Compound Bow Comparator

The Mach 33 DS is the DS line's all-arounder and, on the award sheets, its champion - Outdoor Life's 2025 Bow of the Year and Field & Stream's Best Compound Bow, built on a 33-inch, USA-made Dead Frequency Carbon chassis that weighs just 3.9 pounds. It earns those honors the same way in every shooter's hands: a draw smoother than the compact 30 DS, a shot that is quiet and dead in the hand, and above all a pin that parks and stays, steady enough that shooters run competition indoor 300 rounds with their hunting rig. For 2026 the new FDS cam lifts the rating to 342 fps and firms up the valley without giving back the smooth draw, all at a $1,999 launch MSRP. The trade-offs are small and honest - a wide fixed grip that some shooters swap a plate onto, and a featherweight mass that likes a stabilizer to settle it in wind. In my hands it never once left me wishing for the extra half-pound of an aluminum riser - it simply does more jobs well than a bow this light has any right to. It is an excellent bow for the hunter who wants one carbon rig that hunts hard and shoots targets, particularly strong for the treestand-to-3D crossover shooter. Buyers who want maximum maneuverability should look at the compact Mach 30 DS, and those who would rather keep $700 for near-identical specs should weigh the Mathews Lift 33. Read full review...

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At a $1,299 launch MSRP, the Bowtech SR350 is a flagship-tier hunting bow that delivers genuine 350-class speed without the punishing draw that usually comes with it - 342 fps with a light arrow in Performance, 300 fps with a real hunting shaft, and a dead-in-hand 96.9 dB shot that belies the velocity. Its two best tricks are the FlipDisc, which turns one bow into a smooth 85% hunter or a faster speed rig with a flip of a module, and DeadLock, which lets you tune the cams square with an Allen key at your own bench. In my experience the combination is what makes it stick: a fast bow you can actually live with and actually tune yourself is rarer than the spec sheet suggests. The narrow Clutch grip and the late Performance-mode hump are real characteristics to know going in, but both have easy answers - feel the grip first, and shoot Comfort mode or back the weight down if you want all-day ease. It is an excellent bow for the do-it-yourself hunter who wants top-end speed and a forgiving 33-inch platform in the same package, and it is particularly strong for the shorter-draw shooter that most speed bows leave out. Buyers who would trade a few fps for a more forgiving brace height should also look at the PSE EVO NXT 33, and those who prioritize the quietest possible shot should consider the Mathews V3X 33. Read full review...

• Aims like a target bow - the pin parks and stays, steady enough that shooters run indoor Vegas 300 rounds with their full hunting rig on it
• Smoother draw than the compact 30 DS - the cam rolls over cleanly with none of the faint hump you feel on the shorter bow
• Very quiet with a dead-in-the-hand shot, unusually settled for a sub-4-pound carbon bow
• Remarkably light for a 33-inch carbon at 3.9 pounds - a longer, steadier platform that still carries barely heavier than the compact 30 DS
• USA-made Dead Frequency Carbon riser - stiff, temperature-neutral, and among the very few carbon bows built in the United States

• Press-free DeadLock tuning - a turn of an Allen key drives each cam left or right to chase out a paper tear, no bow press needed
• FlipDisc gives two bows in one - flip the module to a smooth 85% hunting draw or a faster Performance draw on the same chassis
• Real-world speed lands close to the 350 IBO rating - 342 fps with a 350-grain arrow in Performance, 300 fps with a 400-grain hunting shaft
• Dead in the hand for a speed bow - repositioned Orbit dampeners pull noise and vibration down to a level most flagships envy
• Clutch grip is thin, flat-backed and modular, with an alignment channel that makes hand placement repeatable shot to shot

• The stock grip runs wide and is not adjustable on PSE's hunting line - shooters who want a narrower or custom fit add an aftermarket plate such as UltraView's or Nock-On's, a quick bolt-on fix
• At 3.9 pounds the light frame can get nudged by wind and feels less planted than a heavy aluminum bow - a front stabilizer with a little mass steadies it

• In Performance mode the draw builds a noticeable hump rolling into the valley - shooters who want all-day smoothness can flip to Comfort or drop a few pounds of peak weight
• The Clutch grip is narrow - most owners like it, but bigger-handed shooters used to a fuller grip may want to feel it first; the modular angles and aftermarket grips solve it