Compound Bow Comparator

Launched for the 2021 model year at a $1,199 launch MSRP and carried unchanged into 2022, the Solution is the fast one in Bowtech's three-bow family - and the one that shoots least like a speed bow is supposed to. It rates 346 fps IBO, chronographs in the low 310s at a realistic 60 pounds and 29 inches, and pushes a full hunting arrow into the high 290s, all off a big, aggressive DeadLock cam and a tight 6-inch brace. What keeps it from feeling like a raw speed rig is everything Bowtech wraps around that cam: DeadLock tuning you do with an Allen key on the line, a FlipDisc that moves the bow from a smooth Comfort draw to a faster Performance setting, and twin Orbit dampeners that leave the shot quiet and dead in the hand. Having shot bows built to this recipe, what stays with me is that long valley and limb-stop wall - a hold that lets this fast hunter double as a 3D and target bow. It is an excellent bow for the western or open-country hunter who wants flat trajectory and forgiving pin gaps, and for the do-it-yourself shooter who would rather tune at home than book a press. Buyers who want the family's silkiest, easiest draw should look at the smoother Solution SS, and short-draw archers under 25 inches belong on the Solution SD; those cross-shopping other brands' flagships should also weigh the target-steady Mathews V3X 33 and the accessory-integrated Hoyt Ventum Pro 33. Read full review...

The Mathews V3X 33 is the steady, forgiving half of the 2022 V3X platform - a 33-inch flagship that holds like a target bow, shoots like a hunting bow, and whispers like nothing else in its class. At $1,299 launch MSRP it sits squarely in the flagship field and earns its place with a dead-solid hold, a real 301 fps with a 400-grain arrow, and a 94-decibel shot that won a professional sound test outright. The Crosscentric draw rolls over more gently than the shorter V3X 29's thanks to the added length and brace, ending against a rock-hard wall that pull-through shooters will love. What sets it apart from the competition is the integrated accessory system - the Bridge-Lock riser that hides a dovetail sight through its center, the LowPro quiver that tucks in tight, and the Stay Afield System that lets you rescue a broken string miles from the truck. The beyond-parallel limbs leave the riser dead, and the long chassis does the aiming work so the pin simply wanders less - in my experience it is the kind of bow that quietly makes you a better shot. An excellent bow for the accuracy-minded hunter who shoots open country and a little 3D and wants forgiveness, silence, and a centered kit in one rig. Buyers who need a more compact, faster-handling bow for tight timber and treestands should also look at its shorter sibling the Mathews V3X 29, and those wanting maximum brace-height forgiveness at a lower price should consider the PSE EVO NXT 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...

• Fast for a hunting bow yet dead in the hand - chronographs in the low 310s fps at 60 pounds and 29 inches with almost no post-shot vibration
• Full DeadLock cam tuning walks a left or right tear straight with an Allen key on the shooting line, no bow press - the complete flagship system
• FlipDisc turns one bow into two - a smooth Comfort draw or a Performance setting worth about ten more feet per second, no parts to swap
• The big cam settles into a long valley behind a rock-solid, limb-stop-firm wall - a hold that suits a target shooter as much as a hunter
• Quiet shot with twin Orbit dampeners soaking up the buzz on release

• Won a professional decibel-meter sound test and reads near 94 decibels - about as quiet and dead-in-hand as a hunting bow gets
• Exceptionally forgiving, dead-steady hold - the 33-inch riser and 6.5-inch brace let the pin float and settle like a target bow
• Smoother draw than the shorter V3X 29, thanks to the added length and brace height rolling the cam over more gently
• Bridge-Lock sight and LowPro quiver pull the accessories into the center of the riser, cleaning up balance and clearing side brackets
• Stay Afield System lets you replace a peep, string, or cables in the backcountry without a bow press

• 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

• The bigger, more aggressive cam builds weight earlier than the silky Solution SS - shooters who want the family's smoothest pull can run the FlipDisc in Comfort mode or step to the SS
• At 6 inches the brace height is the tightest in the family - it buys the speed but gives up a little forgiveness on a loose release, so a shooter who prizes a forgiving shot over velocity may prefer the 7-inch SS or SD

• The long riser gives the bow a slightly top-heavy feel some owners notice - a rear stabilizer or low riser weight balances it, and the tucked-in LowPro quiver helps
• The 27-inch draw floor and longer, heavier chassis leave out shorter-draw archers and tight-quarters treestand hunters - that shooter is better matched to the compact V3X 29

• 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