Compound Bow Comparator

The Bowtech Samson is a specialist, and it is honest about it. Produced from 2002 through 2004 in peak weights of 80, 90, and 100 pounds, it took Bowtech's fast Infinity Cam single-cam chassis - the same 325-333 fps IBO platform as the Extreme and Patriot - and fitted it with heavy-deflection VFT limbs to deliver draw force and kinetic energy almost nothing else of its era could match. One 100-pound example measured roughly 330 fps and about 118 ft-lb of energy, and owners back that up with pass-through kills on bear and deer. What I keep coming back to is how focused it is: the up-to-80-percent let-off makes the extreme poundage holdable, and everything else about the bow serves the single goal of putting maximum energy behind the arrow. No documented launch price survives, and the bow is a used-market find today, so factor in a fresh string set from a custom shop. It is an excellent choice for the strong, experienced hunter whose priority is the deepest penetration on heavy game, and particularly strong when marginal arrow energy simply is not acceptable. Buyers who want a smooth, forgiving, do-everything hunting bow at a normal draw weight should look instead at the Mathews Switchback or the Hoyt Trykon. Read full review...

The Mathews Switchback entered the market in 2005 and continues to be one of the best smooth bows ever since. Many hunters strongly agree this bow is one of the smoothest bows available on the market. With the very low levels of vibration and noise, the Switchback is smooth and fast at the same time. Having received a lot of extra positive reviews and comments from archers throughout the world, this legendary bow has been the most popular and most selling Mathews rig for a long time. Read full review...

The Hoyt Trykon was Hoyt's mid-2000s flagship-tier hunting bow - the model that modernized the line around the hybrid Zephyr Cam & 1/2 - and today it is one of the best-reasoned used buys on the market for a hunter who wants real Hoyt engineering without a new-bow budget. The core numbers hold up: a 316 fps IBO from the Zephyr cam, a forgiving 33 inch axle-to-axle and 7 inch brace, XT500 limbs on a machined riser, a wide 40-80 lb and 25-31 inch fit range, and buyer-selectable 65% or 80% let-off. Real-world speed lands where the setup dictates - a tuned example chronographed 297 fps with a 338 grain arrow at a modest 65 lb, 28.5 inch setup - and the accuracy is treestand-lethal out to 40 yards with nothing exotic bolted on. Hoyt never published a mass weight or a launch price for the Trykon, and the honest characterization is a bow that runs heavier and livelier at the shot than a modern rig - both of which an experienced owner turns to advantage, the mass for a steadier hold and the liveliness dispatched by a low-cost string and damping kit. In my experience the Trykon converts skeptics the moment they shoot a tuned one: the Zephyr draw is the whole appeal, and it still holds up. This is an excellent bow for the value-minded whitetail hunter who wants a stable, forgiving, genuinely fast used chassis and does not mind a tune and a damping kit to bring it current, particularly strong from a treestand where its mass and geometry pay off. Buyers who rank absolute silence and single-cam simplicity first should also look at the Mathews Switchback, and those chasing the most raw speed of the era should weigh the Bowtech Allegiance. Read full review...

• Built for pass-through penetration - owners report clean bear and deer kills with the 100-pound version, backed by roughly 118 ft-lb of kinetic energy on tap
• Fills the rare 80-to-100-pound draw-force niche almost no production bow of its era covered
• Fast for a heavy rig - 325-333 fps IBO from the single Infinity Cam keeps the extra poundage moving on a flat line
• Up to 80% let-off keeps even a 100-pound peak holding at a manageable weight at full draw

• smooth and fast single cam bow
• low noise and vibration
• great value for money

• The hybrid Zephyr Cam & 1/2 draws with a rounded, forgiving pull that made the Trykon Hoyt's smooth-but-fast hunting choice of the mid-2000s
• Buyer-selectable 65% or 80% let-off by module lets a shooter set the hold to match either speed-tuned or long-stand-comfort priorities
• Machined riser and XT500 limbs give the platform a stiff, durable chassis that owners still hunt hard with 15-plus years on
• Wide 25-31 inch draw and 40-80 lb range make one used chassis fit almost any adult hunter without a proprietary module hunt
• Responds strongly to a modern string set and a damping kit - a low-cost path to a quiet, dead-in-hand shot on a used bow

• The 80-100 pound draw force is a hard fit boundary - this is a bow for strong, experienced shooters, and even backed down at the limb bolts it stays a heavy-poundage tool, not a general-purpose hunter
• Discontinued after 2004, so it is a used-market buy today - custom shops such as 60X and America's Best Bowstrings still build Samson strings and cables, worth budgeting a fresh set on any used purchase

• non-adjustable eccentric system

• Runs heavier in the hand than a modern hunting bow - many owners actually prefer that mass for a steadier hold on aim, but shooters counting ounces for long mobile hunts may want to weigh it in person first
• Stock 2006-07 damping is dated - an aftermarket string-silencer and limb-dampener kit takes the vibration and noise out and is the first upgrade most owners make
• Draw-length changes are a bow-press job on the Z-module string set, not a tool-free rotating module - dial in your exact draw at a shop before the season