Alright,,,,,,Need help choosing a new bow

[JoeH2o]

Looking to up grade this year. I'm not to savvy on bow technology, so I need some help narrowing down some bows. I currently shoot a Hoyt Trykon. Been looking at some new Hoyts (Faktor 34 & Turbo), Prime (Defy & Alloy). I would like to find a dealer that still has the Hoyt Spyder 34&turbo so I could test those out also. Don't really want to spend over a grand if I don't have to.

What are your thought on some new bows? Doesn't have to be Just Hoyt or Prime, I want to hear your thought on any bow, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

Thanks

[ctdad]

Bows have changed a lot since the trykon (06 model right?). I'm a hoyt fanboy and have drank the carbon kool-aid. I did shoot the spyder carbon 30 and the faktor this year as well. Both are very nice drawing bows that shoot well also. The new z5 cam is so much better than the fuel cams you have now it will amaze you. However, the same can be said of a number of other cam systems as well.

I've heard great things about prime but I've never shot one. No one around here carries them. The other brand I'd look at is elite. They have an impressive draw cycle. I may switch to an elite at some point.

A lot of people sell 1-2 year old bows that are in like new condition for a fraction of the price of new (I know b/c I'm one of them). You may want to consider this option as well if you want a serious upgrade for a better price.

[JoeH2o]

Ya, 06 Trykon. Still flings arrows alright, but after 75-100 shots, I have to retune it because of the old free floating yoke. I've killed elk with it just fine, but after feeling the back wall on that new Prime I have to upgrade. I shot the Prime Defy, Hoyt Faktor Turbo, and the Hoyt Carbon Spyder 30 last week. I honestly did not like the 30" carbon spyder, Just felt way to small. Shot great, but felt like my kids toy bow. I don't think I would buy a 30" bow, but what are the pros and cons of the ATA, (30"vs 33" vs 34"). Other than mobility, I hear that the most. I'm used to carrying a 58" recurve, and killing animals with it. I just don't see 3-4" being that much of a factor in mobility out west where I hunt.

[husky390]

I upgraded from an old Hoyt MT Sport this year to a 2013 Elite Answer and I love it. The only other bow I wanted was the PSE Full Throttle in 60 or 65lbs. I shot the Hoyt's, a Mathews, Elite 35, Elite Answer, and the PSE Source and the only bow that gave me that chit eatin grin was the Full Throttle. It shot similar to my MT Sport as it barely had a valley but the price tag was out of my budget. The Hoyt Carbon Spyder was awesome, zero vibration but too expensive for me. The PSE Source shot well to but my second choice was the Elite Answer and I found one on AT loaded for $650.00. Truth be told I was hell bent on buying an Elite Answer until the bow shop jacked me around on the price and then I shot the Full Throttle. But I do love my Elite, very smooth draw and solid back wall. I'll get a Full Throttle once the prices are reasonable for me.

[Puttncut]

Buying a new bow THESE days is a lot easier than it used to be because many if not all the top line bows share similar technologies. It's amazing how far this science has come in the last twenty years since I bought my last bow. But don't get hung-up on the data sheets - go shoot. After passing my old MQ1 to my soon-to-be-new-son-in-law, I shot many of the top bows but when I turned lose of that arrow resting on a Heli m I KNEW RIGHT THEN what I was buying - it was love at first fling! (The Elite is an awesome bow too but THAT distributor was a much further drive for me so I never went back) One more thing - NEVER pay listed price for a bow...find a local dealer who is a good tech then dicker on the price...for the bow AND the add-ons!
Good luck!

[archery bum]

Don't forget about service after the sale! Not only from your dealer but the bow manufacturer. Your bow dealer is at the mercy of the manufacturer and Hoyt and Elite are at the top of the list for great costumer service.

[Toby]

I have owned quite a few bows in the past few years, finally settled on Elites, they have a lifetime transferable warranty, so you can buy used and get warranty. I own an Energy 32, a great bow. I see a new 2013 Hunter on AT right now for $585 tyd, can't beat that. Check leftover or used Elites, best buy in Archery. P.M. Me in you want more info.

[Triplebhunters]

Hoyt carbon. After your ad dons they won't feel to light or toyish. I have the 2012 Element. Love it.

[JJ Overkill]

I can recommend a few PSE that would fit what your looking for. if you have a local PSE shop go check out some of the new 2014s. you might just find one you like.

[blackwolf]

Shot the Hoyt Carbon Spyder and love it. Shot the Carbon Turbo and wasn't impressed. But I will stick with my Mathews DXT for now.

[ctdad]

Blackwolf, what was different for you with the turbo?

[pointysticks]

hoyt spyder 34 if you can spend that kinda cash.

