Mathews Heli-m Review

Mathews Heli-m

Average user rating

out of 7 user reviews
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Pros

  • Very lightweight
  • Comfortable grip
  • Speeds of up to 332 fps IBO
  • Virtually vibration free

Cons

  • Pricey MSRP
  • Very short valley
  • Draw cycle is a little rough

Video

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Editors' review

The flagship bow for the 2012 lineup from Mathews is one light bow, weighing in at 3.5 pounds it is the lightest bow on the market today. However, the lightweight design may be the reason for some of the shock felt from shooting this feather weight. The shock is by no means severe; it's just a little bit more noticeable than what Mathews has become known for. This is no huge change from the previous releases from Mathews; they just started shaving weight and pumped out the lighter than air Heli-M.

Limbs/Riser

The Heli-M is yet another paralleled limb bow from Mathews, built to be solid and long lasting. The limbs are the slim limb design which is still proving to be a solid limb choice by being slimmer, much lighter and while doing such being extremely strong. Along with the lightweight limbs there was the launch of the GeoGrid reflexed riser. Not all that dissimilar from the gridlock look of the Z7 and Z7 Extreme, at first glance, but upon closer inspection it is easy to see that the riser's grid pattern is a little more airspace than it is riser. The pattern puts a person in mind of a bridge and this is a good way to think of this because it is lightweight and capable of taking the torque of shooting.

Grip

Instead of using the same old monster of a walnut hand grip, Mathews trimmed this one down making a very comfortable, lightweight grip. This Rich Walnut SlimFit grip should be popular because of its thin profile, and the fact that it will eliminate some of the canting produced by the old fashion walnut clunker grip.

Finish/Color Options

The Heli-M is just like what you would expect from Mathews, excellent. The dip on the paint is flawless and the machining looks great. No major problems, especially when you take into account the grid riser. The riser is available in Lost Camo or black and the limbs come in either Lost Camo, black or tactical (which looks like carbon fiber). There is a tactical version of the Heli-M which will be black and come with the tactical limbs and black focus grip. On Mathewsinc.com the bow is available for complete customization using the visualizer, where you can change equipment colors to get a feel of what the bow can look like with different options.

Eccentric System

With the release of this bow Mathews produced the brand new Heli-M solo cam, capable of producing speeds of up to 332fps all while being quiet and virtually vibration free. The cam resembles the cam used on the Triumph but it is a little bit more aggressive. Just like other Mathews Solo cams there won't be any timing issues and you won't have to worry about keeping the cams in sync, which has always been a great selling point with Mathews. The aggressiveness of the cam leads to a bit shorter valley than previous Mathews bows have had. These cams are draw length specific from 26"-30" including half inch increments. The cam only comes in an 80% let off option but it feels a little more like 60%.

Draw Cycle

The Heli-M is a single cam Mathew's bow that draws unlike previous bows, instead of the super smooth feeling that has become synonymous with Mathews the draw cycle is somewhat harsh. There doesn't seem to be much building of pressure because the weight is there as soon as the draw begins. It stays fairly constant until you approach the valley, or in this bows case the back wall. The valley on the Heli-M is practically nonexistent; luckily the back wall is very solid, because it's what keeps you from punching yourself in the face when the bow breaks over. This bow will help to improve a shooters form, because of the lack of valley there can be no creeping because this bow will want to go and rip out of your hand.

Vibration Dampening

There are still harmonic dampeners on the Heli-M, which is a visual standard for the company. The big change is the Dead End String Stop Lite, this uses a much smaller rod and a smaller piece of compound rubber than the usual string stop as a way to shed ounces, also the string stop was moved much closer to the cam. There are a lot of people that think that the string stop can't do a good job from this point but it seems to stop the string rather well. Instead of using two string suppressors, one by the cam and one by the wheel, the Heli-M only has a string suppressor by the idler wheel. This could be the reason that the string stop has been moved down closer to the cam.

Best Usage

When this bow was put into production it seems like a hunting bow is what Mathews was thinking about. Lightweight for long treks deep into the back country, short axle to axle for tight areas, and pretty quiet. Not to mention the 332fps IBO, which is a respectable speed for any hunter.

Heli-M vs. Z7

BowMathews Heli-mMathews Z7
Version 20142011
PictureMathews Heli-mMathews Z7
Brace Height7 "7 "
AtA Length30 "30 "
Draw Length26 " - 30 "24 " - 30 "
Draw Weight40 lbs - 70 lbs40 lbs - 70 lbs
IBO Speed332 fps333 fps
Weight3.5 lbs4.0 lbs
Let-Off80% 80%
Where to buy
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When looking at these two bows side by side they look pretty similar. Big differences; the riser- the Geo Grid riser will stand out in a crowd for sure. The style of the cam has a different look and a different feel all together. The Z7 feels much smoother, more like a single cam Mathews bow. There are little differences in the equipment, the string stop is in a different location and the Z7 has two string suppressors. The things that really matter though are the feel of the bows, the Mathews Z7 is a half pound heavier but the draw cycle is much friendlier and so is the shot.

Summary

Don't let the feather weight lead you to believe that it's not a heavy hitter. Its 30" axle to axle, 7" brace height and 332 fps is enough to make many people turn their heads for a closer look. That's when they will be blown away when they pick the bow up and find out that it weighs in at 3.5lb. Not the smoothest Mathews bow ever put on the market, but it's hard to make the perfect bow. With the very low amount of mass in the shooters hand it's obvious that some vibration will be felt. However, a good stabilizer will practically eliminate this issue and it becomes fairly smooth. This is a very solid shooter that won't wear you out after carrying it through the woods all day.

