Editors' review
The Ross Cardiac shoots unbelievably well with a smooth draw cycle, tons of adjustability, and specifications that allow the bow to be used for multiple types of archery including hunting and target shooting. The hand shock and vibration from the Cardiac 34 is barely noticeable after the arrow is shot, and the $730 price tag makes it a little more appealing to some shooters as well. It is tough to find anything wrong with the performance of the Cardiac 34, but some more speed would make it much better.
Finish
The Tuff Tech colorfusion Realtree AP finish option looks really great on the Cardiac. Feeling the bow and the finish make shooters a little more confident that it is going to withstand a lot. Not only does the pattern feel great, but it looks great as well. The riser has some tricky cutouts, and the finish was not thin in any areas and covered the riser and limbs very well. Shooters interested in having matching accessories should have many to choose from, because this is a fairly popular pattern also. Overall, shooters should be very pleased with the finish of the bow.
Riser
The Cardiac is machined using 6061 A1 Aluminum. Although engineers designed the bow with several cutouts to eliminate extra weight while maintaining strength, the 4-pound bare bow may be a touch on the heavy side for some shooters participating in long backpack trips or hikes. For shooters just walking to a tree stand, the weight should not be an issue, but for some situations it may be nice to have a little lighter rig. The riser design is highly reflexed, which really helps with cancelling out vibration and noise while giving the bow as much speed as possible. When looking at the bow, the riser is close to the axel to axel length as well, which will help with the stability of being able to keep the pin on target while aiming. The rear mounting string stop system is not adjustable, but fits nicely against the string at rest. When the string returns after being released, the string stop system helps bring the string to a halt without it bouncing around and possibly hitting clothes or skin. It also allows any vibration to be pushed away from the shooters hand to the front of the bow into a front mounting stainless steel stabilizer bushing. The cable slide is nothing fancy, but works well with the Teflon slide to smoothly move along the rod. The added dampener on the rod helps eliminate noise and vibration as well making the bow a very quiet and shock free bow.
Grip
The grip feels really great in the shooters hand. It is a nice mix between a thin grip and a little thicker one. The thin neck of the grip helps out a lot with this and keeping the bow in proper hand placement. The grip is very repeatable as well, which will help increase accuracy. Many shooters will love the wooden side plates that add to the look of the bow. Again, the grip is comfortable, and will actually be decently warm in cold weather hunting conditions. The riser shelf just above the grip also has a broadhead guard, which is designed to keep the hand of the shooter well protected.
Limbs
Ross outfits their bows with Gordon Glass, solid limb construction bows, and the Cardiac is no exception to this rule. Limbs are available on the Cardiac in ten-pound increments with maximum weights of 50, 60, 70, and even 80 pounds. Most shooters on the market should be able to find a draw weight that works well for them in the 40 pounds of adjustment offered by Ross. The limbs are also outfitted from the factory with FLATLINE Anti-vibration limb dampeners as well to help the nearly parallel limbs eliminate even more vibration.
Eccentric System
The single cam in charge of powering the Cardiac bow to IBO speeds of 320 feet per second is very adjustable in half-inch increments between 26.5 and 30-inches with modules. The cams are set up with 80% let off as well, but can be adjusted to 65% if shooters choose to do so. The sealed ball bearing cam system is also designed for the string to be in line with the middle of the riser for each shot. This makes the Cardiac a dream to tune and initially set up.
Draw Cycle/Shootability
The Cardiac really is a fun bow to shoot and is really hunt ready right off the shelf. The bow comes with some dampeners already installed from the factory, and the combination does a great job keeping everything noise and shock free. Before drawing the bow, the Cardiac feels a bit top heavy, but when drawn and anchored, it feels perfectly balanced. What shooters will really be impressed with is the draw cycle. Like most single cams, the Cardiac is smooth drawing, but there are no noticeable humps into the transitions, and the smoothness of the draw force curve cannot really be overstated. At full draw, the back wall is solid. The single draw stop rotates around to contact the bottom limb, and it has a great feel. The valley is generous as well. While holding on target, the bow feels very balanced and after the shot, shooters will hear a thump and feel nothing. The Cardiac shoots great and really is a smooth shooter. With achievable speeds up to 320 feet per second, the Cardiac is not the fastest single cam bow, but that will be quickly overlooked by shooters who give it a test shot.
Usage Scenarios
The great part about the Cardiac is that it can potentially be used as a multipurpose rig. The specifications are great for hunting, and work for some shooters wanting to shoot a little foam. Although it may not be the exact specifications some serious target archers are searching for, some shooters will find it a little easier to spend $730 knowing the bow can be used for everything.
Summary
It cannot be overstated that the Ross Cardiac is a smooth drawing, smooth shooting piece of machinery. With the potential to be a multipurpose rig, shooters will love its versatility as well. Hard pressed to find anything wrong with the Cardiac, many feel the 320 feet per second speed is a bit on the slow side for a bow in this price range. However, after shooting the bow, many of those people are impressed with how great the draw cycle is and how cleanly the arrow release feels. Those interested in a bow that can do it all on a bit of a budget should give the Cardiac a test shot to see if it is the bow for them.
