Hoyt REDWRX Carbon RX-5 Ultra Review

Editors' review

Hoyt rated the Carbon RX-5 Ultra at 334 fps - the slowest IBO of its 2021 hunting flagships - and then it tied for the fastest bow through the chronograph at 328 fps. That gap is the whole story of this bow: a long, forgiving 34-inch hunting rig that shoots far above what its spec sheet promises. The Ultra is the long-axle, taller-brace, more-forgiving build of the 2021 REDWRX platform, sharing the all-new HBX cam, the hollow carbon-tube riser, the redesigned Limb Shox and Shock Pods, and the new In-Line accessory system with the compact standard RX-5. Where the standard bow is built short and quick for the treestand, the Ultra is built long and steady for the longer-draw shooter and the Western hunter who wants a pin that sits planted. Hoyt marketed the platform as "the G.O.A.T.," and this is the version of it for archers who pull 30 to 32 inches or simply want maximum forgiveness on a carbon chassis. It is not the lightest carbon bow Hoyt has built, and it sits at the top of the price ladder - but it draws like silk, holds like a target bow, and finishes dead in the hand.

Finish

The Carbon RX-5 Ultra ships in eleven finishes, the widest palette in Hoyt's 2021 hunting line. Three solids anchor the range - Black Out, Wilderness, and a refreshed Buckskin - alongside a camo slate aimed squarely at the open-country and timber hunter: Realtree Edge, Kuiu Verde 2.0, and Gore OptiFade in both Elevated II and Subalpine. Two Signature Series treatments round it out for buyers who follow those names: the Bone Collector series (Michael Waddell) and the Keep Hammering series (Cameron Hanes), each with custom limb graphics and colored strings. Black Out is the most timeless choice for a hunter who plans to bolt on their own accessories and wants the riser to disappear behind them, while the OptiFade and Kuiu builds target the spot-and-stalk hunter living in glass-and-stalk terrain. Hoyt's coating on the carbon riser and laminated limbs holds up well in the field, though one long-term owner did note faint rub marks where a textured layer sits under the paint on high-wear contact points. For a carbon flagship, the breadth of patterns here is unusually generous.

Riser

The riser is Hoyt Carbon Technology - a patented hollow carbon-tube design that the Ultra stretches to a 34-inch axle-to-axle, longer-riser geometry for stability. It is important to be precise about what this is and is not: it is a carbon-tube riser bonded to aluminum caps, not a 100% carbon structure. Hoyt's first fully carbon riser would not arrive until the 2022 RX-7, so the RX-5 Ultra is the late, refined expression of the carbon-tube-with-caps approach Hoyt had run for years. Carbon brings two advantages aluminum cannot: more strength for the weight, and a riser that stays warm to the touch in cold weather, so it never goes ice-cold against bare fingers on a December sit - a real benefit owners single out for late-season hunting. For 2021 the riser carries the redesigned In-Line accessory suite: an In-Line Picatinny rail (the same accessory mounting standard used on AR-platform firearms) for the sight, an Integrate dovetail that docks a compatible QAD rest tight to the back of the riser with no bolts, and an SL sidebar mount low on the riser for balance weight. A new optimized stabilizer location sits lower and farther forward, and Hoyt includes a 2.25-inch Short Stop stabilizer in that spot - its forward, low mount giving a stubby 2.25-inch bar the reach of a much longer one. Limb Shox and Shock Pods tuned for the HBX cam handle residual vibration.

Grip

The Ultra wears the REDWRX XACT grip - Hoyt's hunting grip molded for a repeatable, low-torque hand position, and not to be confused with the VitalPoint grip that arrived a year later on the RX-7. The XACT shapes a slim, direct-to-riser hold that centers hand pressure rather than loading the edge of the palm, which matters more on a long, forgiving bow where a steady, torque-free hand is what lets the 7-inch brace and 34-inch frame do their forgiveness work. Owners describe settling into the same hand position shot after shot without thinking about it. There is no left-right windage adjustment as on Hoyt's adjustable target side-plate grips, but for a hunting rig the fixed connection is the cleaner, more consistent choice, and most shooters leave it exactly as it ships. Hunters who want a different feel can swap to an aftermarket grip, since the XACT is a familiar Hoyt footprint, but few find a reason to.

Limbs

The Ultra runs Hoyt's split, past-parallel limbs seated in machined metal limb pockets - the proven interface that anchors the brand's flagship hunters and a big reason these bows tune predictably and hold tune across seasons. Past-parallel geometry points the limb tips away from each other at the shot so their forces cancel, which is part of why the Ultra finishes so quiet and dead in the hand. Draw weight spans the full hunting range across the 30-40, 40-50, 50-60, 55-65, 60-70, and 70-80-pound modules, so a smaller-framed or short-draw hunter can sit at 40 while a backcountry hunter chasing maximum kinetic energy can run the 80-pound top end. That breadth, combined with the smooth HBX draw, is why many shooters comfortably move up into the 70 and 80-pound brackets they might have shied away from on a harsher cam. The redesigned Limb Shox dampeners seat into the limbs to kill vibration, and Hoyt's limited lifetime warranty covers the limbs, pockets, and eccentrics to the original owner.

