Discuss the 2010 H2H Bow Test
Equipment
Pat, I signed up but never got the email. thanks.
I just received here at midnight in Wi. I have to say I am very suprised at the results in the speedbow category. Deffinately not the conclusions myself and several other experienced shooters came up with shooting most of the same bows. But we were just shooting a bunch of different bows to get the feel while bow shopping,nothing scientific. I really like this test and every year I am suprised at the results,and impressed with the work put into it.
I got the results, it was fun going through.
Thanks!
it looks like a lot of hard work was put in..awesome work. Thanks to all who were involved!
how did the destroyer do?
Nicely done. Every year it gets a bit better, but this year was a big jump.
Very Nice. Thanks to everyone who took the time and gathered the data. REALLY like my Z7 so it was interesting to see it's results.
Got mine, but I didn't check any email until this morning. Great job on the testing!!
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buckiller, LOL!! there's no such thing as a winner. It's merely an opinion of the people performing the test. I don't shoot any of the ones mentioned and I feel my bow outperforms most of them as far as what I am looking for in a bow. So what you picked is most likely a winner in your book. Happy hunting.
Looking at the results it goes back to what I have mentioned many,many times on the Bowsite that being there really isn't a bad bow out there anymore. The most important thing is does the bow fit you and does it do what you want it to do. If you answer yes to both questins then you bought the winner!!
It's a fun rewad with some interesting results! Thanks to Pat and all involved!! Well done everyone!!!
Stay well !!
Thanks Pat!
Mathews did better than I expected. I shoot the Hoyt Maxxis and it didn't do as well as I thougth it would.
I will say this, bows are off the chart today. They are so much faster, quieter, and smoother it is unreal. Kudos to all the bows!
What were the actual vote results and which company's decided not to participate? as we know some chose not to.
Pat, Quick question - looking at the data sheet, several bows don't have scores recorded in particular categories. Que paso?
wow great job guys.I think this weekend i may have a new bow.Love it that Destroyer being fastest was still the most quiet!
Where is Serb?
He is going to be pounding his chest telling all of you guys how you should have listened to him.
Personally, although I am not a Mathews guy, I thought the Z7 was going to be the real deal. Evidently it is.
The Monster didn't do too bad either.
Come one Serb....get the crow cooking for these guys. LOL!
Thanks Pat for the test--something to look forward to every year.
This test is a cool opinion poll.
Yes, there is some science involved but no test like this can tell me what bow is best for me unless I am involved in the testing.
ie.- I want a speed bow but if the fastest bow has a grip that doesn't fit my hand well then I can't group shots and I have a fast bow that doesn't hit where I want it to. I'd be better with the #4 speed bow and the #1 grip.
However, it still boils down to what the individual wants in a bow. Each persons reason or combination of reasons is unique.
For anyone that is looking for a new bow or buying one for the first time. Go put your hands on several and use this test information as support for your decision. Don't just look at #1 and say I'm buying the best. It may not be a good bow for you at all.
I've talked to guys that have bought this years best and past years best and had trouble because they didn't fit them as an individual archer.
This test is well done and very valuable information.
Thanks to all those responsible for making this information available. A few surprises for sure.
Cool test. I've shot all those bows except for the Ryterra and I would pretty much agree with the findings. One factor I thought should have been included though, PRICE!
I am curious why the noise evaluation is only done subjectively when it could so easily also be done with an objective test graphing the sounds on a computer.
Also interesting, but harder to set up, would be an objective test for shock with force sensors in the grip of the hooter shooter.
The descriptions of the subjective tests sound so rigorous that the ranking results may be the same anyway, but it would be nice to see the numbers to see what were close calls and what were big differences int he ranking.
Also, did Strother decline participation?
Strother did not participate, that's why I asked the question above. Who got the most votes? and who did not participate. as yet unanswered...
Where is the Darton 3800? Would have blown these bows away......
I don't understand why a company would refuse to participate? Doesn't make sense, can you give me a possible reason? I know they sure as heck can't test 40 bows and 12 seems reasonable. HTC
It would also be interesting to have some measurements on the bows included. I'd like to see nock travel, tiller symmetry, cam lean at full draw compared to lean at-rest. I'm sure more experienced people could come up with other measures of production quality, tune-ability, mechanics etc.
Also, did Strother decline participation?
Naw. Could not deliver one :)
Why in the hell would a manufacturer decline sending a bow to do a h2h test against the best of the best?? Everone wants top honors, and if you dont have that goal, you should shut the doors and quit wasting your time.
there really isn't a bad bow out there anymore.
Agree 100%. The bow I am currently shooting -Fred Bear Charge- is less than 1/2 the cost of the flagship bows from each company (MSRP is 300 bucks). It also outperforms the top-tier bows from a few years past.
It's amazing what they have done in the last 5-7 years.