Elite 35 or 32, if you cant. i am shooting the 35 now. i can tell you i dont kiss a bow's butt just cuz i own it. i will tell you my honest opinion.

i havent own a lot of bows, so i tend to stay faithful if it shoots well. i dont need the latest and greatest.

my favorite bow was my Mathews Switchback XT. great coating on bow and cams.

here is my review. accuracy. i was awesome with my SBXT. i am finally getting to where i am better with the Elite 35. i am discovering i am suited to the longer ATA. i just hold it steadier. just today..i shot four groups that touched..i risked smashing expensive arrows together. at 60 yards!! my group was low, cuz i was sighting in my new sight..but they were tight up against each other. i did this 4 times. most groups where more in the 4-5" size at 60.. very good for me. but i'll be honest..i never touched arrows at 60 with the SBXT. the longer ATA makes me have to put more effort in leaning the bow to level my bubble. i might need to balance it more with an offset stab..dunno. i think a big part of my accuracy is how easy it is to hold at full draw..i dont feel myself getting weaker and weaker as i hold it..my Z7 i hit the wall, the launch countdown begins ASAP. you tend to get punchy at the trigger with a bow like that.

quiet..dont know. all bows seem loud to me as the shooter. others tell me it is quiet. no vibes. pretty easy to tune. so far.

the downside? my cams are kinda daintily coated. a single trip to AZ left my cams nicked and scratched..same goes for the limb pockets. they need a better coating. i'm gonna put gaffers tape on the limb pockets before i go out next time.

anything less than 60 yards was so easy to shoot with this bow..40 yards, chip shots. i love this bow. my broadheads fly great..maybe some fine tuning needed at this point, but i bet i am very very close. set the bow up centered thru the berger, nock point 90 degrees off the string, and center shot perfectly parallel to the stablilizer..nothing fancy needed.

in a few weeks, my confidence with a turkey at 20 yards will be unlimited. i cannot wait.

my last bow, my Mathews Z7..i always whispered a prayer before i let an arrow go..i named that bow "drunken sparrow" cuz that was how my first broadhead arrow flew. hahaha. i just was never that confident. that bow had to go after a short 3 years.

good luck.

i love the Prime bows..and that Athen Recluse looked awesome on paper..but i couldnt find one to shoot.

[Triplebhunters]

Shot the Hoyt Carbon Spyder and love it. Shot the Carbon Turbo and wasn't impressed. But I will stick with my Mathews DXT for now.

What didn't you like about the Turbo?

[blackwolf]

It just didn't have the great feel in my hand like the Spyder did. Maybe because I am used to the shorter bow (DXT) for last 6-7 years. I also thought the Spyder drew more smoothly and less hand shock. But I sure wouldn't pass up a Turbo if someone gave me one! They are both super bows!

[Toby]

A lot of how a bow feels when you shoot it depends on how well it is tuned. Two identical bows can feel entirely different, so be careful not to judge too quickly. Ask the pro shop to check cam timing, and it should shoot a decent hole through paper. A bow that has bad timing and tuning can feel pretty poor on the shot and not do justice to it. Unfortunately, many pro shops don't have or take the time to set their bows up properly. I shot two Hoyt Turbos side by side, one felt great the other felt like my 40 year old Jennings Model T.

[ctdad]

The spyder and turbo have same cam. The draw cycle should be the same. The longer ata may give you a different feel I guess.
Toby is dead on about tuning. Hoyts are very sensitive to proper cam synch. It is an epic failure that my local archery shop, which is a big box store, has no draw board to even check synch. That's why I drive two hours to buy from a proper dealer. When something stretches and my bow is out of synch, it doesn't have near as nice of a back wall or valley. Same could be true of most two cam bows

[JoeH2o]

Thanks piontysticks,

That's the kind of insight I'm looking for. I've had a lot of people tell me I need to go shoot an Elite. I've been leaning hard towards the Spyder 34, Facktor 34, and a Prime. I think I have to wait til I can find an Elite to test out.

[Toby]

JoeH2O,

There are lots of good bows out there. I have mainly shot Mathews, Hoyt and now Elite, they are all great, as are many others. Shoot a bunch and make sure the pro shop adjust the draw length to fit you, otherwise you won't get a true impression of the bow. As someone mentioned, try to buy from a dealer close to you and ask when you buy how many "free" visits you get in case there are tuning issues. Pick the one that "likes you best".

ctdad, it is easy and pretty inexpensive to make a draw board, but you would also need a bow press to make any necessary adjustments. If you have a few hunting buddies close, may not be a bad idea to share the expense. It is a great feeling not being at the mercy of pro shops.

[ctdad]

I have a press, draw board, kwik shooter, and every other tuning tool I've ever thought I might need. I don't need the shop to tune my bow but since most guys aren't set up like me, they should be better equipped imo

[pointysticks]

That double cam thing on the Prime bows is very cool looking. I think it is insurance against any cam lean. I've heard they are a cinch to tune.

Good luck. If I had cash. I would buy a carbon spyder34. I like the weight savings.

