Mathews V3X 33 Review

Editors' review

If the V3X 29 is the compact, quick-handling half of Mathews' 2022 platform, the V3X 33 is the one that just sits still and lets you aim. Built on the same extended bridged riser stretched to 33 inches axle-to-axle, with a half-inch more brace height than its shorter sibling, it trades a few feet per second for the kind of dead-steady, forgiving hold that longer bows are built to deliver. The payoff is forgiveness: a long-riser aim you can lean into, a rock-solid cable-stop wall, and a shot so quiet it won a decibel-meter sound test outright. What makes it a genuinely new bow rather than a longer V3 is the integrated accessory system that defines the 2022 line - the Bridge-Lock riser that swallows a dovetail sight through its center, the LowPro quiver that tucks in tighter than anything before it, and the Stay Afield System that turns a broken string in the backcountry into a field repair. It is aimed at the accuracy-minded hunter - the one who also shoots a little 3D - who wants maximum steadiness and silence and is willing to carry a longer bow to get them.

Finish

The V3X 33 offers the same eight standard finishes as the rest of the line, plus full custom options. Two solid colors - Black and the new-for-2022 Granite - sit alongside six camo patterns: First Lite Specter, Under Armour Forest All-Season, Realtree Edge, Green Ambush, GORE OPTIFADE Subalpine, and GORE OPTIFADE Elevated II. The long riser makes the solid colors especially striking, and it is easy to see why so many owners of this model reach for a solid Black or the muted Granite to show off the lines. Camo shoppers get patterns spanning open western country and eastern timber, so the finish can be matched to the terrain you actually hunt. Mathews' Bow Builder program extends the personalization to riser and limb colors and accents. Anodizing quality is consistent across the V3X generation and wears well over seasons of hard use. It is a generous finish menu for a flagship, with more solid-color latitude than most rivals provide.

Riser

The extended bridged riser is the reason the V3X 33 exists. Mathews machined it so long that on this 33-inch bow the riser measures essentially the full axle-to-axle length itself - and because accuracy tracks with riser length, that is where the bow's dead-steady hold comes from. The heavily bridged structure places mass to plant the sight picture, and pushing the string further from the grip's pivot point means small hand movements manipulate the bow less at the shot. The headline change for 2022 lives in the riser: the Bridge-Lock system accepts a dovetail sight straight through a machined channel, locked with a single set screw, eliminating the external mounting bracket and pulling that weight onto the centerline for cleaner balance and less vibration. Mathews partnered with Axcel on a matching sight, and Axcel, Spot Hogg, and HHA dovetails drop in, with a conventional side-mount hole still present for other brands. An angled roller cable guard keeps the strings clear through the draw, and the integrated dovetail rest mount indexes a compatible rest with one repeatable connection. Setting one up, I found the long riser does most of the aiming work for you - the pin simply wanders less. This is a riser engineered to hold, and it does.

Grip

The V3X 33 carries Mathews' slim, rubberized textured grip, a narrow panel seated centered in the riser to promote a consistent, low-torque hand. It is warm to the touch in cold weather and pairs naturally with this bow's steady-hold personality - a torque-free hand plus a long riser is a recipe for a still pin. The narrow profile suits medium and smaller hands and rewards a relaxed grip, so a shooter coming off a bulky rubber grip should spend a session letting the bow sit in the hand rather than steering it, because a slim Mathews grip is honest and will show you a bad hold. The centered placement makes finding the same reference easy shot to shot. Grip feel is personal - some owners love this panel while others swap it - and Mathews' side plates and third-party grips fit the platform for anyone who wants more fill or a different texture. For most hunters the factory grip needs nothing.

Limbs

The V3X 33 runs Mathews' beyond-parallel limbs - solid, non-split limbs that rest well past parallel and curl inward at full draw, canceling recoil before it reaches your hand and doing much of the work behind how dead this bow feels after the shot. Peak draw weight is offered in 60, 65, 70, and 75-pound options, and Mathews sets poundage through the cam module rather than by backing off limb bolts, keeping the limbs in their efficient range at full draw. That is part of why the heavier, longer-limbed 33 still posts respectable speeds despite its higher brace height. Reworking the limb geometry for the longer riser did not widen the bow's stance, so it stays trim on the shelf and against the pack. The beyond-parallel design traces back through the Triax, VXR, and V3, so its long-term reliability is well established rather than a question mark. It is a mature limb system with nothing left to prove and a proven partner for the extended riser.

Eccentric System

The V3X 33 uses the Crosscentric cam with Switchweight technology, lightly redesigned for 2022 but running the same module logic as the V3. One module sets draw length, let-off, and peak weight together, so reconfiguring fit or poundage is a module swap rather than a re-limb. Let-off is offered at 80% or 85%, with 85% modules stocked as standard for maximum holding relief on a bow you may hold at full draw waiting on a shot. The IBO rating (the industry chronograph standard at a fixed 30-inch, 70-pound, 350-grain setup) is 336 fps, a touch under the shorter V3X 29's 340 because of the extra half-inch of brace height and the longer chassis. That rating carries into the field: on the chronograph the V3X 33 delivered 301 fps with a 400-grain arrow at a real 29-inch draw and 70 pounds, plenty of speed for a bow whose job is forgiveness rather than raw velocity. Draw-length changes still run through Mathews' top-hat system on the axle rather than a tool-free module rotation, so a draw change is a dealer job, and the cam's new timing indents tie into the Stay Afield servicing system. For a hunter who wants a forgiving hold without giving up real hunting speed, this cam is a well-judged balance.

