Compound Bow Comparator

The Alpha AX-90 is Hoyt's 2026 Beast, and it earns the name honestly: an Alpha AX-3 chassis reinforced with steel limb hardware to hold a true 90-pound peak and pass a 1,500 dry-fire test at that weight, built with Cameron Hanes and Josh Bowmar for hunters who measure a bow by energy on target. At a $1,749 launch MSRP it asks a premium over the standard AX-3, and the premium buys reinforcement and durability the rest of the line was never engineered for, plus the full press-free XTS tuning and In-Line accessory system carried over intact. The real-world number that matters is energy: a 465-grain arrow at 316 fps for roughly 103 ft-lb of kinetic energy, penetration for the biggest game with the heaviest arrows. Drawing it, the front end stacks hard and never lets you forget the poundage, but it rolls clean over the peak, holds rock solid, and shoots dead and silent in the hand, so the reward for the effort is real. It is a specialist's tool, not an everyday bow, and Hoyt is refreshingly blunt that most buyers should look elsewhere. An excellent bow for the trained, high-poundage hunter who wants maximum kinetic energy for elk, big game and African hunts and can draw 90 pounds cleanly under real conditions. Buyers who want that same aggressive energy but top out at 80 pounds should also look at the PSE Mach 30 DS, and those who value a quiet, forgiving shot over raw poundage should also look at the Mathews Phase4 33. Read full review...

The Mach 30 DS is the bow that pulled PSE level in the carbon-flagship fight, and it did it from an unusual angle - not by out-speeding the field but by being among the lightest carbon bows on the market, at 3.6 pounds, with a shot signature shooters rank dead-even with or ahead of Hoyt for quiet and vibration. For 2026 the new FDS cam closes the last gap, lifting the rating to 348 fps and adding effective brace height while keeping the smooth draw and immovable back wall that defined the platform, all at a $1,799 launch MSRP that sits under the comparable Hoyt carbon. Real-world hunting velocity is genuinely there - the outgoing EC2 cam already put a 425-grain shaft past 300 fps at a 30-inch draw, and the FDS cam is rated quicker still. The trade-offs are honest and small: a short brace that asks for clean form, and a featherweight mass that likes a touch of stabilizer weight to plant the shot. It is an excellent bow for the backcountry and mobile hunter who wants carbon's light carry and cold-weather warmth in a compact 30-inch frame, and it is particularly strong as a heavy-poundage elk setup that never feels heavy to pack. Buyers who want the same platform with more built-in forgiveness at distance should look at the longer Mach 33 DS or Mach 35 DS; those who don't specifically need carbon should weigh the Mathews Phase4 29 and keep the difference. 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...

• Reaches a true 90-pound peak for maximum kinetic energy, backed by reinforced steel limb hardware built to pass Hoyt's 1,500 dry-fire test at full weight
• A heavy 465-grain arrow clocked 316 fps in hands-on testing, roughly 103 ft-lb of kinetic energy for deep penetration on the biggest game
• Even at 90 pounds the draw never dumps harshly, rolling clean over the peak into a solid back wall and a usable valley
• Dead, silent shot with zero post-shot vibration and a rock-solid hold, the Hoyt shot signature carried intact to extreme poundage
• Gives up nothing on features, with the full press-free XTS tuning system and In-Line accessory integration from the Alpha AX-3

• One of the lightest carbon hunting bows on the market at 3.6 pounds - you feel it the moment you pick it up, and again on hour six of a backcountry pack-in
• Dead in the hand - quiet shot with minimal vibration, closer to a heavier flagship than a sub-4-pound bow has any right to be
• Smooth draw cycle into a rock-solid back wall you cannot flex, with adjustable let-off to tune the valley
• Carbon riser holds a neutral temperature - warm to the touch on a frozen morning, no metal bite through bare fingers
• Tunes without a press for the everyday jobs - half-inch draw changes and let-off swaps at the module, cam lean via the EZ.220 snap spacers

• 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

• The draw stacks hard from the first inch and tires you quickly, so it is no cold-weather or all-day-3D bow; warm up and shoot one in person before committing
• At a 90-pound peak the spine requirements turn very stiff and arrow choices narrow, so factor in a heavy stiff-spine build and a pro-shop spine check

• The compact 30-inch frame and short brace favor maneuverability and hunting ranges - shooters who live past 50 yards or want a target-length bow's forgiveness can move up to the longer Mach 33 DS or Mach 35 DS on the same platform
• At 3.6 pounds the bow can jump slightly at the shot for shooters used to a planted, heavier feel - a front stabilizer with a little mass settles it right down

• 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