Athens Vista 35 Compound Bow

At a $949 launch MSRP for the 2021 base finish, rising to $1,099 for the 2022 edition, the Vista 35 sits in the semi-custom conversation rather than the budget-hunter crowd, which is exactly where a made-to-order Athens belongs. What that money buys is the longest, most forgiving bow in the Vista family - a 35-inch, 4.4-pound platform that draws smooth and linear, settles genuinely dead in the hand, and sets up entirely without a bow press thanks to the RT-X rotating cam. Its 330 fps IBO trails the shorter siblings by design, and real-world readings land where they should: 276 fps with a 480-grain hunting arrow, 295 fps with a lighter shaft on a 29-inch draw. The 2023 Rev 2 cam is the one to seek out for infinitely adjustable draw length, a firmer back wall, and 70-to-90-percent let-off, while the no-upcharge premium finishes and lifetime warranty are the kind of thing you normally pay extra to get. In my hands this is the Vista I would reach for first - the one that does everything on the 3D range, in the mountains, and in a stand, and does it steadily. It is an excellent bow for the archer who values a rock-steady hold and a flat, deliberate shot across every discipline, and who wants a semi-custom bow built to look and fit like exactly their own. Buyers who shoot mostly paper and 3D and want maximum axle length should look at the Bowtech Specialist, and those who want a shorter, more maneuverable premium hunter should look at the Elite Kure... read full review