Compound Bow Comparator

The Mathews V3 27 is a compact flagship that refuses the usual compromise - it delivers the silence, speed, and steady hold of a much larger bow in a 27-inch package built for tight country. At $1,199 launch MSRP it lands in the heart of the flagship class, and it earns the spot: a real 326 fps with a 350-grain arrow, one of the quietest shots on the market at around 97 decibels, and a riser long enough to make a short bow aim like a long one. Its one dividing line is the draw cycle, which is firm and defined rather than soft - a feature for the hinge and back-tension crowd, a consideration for anyone who wants a butter pull, and easily softened with the 80% module or a couple pounds off peak. Setup is quick, tuning is easy, and the beyond-parallel limbs leave nothing rattling in the hand. In my experience it is one of those bows you stop fighting after a session and simply trust. An excellent bow for the mobile hunter who works tight timber, treestands, and steep western country and wants flagship performance in the most maneuverable form. Buyers who anchor long or want a longer, even steadier hold for mixed hunting and 3D should also look at its sibling the Mathews V3 31. Read full review...

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 carbon riser for a machined aluminum one and a half-pound of mass - and gives up surprisingly little for the saving. The HBX Pro cam delivers a 342 fps IBO rating that lands at real hunting-arrow speeds from 274 to 300 fps depending on shaft weight, a smooth no-creep draw, and a selectable 80/85% let-off you change with one screw. The shot is the highlight: zero hand shock and a measured 80-to-81-decibel report that put it among the quietest bows of its year, and the new VitalPoint grip is the rare factory grip owners actually keep on. The honest trade-offs are real but small - a back wall softer than a hard binary stop that firms up at 80% let-off, and an aluminum riser that chills faster than carbon on a late sit. Set those against everything that stays the same, and to my mind the aluminum makes the carbon premium look optional. An excellent bow for the serious hunter who wants flagship engineering and a forgiving, quiet hold without paying the carbon premium. Buyers who want that same engine with cold-weather warmth and the lightest possible mass should look at the REDWRX Carbon RX-7, while those who prize Mathews silence and module-based draw-weight changes should also consider the Mathews V3X 29. Read full review...

Launched for the 2021 model year at a $1,199 launch MSRP and carried unchanged into 2022, the Solution SS is the Super Smooth member of Bowtech's three-bow family - the one that trades about fourteen feet per second of IBO speed for the easiest draw the brand made that year. A smaller, rounder DeadLock cam, a deflexed forgiving riser, and a 7-inch brace add up to a bow that pulls up gently, rolls into full draw with nothing waiting at the top, and shoots dead in the hand at just 4.0 pounds. It keeps every tuning advantage of the flagships - DeadLock adjustment with an Allen key on the line and a FlipDisc that can add speed if you want it, though on this bow you will likely leave it in Comfort. Having drawn bows built to this brief, what stays with me is how little the SS asks of the shooter: smooth to pull, forgiving to hold, easy to shoot well on an off day. It is an excellent bow for the treestand and ground-blind hunter who values a forgiving, effortless shot, for the shooter nursing a tired shoulder, and for a taller archer who needs that extra inch of draw. Buyers chasing the flattest trajectory should look at the faster standard Solution, and short-draw archers under 25.5 inches at the Solution SD; those cross-shopping other brands should also weigh the Hoyt Ventum Pro 30 and the Mathews V3X 29. Read full review...

• One of the quietest hunting bows on the market, measuring around 97 decibels and sitting dead in the hand after the shot
• Holds and aims like a longer bow despite the 27-inch axle-to-axle, thanks to a riser nearly as long as the bow itself
• Genuinely fast for a compact rig - real chronograph readings of 326 fps with a 350-grain arrow at 70 pounds
• Firm, defined back wall with Switchweight modules that set draw length, let-off, and poundage without touching limb bolts

• Same shooting engine as the carbon RX-7 - identical HBX Pro cam, VitalPoint grip, In-Line system and 342 IBO - built in aluminum for several hundred dollars less
• Dead in the hand - owners consistently report no felt vibration, the riser settling instantly after the shot
• Quiet shot signature, measured at 80-81 dB on a meter, putting it among the hushed bows of Hoyt's 2022 line
• VitalPoint grip is tacky and thin, locks the hand in a repeatable spot, and stays warm where the old hard plastic grip went cold
• Let-off switches between 80% and 85% with one screw inside each module, so the same bow stays legal in states that cap it at 80%

• The smoothest draw in the family - the smaller, rounder cam rolls into full draw with almost nothing waiting at the top
• Forgiving 7-inch brace and a deflexed riser take torque out of the shot, making it easy to shoot well on an imperfect day
• Full DeadLock cam tuning corrects a left or right tear with an Allen key on the line, no bow press - the complete flagship system
• Extra reach - the draw runs to 31 inches, an inch past where most compact bows stop, fitting a longer-draw shooter who usually can't run a 30-inch bow
• Dead in the hand on release with twin Orbit dampeners and a firm, limb-stop-style wall that suits a hinge shooter

• The Crosscentric draw is firm and aggressive on the short 27 rather than buttery - shooters wanting a softer pull can drop to 80% mods or step up to the longer V3 31
• The 27-inch length can bring fletchings close to the face at full anchor for longer-draw archers - worth drawing one in the shop first, or choosing the V3 31 if you anchor long

• Back wall carries a touch of the familiar Hoyt softness rather than a concrete stop - release-aimers who want a hard wall can firm it up by setting let-off to 80%, though most hunters find it comfortable as-is
• A half-pound heavier and quicker to chill than the carbon RX-7 twin - a grip wrap or gloves handles the cold, and it is the trade for paying several hundred dollars less

• The smooth one, not the fast one - 332 fps IBO trails the standard Solution's 346, and flipping the FlipDisc to Performance undoes the silky draw the SS is built around, so a speed-first shooter should choose the standard Solution
• Measured shot noise lands a little over 100 decibels - mid-pack rather than exceptionally quiet, though the shot stays dead in the hand; a shooter stepping off a flagship-silent bow can add string and limb dampening to close the gap