Bowtech Carbon Overdrive Review

Editors' review

The Bowtech Carbon Overdrive is one of Bowtech's co-flagship bows for 2014. It is light to carry with great speed for a hunting bow. This bow sports the all new carbon riser that seems to work great with the dual cams for feel and speed. Bowtech has hit the mark with this quality bow and it shoots extremely well in the hands of a hunter no matter how many hours it has been carried on foot.

Finish

The Carbon Overdrive has four color options. It is available in Black Ops, Mossy Oak Infinity, Realtree APG, and Realtree AP. So far there has been few complaints on of easily scratching or chipping with this paint, but time will tell. There are some carbon bow parts that don't hold paint well. All of the colors are flat in finish and have a good look to them.

Riser/Limbs

This bow measures 31.5" axle to axle. It has an amazing light weight of only 3.3 lbs. and it feels like a feather in your hand. The look of the carbon riser and its' curved brace pieces is unique. As always the riser has a stabilizer bushing in it that comes standard equipped.

The Carbon Overdrive has limbs that are one piece. They are fairly parallel and help to yield a forgiving shot. The limb pockets do a great job at keeping things together without any rattles. The limbs and riser combination creates a 6.5" brace height. This brace height is still in a real comfort range for many.

Grip

The grip on this bow consists of only side plates on the riser. It is somewhat square in shape, but still feels good in the hand. It has minimal torque and is comfortable. The side panels are plastic with the carbon fiber tactical look on them. It is a different look that may appeal to some, but not others.

String Suppressers

The Carbon Overdrive comes standard with a string stop. It is adjustable and integrated into the riser. The string stop does its job well with very little vibration when shooting this bow. The rubber bumper at the end of the stop plays a large role in this shock dampening.

Eccentric System

The Overdrive Binary Cam system on the Carbon Overdrive is amazing. The draw length is adjustable with rotating modules without having to swap cams or modules. It is adjustable from 25 to 30" in draw length in .5" increments. The bow has draw weight options of 50, 60, or 70 lb. max weights. It has an 80% let off at full draw. This synchronized dual cam system produces great speed. It also produces good tuning consistency. Bowtech says that it provides the three S's of a cam system; symmetry, synchronization, and stability. The IBO speed comes in at an impressive 342 fps that has seemed to be pretty true.

Draw Cycle/Shoot Ability

The draw on this bow is awesome. It feels very smooth and has a somewhat solid backwall, but nothing like the back wall of one of its' big brother's, the Insanity. It has a great feeling valley, but if one wants even more valley and let off it is possible. With the rotating modules and adjustable screw for the string stop it can be set one number lower (longer) for the string stop for huge let off feeling at the back wall. The weight seems distributed fairly evenly throughout the draw cycle. Even with its' light and balanced feel a stabilizer would probably improve it a little. The hand shock that it does have would also decrease with a stabilizer.

The FLX Guard cable guard system works well by flexing inward and absorbing the cable guard torque. This creates better tuneability, forgiveness, and accuracy. The rollers and flexible cable guard is perfect for the extreme amount of cable tension and eliminates riser torque.

Silencing Package

The Carbon Overdrive seems pleasantly quiet. The string stop works great and plays a large role in this to soften the string and deaden vibration. The new Bio-Shock extreme dampening system also helps to reduce noise and vibration with their rubber composition. There are no other silencers on the string, however, the cables do come standard with silencers on them.

Comparisons[VS]bowtech-carbon-overdrive,bowtech-rpm-360Bowtech has a couple bows that could be considered the top of their lineup. The Bowtech Carbon Overdrive along with the Bowtech RPM 360 and the Experience all have their niche. Both of these other bows are not nearly as light or compact as the Carbon Overdrive. The RPM is faster, but over a pound heavier with a .5" shorter brace height, a much stiffer draw, and a shorter valley. The Experience is a great shooter, but it is slower, heavier, and has a .5" longer brace height.

Perfect Usage

It seems that this the definition of a "hunting" bow. It is so light and easy to carry on any length of walk to a stand, stalking adventure, or mountain hunt. It has such a nice draw that it feels almost easy. The back wall and valley combination of the Carbon Overdrive make it possible to hold at full draw until the moment of truth when staying hidden from that trophy big game until it steps into that opening.

Value

For what this bow offers to a serious and mobile hunter it is a great value. It is light, smooth, comfortable, and fast. It also has top notch quality. The price isn't real low, but when looking at prices of other carbon riser bows it is more than reasonable. If one will use this bow for what it's best at they will be very happy.

Summary

The Bowtech Carbon Overdrive seems to have everything that a hunter would want. Although it has dual cams to produce great speed it still has a very smooth draw that feels great. The back wall isn't super hard, but locks in nice. It is fairly quiet at the shot and seems to be spot on with its accuracy. It has a great look with more of a basic style than some of the other carbon bows available today. This bow seems to be priced right with an MSRP of $999.