for 30 years. We are currently offering some wicked deals on spring Bear as we are just starting. We took our first 2 groups of whitedail hunters this past fall and we were booked solid for Waterfowl. Obviously with all the craziness going and borders closed no bear hunters this spring unless it all calms down but we decided we are going to offer the same deal for next spring.
Thanks for the suggestion. I can only test what they have in this shop. They have a lot, but don't carry APA. I am not sure there are any shops around here that do.
I just purchased a 2020 bow. And went and shot all the flagships. The Hoyt won for me. But...it was the Hoyt Axius Ultra that won me out. It was less jumpy in the hand. Fully outfitted for hunting with 4, 500 grain arrows in the quiver, one in the pip. Hamiska rest, Black gold Verdict sight, tight spot quiver , 365 stabilizer weight 7.2 oz. This is what I got... and I shot them all as well. Hoyt Axius ultra 500 grain arrow 30 inch draw 7.2 lbs overall weight Average, 275 FPS 84 foot pounds kinetic energy 15 lbs held at the back wall. Out of the box the bow draw weight was 75lbs. NO CABLE TWISTING!!! Over all very good bow.
Dude 4.6 is the heaviest of the heavy target bows. My 2014 creed XS 3.8 pounds and is still the lightest smoothest drawing bow I have ever felt. I have a trx40 and it is smooth but not as smooth as the creed xs and the creed shoots 329fps with a solo cam so no timing issues to worrry about. It is the most reliable lightweight hunting bow ever made. I have had it in the woods dragging it across the ground and bushes for 3 years every single day of hunting season and I stalked walking around for 80% of it. The bow even flew off my van at 20mph to the street and cracked the trophy ridge pro react but still dead accurate and nothing else broke just a few paint chips.
My 2005 Hoyt trykon still kills deer on a single fixed pin shootin 287fps too confident with it to try anything else , I would take it to a gun fight ! If a deer I want is within 55yds it’s comin home with me
I believe what is happening with your decibel test is the loudest noise the phone is picking up is the arrow hitting the target not the bow itself. Which is why we're consistently seeing faster bows have higher noise output. Not necessarily from the bow itself but rather the impact noise. I would recommend using a foam target to get a more accurate decibel reading.
Well, I had wondered that as well, so I tested it at longer ranges; the results were the same. The foam layered target in the video is very soft so the sound of the impact was less than the sound of the shot.
Hey John I recently shot a few bows, the mathews VXR being one of them. The tech was nice enough to check the weight of the VXR. I had it set to 26" draw @ 70#. He double checked the draw weight and it was 75#. So that's probably why it felt heavier .
Nice overview/review. I wish some folks would understand that the ibo rating means nothing. I know the 27" draw is short and has a decent impact on speed. But ibo rated at 325+ and throwing a real arrow at 260fps is a pretty huge spread. I see some of these methheads saying their carbon vortex are shooting and 320+fps lol. I have three bows, none are high end like these. I have a old hoyt powertec, reflex extreme and a vortex (I couldn't help but grab it because it was new for $65 and it came with a new doghouse popup blind). The reflex was given to me by my brother. The hoyt was $200 but came with easily $200 worth of extras. The hoyt and reflex are all I need. The vortex is just sitting. I pulled it back after setting it up and it made more noise than my knees when I stand up lol.
This so cool im looking at Mathew 31.5 and 28 all the bows are good but 4 me matt is what i want. Its cool to see a man not running down or bad mouth other brands but saying they all good and little tips to go with it keep up good work Sir i truly liked this video
Thank you Julen. It's funny, other people complained that I did not pick one clear winner. Haha. Can't please everyone. I was honest with the comments I made. I'd feel confident hunting with any of these bows.
They likely go back and forth between smoothness and speed because each year they need to show that they've made some type of change, and its easier that way. Plus there is always a new group of people who want a new bow and want to see that something seems better than it was before.
When shooting several of the same bows you mentioned, I found the bowtech to sound off with a metallic thunk a the shot. The elite was very buzzy. Similar to the Synergy I own until I tweaked the string stop. The VXR was better in almost all categories but had a hard stack at the back end of the draw cycle (STILL SMOOTH THOUGH), PSE's most impressive line up by far (remove the grip Mr Lusk), the bear was right up there with the line up, Hoyt well they need to pull there head out of their rump cause they have dropped off over the years. Cost wise, hoyt and bowtech are most costly aluminum, overdrive (not a really big deal, same with elite) shimming isn't really a big deal, less moving parts to fail at some point, more isn't always better. Let's see the rest of the industry catch up. The integrate mount on rests please (All manufacturers) and weights, jeesh they are all pigs (lighten up). Over all, little things make some improvements. Good hunting!
I really enjoyed your reviews! If I may make a suggestion, it would be nice to see a power curve graph for each bow (all over laid on the same graph maybe). Thank You.
