Editors' review
The Quest Smoke is entering a competitive market for a 32-inch hunting bow, and it actually stacks up with the competition fairly well. With an MSRP under $500, shooters one a budget will find a lot to love about the Smoke bow offered by Quest. Even shooters not on a budget will be surprised at how well the bow draws and shoots in the field. With an IBO rating of 320 feet per second, the bow could be a little quicker, but it is plenty of energy and speed for most hunting conditions. Designed with hunting in mind, the Smoke has everything needed to make a great hunting rig for new shooters, or those just looking to upgrade without breaking the bank.
Finish
Quest is introducing a new cosmetic finish to their line up of bows known as the Durafuse decorating process. The entire process leaves bows camo patterns looking more defined and is advertised to be a stronger, more durable option when compared to traditional dipping methods. Like other bows offered in the 2010 Quest lineup, the Smoke is available in the GFade TM pattern. This takes camo limbs and limb pockets and blends with a black riser leaving the middle section of the riser all black. This is really ideal for hunters for a couple of reasons. Most ground blinds work best with those inside the blind wearing black to blend in. However tree stand hunters often prefer a camo design to break up their outline a bit. The GFade option allows shooters to have the best of both worlds in a really great, unique looking offering.
Riser
The Smoke incorporates a forged aluminum riser as the stability for the bow. With a longer axel-to-axel measurement for a hunting rig, the riser also accounts for a bit more of the overall footprint as well. Longer risers often associate with a more stability and an easier hold on target as well. Just above the grip is a metal injected broad head shelf designed to add something between the shooters hand and the sharp blades of a broad head. This broad head shelf is functional, but hopefully not necessary. The Smoke is also equipped with a fully adjustable string stop system and a front mounting stabilizer bushing as well. The combination of the two really makes the vibration and noise virtually nonexistent.
Grip
The grip is side plated like other bows in the Quest lineup. It is tough for the grip to stand out, and the Smoke grip is not different. It is a fairly good mix of other style grips not being too big, but is far from small as well. The medium sized grip does make adjusting to the size easy for shooters despite what they have been previously used to as well. No matter what style shooters prefer, the Smoke grip should not be too far off.
Limbs
Quest bows are characteristically outfitted with solid limbs. The Smokes solid limb construction is available in maximum draw weights of 50, 60, and 70-pounds, and is adjustable to ten pounds below the maximum weight while still be able to maintain performance. Historically, bows have performed best when set to the upper end of the draw weight offered. Although this is still a sound practice to follow, performance will still be fine if shooters decide to back off the limbs a bit to make the draw a little more comfortable. The parallel solid limbs also come from the factory with installed Bowjax limb dampeners as well. These dampeners do a wonderful job at taking vibration and eliminating it with the rubber dampeners located on each limb.
Eccentric System
Many Quest bows feature a dual cam or twin track bow, but the Smoke features a single cam offering instead. With listed speeds up to 320 feet per second, the Smoke is not a speed bow, but supplies more than enough energy to kill big game animals. The cam is adjustable from 26-30-inches in half-inch increments. Speed studs are also used on the strings to help produce the 230 feet per second as well. The single cam option really helps with tuning. The top wheel really just serves as a place for the string, and is always in proper sync. Although string stretch and other issues can still mess with a single cams timing, overall they require little to not routine maintenance to keep them performing at high levels.
Draw Cycle/Shootability
Single cam bows are characteristically smoother drawing rigs, but tend to be a bit on the slow side for speed. The Smoke cam is smooth, but is also a bit on the slow side as well. However, many shooters are willing to look past the speed issue after feeling how truly smooth the draw cycle is. IT also features a really great back wall and the valley allows shooters to not worry about having constant backpressure. Making adjustments while at full draw are relatively easy and will not leave shooters feeling like the string is going to jerk forward. At full draw, the bow holds well on target, and it is almost effortless to float the pin. Squeezing the trigger flings the arrow down range at decent speeds, and the forgiving brace height of over seven inches is not tough to get used to. Overall, the Quest is a fantastic shooter, and more importantly easy to shoot.
Usage Scenarios
The G5 Smoke is a hunting bow. Quest bows do a nice job focusing on doing hunting very well, and the Smoke follows along quite nicely. With more specifications favorable for hunting conditions, the Smoke is sure to be a really great option. Although accuracy is not a problem with the Quest Smoke, shooters looking for a new 3D bow may have better choices to select from.
Summary
With hunting and budget in mind, the Quest Smoke is a really great bow. The smooth drawing single cam, a forgiving brace height, and a longer axel to axel measurement make the Smoke a fantastic option for a hunting rig. It is tough to find anything wrong with the Smoke other than the speed could be a little more. However, with a price tag under $500, many shooters will be more than willing to look past that. The Quest Smoke will more than likely appeal to new shooters the most, but those on a budget looking to upgrade should give the Smoke a test shot. Like many decisions in archery, only the shooter can make the final decision about how well a rig fits and performs.