Eccentric System

The HBX cam is the headline change for 2021 and the engine that makes this long bow shoot the way it does. It is an all-new binary system - the same wheel top and bottom, tied together so the bow stays in time - replacing the cam-and-a-half design Hoyt had run for years and dropping the old yokes. One cam size now covers the entire draw range through two module options: a #2 module for 27 to 30 inches and a #3 module for 30.5 to 32 inches on the Ultra, with all draw lengths living on a single cam, which simplifies setup and resale. The Ultra carries a 334 fps IBO rating (IBO being the industry-standard chronograph figure taken at 30 inches, 70 pounds, and a 350-grain arrow) - the lowest of Hoyt's 2021 flagships on paper, yet it over-delivers in the real world: one long-term test clocked 328 fps with a 350-grain arrow and called it tied for the fastest bow of the year, while a 400-grain arrow ran 299 fps at 70 pounds and 29 inches, a 477-grain hunting shaft ran 286 fps, and a heavy 490-grain arrow ran 267 fps. Let-off is shooter-selectable between 80% and 85% (let-off being the share of peak weight your holding weight drops to at full draw) by sliding a peg on each rotating module - a tool-light change that lets a hinge or back-tension shooter pick the valley behind the wall. The back wall comes from padded cable stops rather than a limb stop, so it is firm and defined but carries the slightest cushion - owners describe it as a wall with a touch of give, not a concrete stop and not mushy. Measured shot noise landed around 99.8 decibels, mid-pack among flagships, with the new damping leaving the bow far deader in the hand than earlier carbon Hoyts.

Draw Cycle/Shootability

What shooters remember about the Ultra is the draw - across every hands-on account it draws as smooth as anything Hoyt built that year. The pull is long and linear, building weight steadily and rolling over the peak without the hard dump into the valley that marks a more aggressive cam; one reviewer ranked its draw cycle first among every hunting bow he tested that season, and a buyer cross-shopping it against the standard RX-5, the Ventum 33, and a Mathews flagship picked the Ultra specifically because its draw felt the smoothest of the group. The valley is deep and easy to hold, which is exactly what a longer-draw hunter wants when a Western buck takes its time stepping into a lane. The back wall is repeatable, with the slight cushion of the cable-stop system giving a hinge shooter a touch of room to work the release. Post-shot is where the long frame and damping pay off: the bow sits dead and very quiet, with hand shock owners call almost imperceptible for a carbon bow, and the included Short Stop stabilizer quiets what little remains. The standout, though, is the hold - at 34 inches between the axles and a 7-inch brace, the pin floats steady and planted rather than darting, the kind of stability that flatters a shaky hold at the moment of release. The trade is mass: this is not a featherweight carbon bow, and a long mountain hike will let you know the Ultra is along for the trip.

Usage Scenarios

The Carbon RX-5 Ultra is built for the longer-draw hunter and the shooter who values forgiveness over a featherweight bow, and its long 34-inch frame is the through-line. Picture a Western spot-and-stalk hunter glassing a mule deer across a canyon: the 7-inch brace and long axle-to-axle hold the pin rock-steady at the end of a winded, adrenaline-soaked stalk, and the 328 fps real-world speed flattens the arc enough to forgive a yard of misjudged range. It fits the tall archer who pulls 31 or 32 inches and has been boxed out of compact flagships - the #3 module takes the draw all the way to 32. On a freezing late-season sit the carbon riser stays warm in a bare hand while the deep, easy valley lets you hold at full draw as a deer files in. The 30 to 80-pound draw-weight span means one platform fits a smaller-framed hunter at 40 pounds or a powerlifter at 80 chasing heavy-shaft kinetic energy for elk. Its long riser and steady hold also make it a natural crossover for 3D and spot shooting on hunting off-days, where the forgiveness is pure upside. The one thing it is not built for is the ounce-obsessed backcountry minimalist counting every gram into the high country - that hunter is better served by the lighter, compact standard RX-5.

