Bowtech Carbon Overdrive Review

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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.
Version: 2014 Bowtech Carbon Overdrive
Pros: Fast light and quiet e hat more could you want
Cons: Nothing
Full review:
Bow is easy to tune. Very fast and quiet. Bowtech has hit a homerun with this bow. Not to mention how light it is. Great job bowtech.I have shot and owned many of bows and this is the best I have shot so far. First day out with it shot a nice 7 point buck on public hunting land. Keep up the good work bowtech.
Version: 2014 Bowtech Carbon Overdrive
Pros: Incredibly light, straight forward tuning process, solid wall, smooth draw cycle, consistent shooter
Cons: manual did not explain the tuning process well, the bowtech video explaining it was hard to find, after finding it, it was a simple process
Full review:
I upgraded from a 60 pound Brute X with a NAP Apache rest, Truglo Microadjust sight, and G5 Meta peep to the 70 pound Carbon Overdrive. The tuning process was difficult to figure out at first as this is my first binary cam bow. However, after finding the Bowtech video that explained how to do it, I was shooting bullet holes through paper and palm sized groups at 40 yards with the RAK package that came on the bow. It is incredibly light, well built, and also made in America. If I have an issue, I can call them directly to address it. set at 64 pounds, it draws smoother than my 60 pound PSE, is quieter, considerably faster (obviously pulling more poundage, but when turned down to 61 was still very fast by comparison). I would completely recommend it to anyone wanting to shed some pounds in their setup. I’d put this bow up against anything on the market. I’m also very impressed with the Carbon Cure (Diamond version) based off of the price. It shot very well too, but in the end, I am happy I went with the Bowtech.
Version: 2014 Bowtech Carbon Overdrive
Pros: Just amazing bow overall!!! In near 30 years of bowhunting best bow ever! With prothesis in both shoulders lightness of the bow saved my bowhunting!
Cons: None.
Full review:
I shot trough calibrated chrono with 60# 29" draw 380 grain arrow 311fps. Calculated that IBO speed would be 348fps!!! No fiddle from Bowtech with speed! And bulk feel of handle is only when you hold it, not in shooting position. Thank you again Bowtech!