Draw Cycle/Shootability

Drawing the V3X 33 is where its length pays off. The Crosscentric cam pulls firm off the front but rolls over more gently than the shorter V3X 29 does - the added axle-to-axle length and half-inch of brace height smooth the transition, so the cam weighs up early and then eases back into the valley without the abrupt turnover the compact bow has. It ends against a rock-hard cable-stop wall that feels every bit as solid as a limb stop, so pull-through shooters who like to lean into a wall and break the shot will feel right at home. Then comes the part that wins it awards: at around 94 decibels this bow took a professional decibel-meter sound test outright, a couple decibels under bows that normally read higher, and the beyond-parallel limbs plus the harmonic damper leave the riser stone dead the instant the arrow is gone. Combined with the long-riser hold, the V3X 33 is a bow you can settle on target, break cleanly, and barely hear. The one honest quirk is balance: that long riser gives the bow a slightly top-heavy feel, which a rear stabilizer or a little low riser weight settles quickly, and the tucked-in LowPro quiver actually helps bring the mass back toward center. In my experience it is the kind of bow that quietly makes you a steadier shot without asking you to work for it.

Usage Scenarios

The V3X 33 is the accuracy hunter's V3X. Picture a whitetail hunter perched in an open hardwood setup with a 40-yard shooting lane - the long riser floats the pin, the shot arrives before the deer can react, and the tucked-in LowPro quiver kept everything snag-free on the climb in. It shines for the western hunter glassing across a canyon and settling in for a steady, longer poke, where the forgiving hold and the 336 IBO speed flatten the trajectory, and where the Stay Afield System is real insurance miles from the truck: a broken string or nicked peep becomes a field fix instead of a ruined hunt. It is a natural fit for the hunter who also shoots summer 3D leagues and wants one bow that does both, since the steadiness that helps on foam helps on game. With a real 300-plus fps and a heavy hunting arrow it covers whitetail, mule deer, antelope, black bear, and elk at honest bowhunting ranges. It is less ideal for the hunter squeezing into a cramped box blind or hauling through the thickest timber, where the shorter V3X 29 tucks in better, and its 27-inch draw floor rules it out for very short-draw archers. For the shooter who values a dead-steady hold above all, it is close to ideal.

Mathews V3X 33 vs Hoyt Ventum Pro 33, PSE EVO NXT 33

Bow	Mathews V3X 33	Hoyt Ventum Pro 33	PSE EVO NXT 33
Version	2023	2022	2020
Picture
Brace Height	6.5 "	6.375 "	7 "
AtA Length	33 "	33 "	33 "
Draw Length	27 " - 31.5 "	26 " - 31 "	26.5 " - 32 "
Draw Weight	50 lbs - 75 lbs	40 lbs - 80 lbs	40 lbs - 80 lbs
IBO Speed	336 fps	334 fps	314 fps - 322 fps
Weight	4.67 lbs	4.67 lbs	4.5 lbs
Let-Off	80 or 85%	80% or 85%	80% - 90%
Where to buy Best prices online	$999.99 to $2690 Compare prices	$714.99 to $1300 Compare prices	$100 to $999.99 Compare prices
	compare more bows

Among longer, forgiveness-first flagships, the V3X 33's closest cross-shops are the Hoyt Ventum Pro 33 and the PSE EVO NXT 33 - all three built on 33-inch axle-to-axle chassis for a steady hold. They bracket a wide price band: the Hoyt Ventum Pro 33 near $1,349 and the PSE EVO NXT 33 the value pick at $1,099, with the V3X 33 launching between them. The Hoyt Ventum Pro 33 is the near-twin on paper - a 6.375-inch brace and a 334 fps IBO put it within a hair of the Mathews on speed and forgiveness, with a slightly longer draw range, so the choice between them comes down to Mathews' class-leading quiet and integrated Bridge-Lock kit versus Hoyt's rail-based HBX accessory system. The PSE EVO NXT 33 comes at forgiveness from the extreme end: its 7-inch brace height is the most forgiving of the three and its price is the friendliest, but its 314-to-322 fps rating gives up real speed, making it the pick for a shooter who prizes a stress-free, ultra-stable shot over velocity. Against both, the V3X 33's signature is combining the steadiest quiet shot with the new centered accessory system. The decision comes down to priorities: the V3X 33 for the hunter who wants forgiveness plus silence plus a centered kit, the Hoyt Ventum Pro 33 for a near-identical spec on Hoyt's platform, and the PSE EVO NXT 33 for maximum brace-height forgiveness at the lowest price.

Summary

The Mathews V3X 33 is the steady, forgiving half of the 2022 V3X platform - a 33-inch flagship that holds like a target bow, shoots like a hunting bow, and whispers like nothing else in its class. At $1,299 launch MSRP it sits squarely in the flagship field and earns its place with a dead-solid hold, a real 301 fps with a 400-grain arrow, and a 94-decibel shot that won a professional sound test outright. The Crosscentric draw rolls over more gently than the shorter V3X 29's thanks to the added length and brace, ending against a rock-hard wall that pull-through shooters will love. What sets it apart from the competition is the integrated accessory system - the Bridge-Lock riser that hides a dovetail sight through its center, the LowPro quiver that tucks in tight, and the Stay Afield System that lets you rescue a broken string miles from the truck. The beyond-parallel limbs leave the riser dead, and the long chassis does the aiming work so the pin simply wanders less - in my experience it is the kind of bow that quietly makes you a better shot. An excellent bow for the accuracy-minded hunter who shoots open country and a little 3D and wants forgiveness, silence, and a centered kit in one rig. Buyers who need a more compact, faster-handling bow for tight timber and treestands should also look at its shorter sibling the Mathews V3X 29, and those wanting maximum brace-height forgiveness at a lower price should consider the PSE EVO NXT 33.