PSE Carbon Air Stealth 35 EC Review

Editors' review

The bow market in 2019 is amazing, and that is in part because manufacturers are listening to what shooters truly want and they work hard to release that to the market. The Carbon Air Stealth 35 EC is a perfect example of PSE listening to customer feedback and producing exactly what many shooters want. This rig is a longer 35-inch axle-to-axle rig with a fully hollow, one-piece carbon tube riser, which weighs an impressively light weight of only 3.5-pounds. Of course equipping the carbon riser with the beloved Evolve Cam System is going to be a well liked decision also. The cams have proven to be user friendly, easy to tune, and offer a great deal of performance and customization. As well liked as this rig is sure to be, PSE could have done a couple things differently to make the bow even more appealing to everyone. For starters, the Carbon Air Stealth 35 EC is only available in three different finishes. The finishes look great, but there are only three of them, and in 2019 that is not many choices when compared to other models having many more options. The Carbon Air Stealth 35 only has two limb options also of 60 and 70-pounds, which could be expanded to allow more shooters a chance to purchase the bow. Finally, the MSRP of $1499 is a lot of money to pay for a bare bow for just about any budget. All those considered, the Carbon Air Stealth 35 EC shoots exceptionally well, gives many shooters exactly what they asked for last year after seeing the original Carbon Air Stealth, and will make a lot of happy archers for 2019.

Finish

PSE bows have historically looked great with the available finishes and typically the end product is durable. However, PSE has always been somewhat limited with their finish options, and the Carbon Air Stealth 35 EC is no different. This bow features only three finishes for shooters to choose from, which includes Black, Mossy Oak Break-Up, and Kuiu Verde. Again, the options look great, and should withstand the torture hunting bows go through during the course of a season, but it would be nice to see more than three options and a few more designs. In a market with a great deal of high quality camo patterns, it is a bit disappointing to only have three options for a flagship model from PSE Archery.

Riser

PSE prides themselves in the carbon riser they have created, and for good reason. They have effectively designed a monocoque hollow tubed riser. PSE claims this design is stronger than carbon tubes being glued together, and a stronger riser ideally means less torque and a more repeatable system leading to the best accuracy possible. Engineers also developed an S-RAC technology, which fills the hollow riser with a dampening material, and also adds mass to the overall bow. The end result is a streamlined riser design, warm to the touch riser no matter the weather conditions, with an extremely strong riser with minimal torque in a package that tips the scales at only 3.5-pounds. Shooters have come to love carbon risers, especially those using them for hunting cold sits in a treestand during the late season. For those wanting a carbon risered, longer axle-to-axle bow, there may not be a better offering available. Aside from all the wonderful characteristics of a carbon riser, PSE worked in some other key concepts to help give shooters the best experience possible. For starters, the carbon riser helps achieve the 35-inch axle-to-axle measurement. This longer frame is ideal for those wanting a longer. arguably more stable platform for hunting. 35-inches is longer than most hunting bows, but is still fairly maneuverable in treestands and blinds without being so massive it starts to get in the way. The Carbon Air Stealth 35 EC also features a 6 3/4-inch brace height and combined with the longer frame makes for a forgiving hunting bow! The strong stop system is adjustable and comes with a dampener to keep things as quiet and vibration free as possible. The cable containment system is a brand new precision Flex Rod System connected to the riser with titanium hardware. The rod flexes as the bow is drawn, and has a roller guard facing left to right when looking at it from behind the bow. This helps keep the smooth feeling as the string is drawn and the rod flexes inward.

Grip

If you have done any other research on the Carbon Air Stealth 35, chances are the grip has been mentioned. The new carbon riser design eliminates the bridge, and the monocoque design is basically cut out free. This means a skinny handle is harder to create because it could compromise the exceptional strength carbon is known for. The back of the grip is the exact same size and shape of the rest of the flagship series for 2019, which most people have no problem with. However, on the carbon riser, the grip is thicker front to back, and some shooter hate on the feeling of the grip saying it feels blocky like a 2x4. To be fair, the front of the grip should only have fingers touching it anyways. The thickness is noticeable, but more than likely it is not worth the extreme negative feedback some shooters have given it. In terms of the grip itself, it is flat meeting the hand, warm to the touch in the coldest of weather because it is made of carbon, and has the PSE initials branded on the side. For those able to get past the slight thickness increase, the grip feels great resting in the shooter's hand, and will be repeatable for hunters to improve accuracy.

