Martin Krypton Review

Editors' review

The Martin Krypton is designed for the beginner. It is a completely new design from older bows by Martin and offers plenty of adjustability range. It has a bridged riser, split limbs, and can be ordered as single cam or twin cam. This bow is light-weight and will fit the younger shooters and women shooters well. This is a very nice bow and is very well priced, and should not be overlooked.

Finish

This bow only comes in Black Carbon, Mossy Oak Breakup, and Chameleon.

Risers/Limb

This rig has a bridged riser, giving it a unique look and added support. The bridged design allows more mass to be milled off while not sacrificing any strength or durability of the riser itself. The riser is capped with a pair of machined aluminum pockets. The split limbs are secured solidly in the pockets of the Krypton and help reduce vibration. The limbs come in 50# and 70# peak draw weights. Also, by using the limb bolts, the draw weight can be adjusted between 10# and 15#.

Other Components

This bow can be purchased as a kit. The specific kit will depend on the dealer where purchased, but usually will consist of a Copper John Rut Wrecker sight, Trophy Ridge Whisker Biscuit rest, Round-A-Bout stabilizer, a five-arrow quiver, loop, sling, and a peep. The kit adds about $125 to the price of the bow.

Eccentric System

The Krypton comes with either a single cam or a twin cam. Although you don't see the twin cam in the catalog, it is available for order. The single cam shoots at approximately 310 fps, while the twin cam is only slightly faster at 315 fps. Which one purchase is all dependent on whether the purchaser wants to deal with timing issues when tuning this bow only to have the additional 5 fps. The twin cam is easier to adjust cam lean and provide a nicer shot, where the single cam has very limited adjustability to cam lean. The cam(s) provides draw stops with a solid back wall when adjusted. This rig is adjustable from 17" - 30" draw length. This is done with a rotating module. Simply loosen, set to correct position, and then tighten. Although you can make this adjustment without a bow press, the string touches the module. The recommended way to do this adjustment is to pull on the cable to force the cam to turn slightly, removing the string off the module. Make the adjustment, and then release the cable. You may need someone to assist with this process.

Grip

The grip is a one-piece composite grip molded to fit perfectly into the milled recess on the riser. This grip is comfortable and designed to promote a neutral wrist position for improved accuracy when shooting.

Shootability

For a beginner's bow, this is a well-built rig and is destined to be fairly popular. It is one of the smoothest, most forgiving, and accurate rigs on the market at this price point. It does have a little vibration, but is a well-balanced bow. The draw starts moderately and builds to let-off. There is a slight hump before transitioning to let-off of 80 percent. Once let-off is reached, the bow is easy to hold on target until the shooter is ready to let it fly.

Silencing Package

The basic bow does have some vibration and slight noise, but that could be from the light weight. At 3.2 pounds, there just isn't enough mass to absorb all the vibration. But, all things considered, it is a pretty quiet bow. If the kit is purchased, the stabilizer will reduce a good bit of any vibrations, but the addition of additional silencing gear will reduce vibration and noise even further, making this a very respectable rig.

Compared to Similar Bows

Bow	Martin Krypton	Hoyt Ignite
Version	2015	2016
Picture
Brace Height	7 "	8 "
AtA Length	31 "	28 "
Draw Length	17 " - 30 "	19 " - 30 "
Draw Weight	40 lbs - 70 lbs	15 lbs - 70 lbs
IBO Speed	315 fps	300 fps
Weight	3.2 lbs	3.6 lbs
Let-Off	80%	75%
Where to buy Best prices online	Not available now. Please check later.	$355 to $725 Compare prices
	compare more bows

The Martin Krypton is very similar to the Hoyt Ignite. The Krypton is a little longer, and has a shorter brace height. The Krypton has two inches more draw length adjustment, but the Ignite has more draw weight adjustability. The Krypton is a slightly smoother drawing bow, and with the inclusion of silencing equipment, can have vibration reduced to almost nil. Both of these bows list for right at $300 and have similar component packages that can be purchased and added. These two beginner bows are very good, and those that have shot both have been pleased. This one really comes down to shooting it before the purchase to see how it feels to you as an individual. The Krypton is said to be one of the nicest shooting bows for a beginner, even at twice the price.

Usage Scenarios

This rig is considered a beginner bow, it can be found in all aspects of archery from simple target shooting to competition shooting. With a 313 fps, this bow is smooth, forgiving, and ready to go. It also comes in at only 3.2 pounds, making it very easy to carry around the 3D range or your favorite hunting locale.

Value

The Martin Krypton is new to the 2015 lineup and has a price point of $299. Or, it can be ordered as part of a kit for an additional $125. The bow offers the shooter decent speed, is accurate, and has plenty of adjustability. For a beginner, this is certainly a bow to consider. It shoots as well as bows that cost twice as much.

Summary

The Martin Krypton is new in 2015 and is marketed as a beginner bow. With a 31" ATA, 7" brace height, 17" - 30" draw length, and 40# - 70# draw weight range, this rig offers a lot to the new archer. Although this rig has a 315 fps IBO, the bow will be hard pressed to reach that, but does have a very respectable speed. One shooter was set up at 28" and 60# and was getting 255 fps from an average hunting arrow. This bow will not keep up with the $1000 rigs, but as a price point bow it is definitely worth looking at.