Fabbri Fabbri Yes, you’re right. I tried everything I could to edit the sound. After making this vid, I broke down and bought a really nice mic. The vids are much better now. Thanks for watching and for the feedback.
Great content, just wished the audio was a bit better. Being in the film making industry, sound is very important. I would recommend investing in a good mic. A good mic would make a HUGE difference and aren't that expensive.
Thanks for sharing that Gregg. I have looked into the cost of a good mic. Yikes! So I just got a new lapel mic and it is way way worse. Frustrating. Do you have a lapel mic that would plug into a standard Audio jack on a camera that you could recommend?
Recently found you channel and have loved your stuff. I am purchasing some Iron will Broadhead based off you vids. But I have a question about arrows. I noticed you don't have any vids on that. I also cant afford the Bishop Mammoths you have. Any suggestions on arrows for the layman. I currently have Easton FMJ 4mm, but am looking to change possibly just cause I am semi frustrated with dealing with the deep six compatibilities. Looking at the VAP TKOs. Just curious if you have any suggestions for arrow that are not 600+ per dozen. Also I might bite on the FOB, but they look ridiculous haha.
Thank you Ryan. I really appreciate the encouragement. Re the arrows, the best I have found in the normal price category is the Easton Hexx with a 75 gr brass insert. Excellent FOC and durability due to the lighter shaft. If you put use a 5-7" aluminum shaft over the end of the arrow as a footer, they are extremely durable! And I am loving the FOBs :) I especially love a hack that I just found from DIY Sportsman. He just posted a vid on RU-vid called FOB Modification or something like that. I shows a way to be able to not have the nock pop off, so you can keep a lighted nock on after a pass through. That makes it much easier to find.
A few things worth noting. The PSE grip can be taken off and then you go back to the typical PSE grip which many love. Also the PSE has the lower stabilizer hole which I think has a huge advantage. I think more people will find the tuning the easiest on the elite. It is a really smart design that would be hard to mess up. However I think the bowtech is the better how. The hoyt is a great bow but I don't think a carbon bow should weigh that much.
Thanks for sharing that Jimmy. Someone else pointed that out about the grip on the PSE. Good to know. While the Elite tunes easily, it is not nearly as easy or as incrementally small in adjustments like the Bowtech. But it is the second best of any of those bows in that department.
@@JohnLuskOutdoors I think i heard somewhere the riser bubble is for leveling the sight during setup, not shooting. So you don't have to have the hamskea levels
Good video. I think your phone was over top of your chrony window for the mathews speed test. Be interesting to see if you get the same speed with both windows unblocked since that is how a chrony is supposed to work.
Even though you cant tune with a swiss army knife the evolve cam is the best design on the major brands. It will be interesting to see how the Obession bows do with the design.
John, throughout your beautiful work you always use the bishop arrow. You say they are the best? Can you do a video on arrows and vane setups?? Your doing a beautiful job! Thanks John
Thank you Michael. I just base that on the specs themselves--straightness, materials, collar, insert, etc. It would be difficult to measure and quantify all that any better than is already done out there.
Thank you! I am doing a test of all the Xpedition bows this next week. I will have to try to track down Obsession; I don't even know a store that carries them near me.
Thanks for the content. I wish everybody would quit mentioning hand shock. All new bows are great. It doesn’t effect anything and no one is deciding on a bow purchase based on hand shock. The concept of it is marketing BS. I didn’t like the revolt x draw cycle. I’d take the sr6 over it any day. 2020 PSEs are the most underrated bows of the year. PSE will take the top spot for bow of the year.
First, thank you for watching and commenting. Hand shock does not affect the shot but it is an indication of the noise the bow makes. Shock or Vibration = Noise. So in that regard, it makes a fairly significant difference. Additionally, some people just like the feel of a bow when the shot has little or no hand shock. Since the feel of the shot matters to many people, then hand shock matters.
I had the opportunity to shoot the Vertix and a Hoyt last year. The hand shock of the Hoyt instantly turned me off. It felt like holding a tuning fork. When I go try this year to buy, I will most definitely be considering hand shock. When something is rock solid, you can seriously compare those that aren’t.
That's a really good question. The way I know, is I test it. I test it at the normal range where the target is way away from the shot. In this shop, the target in the tuning area is so soft, the sound of the impact is less than the sound of the shot.
Its kinda cool too see what speeds shorter draw archers can expect too see from the high end bows, not just the 6ft2in 30" draw archer. I always considered myself a short draw guy, but turns out im fairly average at between 28.5" & 29", depending on the inparticular bow and how many twists are in the cables and strings
That's good to hear. I didn't shoot the aluminum, but did hold it and check it out. I could only fit so many tests into the video. Thanks for sharing that.
