Compound Bow Comparator

Launched for the 2025 model year at a $2,199 launch MSRP and expanded for 2026 with a long-draw cam and an 80-pound option, the Virtue is Bowtech's magnesium flagship - the brand's answer to carbon and the lightest premium do-all it builds. Its AeroMag magnesium riser drops the bare weight to 3.7 pounds, its titanium hardware shrugs off corrosion through multi-day hunts, and behind both sits the complete press-free tuning suite: DeadLock cam tuning, TimeLock timing, the GripLock grip, and a FlipDisc that moves the draw from a smooth Comfort cycle to a faster Performance setting. At 32 inches axle to axle with a 341 fps IBO on the Standard cam, it is a genuine do-all that holds the mid-270s with a heavy hunting arrow, quiet and dead in the hand despite the light riser. The honest costs are the top-of-line price and a Performance setting that dumps harder than some shooters want - both easy to weigh against what the magnesium buys. Having shot its dead, quiet hold, what defines the Virtue is that it delivers carbon-class weight without the usual penalty. An excellent bow for the western and backcountry hunter who counts ounces and wants a premium, corrosion-proof, do-all flagship. Buyers who do not need the weight savings should look at the Bowtech Proven 34 for the same technology in aluminum at far less, while those wanting a fast conventional hunter should consider the Bowtech Alliance 33. Read full review...

Launched for the 2025 model year at a $1,449 launch MSRP and carried unchanged into 2026, the Proven 34 is Bowtech's no-compromise tuning platform - the bow that puts every press-free adjustment tool the brand makes onto one 34-inch hybrid chassis. DeadLock walks arrow flight, TimeLock syncs cam timing, GripLock sets the grip angle, and a FlipDisc moves the draw cycle from a smooth Comfort pull to a faster Performance setting, all without a bow press. The two cam options carry the fit from a 25-inch compact draw on the Standard cam to a 33-inch reach on the Long cam, and the chronograph confirms the speed - 333 fps at 30 inches, 70 pounds, and 350 grains, holding steady after a thousand arrows. At 4.7 pounds it is no featherweight, and its deep Performance back end rewards a shooter who stays engaged, but those are the costs of a long, stable, endlessly tunable platform. Having spent more time tuning it than shooting it, what stays with me is how rarely it needed touching once set - a thousand arrows, one re-time. An excellent bow for the crossover hunter and 3D shooter who wants long-axle stability and complete do-it-yourself tunability over the lightest possible rig. Buyers who want a lighter, compact build should look at the Bowtech Solution LS, while those who want a faster, dedicated hunting bow at a similar price should also consider the Bowtech Alliance 33. Read full review...

At a $1,499 launch MSRP, the 2026 Bowtech Alliance 33 is the rare bow that genuinely earns its keep across two seasons - a 33-inch, 4.25-pound platform built on the updated DeadLock cam that tunes left and right with an Allen key and no press, wrapped around a Comfort draw cycle that hands-on shooters keep calling the smoothest of the year. Its IBO rating is 334 fps, and real-world speed is honest about it: a 350-grain arrow clocks a steady 323 fps in Comfort across two separate chronographs and 335 in Performance, fast enough for any sensible hunting or target range. What sets it apart from its compact sibling is the hold - it sits still up-and-down and left-to-right, dead in the hand and steady at full draw, and that stability is why it asks for less stabilizer weight and keeps a clean shot out past 100 yards. The genuine 27-to-32-inch draw range finally fits long-draw and taller archers without a special cam, and the 60-to-75-pound options span smaller-framed shooters to the high-poundage crowd. Having flipped this bow between both modes, I left it in Comfort and never looked back - the Performance speed is a situational bonus, not the reason to buy. The one thing to handle in person is the redesigned GripLock grip: the angle adjustment is a real advantage, but the wider profile is a personal-fit question longtime Bowtech shooters will want to settle by feel. This is an excellent bow for the one-bow archer who hunts in the fall and shoots 3D and targets the rest of the year, particularly strong for long-draw shooters and anyone who values a steady hold at distance. Buyers who hunt the tightest cover and prioritize maximum maneuverability should also look at the compact Bowtech Alliance. Read full review...

• The AeroMag magnesium riser brings a genuine flagship to 3.7 pounds bare - the lightest premium Bowtech, trading blows with carbon for the weight-conscious hunter
• Titanium hardware that will not corrode or rust - built to shrug off multi-day wet, snowy, and harsh-condition hunts
• The complete press-free tuning suite - DeadLock cam shift, TimeLock timing, GripLock grip angle - all set on the line with a wrench, no press
• Quiet and dead in the hand, with almost no post-shot vibration despite the very light riser
• A true 32-inch do-all platform with real speed - a 341 fps IBO that still holds the mid-270s with a heavy hunting arrow

• The complete press-free tuning toolkit - DeadLock cam shift, TimeLock cam timing, and GripLock grip angle - tunes the bow to a bullet hole with an Allen key and no bow press
• Two factory cam options - a Standard cam for 25-to-30-inch draws and a Long cam reaching 33 inches - so one bow fits a compact hunter or a tall 3D shooter
• Proven durable in long-term use - a thousand arrows over five months on the stock strings, with the cams needing a re-time only once
• Real-world speed matches the rating - a long-cam setup chronographed 333 fps at 30 inches, 70 pounds, and a 350-grain arrow
• The broadest finish selection in the lineup - nine factory solids and camos plus a custom program - covering 3D shooters and pattern-camo hunters alike

• Comfort-mode draw among the smoothest of any 2026 flagship - it builds and then simply holds with no hump, hiding its 70-pound peak behind an even ramp
• Holds rock-steady on target - the bow sits up-and-down and left-to-right without bouncing forward, so it asks for less stabilizer weight than most bows its speed
• Dead in the hand after the shot - post-shot vibration stays minimal even bare or over-gripped, in line with recent Bowtech hunters
• True 32-inch draw reached through a rotating module with no special long-draw cam - it finally fits tall and long-draw archers that many bows top out before
• Press-free DeadLock tuning with laser-etched marks and finer threads, plus an Allen-key GripLock angle adjustment - a small turn squares a paper tear without a bow press

• The most expensive Bowtech at a $2,199 MSRP - the magnesium riser and titanium hardware justify it for the weight-conscious buyer, but a hunter who does not need the ounces gets most of the same technology in the aluminum Proven 34 for far less
• The Performance FlipDisc setting rolls over with a pronounced dump into a heavier back wall - shooters who want a smoother cycle simply run the Comfort setting, which is the gentler default

• A real-world 4.7-pound bare-bow mass is on the heavy side for a current hunter - a shooter packing it deep into the backcountry will feel it, though treestand and 3D shooters who do not carry far rarely mind
• The Performance FlipDisc setting runs an aggressive back end at maxed-out weight - a deep valley that can creep forward if you let off - though running the Comfort setting or backing off a few pounds settles it

• Redesigned grip runs wider front-to-back than past Bowtechs - a love-it-or-hate-it change for longtime owners; the GripLock angle setting helps dial fit, but it is worth shooting one in person before buying
• Performance mode's extra speed rides a stiffer, stack-and-dump draw with a short valley - milder here than on the compact Alliance, yet most hunters still leave it in Comfort, so treat the speed setting as situational