Compound Bow Reviews

The Bottom Line:The Mathews V3X 29 is the compact half of the 2022 V3X platform, and it fixes the one thing that divided shooters on its predecessor: the draw. At $1,199 launch MSRP it lands in the heart of the flagship class and earns the spot with a real 326 fps at 30 inches, one of the quietest shots on the market... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Hoyt REDWRX Carbon RX-7, launched at roughly $1,799 in 2022 and carried over unchanged into 2023 at about $1,849, is the carbon hunting flagship that finally fixed the weight problem - Hoyt's first 100% carbon riser drops the bare bow to 3.9 pounds while adding strength and a riser that stays warm... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Mathews Lift X 29.5 is a $1,359 compact hunting flagship that answers a question most bows make you choose sides on: it is fast and light and easy to tune, all at once. Up to 348 fps IBO from a 3.99-lb frame is a rare combination, and the real-world numbers - low-330s with a 350-grain arrow at 30... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Hoyt REDWRX Carbon RX-7 Ultra, launched at roughly $1,899 in 2022 and carried over unchanged into 2023, is the long-axle answer in Hoyt's carbon line - the same first-ever 100% carbon riser as the standard RX-7, stretched to a 34-inch frame with a 7-inch brace for the hunter who prizes forgiveness... read full review

The Bottom Line:The AMS Hooligan V2 is the refinement of a bowfishing bow that already worked - a $449.99 launch-MSRP rig (or $599.99 as a ready-to-shoot kit) that keeps the original Hooligan's machined aluminum riser, 24-to-50-pound range, zero let-off, and two-post WRAP cam, then sharpens the shot itself. Heavy-wall... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Hoyt Ventum Pro 30, launched at $1,249 for 2022, is the bow that quietly argues you do not need carbon to get the carbon-flagship feel. Built on the same HBX Pro binary cam, In-Line accessory system, VitalPoint grip, and hunting finishes as the carbon REDWRX Carbon RX-7, it trades the first-ever... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Hoyt Ventum Pro 33, launched at $1,349 for 2022, is the aim-first aluminum hunter - the long, forgiving member of the Ventum Pro platform for shooters who want a dead-steady hold without paying for carbon. Built on the same HBX Pro binary cam, In-Line accessory system, and VitalPoint grip as the... read full review

The Bottom Line:The 2022 Hoyt Carbon RX Twin Turbo is a speed bow that refuses to behave like one, and that is its whole appeal. It launched at carbon-flagship pricing and earns the tier with rare honesty on the chronograph - owners measure the mid-340s fps with a light arrow against a 350 IBO claim, and 290 to 310... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Hoyt Highline, a four-year carryover that listed around $1,399 to $1,459 at major retailers from its 2022 debut through 2025, is the rare hunting bow built specifically for the long-draw archer the rest of the market under-serves. Its case is simple and concrete: a 36.5-inch axle-to-axle aluminum... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Phase4 33 launched at $1,299 as the long, steady, forgiving half of Mathews' 2023 flagship line - a hunting bow with a target bow's riser. Its defining number is not speed but sound: 92.9 dB on a meter and a shot so dead in the hand it barely registers, courtesy of the eight-limb Resistance Phase... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Bowtech Carbon One launched at $1,799 as the brand's 2023 flagship, and it made a specific promise: a carbon bow that finally feels like a quiet, damped aluminum one. It delivers on that - the hand-laid carbon riser and Orbit Dampeners give it a dead, planted shot at around 94.6 decibels, it is rated... read full review

The Bottom Line:The APX is Xpedition's answer to a specific question: what does a mid-price bow look like if you stop trying to make it adjust for everyone and instead make it perform for one? The answer is a 340 fps IBO rating, a long and forgiving 33-inch axle-to-axle with a tall 6.75-inch brace, and a firm limb-stop... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Bowtech CP28 is a compact hunting bow that solves the short-bow problem instead of just accepting it. At a $1,199 launch MSRP it delivers the full Bowtech toolkit in the shortest DeadLock frame the brand makes: press-free cam tuning on the shooting line, a FlipDisc that swaps between a smooth 87%... read full review

The Bottom Line:At a $1,299 launch MSRP, the Bowtech Revolt XL is one of the few hunting bows that treats a 32- or 33-inch draw as a design target rather than an afterthought. Its 358 fps IBO is measured at a 33-inch draw, and the real-world numbers are honest, from the low-340s at that long draw down to the low-300s... read full review

The Bottom Line:At a launch MSRP of $1399 the Bowtech Revolt X80 is a specialist, and it plays that role better than any all-rounder could. It takes the trusted Revolt X chassis, adds higher-deflection limbs, the only Weighted Cams in the 2022 lineup, and DeadLock's press-free tuning, and turns a full 80 pounds into... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Bear Resilient solves a real gap in the short-draw market: at a $699.99 launch MSRP, it is the short-draw hunting bow that actually reaches full 70-pound adult hunting weight, while its closest rivals stop at 50 or 60. The numbers back the pitch - a 320 fps IBO rating that holds up to 314.8-321.2... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Phase4 29 launched at $1,199 as the more accessible, compact half of Mathews' 2023 flagship line - the everyman's flagship, $100 under its longer sibling. What that money buys is the quietest, deadest-in-hand shot Mathews had built to that point, wrapped in a maneuverable 29-inch frame that reads... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Mathews Lift X 33 is a $1,469 aluminum hunting flagship whose real selling point is not on the spec sheet - it is the Allen key that lets you tune the bow yourself. Limb Shift Technology moves paper tuning out of the pro shop and onto your tailgate, and the reworked ARC7 limbs put the 2024 Lift's... read full review

The Bottom Line:At a $1,499 launch MSRP, the 2026 Bowtech Alliance 33 is the rare bow that genuinely earns its keep across two seasons - a 33-inch, 4.25-pound platform built on the updated DeadLock cam that tunes left and right with an Allen key and no press, wrapped around a Comfort draw cycle that hands-on shooters... read full review