Versions

The REDWRX Carbon RX-5 Ultra is the long-axle, 34-inch member of Hoyt's 2021 carbon hunting platform, and it was sold as a single bow configuration for one model year. It launched in 2021 at roughly $1,699 MSRP - the top of the carbon-flagship ladder - and was not carried forward: for 2022 Hoyt replaced the entire RX-5 line with the Carbon RX-7 and RX-7 Ultra, the latter introducing the brand's first 100% carbon riser. Buyers spec their bow through peak draw weight (30-40, 40-50, 50-60, 55-65, 60-70, or 70-80 pounds), draw-length module (#2 for 27-30 inches, #3 for 30.5-32 inches), hand, and one of eleven finishes rather than separate package SKUs. The real cross-shop is in-house and side-by-side: the standard REDWRX Carbon RX-5 is the compact, lighter, slightly faster build of the identical platform - same HBX cam, same hollow carbon-tube riser, same 30-80-pound range, same $1,699 price - on a 30-inch axle-to-axle frame with a 6.25-inch brace, 342 fps, 4.4-pound mass, and a 25-30-inch draw range. The choice between them is simple: the Ultra for length, steadiness, and longer draws; the standard RX-5 for a quick, compact, lighter bow.

Hoyt REDWRX Carbon RX-5 Ultra vs Hoyt REDWRX Carbon RX-5, PSE EVO NXT 33

Bow	Hoyt REDWRX Carbon RX-5 Ultra	Hoyt REDWRX Carbon RX-5	PSE EVO NXT 33
Version	2021	2021	2020
Picture
Brace Height	7 "	6.25 "	7 "
AtA Length	34 "	30 "	33 "
Draw Length	27 " - 32 "	25 " - 30 "	26.5 " - 32 "
Draw Weight	30 lbs - 80 lbs	30 lbs - 80 lbs	40 lbs - 80 lbs
IBO Speed	334 fps	342 fps	314 fps - 322 fps
Weight	4.6 lbs	4.4 lbs	4.5 lbs
Let-Off	80% or 85%	80% or 85%	80% - 90%
Where to buy Best prices online	$700 to $1399.99 Compare prices	$714.99 to $1800 Compare prices	$100 to $800 Compare prices
	compare more bows

The Ultra's two natural rivals are its own compact sibling and a cross-brand long-flagship of the same era. The Hoyt REDWRX Carbon RX-5 is the same bow built short: identical HBX cam, identical hollow carbon-tube riser, the same 30-80-pound range, the same 80/85% let-off, and the same $1,699 launch MSRP, just on a 30-inch frame with a 6.25-inch brace, a 342 fps IBO, 4.4-pound mass, and a 25-30-inch draw range - the choice for a hunter who wants the carbon platform compact, quick, and a few ounces lighter. The PSE EVO NXT 33 is the cross-brand alternative for the buyer who wants a long, forgiving flagship without paying the carbon premium: a 33-inch aluminum bow that matches the Ultra's tall 7-inch brace and its 32-inch maximum draw, with a 314-322 fps IBO, a 4.5-pound mass, a 40-80-pound range, and PSE's Evolve cam offering an unusually wide 80-90% let-off, and it launched at roughly $1,099 - around $600 under the carbon Hoyt. Against the PSE, the Ultra answers with a longer 34-inch axle-to-axle, a real-world speed edge (its 328 fps chronograph clears the EVO NXT's mid-310s IBO), the binary HBX cam's linear smoothness, and a carbon riser that stays warm in the cold; the PSE EVO NXT 33 answers with aluminum value, a famously dead-in-hand and super-quiet shot, and a 90% let-off setting that holds far lighter at full draw than the Hoyt's 85% ceiling. The decision comes down to priorities: the standard RX-5 for the compact-and-light carbon buyer, the PSE EVO NXT 33 for the shooter who wants a forgiving, dead-quiet aluminum flagship - with the lightest possible hold - for several hundred less, and the RX-5 Ultra for the longer-draw hunter who wants maximum forgiveness and the warmth of carbon and will pay for it.

Summary

The Hoyt REDWRX Carbon RX-5 Ultra, launched in 2021 at roughly $1,699, is the long-axle, maximum-forgiveness build of Hoyt's 2021 carbon platform - and the bow that quietly outshot its own spec sheet. Its 334 fps IBO was the slowest of the year's flagships on paper, yet it chronographed 328 fps and tied for the fastest bow in a multi-bow test, with real hunting-arrow speeds running 267 to 299 fps depending on shaft weight. On a 34-inch frame with a 7-inch brace it draws as smoothly as anything Hoyt built that season, holds with a steadiness that flatters a shaky release, and finishes dead in the hand and quiet - and the carbon riser stays warm through a freezing sit. The honest trade-offs are weight, around 5.2 pounds loaded before you strip it back to the 4.6-pound spec, and a top-of-market price. In my time behind the platform the lasting impression is the hold: at full draw the long riser plants the pin in a way a compact bow simply cannot. An excellent bow for the longer-draw and Western open-country hunter who prizes forgiveness, a steady hold, and cold-weather carbon. Buyers who want that same carbon platform compact and lighter should look at the standard Hoyt REDWRX Carbon RX-5, while those who would trade carbon for a forgiving, dead-quiet aluminum flagship at a lower price should consider the PSE EVO NXT 33.