The decibel meter readings are definitely the arrow hitting the target. All of those bows are certainly quieter than 84dB on the shot. You would need to isolate the phone from the target area to get a true reading. Otherwise a very thorough review.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I've actually tested them in the other part of the range where the target is 40 yds away and got a similar reading. But like I explained in the video, the dB reading records the sound in addition to the ambient noise in the room--which is a lot. So it's value is only for comparison and not for the actual sound of the shot like if it were in a sound chamber.
@@LuskArcheryAdventures Yes, it is extremely difficult to get an isolated reading on the sound of a bow because of the settings and how sensitive most meters are. Your efforts were valuable none the less.
That's a great question. Overall, I would choose the Revolt X. I did not include the Revolt X in this test, cause the shop had run out of them. Now if I were only hunting out west, and was looking for a backcountry bow, it would be the PSE.
the bowtech revolt brace height is 7 1/4", however there's a revolt x which has a brace height of 6 1/2" and it's 5 fps faster IBO. although it's also 3" longer axle to axle length too.
Right? It's about 10 fps per inch, but it is not a linear connection, so it is often more than that at certain draw lengths. It's why I have to shoot at 73#, just to generate a decent speed on my hunting bow.
Great info, but I have a question about all the bows. Are the bows checked for timing, and center shot before the test or are they straight out of the box? Some may have more hand shock than others because they might be just a little out of tune. I might be incorrect for thinking this way but a lot of people listen to you, and you don't want to take anything away for one brand or another. Thanks for all you do for the bow-hunting people.
Yeah, but it couldn't cause they don't carry them at this shop. But I am going to another shop a couple hours away to test all of the Xpeditions for 2020. I did that for 2019, and you can see that video here on my channel. They make great bows!
Maaan, I'm so dissapointed! I got excited when I saw "LUSK ARCHERY" in my recommended videos-I thought "I'm going to Lusk tomorrow to check that place out, it's just 20 min drive". Yeah...turns out it's not an archery shop in Lusk, Co.Dublin, Ireland.
great review, Im still conflicted between the Bowtech and PSE Mach 1. Good luck with this upcoming hunting season. Do you ever compile your ratings and equipment score into a single video/document.
Thank you Alberto. The Oneidas are really great bows for bow fishing. But for me, that's where they stay. I know Tim Wells does really well with his...but he can shoot anything really well.
Thanks for watching and for the suggestion. I would like to test them, but this shop doesn't carry them and I have no idea where a shop is that does. I am testing the Xpeditions for 2020 tomorrow.
A great unbiased video Sir, many many thanks for your post. I’ve been eyeing several new bows for a while now and will be putting a deposit down on a Bowtech BT Mag X at months end. Apparently Christmas DOES come in February. Just don’t tell my girlfriend please. Hahaha That said Sir, APA here in Canada are FANTASTIC bows, they are truly great instruments. Yet I’ve never seen you test one. Also, while mainly known for their Olympic bows, Win&Win make wonderful hunting/compound bows too. I own their SWAT and it’s a beauty. Their ‘ top shelf ‘ models will rival ANYTHING that I’ve seen here on RU-vid. Is there a reason why you don’t include them in your tests Sir? They are amongst the finest shooters on earth. Again Sir, Thank You for your great post. Cheers from Canada
Thank you for watching and commenting. It's funny you bring up APA. They just reached out to me and asked me if I would test their bows. The nearest dealer is about 800 miles from me, so they are mailing me a bow to test. Look for the vid test to come out in the next few weeks.
Lusk Archery Adventures That’s great news indeed Sir. I’ll be eagerly anticipating the arrival of your APA Test Post. A friend of mine owns one of their higher end compound hunters and it’s a thing of beauty. All the best. Peace
Solid video, is string angle not really an issue for you? I know there’s not peeps in those test bows but you never anchored and put your nose to the string? For me that a big part of the feel.
matthew richter Well the string angle doesn’t make a diff for me. I could get a good feel of the draw, the back wall, the let down, and the shot with what I did.
@@JohnLuskOutdoors the Axius is just alittle different. It's a smother draw and less hand shock. I think it was better than the rx4 and the VXR and the prime and the pse
Can you tell me if Hoyt still dry fire their bows? I have accidentally dried fired my Hoyt twice and just checked the bow over and everything was good and continued to shoot without anything changing. So I love my Hoyt and will never leave it. My middle son likes his Mathew but has had it explode twice, thank goodness he was not at full draw, it blew up while laying next to him when deer hunting. I also enjoyed my Oneida bows, from the Phantom, the X-80 Lite, and my last Oneida that I still have. Too bad they are so loud. I use to shoot 3117 arrows, which everyone claimed I was shooting Telephone Poles. LMAO
Wow, that's crazy that your son has had his bow explode twice while just laying next to him. I've heard of a lot of crazy stuff, but have never heard of that. But yes, Hoyt does test their risers under dry fires...thousands of times. But that's just the risers themselves. Usually the problems come with the cables derailing from the cams. If you checked it out and it shoots fine, then there shouldn't be a problem. Also check the limbs to make sure there are no small fractures there. Good luck!
