Compound Bow Comparator

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 fps with real hunting arrows, running 10 to 18 fps ahead of the standard RX-7. The new HBX Twin Turbo cam is the story: a rotating module that finally opens turbo speed to short-draw shooters, plus an adjustable 80% to 85% let-off the old 75% turbos never offered. What sells it in the hand is what it does not do - it does not jump, it does not buzz, and it does not get loud, shooting dead and quiet where older turbos punished you for the speed. The trade-offs are real and narrow: a draw that stacks through the last few inches and a short valley you have to stay engaged on, both of which most owners stop noticing after a break-in. The carryover RX-5 riser is its only genuine compromise, and it shoots like a Hoyt carbon flagship regardless. This is an excellent bow for the speed-focused hunter - the western archer flattening trajectory across uncertain yardage, or the short-draw shooter who was locked out of real turbo speed until now - and it is particularly strong as a fast bow you can still aim. Buyers who would rather trade that top-end speed for a more forgiving brace and an easier draw should also look at the PSE Evo NXT 33, while those cross-shopping the same 350 fps in an aluminum chassis should weigh the Bowtech SR350. Read full review...

At a $1,299 launch MSRP, the Bowtech SR350 is a flagship-tier hunting bow that delivers genuine 350-class speed without the punishing draw that usually comes with it - 342 fps with a light arrow in Performance, 300 fps with a real hunting shaft, and a dead-in-hand 96.9 dB shot that belies the velocity. Its two best tricks are the FlipDisc, which turns one bow into a smooth 85% hunter or a faster speed rig with a flip of a module, and DeadLock, which lets you tune the cams square with an Allen key at your own bench. In my experience the combination is what makes it stick: a fast bow you can actually live with and actually tune yourself is rarer than the spec sheet suggests. The narrow Clutch grip and the late Performance-mode hump are real characteristics to know going in, but both have easy answers - feel the grip first, and shoot Comfort mode or back the weight down if you want all-day ease. It is an excellent bow for the do-it-yourself hunter who wants top-end speed and a forgiving 33-inch platform in the same package, and it is particularly strong for the shorter-draw shooter that most speed bows leave out. Buyers who would trade a few fps for a more forgiving brace height should also look at the PSE EVO NXT 33, and those who prioritize the quietest possible shot should consider the Mathews V3X 33. Read full review...

The 2020 PSE EVO NXT has limited bells and whistles, and is in no way flashy. To many shooters, the lack of marketability and increased buzz around the release of a flagship bow may be a turnoff. However, for shooters basing their decision to purchase based on how a bow feels and shoots, the PSE EVO NXT 33 has a great shot of being very popular. The speeds are not fast, but they are honest real world performance, and that may be better for some shooters. The7-inch brace height is less popular on a hunting bow in 2020, but the added forgiveness may be a feature shooters want to have in their new hunting bow. The longer riser, and more laid back limbs do a phenomenal job of canceling noise and making the bow as vibration free as possible. It would be great to see some more popular finish options as well, but there are a fair amount of choices, and what PSE does offer looks nice. The Evolve cam system is a true piece of engineering genius, and the adjustability passed on to shooters is amazing. The NXT 33 platform has so many options for shooters to add personalized touches to, each setup could have a different feel. For those willing to look past missing flash, the PSE EVO NXT 33 is an outstanding hunting bow with potential to be a multipurpose bow for 3D shooting as well. For a competitive flagship price of $1099, the NXT 33 should be a very popular model for 2020. Read full review...

• Knocks on its own speed rating - owners chronograph the mid-340s fps with a light arrow, where most speed bows fall well short of their published number
• Dead in the hand and quiet for a speed bow, with none of the violent jump older Hoyt turbos were known for
• Rotating-module HBX Twin Turbo cam lets short-draw shooters run a true turbo without buying a separate cam, and the let-off adjusts between 80% and 85%
• Solid back wall that does not creep - a fast bow you can actually settle into and aim
• RX-5 carbon side-plate grip gives a low-torque, repeatable hand position owners rate among Hoyt's best

• Press-free DeadLock tuning - a turn of an Allen key drives each cam left or right to chase out a paper tear, no bow press needed
• FlipDisc gives two bows in one - flip the module to a smooth 85% hunting draw or a faster Performance draw on the same chassis
• Real-world speed lands close to the 350 IBO rating - 342 fps with a 350-grain arrow in Performance, 300 fps with a 400-grain hunting shaft
• Dead in the hand for a speed bow - repositioned Orbit dampeners pull noise and vibration down to a level most flagships envy
• Clutch grip is thin, flat-backed and modular, with an alignment channel that makes hand placement repeatable shot to shot

• A longer riser, and more laid back limbs improve upon an already popular Evolve and Evoke Series bow
• Forgiveness and extreme shootability seem to be the engineering focus
• Bow outperforms the ATA/IBO speed rating of 322-314 feet per second

• The cam draws stiffer through the last few inches and drops quickly into a short valley you must stay engaged on - most owners say it settles after a short break-in, and setting the let-off to 80% calms the rollover for a steadier wall
• The 5 7/8-inch brace height and steeper string angle at the top of the draw reward disciplined form - shooters who want maximum forgiveness over outright speed should handle one next to a longer-brace flagship first

• In Performance mode the draw builds a noticeable hump rolling into the valley - shooters who want all-day smoothness can flip to Comfort or drop a few pounds of peak weight
• The Clutch grip is narrow - most owners like it, but bigger-handed shooters used to a fuller grip may want to feel it first; the modular angles and aftermarket grips solve it

• Low performance rating appears slower than comparable models from previous years
• Would still like to see more finish options from PSE
• Nothing very flashy about the EVO NXT 33