Compound Bow Comparator

The Bowtech CP30 is a compact hunting bow that punches above its 30-inch length where it counts - steadiness, quiet, and shootability - and stays honest about where it doesn't, which is raw speed. At a $1,199 launch MSRP it delivers the full Bowtech tuning toolkit: press-free DeadLock cam adjustment on the shooting line, a FlipDisc that swaps between a genuinely smooth 87% Comfort draw and a Performance setting worth about 10 fps, and an aluminum riser that brings the shot down to a quiet 95.3 dB with almost nothing left in the hand. Real-world chronograph runs land around 320 fps with a light arrow and hold above 270 with heavy hunting shafts - plenty for whitetails and Western game inside sensible range. What I keep coming back to is the draw: it rolls up and lets down without a single hump to fight, and the wide-limb platform plants on target the moment you settle in. It is an excellent bow for the mobile treestand and ground-blind hunter who prizes a quiet, forgiving, easy-holding compact over a chronograph number. Buyers who want the lightest DeadLock build should also look at the Bowtech Solution LS, and those prioritizing outright speed at the same price should look at the Hoyt Ventum 30. Read full review...

Launched for the 2025 model year at a $1,299 launch MSRP and carried unchanged into 2026, the Solution LS is Bowtech's answer for the hunter who wants real flagship tuning without flagship extras. It keeps the parts that matter for accuracy - the full DeadLock cam system you adjust with a wrench on the line, the FlipDisc that moves the bow from a smooth Comfort draw to a faster Performance setting, the Dual Lock pockets that hold that tune through a season - and drops the IMS rails, GripLock grip, and CenterMass hardware that push the Proven 34 higher. In a compact 30-inch chassis with a 6.375-inch brace and a generous 24.5-inch minimum draw, it shoots in the mid-270s fps at a typical hunting setup, quiet and easy to live with. Having shot it in Comfort mode, what stays with me is how little it asks of the shooter - smooth to draw, simple to tune, comfortable to shoot all day. An excellent bow for the treestand and saddle hunter who values do-it-yourself tunability and an all-day-comfortable draw over raw speed or a rail-mounted feature set. Buyers who want the longest axle and every premium mounting option should look at the Bowtech Proven 34, while those who want flagship build for the lowest price should also consider the Bowtech Ascend. Read full review...

The Hoyt Ventum 30, launched at $1,199 for 2021, is the bow that quietly argues you do not need carbon to get the carbon-flagship feel. Built on the same all-new HBX binary cam, In-Line accessory system, XACT grip, and hunting finishes as the carbon REDWRX Carbon RX-5, it trades the hollow-carbon riser for a beefed-up aluminum one and two-tenths of a pound - and gives up surprisingly little for the saving. The HBX cam delivers the firm, defined back wall earlier Hoyts lacked, a 342 fps IBO rating that lands at real hunting-arrow speeds in the 265-to-286 fps band for 430-to-455 grain shafts, and a selectable 80/85% let-off you change with one screw. The detail owners keep circling back to is the one that defies expectation: shot against its own carbon twin, the aluminum Ventum settled at least as dead in the hand, and more than one shooter preferred it. The honest trade-offs are real but small - a touch more mass than the carbon bow, and an aluminum riser that goes cold faster on a late-season sit, both easy to live with. 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-5, while those who prize Mathews silence in a more compact frame should also consider the Mathews VXR 28. Read full review...

• DeadLock tuning moves the whole cam left or right with an Allen key on the shooting line - no bow press, and the tune holds all season
• Compact 30-inch chassis that holds and forgives like a longer bow, thanks to the big cam and a wide split-limb stance that balances beautifully
• Quiet shot with almost nothing left in the hand - 95.3 dB and no lingering vibration, even on the aggressive setting
• FlipDisc turns one bow into two - a smooth 87% Comfort draw for all-day holding, or a Performance flip for about 10 fps more

• Full DeadLock cam tuning corrects a left or right tear with an Allen key on the shooting line, no bow press - the complete flagship system, not a stripped-down version
• FlipDisc switches between a smooth Comfort draw and a faster Performance setting without swapping a single part
• Genuinely smooth draw and a dead, quiet shot in Comfort mode - the kind of bow you can shoot all afternoon without fatigue
• Draw weight winds up and down unusually smoothly at the limb bolts - among the easiest weight changes in this class
• Carries the flagship tuning hardware - DeadLock cams, Dual Lock pockets, FlipDisc, Orbit dampener - at a mid-tier price

• Settles to less hand shock than its own carbon twin the RX-5 - owners who shot both came away surprised, since aluminum usually buzzes more than carbon, not less
• Smooth draw that builds and rolls into the wall without a hard dump or the old Hoyt habit of creeping forward at full draw
• Genuinely solid, defined back wall from the all-new HBX binary cam - it stops where you pull to and stays there
• Quiet shot signature - owners rank it among the quietest bows of Hoyt's 2021 line, dead in the hand right after release
• Let-off switches between 80% and 85% with one screw on each cam, so the same bow stays legal in Western states that cap it at 80%

• The Performance setting buys its extra ~10 fps with a firmer draw and a shorter valley that wants to jump at let-down - hunters chasing the easiest pull just leave the FlipDisc on the factory Comfort 87% and lose nothing
• This is a comfort-first compact, not a speed bow - the 331 fps IBO tops out below dedicated speed rigs, so fps-hunters should flip to Performance or step up to Bowtech's SR350 platform

• Drops the up-line mounting and grip hardware of the Proven 34 - no IMS dovetail, no Picatinny rail, no GripLock angle adjustment - though hunters running a standard sight and rest rarely miss them; step up to the Proven 34 if you want them
• Tuned for comfort over raw speed - a light 350-grain arrow runs about 312 fps at 70 pounds, but a typical 450-grain hunting arrow settles into the mid-270s, so a shooter chasing maximum velocity may prefer a speed-first platform

• A touch heavier than the carbon RX-5 twin at 4.6 pounds - backcountry hunters counting ounces on long packs may prefer carbon, though on a treestand hold the extra mass steadies the bow
• Bare aluminum riser chills faster than the carbon RX-5 on late-season sits - a grip wrap or gloves handles it, and it is the trade for paying several hundred dollars less