Compound Bow Comparator

The Mathews Lift XD is a specialist, and it is the best kind of specialist - one that does a real job no one else does well. At a $1,499 launch MSRP it brings the entire 2025 Lift X platform, the press-free Limb Shift tuning, the redesigned ARC7 limbs, the 79 dB near-silent shot, and the deep Bridge-Lock integration to the long-draw archer, then adds the oversized SwitchWeight X+ cam to reach a 32 to 33.5 inch draw and up to 363 fps of speed. Real-world numbers hold up: 315 fps with a 456-grain hunting arrow at a 32-inch draw, with room to climb as the draw extends. What I keep coming back to is how composed it feels for its size - a 33-inch bow that draws smooth, holds like a target rig, and dies at the shot, which is a rare combination on any frame, let alone a long one. The one thing every buyer must do is measure honestly: below 32 inches this is the wrong bow, and Mathews will be the first to tell you so. An excellent bow for the tall, long-draw hunter who has always compromised on a maxed-out flagship, particularly strong for western spot-and-stalk and long-range treestand work. Buyers who draw shorter should look instead at the Lift X 33, and buyers who want a compact short-draw speed bow should look at the Lift RS. 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 Mach 33 DS is the DS line's all-arounder and, on the award sheets, its champion - Outdoor Life's 2025 Editor's Choice and Field & Stream's Best Bow of the Year, built on a 33-inch, USA-made Dead Frequency Carbon chassis that weighs just 3.9 pounds. It earns those honors the same way in every shooter's hands: a draw smoother than the compact 30 DS, a shot that is quiet and dead in the hand, and above all a pin that parks and stays, steady enough that shooters run competition indoor 300 rounds with their hunting rig. For 2026 the new FDS cam lifts the rating to 342 fps and firms up the valley without giving back the smooth draw, all at a $1,999 launch MSRP. The trade-offs are small and honest - a wide fixed grip that some shooters swap a plate onto, and a featherweight mass that likes a stabilizer to settle it in wind. In my hands it never once left me wishing for the extra half-pound of an aluminum riser - it simply does more jobs well than a bow this light has any right to. It is an excellent bow for the hunter who wants one carbon rig that hunts hard and shoots targets, particularly strong for the treestand-to-3D crossover shooter. Buyers who want maximum maneuverability should look at the compact Mach 30 DS, and those who would rather keep $700 for near-identical specs should weigh the Mathews Lift 33. Read full review...

• Purpose-built for 32 to 33.5 inch draw lengths, filling a long-draw gap most flagships leave open by capping near 31 inches
• Fast for a long-draw hunting rig - real chronograph readings land near 315 fps with a 456-grain arrow and 343 fps with a 355-grain arrow
• Very quiet, measured at 79 dB in hands-on testing, with almost no post-shot movement or hand shock at full draw
• Press-free Limb Shift tuning gets a bare bow paper-tuned in about ten minutes with a wrench, no bow press needed
• Draws smoother than a maxed-out standard bow for edge-of-range shooters, and stays well balanced despite the 33-inch, 4.31-pound frame

• 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

• Aims like a target bow - the pin parks and stays, steady enough that shooters run indoor Vegas 300 rounds with their full hunting rig on it
• Smoother draw than the compact 30 DS - the cam rolls over cleanly with none of the faint hump you feel on the shorter bow
• Very quiet with a dead-in-the-hand shot, unusually settled for a sub-4-pound carbon bow
• Remarkably light for a 33-inch carbon at 3.9 pounds - a longer, steadier platform that still carries barely heavier than the compact 30 DS
• USA-made Dead Frequency Carbon riser - stiff, temperature-neutral, and among the very few carbon bows built in the United States

• Unusable below a 32-inch draw - a hard fit boundary, so confirm your draw and step down to a Lift X 33 or Lift RS if you measure shorter
• The BOND grip is hand-fit dependent - some shooters love it, others prefer a flatter aftermarket grip like the UltraView B-Real 2.0, so try the three profiles first
• Long-draw archers shoot long arrows, and the stock Bridge-Lock quiver runs a touch short so tips can sit past the limbs - a longer or aftermarket quiver solves it

• 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

• The stock grip runs wide and is not adjustable on PSE's hunting line - shooters who want a narrower or custom fit add an aftermarket plate such as UltraView's or Nock-On's, a quick bolt-on fix
• At 3.9 pounds the light frame can get nudged by wind and feels less planted than a heavy aluminum bow - a front stabilizer with a little mass steadies it