[Swede]

I agree with JJ Overkill. PSE bows shoot very well for me and PSE really takes good care of their customers.

[JJ Overkill]

I was going to try and stay out of this one for the most part BUT, I had to look up all the bows mentioned here. there is one bow I would put against any of the ones listed it does however carry a higher price tag. the PSE full throttle. it compares closest to the hoyt spyder turbo in most areas.
spyder turbo,
33" ATA
3.8#
6" brace height
340fps

full throttle
33 1/4" ATA
4.1#
5 1/4" brace height
370 fps

I have never shot the spyder turbo so I cant tell you what the draw cycle is like on it, I have shot the FT and it draws great. even my 14yr old son drew a 60# and wanted one. im not one for my arrow going over 300fps. I stay just below that. I do however like a heavy arrow to be hitting 290ish fps.

my honest opinion is to shoot every bow you can get your hands on see which one brings the biggest smile to your face and go that route. as for me the FT will be my bow of choice next yr. just a customed 80#

I just ran both set of number through my On Target 2 program I built both setups the same. 70# 28"DL, 27" arrow= 432.2grs.

spyder turbo 285.36 fps
full throttle 311.13 fps
I used the max IBO for both bows. 370 for the FT and 340 for the ST

fyi I built 3 different bow setups using OT2 for my families bows, the numbers on arrow weight where dead on and fps was 1 maybe 2 fps off after running them through a crono. my omen hit dead on of what the OT2 said it would.

[JoeH2o]

Thanks for all the good insight, I like it. Now I just need to find a day to go shoot some bows. I'll keep you posted on what I find.

[Toby]

Just one more thing since it was mentioned above is brace height. Generally the lower it is the faster the bow, but sometimes more critical of form, the longer it is the slower the bow, but more forgiving. If you have really good form, this isn't an issue, but when chasing elk, my form usually isn't as good as it is on the range. I like 7" BH or so, but YMMV.

[pointysticks]

Just one more thing since it was mentioned above is brace height. Generally the lower it is the faster the bow, but sometimes more critical of form, the longer it is the slower the bow, but more forgiving. If you have really good form, this isn't an issue, but when chasing elk, my form usually isn't as good as it is on the range. I like 7" BH or so, but YMMV.

7 inch is awesome for me. In a hunting situation I rarely find myself standing as comfy as I am at the range. Form goes out the window when straddling a tree over a stream shooting uphill.

[timberland]

Don't forget about the weight. Guys will spend a ton of money on an ultralight rifle, then lug an 8 lb bow around.

[Wagnon89]

I just bought a new Bowtech Carbon Overdrive and I'm really liking it. Lightweight and pretty dang fast. I got 298 fps with a 487 gr arrow at 70 lb and 29" DL. I'd been shooting a Fred Bear Truth since 2007 and I was amazed how far the technology has come in the past several years. Today I had a 3 shot group the size of a baseball at 50 yards. I was never able to do that with my last bow and this was only the second time I shot this bow. The main reason I got a new bow was for my elk hunt this year. This rig will lighten my load a little and extend my range a good bit.

Some people won't like how lightweight it is but I found it held really well. I don't even have a stabilizer on it yet and it still felt pretty balanced. I plan to shoot it without a stabilizer for a while, then stick one on and see if it improves my groups enough to worry about it at all. Also, if you are a shooter that "grips" the handle, you probably won't like the grip on the Overdrive. However, if you shoot with an open hand like me I think you'll like the fit. The binary cam system is super easy to tune also.

I shot a few Mathews, a couple of Hoyts, and several Bowtechs before I decided on this one. Didn't get to shoot any Elites (wish I would have) as there wasn't a dealer close by. I've heard a lot of good about the Elites.

[JoeH2o]

Well, I ended up buying a 2012 Hoyt Carbon Element, 60-70lbs #3 cam. Bought it used for (I think) a pretty good price, $760 to my door. Should be a good bow for me. I need to set it up so I can shoot it. Really wish I could have shot an Elite, but I had to pull the trigger on this bow when I saw it. Thanks for all the good info.

[WapitiTalk1]

Well, I ended up buying a 2012 Hoyt Carbon Element, 60-70lbs #3 cam. Bought it used for (I think) a pretty good price, $760 to my door. Should be a good bow for me. I need to set it up so I can shoot it. Really wish I could have shot an Elite, but I had to pull the trigger on this bow when I saw it. Thanks for all the good info.

Sweet bow for sure. Sounds like you got a great deal! Happy hunting.

[rowdycwby1]

I just up graded from the PSE stinger to the Hoyt Faktor 30 and love it it shoots great and there customer service and warranty is great! Unfortunately I've already had to use the warranty and only had the bow 2 weeks The bow was flawless but a bad arrow will reckon havoc on any bow....lesson learned always flex your arrows before shooting!!

[ctdad]

You bust a limb?

[rowdycwby1]

It splintered it