Compound Bow Comparator

The BowTech TomKat is the value package bow of the brand's Binary Cam era, and its trick was putting a flagship-grade cam under a budget riser and shipping it ready to hunt. For roughly $550 in the mid-2000s you got the complete rig - rest, sight, peep, quiver, sling and Hush Kit - around a compact 313/4-inch chassis with a tall 81/2-inch brace, a self-correcting Binary Cam with a speed-or-smooth module choice, and 65-80 percent adjustable let-off. Real-world speed with a hunting arrow lands near 280 fps, the shot is quiet and low in hand shock straight from the factory, and the whole package is light and easy to carry on a stand or a 3D course. What I keep coming back to is how much finished bow this was for the money - the accessories were basic and the valley is short, but the bow underneath them was the real thing. It is an excellent choice for the budget-minded or first-time hunter who wants a complete, dependable rig in one box, and it remains a smart used-market buy for a compact treestand or 3D setup. Buyers who want a longer, steadier, lighter bow should also look at the Mathews Classic, and those who want the widest adjustment range and a little more speed should also look at the Hoyt Trykon. Read full review...

The Mathews Classic is the forgiving, low-maintenance single-cam hunter of the mid-2000s Mathews line, and time has been kind to what it set out to do. Launched at $589 MSRP and built unchanged from 2004 through 2007, it pairs a long 36-inch axle-to-axle and a tall 7-inch brace with a 3.6-pound carry weight and a MaxCam that rates 310 fps IBO - moderate speed traded, on purpose, for a bow that holds still and stays in tune. Its two quieting technologies, Harmonic Dampers and String Suppressors, and its comfortable wood grip round out a shot that is calm and undemanding. What I keep coming back to with a bow like this is how little it asks of you: no cam timing to chase, no twitchy short-brace behavior to fight, just a steady pin and a quiet shot. It is an excellent choice for the whitetail hunter who walks in far and sits long, and for the developing archer who wants a forgiving platform to build form on, particularly strong as a dependable, tune-and-forget treestand rig. Buyers prioritizing a more compact, higher-brace package should also look at the Bowtech Tomkat, and those wanting more speed and a wider adjustment range should also look at the Hoyt Trykon. Read full review...

The Hoyt Trykon was Hoyt's mid-2000s flagship-tier hunting bow - the model that modernized the line around the hybrid Zephyr Cam & 1/2 - and today it is one of the best-reasoned used buys on the market for a hunter who wants real Hoyt engineering without a new-bow budget. The core numbers hold up: a 316 fps IBO from the Zephyr cam, a forgiving 33 inch axle-to-axle and 7 inch brace, XT500 limbs on a machined riser, a wide 40-80 lb and 25-31 inch fit range, and buyer-selectable 65% or 80% let-off. Real-world speed lands where the setup dictates - a tuned example chronographed 297 fps with a 338 grain arrow at a modest 65 lb, 28.5 inch setup - and the accuracy is treestand-lethal out to 40 yards with nothing exotic bolted on. Hoyt never published a mass weight or a launch price for the Trykon, and the honest characterization is a bow that runs heavier and livelier at the shot than a modern rig - both of which an experienced owner turns to advantage, the mass for a steadier hold and the liveliness dispatched by a low-cost string and damping kit. In my experience the Trykon converts skeptics the moment they shoot a tuned one: the Zephyr draw is the whole appeal, and it still holds up. This is an excellent bow for the value-minded whitetail hunter who wants a stable, forgiving, genuinely fast used chassis and does not mind a tune and a damping kit to bring it current, particularly strong from a treestand where its mass and geometry pay off. Buyers who rank absolute silence and single-cam simplicity first should also look at the Mathews Switchback, and those chasing the most raw speed of the era should weigh the Bowtech Allegiance. Read full review...

• Complete ready-to-hunt package - Hostage rest, fiber-optic sight, peep, quiver, sling and Hush Kit all in the box, the only BowTech sold this way
• Runs the same Binary Cam System as BowTech's flagships, with a solid, repeatable back wall that holds its timing
• Quiet, low-recoil shot straight from the factory Hush Kit - many owners shoot it well with no added stabilizer
• Compact 313/4-inch axle-to-axle with a tall 81/2-inch brace makes it easy to pack and steady to aim, a favorite for 3D
• Fast enough for real hunting - hunting-weight arrows fly around 280 fps, flat enough for typical whitetail ranges

• Single-cam SoloCam design (MaxCam) with no dual-cam timing to synchronize - simpler to tune and consistent shot to shot over the long haul
• Light 3.6-lb mass on a full 36-inch frame that carries easily through all-day hunts and long treestand sits
• Forgiving to hold - the tall 7-inch brace paired with the long 36-inch axle-to-axle steadies the pin for shooters still grooving their form
• Built around two quieting technologies, Harmonic Dampers and String Suppressors, aimed squarely at a calm, low-noise shot

• The hybrid Zephyr Cam & 1/2 draws with a rounded, forgiving pull that made the Trykon Hoyt's smooth-but-fast hunting choice of the mid-2000s
• Buyer-selectable 65% or 80% let-off by module lets a shooter set the hold to match either speed-tuned or long-stand-comfort priorities
• Machined riser and XT500 limbs give the platform a stiff, durable chassis that owners still hunt hard with 15-plus years on
• Wide 25-31 inch draw and 40-80 lb range make one used chassis fit almost any adult hunter without a proprietary module hunt
• Responds strongly to a modern string set and a damping kit - a low-cost path to a quiet, dead-in-hand shot on a used bow

• Entry-grade factory rest and sight - owners often swap both for better aftermarket parts, a cheap and common upgrade, since the bow itself is the value
• Tall brace and short axle-to-axle keep the speed but give a short valley - shooters wanting the era's most forgiving BowTech should look to a longer-riser model

• The MaxCam sets draw length by cam/module rather than a rotating on-the-fly module - a shooter who changes draw length often should confirm their exact length up front, since a change means a cam or module swap
• As a 2004-2007 model it is a used-market buy today - worth a fresh set of strings and cables and a quick pro-shop once-over before hunting it

• Runs heavier in the hand than a modern hunting bow - many owners actually prefer that mass for a steadier hold on aim, but shooters counting ounces for long mobile hunts may want to weigh it in person first
• Stock 2006-07 damping is dated - an aftermarket string-silencer and limb-dampener kit takes the vibration and noise out and is the first upgrade most owners make
• Draw-length changes are a bow-press job on the Z-module string set, not a tool-free rotating module - dial in your exact draw at a shop before the season