Compound Bow Comparator

The Mathews Lift 33 is the do-everything member of the 2024 Lift platform - a 33-inch aluminum flagship that weighs like carbon, holds like a target bow, and shoots quieter than anything in its class. At $1,429 launch MSRP it sits at the top of this three-bow field and earns the spot with a real 310 fps at 400 grains, a 73-dB shot that won independent decibel-meter tests outright, and a long riser that plants the pin and does the aiming for you. The new SwitchWeight-X cam draws smoother than the shorter Lift 29.5 and posts genuine speed against a rock-firm wall, and the RPD limbs leave the riser dead the instant the arrow is gone. The one honest asterisk - the early limb-crack episode - is answered by an indefinite, transferable pass-down warranty that replaces the full limb set fast and follows the bow to a second owner, which is why this model is as safe to buy used as new. In my experience it is the kind of bow that quietly makes you a steadier shot without asking you to work for it, and the 80-pound module option gives bigger-game hunters real headroom. An excellent bow for the accuracy-minded hunter who shoots open country and a little 3D and wants silence, light weight, and speed in one long-riser rig. Buyers who want maximum brace-height forgiveness at a lower price should also look at the PSE EVO NXT 33, and those who want the latest press-free tuning and updated limbs should price its successor, the 2025 Lift X 33. Read full review...

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 carbon REDWRX Carbon RX-7 Ultra, it stretches the platform onto a 33-inch frame with a taller 6 3/8-inch brace, and gives up only carbon's warmth and a third of a pound for several hundred dollars of saving. Its draw cycle is the highlight: owners shooting Hoyt's whole 2022 range rank it with the RX-7 Ultra's class-best draw, building and rolling over with no hump, and the 334 fps IBO lands at a real 296 fps with a hunting arrow at 71 pounds - flat enough for the longer shots this bow is built to take. The long axle-to-axle holds the pin rock-steady, especially once a stabilizer bar is on it, and the VitalPoint grip is the rare factory grip owners keep, gripping even in heat and humidity. The honest trade-offs are small and fixable - a touch of back-wall softness and imperfect bare-bow balance that a stabilizer and 80% let-off resolve, and an aluminum riser that chills faster than carbon on a late sit. Set up with a stabilizer the way it is meant to be shot, it gave me the steady, unhurried hold that is the whole reason to reach for a long bow. An excellent bow for the long-draw archer and the open-country hunter who values a steady aim and a silky draw over the last few feet per second. Buyers who want more speed and lock-in tuning should also look at the Bowtech SR350, while those who prize maximum forgiveness and the longest draw range for less should consider the PSE EVO NXT 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...

• Won the decibel-meter shootout on multiple independent tests, reading about 73 dB three feet from the shot - quieter than the V3X and Halon X and about as dead-in-hand as a hunting bow gets
• Drives real hunting speed off an easy draw - 310 fps with a 400-grain arrow and 292 fps with a 450 at 70 lb / 30 inch, from one of the smoothest speed-bow draws Mathews has built
• Genuinely light for aluminum at roughly 4.3 pounds, undercutting many carbon rivals while giving the long riser more mass to plant the pin
• The 33-inch riser runs nearly the full axle-to-axle length, so the bow holds like a target rig - the pin floats and settles instead of chasing the target
• SwitchWeight-X modules set draw length, poundage, and let-off together, so one bow spans 55 to 80 pounds and shifts fit season to season without a re-limb

• One of the smoothest draw cycles in Hoyt's 2022 line - owners rate it right alongside the carbon RX-7 Ultra's class-best draw, building and rolling over with no hard hump
• The long 33-inch axle-to-axle holds rock-steady on target, the aim-focused choice for the longer shot, and settles even more solidly with a back bar
• Same HBX Pro engine, In-Line accessory system and VitalPoint grip as the carbon RX-7 Ultra, built in aluminum for several hundred dollars less
• VitalPoint grip is high-tack and repeatable - owners report it stays planted even in heat and humidity, the rare factory grip they leave on
• Reaches a 31-inch draw across the full 40-to-80-pound range, fitting longer-draw and bigger-framed hunters a compact bow caps out before

• 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

• Some early-2024 RPD limbs splintered - Mathews' indefinite pass-down warranty covers the limbs even on a used bow, swaps the full set in about a week or two, and reports the fault resolved on current production, so new or used is protected
• The valley is a touch short and the cam wants to keep going, so pull-through shooters staying leaned into the firm wall are rewarded - anyone who likes a long, relaxed valley may want to shoot one first
• The stock Engage grip is rounded and full for a performance bow - some owners swap to Mathews side plates or an aftermarket grip, an easy, inexpensive change if the factory shape does not suit your hand

• Shot bare, the long riser carries a touch of back-wall softness and does not balance perfectly in the hand - a stabilizer and back bar (standard kit for an aim-focused bow) settle it rock-solid, and 80% let-off firms the wall
• Heavier and quicker to chill than the carbon RX-7 Ultra twin - a grip wrap or gloves handles the cold, and it is the trade for paying several hundred dollars less

• 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