Topic: The Best New co*pound Bows of 2022, Tested and Reviewed (Read 46 times)
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Topic: The Best New co*pound Bows of 2022, Tested and Reviewed (Read 46 times)
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If the Levitate left our testers in awe, then the V3X left testers saying, “Damn that’s a nice bow.” The V3X was the nicest-shooting bow we tested, and it was a close second for Editor’s Choice.
The V3 was one of the most popular bows of 2021, and the V3X takes all that you loved about the V3 and adds additional features. You’ll get the same cams, Integrate arrow rest mount, and cable guard on the V3. But the V3X co*es in longer axle-to-axle lengths, with the new Bridgelock sight mount and the Stay Afield System.
We tested the V3X with an Axcel Bridgelock sight and QAD Integrate arrow rest, both accessories were so streamlined it seemed like they were built into the bow. The V3X is co*patible with a portable bow press, the Stay in the Field System, that’s pretty genius. For years we’ve had to do sketchy things to make in-the-field repairs, like sticking Allen wrenches in cams. But now you can get an OEM portable bow press and change a peep or string right in the field.
You’ll notice a theme in the flagship bows: All of them were easy to tune. We didn’t have to shim cams or use a bow press on a single bow. The Mathews V3X wasn’t an exception, it was a first shot bullet hole tuning job.
The draw cycle is what we liked most about the Mathews, which requires consistent effort from the start of the draw to the end. There are no humps to pull past, no dump into the valley. To me, the smooth draw feels 5 pounds lighter than the actual draw weight. I can see this feature co*ing in handy when you need to slowly draw on a cagey old buck. Both Reilly and Robinson said the V3X was the nicest shooting bow they’ve ever shot. The V3X was tested by Stress Engineering, whose engineers found it to be the quietest bow they tested at 76.7 db. (For perspective the loudest bow they tested, Bear Refine, was 83.5 db.)
While we loved the V3X’s draw cycle, we didn’t like the grip. The V3X grip is plastic and rubber with a rounded shape that makes it co*fortable, but easy to torque and hard to consistently position your hand. There is a silver lining. We decided to remove the grip and shoot the bow on the bare riser. Groups tightened by as much as 50 percent without the grip. Aftermarket grips are also available for the Mathews bows from manufacturers like Ultraview.
At 20 yards Reilly’s worst group with the stock grip was 2 inches, but without the grip his worst group was 1.2 inches. We shot 50-yard groups without the grip, during which Robinson averaged 3.5-inch groups and Reilly averaged 2-inch groups with an impressive .75-inch group in the mix. Reilly also conducted the forgiveness test with the V3X (no grip) and it handled each phase without issue. Each arrow hit the dot regardless of torque, creep, or pulling hard into the wall.
Read Next: Extended Mathews V3X Review: “The Nicest Shooting co*pound Bow I’ve Ever Tested”
If you like smooth drawing and easy-to-shoot bows, the V3X is worth a test drive. This bow is an absolute joy to shoot in the backyard all summer and from a stand all fall.
If you love underdogs, then you’ll want to know why Reilly calls the Darton Spectra E the best bow no one is talking about. Darton has been flying under the radar for several years, and now they’ve made one of the best bows we tested.
Any archery fan should learn the name Rex Darlington, Darton’s former owner and current engineer. Because chances are that the bow you currently own (and indeed, every bow we tested this year) contains at least one part that Darlington patented. He knows a thing or two about building bows.
When designing the Spectra E, Darlington had stability in mind. He started with the 7075 T-6511 aluminum riser, which has a high strength-to-weight ratio. The wide limb stance further increases stability and Darton made the limbs parallel to help reduce vibration. The cams have a cable stop and draw stop for a rock-solid wall. The cams also have Darton’s E system which is a new take on yolks. With three points of contact instead of two, the E system evens out pressure on the axles and contributes to accuracy.
When the first shot from the Spectra E went through paper it was obvious we had an issue. There was a huge vertical tear. It turned out we were just getting contact off the rest. We adjusted the arrow rest timing and got a bullet hole.
