PSE Bow Madness Review

Editors' review

The standard PSE Bow Madness is one of the three bows from the Bow Madness series launched by PSE and Drury Outdoors in 2009. In terms of specifications this bow sits right in between its two brothers: Bow Madness XT and Bow Madness XL.

Riser

Due to its sleek and thin riser, the Bow Madness is a lightweight bow with the mass weight of 3.5 pounds. While some low mass weight bows tend to have problems with the overall stability the Bow Madness is different - its slightly reflexed riser is specifically designed to eliminate this problem.

Grip

The new PSE "Biomechanically Ergonomic Slim Throat" (B.E.S.T) grip is considered by the majority of shooters as thin and comfortable. They say the grip rubber side panels are positioned in such a way that the grip sits in the hands nicely. However, if you are not used to thin grips it may take some time to get used to a thinner one as noticed by some archers.

Limbs

The limb sets on this bow are highly pre-stressed to achieve high performance. When bent, they go beyond parallel angles, thus eliminating vibration and shock and reducing the noise. Shooters note that this bow feels great on releasing the arrow. They say that little to no vibration can be felt.

Eccentric system

The engine behind the Bow Madness is the PSE MC Cam system - a fast and smooth single cam eccentric system that can be adjusted easily. The draw length is adjustable in half-inch increments over a range from 25 to 30 inches without using a bow press. The short draw length adjustments (25" to 28") are made on the inner cam module, whereas the long draw lengths are adjusted on the standard cam module. Also, the cam system is designed to allow for adjusting the let off from 80% to 65%. Admittedly, the Bow Madness is very smooth across the whole draw cycle and has a solid wall once you reach full draw.

Overall quality

While the majority of comments from archers confirm this bow has exceptional characteristics, there is something minor that shooters did not like. Many hunters agree the strings on the Bow Madness could be of better quality. While this is not a major problem for some of them, others prefer to replace the standard strings with a better quality set. Those who don't like the strings say, however, that once the strings are replaced the bow is perfect.

Value for money

Many archers say this bow is a great value for money. Some of them even say it's hard to believe this bow is so good and cheap at the same time. Being in the mid-price range, this bow easily outperforms some of its more expensive competitors with similar characteristics.

Summary

To summarize, the PSE Bow Madness is a quality yet very affordable bow. While falling into the mid-price range category, this bow easily outperforms some higher priced competitor rigs. Being lightweight and stable, the Bow Madness has minimal shock and vibration due to its highly pre-loaded limbs design. With the highly efficient eccentric system, the Bow Madness has a smooth draw cycle and solid back wall.