Compound Bow Comparator

The Bowtech Carbon One X launched at $1,799 as the long-axle version of the 2023 Carbon One, and it is one of the more distinctive carbon hunting bows on the market precisely because it refuses to chase light weight. It is rated 339 fps IBO and chronographs around 310 fps with a real hunting arrow, holds dead-steady on the 33-inch riser, and sits quiet and shock-free in the hand thanks to the CarbonTec riser and Orbit Dampeners. The press-free DeadLock and TimeLock tuning make it one of the easiest premium bows to keep in tune without a shop, and the FlipDisc gives it two draw personalities to suit the hunt. The one honest trade-off is mass - it is the heaviest bow in the carbon class, by design, and that is the first thing a buyer should reconcile. In my time with the platform, that weight stops feeling like a penalty the moment the pin settles on a far target in wind. It is an excellent bow for the open-country and long-range hunter who prizes a steady hold and effortless tuning, and it is equally at home as a quiet treestand rig. Buyers who want the lightest possible carbon frame should also look at the PSE Carbon Levitate, and those who want a shorter, more maneuverable bow at the same price can consider the 30-inch Bowtech Carbon One. Read full review...

The Hoyt REDWRX Carbon RX-5, launched at $1,699 for 2021, was the year Hoyt stopped refining the REDWRX formula and rebuilt its engine. The all-new HBX Cam - a Tri-Track binary that finally retired the old split-yoke layout - gave this compact 30-inch carbon hunter the one thing earlier RedWRX bows lacked: a solid, defined back wall that owners who had shot every carbon Hoyt since the Defiant rate as the bow's standout trait. Around it sits a 342 fps IBO rating that translates to real hunting-arrow speeds in the 270-to-302 fps band for 440-to-508 grain shafts, a selectable 80/85% let-off you change with one screw, a hollow-carbon riser that stays warm in a December stand, and the In-Line sight, Integrate rest, and included Short Stop stabilizer the RX-4 never had. The honest trade-offs are a 4.4-pound mass that is light but not the featherweight some expect from carbon, and a shot that is quiet rather than silent - both tamed by the included damping and stabilizer. Studying how owners describe it, the through-line is that wall: this is a carbon bow you settle into and hold, not one you fight. An excellent bow for the serious backcountry and treestand hunter who wants a compact carbon rig with a forgiving hold and already knows carbon is the goal. Buyers who want that same engine in a longer, steadier-aiming frame should look at the REDWRX Carbon RX-5 Ultra, while those who would trade carbon for renowned silence and a lower price should also consider the Mathews VXR 28. Read full review...

No editors' review yet.

• Press-free tuning is built in - DeadLock slides the cam sideways with an Allen wrench and TimeLock re-syncs cam timing, both without a bow press
• Dead in the hand - the carbon riser and twin Orbit Dampeners turn the shot into a soft thump with very little hand shock
• FlipDisc is two bows in one - flip to Comfort for a glass-smooth draw at 87% let-off, or Performance for a firmer wall and about 10 fps more
• The long 33-inch axle-to-axle holds steady - the extra length settles the pin at distance and fights wind drift better than a short bow
• Quiet on the shot - owners rate it a shade quieter than the previous Carbon One even with the added speed

• Genuinely solid, defined back wall - the standout upgrade over earlier RedWRX bows, with no give whether you set the cam to 80% or 85% let-off
• Smooth draw that builds and rolls into the wall without a hump or a hard dump, so you can pull straight back on a cold, still treestand
• Let-off switches between 80% and 85% with one screw on each cam - no module swap, and the 80% drop keeps the bow legal in Western states that cap it there
• Noticeably less hand vibration than earlier carbon Hoyts - the shot settles fast to a single thump instead of a lingering buzz
• REDWRX XACT grip fills the hand and resists torque - the bare bow stands upright on its own and holds steady at full draw

• Heaviest bow in the carbon class at about 4.5 lb (4.6-4.8 with dampeners) - shooters chasing a sub-4-pound carbon build should shoulder one first; the heft is deliberate wind ballast, easily offset with a lighter stabilizer
• Performance mode stacks a little at the back half - buyers who want a pure glass-smooth pull can just leave the FlipDisc in Comfort, which costs nothing to switch back and forth
• No bolt-on integrated sight on the carbon riser - it uses a conventional two-hole sight mount, so buyers set on a dovetail sight should plan their sight choice around it

• Some owners note the RX-5 is fairly quiet rather than silent for a carbon flagship - the included Short Stop stabilizer and added dampers tame most of what remains, worth shooting one in person if silence is the top priority
• Carbon-flagship price tier - buyers who want the same HBX cam, XACT grip and shooting feel for less can step to Hoyt's aluminum Ventum 30