Limbs

The limbs on the 2019 PSE Carbon Air Stealth 35 continues with the X-Force, highly prestressed split limb design from so long ago. PSE bows have always had a distinct looking profile thanks to the limb design, and this bow is no different than those that came before it in terms of aggressive styling. The limbs are only offered in two maximum draw weight configurations, which is kind of a bummer for those not able to pull the 50-pounds minimum. For everyone else, shooters can choose between 60 or 70-pound limb configurations.The limb pockets are pretty slick as well with the Wedge Lock pockets. This design gives some additional contact points between the limbs and riser to secure everything as tightly as possible. When everything is fastened down as tight as the Wedge Lock Pockets allow, shooters can have absolute confidence their rig is going to perform the exact same way every single time it is fired. That type of confidence is ideal for those in the hunting woods.

Eccentric System

PSE mated the brand new carbon riser with the beloved Evolve Cam system, which is very well accepted by PSE lovers. This cam has gotten the nod on a ton of rigs since its release, and its performance, adjustability, and amazingly smooth draw cycle are the reasons why. On the Carbon Air Stealth 35 EC, the Evolve Cam ranges from 26-31.5-inches with half-inch increments available on the rotating module. Just about any shooter interested in a high end bow fits that 5.5-inch draw length range. The cams also have two separate modules for let-off ranging from the low lot-off module of 65-75% and 80-90% to fine tune the holding weight and valley feel. The speed rating is a bit slower than many of the other bows with the Evolve Cam. However, the longer brace height of 6 3/4 - inches in addition to the 35-inch axle-to-axle measurement slows arrow speeds down just a little when compared to more compact rigs. The Evolve Cam is solid engineering with a great deal of emphasis placed on the user experience. Every adjustment on the cam system is simple to do, clearly labeled, and does not require a bow press. The draw stops are moveable as well, and shooters have an option for 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, or 90% with about 8 feet per second of performance from the lowest to highest let-off setting. The cam has a two track system, which is used to help keep the cam from shifting side to side, or what is called cam lean. The multiple tracks keeps equal weight on both sides of the string, which means it will not lean to one side because of tension as the bow is drawn to full draw. In addition to this, nock travel is more ideal improving arrow flight. This design is also less likely to be influenced by environmental factors such as temperature changes. So not only is the cam system designed for shooter comfort, it also has a lot of great features for performing in the environments shooters need them to be at their best.

Draw Cycle/Shootability

The Evolve Cams are popular because of the shooting experience they provide for buyers. A well engineered cam system does not mean much if it does not give shooters a pleasurable experience, and the Evolve cams do just that. Shooters reach peak draw weight pretty quickly, within about 13-inches from the start of the draw cycle at 30-inches. From there, shooters have about 7-inches of peak weight before rolling over to the let-off where it gradually subtracts weight until the solid back wall. On target, the bow does not feel as light as it is, and actually aims really well for only being 3.5-pounds. After the shot, the bow has a little vibration left over, but not bad at all. As mentioned earlier, the grip is a bit thicker than other PSE models, and it will be noticeable at first. After spending some time with the bow, the grip's thickness becomes a total non-issue. In hunting situations, the carbon riser is amazing for its warmth, and anyone walking a long distance to seek game will appreciate the lightweight, stable 35-inches. The cams are ideal for hunting situations as well, and fine tuning shooters need to do with the feel of the back wall and holding weight are easily done. To be able to have the exact feel on the back end of the bow based on preference is truly amazing.

Usage Scenarios

The Carbon Air Stealth 35 EC is designed for hunters wanting a bit longer axle-to-axle measurement and a carbon riser. The carbon riser is amazing for hunting situations, and the performance of the Evolve Cams paired with it is pretty good too. With the extra stability in overall length, this thing will make for a pretty slick 3D bow for those who like to keep their skills sharp in the off season, but there are more than likely better choices in the PSE lineup for those wanting to make a living winning tournaments.

Carbon Air Stealth 35 vs. Carbon Air Stealth

Both of these bows are top notch, high quality compound bows. The deciding factor between one over the other is going to be the axle-to-axle measurement. Shooters wanting a longer 35-inch will go with the Carbon Air Stealth 35. Those wanting a more compact model will be happy with the original PSE Carbon Air Stealth. To be honest, there is no clear cut winner, it all boils down to what shooters truly want for their personal style of shooting.

Summary

Shooters begging PSE to release a longer version of the Carbon Air Stealth from last year are going to be stoked with the 35 EC model for 2019. It is an amazing platform for those wanting longer framed carbon hunting bow with acceptable performance. It would be great for PSE to have more than two limb configurations available, and three finishes on a flagship caliber model in 2019 is not enough choices. The $1499 price tag is expensive, but when compared to other all carbon risers, the Carbon Air Stealth 35 EC is comparable. The lightweight monoque riser with the Evolve Cam System is a dream to shoot, and will make a lot of shooters really happy.