Mathews Chill SDX Review

Editors' review

The Mathews Chill SDX is a high performance bow that is super-smooth with almost no effort required to reach break-over. This bow was designed specifically for the female archer, but has all the qualities that appeal to men with shorter draw lengths as well. With a 30.5 ATA, 6" brace height, and multiple peak draw weight limb sets available, this rig will please just about every archer.

Finish

This bow comes in Black and Lost Camo, and can be enhanced with the PNK graphics package.

Risers/Limb

This bow is built on a patented 23.5" Geo Gridlock riser. This design is a technological breakthrough that makes this one of the toughest yet lightest hunting bows on the market. The intricate machining process mills the aluminum block using exacting measures that make this a strong, but lightweight rig. The finishing touches on the riser help make this bow virtually invisible in the woods.The Chill SDX comes with a pair of composite split limbs in 40#, 50#, 60#, or 70# max weights. The limbs use a cap head screw instead of an e-clip to snug the tips on the floating yoke bearings against the metal bushing and not the insides of the limbs. This is supposed to help reduce friction that could interfere with the accuracy and smoothness of the draw.

Other Components

This bow generally comes as a basic bow, without many bells and whistles. The 23.5" riser, limbs, DYAD AVS dual cams, Harmonic Stabilizer, Harmonic Dampener, string grubs, and the Reverse Assist Roller Guard are pretty much the extent of the component on the basic bow.The Reverse Assist Roller Guard is a new technology that keeps the cables in positon reduces the tension on the cables, making the Chill SDX an exceptionally smooth drawing bow. Unlike the traditional roller guard the Reverse Assist Roller Guard repositions the cables on the back side of the roller, reducing the tension on the cables during the draw cycle.

Grip

The grip on this bow is a smooth composite one-piece grip perfectly placed on the slimmed grip area of the riser. This grip is comfortable for almost every archer, and helps reduce torque for a more accurate shot. Most that have shot this rig state the grip feels very well in the hand.

Eccentric System

This bow comes with the new DYAD AVS (Advanced Vectoring System) cams. These cams are perimeter weighted and designed to minimize vibration and provide excellent speeds. The patented technology used in this cam setup optimizes draw force to store energy and maximize performance. This cam system also uses what Mathews call the Inertia Disk. This Inertia Disk is positioned on the perimeter of the cam and catapults in the opposite direction when fired and counteracts the limb momentum to reduce noise. This cam system allows for 22" - 29" draw length adjustments in half-inch increments by changing out the Rock Mod draw length modules. This is a relatively simple process, but you do have to change the modules. This can be done by removing the screws and removing the module, then by inserting the proper module based on the draw length chart, and securing the screws. This is done on each cam. You do have to pay attention during this process as the modules are cam-specific. They are also stamped to help you identify the proper cam for the module. This process can be done without a bow press.At 29" draw, and 60# draw weight, this rig can throw an arrow downrange at 330 fps. The 85 percent let-off makes this rig easy to hold on target

Silencing Package

The Mathews Chill SDX has inherent silencing characteristics built into the different components that make up the basic bow. It also has the Reverse Assist Roller Guard that reduces cable pressure, which in turn reduces vibration and noise. The Chill SDX also has Mathews' patented Harmonic Stabilizer Lite and Harmonic Dampener. The Harmonic Stabilizer reduces vibration by approximately 75 percent. The Harmonic Dampener is a weight that basically floats in an "elastomer" wheel that reduces the recoil vibration. This bow also has the Dead End String Stop and string grubs to further reduce noise and vibrations.

Compared to Similar Bows

Bow	Mathews Chill SDX	Bear Rumor
Version	2016	2015
Picture
Brace Height	6 "	6.5 "
AtA Length	30.5 "	30.25 "
Draw Length	22 " - 29 "	23.5 " - 27 "
Draw Weight	30 lbs - 70 lbs	30 lbs - 60 lbs
IBO Speed	330 fps	300 fps
Weight	3.84 lbs	3.6 lbs
Let-Off	80%	75%
Where to buy Best prices online	$1000 Compare prices	$300 to $550 Compare prices
	compare more bows

The Mathews Chill SDX was introduced for the female shooter, but in reality it is sought after by many male shooters with a shorter draw. So, how does this rig stand up to another bow designed for women? Let's look at the Bear Rumor. Both have a similar ATA with the Chill SDX giving an additional 1/4", while the Rumor has .5" more brace height at 6.5." The Chill SDX offers 330 fps while the Rumor offers 300 fps. For overall mass, the Chill SDX is slightly heavier, but only by a couple of ounces. Each of these bows are solid, accurate, and easy to shoot. The Bear offered a lower weighted limb set at a 40# pair, but the max weight limb set is 60#. The lowest weighted limb set for the Mathews is 50#, and the highest weighted limb set is 70#. Each of these bows cost a little more than average; the Bear was introduced at a price of $899 while the Mathews costs $999. Both bows are very good bows and will fit well into any archery situation. This one will simply be a matter of shooting it to see if it fits your needs.

Usage Scenarios

This rig is considered perfect for any archery scenario. Although it is designed for the shooter with a shorter draw length, it has the accuracy to suit anyone on the target range all the way to the tree stand. The 30.5" ATA, combined with the 6" brace height and the 330 fps make this a flat shooter that can go anywhere.

Value

This bow has an MSRP of $999 for the bare bow package. It can be ordered Ready to Shoot, and those packages can run up to $1,500, depending on how you have this rig outfitted. This is slightly higher than average for a compound bow of this quality.

Summary

The Mathews Chill SDX was designed in 2014, but the folks at Mathews did not want to wait until the 2015 lineup came out to offer this bow to the public. It was designed with the female archer in mind, but with the specs being offered with this rig, they were eager to get it in the stores, so they began distribution in mid-2014. This bow has a 30.5" ATA, 6" brace height, 50#, 60#, and 70# max weight limb sets, and a very respectable 330 fps at 29" draw length and 60# draw weight. This rig is "smooth as butter" with barely any hump at transition to let-off. The Chill SDX immediately found its way into the hands of several well-known female shooters.