User Reviews

  • 7 reviews
  • ( out of 7 reviews for all versions)
AWSOME

Version: 2013 Mathews Heli-m

Rating:

Pros: Lite fast smooth as silk hand grip just right for me,compact nice for getting thru the thick stuff.Feels good in treestand don't need to trim as much above you .

Cons: price ,you get what you pay for .Spend cheap get cheap

Full review:

DOne lots of bow hunting and comp [leages tournys].Been thru different manufactures single cam dual cam .This bow just plain feels good balanced perfect for my taste,and is damn fast.Tunes easy and holds it .Very nice to shoot easy on shoulder not a hard pull vey smooth.

A great compact and light weight hunting bow.

Version: 2012 Mathews Heli-m

Rating:

Pros: The Heli-m is one incredible bow! It points very well and is silky smooth.

Cons: I like everything about this bow.

Full review:

This is my first Mathews bow. I am truly amazed by it! All the technology in this bow is unbelievable. All vibration systems work together to eliminate any and all vibration. It is very light weight and easy to hold. I want to shoot it more every time I shoot it. It is a smooth drawing bow with a short valley and a very solid back wall. No creeping allowed. Strengthens your form and makes you a better shooter. I am very impressed with the Heli-m!!!

Great Bow.

Version: 2012 Mathews Heli-m

Rating:

Pros: Smooth draw cycle and very light weight. Hard backwall, which i prefer. Also darn quiet.

Cons: Price. Thy dont give em away.

Full review:

This is a fantastic bow. One thing I will mention is that mine made a popping noise at mid draw after a few hundred shots. While my buddy and I were trying to find the location of the noise, at full draw, i accidently dry fired the bow. My fault for sure as it damaged the cable and cracked a limb. Mathews covered everything. Not just a great bow but a great company also.

The 2012 Helium is truly "on-point" with advanced features and "tip-of-the-spear" engineering.

Version: 2012 Mathews Heli-m

Rating:

Pros: Incredibly light in the hand, compact and lethal. I knew I was going to own one after my 1st 3 shot group. The wall is short but firm and will make you stay focused. Minimal sight pin float and cancels the urge to "hurry" or rush the shot. NICE!

Cons: Mathews should still take out a bit more of the palm swell area, as I have noticed a bit of hand torque influence in my 50 and 60 yard shot groups,my fault, not theirs. Why not shape the wood grip identical to their 'Focus Grip'= perfect!

Full review:

I have had my Heli-M for several weeks now and try to shoot daily. The more I shoot it the more I like it.

Other than the short wall, (zero creep allowed!) and my own current struggle with some hand torque due to the palm swell in the OEM wood grip, I can find no faults with this bow.

I am upgrading from a 1997 Mathews Z-Max for which I have loved for many years...talk about a HUGE grip! But wood grips are WARM when its' COLD and I'll learn to deal with this one too!

Even when shooting dots @ 60y the arrow seems to 'get-there'PDQ!

I am set @ 65# and 28.5" shooting 28.75" Easton 330 Blood Lines w/100gr points.

This will be primarily a hunting bow for me but I intend to shoot some 3D matches this summer. Once upon a time I was a local and regional pro sponsored by the Xi Bow Co. I won numerous 3Ds' and killed many deer with their 'Flatliner' which was a touchy little speed demon and heavy as lead!

This new Heli-M will make all of us more confident and capable in the deer woods and on the 3D tournament trail. We really do get what we pay for and the new Mathews Heli-M is worth every penny. Go get one!

Great shooting bow with characteristics that make you a great shooter

Version: 2012 Mathews Heli-m

Rating:

Pros: Smooth draw, light weight, dead in hand, very easy to set up

Cons: A little pricey but expected from a premium bow company

Full review:

This is my first Mathews bow and am enjoying it. I just put on a ripcord and G5 XR on it and took me 12 shots to sight it in at 20yds. It was 25 degrees out otherwise I would have sited it in all the way. I enjoyed the back wall because it made me very consistent at the bow shop and liked it better than the Z7X. The string is great with no twist during draw so a peep aligner was not necessary. Overall I am very excited about shooting this bow more in the coming weeks.

As close to a perfect bow as you can get.

Version: 2012 Mathews Heli-m

Rating:

Pros: Solid back wall. Light weight. Compact. Accuracy is as above average.

Cons: Almost no valley, it feels more like 60% instead of 80% and if you have to weight for a shot at full draw you will feel it. Not as smooth as the Z7 but again it's very hard to make the perfect bow.

Full review:

I just got my bow on February 8th and found out the valley was very shallow and if you creep the bow wants to rip your arm off. Alot of people don't like that and put this bow down because of it. Well if your a target bow shooter that the most desirable trate you want for compitition as a hunting bow it will be as good as any other bow. The shallow valley forces you to hold back and it makes you to use perfect form which makes you a better shot. This bow is a tack driver one of the most accurate I have shot to date. It's not perfect but it dose come close.

Light ,smooth and fast

Version: 2012 Mathews Heli-m

Rating:

Pros: Light weight,smooth draw ,solid back wall,quite and fast shooting

Cons: there isnt anything I didnt like about this bow .

Full review:

The first thing you notice is the light weight, then you draw the bow back and relize its very smooth draw. It has a very solid back wall which some people dont like but it is easy to get used to. The bow shot very quite and did not seem as top heavy as the z7extreme. Some people say that they have felt alot of vibration in the hand but I shot about 30 arrows through the shop demo setup with just a rest and d loop and didnt feel much vibration at all especially considering the weight of it. All in all Mathews has produced a winning bow for 2012. If you order one expect to wait a while for it being a new model. I ordered mine Nov 1st and still have not recieved mine .

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