Compound Bow Comparator

Launched for 2024 at a $1,399 MSRP and carried unchanged into 2025, the Core SR is Bowtech's answer to an old compromise: real speed without a brutal draw. It pairs an up-to-344 fps IBO - about fifteen feet per second faster than the brand's prior flagships - with a riser whose reflex geometry lets a six-inch brace hold like a near-seven-inch one, and it carries the full flagship tuning suite: DeadLock cams you adjust with a wrench on the line, TimeLock timing, Dual Lock pockets, the GripLock adjustable grip, and CenterMass integrated mounting. On a chronograph it runs 341 fps in Performance and a still-quick 330 in Comfort with a 350-grain arrow at 70 pounds, dead in the hand and quiet, with the smoother Comfort setting the one most owners live in. What stays with me is that the draw never feels like the price you pay for the speed - in Comfort it pulls like a lighter bow than it is. An excellent bow for the speed-minded hunter who wants a flat, forgiving trajectory at the longer end of range without a harsh draw or twitchy hold. Buyers who want the quietest shot and a more forgiving brace should look at the Mathews Phase4 33, while those who want the smoothest possible draw in the same family should consider the Core SS. Read full review...

The Phase4 33 launched at $1,299 as the long, steady, forgiving half of Mathews' 2023 flagship line - a hunting bow with a target bow's riser. Its defining number is not speed but sound: 92.9 dB on a meter and a shot so dead in the hand it barely registers, courtesy of the eight-limb Resistance Phase Damping limb design that stops vibration before it reaches you. Around that sits a 33-inch frame that holds a pin rock-steady, a forgiving 6.5-inch brace, and honest chronograph numbers - 320 fps at 350 grains dropping to 283 fps with heavier hunting arrows - that trail the compact Phase4 29 by only a step. Add SwitchWeight's one-bow-fits-all module system and a cam that tunes almost without argument, and you have a genuine hunting, 3D, and target crossover. In my experience the calm sight picture on that long riser is what wins you over - the pin parks and stays. It is an excellent bow for the longer-draw hunter and 3D shooter who values a steady hold and a silent shot, particularly strong when a calm pin matters more than a compact frame. Buyers who want a shorter, more maneuverable bow should also look at the Mathews Phase4 29; those shopping the same long-axle platform for less should look at 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...

• Genuinely fast - up to 344 fps IBO and a measured 341 fps with a 350-grain arrow at 70 pounds, roughly fifteen feet per second quicker than Bowtech's prior flagships and among the fastest hunting bows of its year
• Keeps a comfortable draw for a speed bow - in the Comfort setting the seventy-pound pull feels closer to sixty-five, and the 6-inch brace behaves more like a near-7-inch brace thanks to the riser's reflex geometry
• Full DeadLock cam plus TimeLock - correct a paper tear or pull timing creep out of the cables with an Allen key on the shooting line, no press required
• Rock-solid back wall and a dead, quiet shot - twin Orbit dampeners and cable stops that give just enough at the wall keep hand shock down to flagship levels

• Measured 92.9 dB at the shot - the eight-limb RPD design makes it the quietest Mathews of its era
• Long 33-inch axle-to-axle on a target-length riser holds rock-steady at full draw
• Forgiving 6.5-inch brace height smooths out form errors for hunting and 3D alike
• SwitchWeight modules set peak weight and let-off, so one bow spans 60-75 lb without new limbs
• Tunes fast and predictably - many owners dial it in without touching the top-hat shims

• 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

• Performance mode firms the draw with a noticeably bigger hump at the back wall for only about six to ten feet per second - most owners leave it in Comfort, where it is still fast
• Maxed out at the top of its 25-to-30-inch draw range the back wall turns aggressive - a shooter who needs a true 30-inch draw should shoot it in person or run a lower peak weight, while owners at 29 inches and under find it comfortable

• The rubber Engage grip divides owners - those who dislike it can pop it off for flat side plates or an aftermarket grip
• The 27-inch draw-length floor rules it out for shorter-draw shooters, who fit the Phase4 29 better

• 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