The first thing you’ll notice when you shoot a Spectra E is its mass weight. This is a hefty co*pound. But at full draw, the weight wasn’t noticeable. Robinson recorded his best 50-yard groups with the Spectra-E, with an overall 2.5-inch average. Reilly’s 50-yard average was even tighter at 2.1 inches. At 20 yards, Reilly shot a ridiculous .3-inch group while Robinson averaged a .6-inch group. Those group sizes make it the most accurate bow we tested. Robinson noted the bow seemed to hold itself on target, and Reilly said the bow felt stable at full draw.
Those groups were sweet, and so was our shooting experience with the Spectra E. As you start the draw and overco*e the early draw weight, you’ll transition to a nice, even pull and then a slight dip into the valley. Thanks to that very generous valley, you can hold this bow at full draw for days. The double-draw stops make for a solid, defined back wall that you’ll have a hard time creeping from. The beefy riser helps tamp down any vibration so the bow sits still on the shot.
Read Next: Extended Darton Spectra E Review: The Most Underrated Flagship Bow
If you don’t care about the hottest brand names or Darton’s retro graphics (like the flame designs on the grip) and you just want a bow that’s capable of superb accuracy, give the Darton Spectra E a try.
Everyone thinks being tall is great, but there are downsides: You can’t find clothes that fit, you hit your head all the time, and all the cool bows don’t co*e in your draw length (mine’s 32.5 inches). Sure, I can shoot a 500-grain arrow at good speeds without pulling 70 pounds, but I’m telling you: It’s not easy being 6 feet 6 inches tall. I’ve shot some really bad long-draw bows with rough draw cycles and a mean thump on the shot. Those were bows that went to my draw length, yes, but they weren’t engineered to be pleasant to shoot at my draw length.
I’m done griping though, because Hoyt came through for us tall archers with the Highline. It adjusts from 29 to 34 inches of draw length with a rotating mod.
Testing the Hoyt Highline
This bow also proved easy to tune, and I settled on a ⅛-inch high nocking point and 13/16-inch center shot. (I can’t emphasize enough how relieved I am that the Highline and the other bows in this test were easy to tune. There’s nothing worse than getting a hard left tear that takes an hour to tune out.)
The Highline is everything you’d want in a hunting bow: smooth, accurate, and well-behaved. I also think that the 35-inch axle-to-axle is a good co*promise between an agile hunting bow and a co*fortable string angle. It’s easy to get the cams moving and the pull is very even after the first few inches of draw. It has a forgiving valley and solid wall. I’m used to long draw bows with a kick on release, but this bow just sits after the shot.
I felt co*fortable and stable at full draw. My arrows hit behind the pin, and I averaged 2.6-inch groups at 50 yards. The pin float was slow and predictable, so I look forward to spending time getting a stabilizer setup dialed for the Highline. This bow has two cons: I expected it to be faster, and it’s pricey.
Bear Archery is known for building a bow for everyone. From youth to flagship bows, Bear has a bow that will fit any archer, and any budget. The Refine EKO is Bear’s flagship offering for 2022, and it has some cool features. There’s a level built into the bow that’s meant to help archers level their sights. The bow also has a 15-pound draw-weight adjustment range co*pared to the typical 10-pound range. The let-off is also adjustable from 75 to 90 percent. But as useful as those features are, the Refine EKO isn’t quite on par with other top flagships in our test.
The Refine EKO shot a bullet hole on the first shot. It’s worth noting that the Refine liked an ⅛ -inch high nocking point.
When you look at the Refine EKO’s round cams, you can probably guess it’s going to be smooth, and it is. It’s a linear draw with no humps to overco*e. The valley isn’t deep, but it doesn’t feel like the string wants to jump forward, either. On the shot there’s some noticeable vibration. Stress Engineering tested the Refine EKO and it had the most vibration of the bows tested, at 28.2 m/s2. For co*parison, the Elite EnVisio had the least vibration at 11.8 m/s2, and even the second-to-last bow in the vibration ranking was still just 17.6 m/s2.
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