Once again I am very surprised by the h2h test. I shot most of the bows included in this test and in my opinion and the opinion of other seasoned shooters the posted results are somewhat disappointing. I know there are the "Giants" bows that have always had a following, but there are bows out there that blow the winners of this test out of the water. Just curious why they weren't included. Seems like the biggest advertisers win year after year. This year once again Bowtech, Mathews and PSE. Just a thought.
"Once again I am very surprised by the h2h test. I shot most of the bows included in this test and in my opinion and the opinion of other seasoned shooters the posted results are somewhat disappointing. I know there are the "Giants" bows that have always had a following, but there are bows out there that blow the winners of this test out of the water. Just curious why they weren't included. Seems like the biggest advertisers win year after year. This year once again Bowtech, Mathews and PSE. Just a thought.
All you have to do is vote them in. "WE" decide which bows are included, not Bowsite. If they get enough votes, they'll be in the test, simple as that.
I bought a loser bow, the Hoyt Maxxis 31. I went to the shop expecting to order a Z7. I liked the Maxxis better. I would like to shoot the Monster 7 and a Strothers Infinity. I am puzzled why I did not like the Z7 anymore than I did. I thought it was good, but I just did not get knocked about it.
I did vote, BTW the Strother SR 71 got the most votes, and somehow didn't take part in the test!
I think Strothers was asked to send a bow for the test but they declined. I'm not 100% sure on that, but that's what I was told.
ok so i can't spell, RESPONSE. lol
Great test and very informative! Last years test helped me decide on buying my Reezen 6.5. Now I'm thinking that the Monster 7.0 is looking pretty good! Again, well done!!
That response from Strothers sounds like an excuse to me. I don't see how sending out 1 single bow in order to let your new to the market product be compared with the tried and true could do any harm to their business unless they were concerned what the results might be...
As usual, great job done by Jon and team. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at the report and seeing how the bows stacked up. Its interesting how the Mathews won the nonsubjective tests but not the subjective ones. Goes to show us how every bow feels different to each shooter. thanks for the test Pat, another great feature.
Good test.Thanks.Pat probably no one more than you knows you can't please everyone but I'd rest assured the vast majority here know full well your tests are above board.
Nice feature once again.
As to non participants....
If ya skeered say you skeered!
I recall when Pat asked about the first treestand safety harness test, because a sponsor was the clear winner between the options. There is no doubt in my mind that this test was conducted in a fair and unbiased manner.
I look forward to the results every year. I've shot a few of the bows on the test, and I agree with quite a bit of the results. The results have little or no impact on which bow I buy because I buy what feels right.
It never ceases to amaze me how insecure some people get about purchases/brand affiliation. The criteria for this test has basically been the same for years. Instead of taking the results for what they are, some of you take it as a personal insult because your bow didn't "win" or your brand of choice wasn't included. What a bunch of whiny babies!
Oh yeah, CATCH US IF YOU CAN! :)
I checked out both Strother bows and Darton bows at the Illinois Deer Classic. Both were very nice. Too bad Jon and his crew of volunteers don't have time to put every bow in the test, but I find the test results very informative and interesting. I am also surprised that Strother declined the invitation to send a bow. I am sure that they have a lot of test bows out there in their dealers' shops, but a good result in this test would have easily out-advertised all of them.
As the man said. If ya skeered say you skeered!
Never been a Mathews fan, but am now interested in shooting the Monster 7. Thanks again for the feature!
Thanks for the HTH test pat and jon. Great feature,i lok forward to it every year.
I like reviewing these tests even though my particular "vote" didn't get enough votes to get tested (APA Black Mamba II). Thanks to all for the work.
While on a plane ride a few days back, I had my May 2010 issue of Outdoor Life with me. They did their bow test also. (Editors Choice - Z7, Great Buy - X-Force Axe 6, Innovation Award - Carbon Matrix)
Something I would like to suggest for inclusion in an upcoming test (that I haven't seen anyone else do yet) if possible is a cold weather shoot with all the sample bows cold-soaked. Like many B-Siters, I hunt often in very cold weather and would like to see the performance difference between the same bow when it's tested at room temp and then tested at cold temp with no readjustments. IMO...that would be a relavant performance test that reflects actual hunting temps. A bow that doesn't have much of a performance drop between warm/cold temps would be an example of an all-weather performer.
Off the top of my head, a few things I could see affected by cold testing are speed, draw weight, KE, resistance and noise.
Just a thought....John
Which PSE Vendetta was tested, the xl or xs?
some people are complaing about the big guys and their excentric advertising .who cares obviously they are spending alot in research and development as well and thats how they come out on top year after year!I would like to see tests done at 27 draw length but what san you do im short lol
I was just wondering if they swapped out the grips on the bows while testing them? I know that if i was blind folded and someone put a hoyt, matthews, bear or bowtech in my hand i could tell you exactly which bow was which. And with that being said, you would think the testers wearing the matthews solocam shirts would know what a matthews grip feels like.
I have to say I am dissapointed in Strother declining sending in a bow or two. Lame IMO
If Strother has a hard time keeping up with orders as it is right now, how in the heck would they be able to ship bows if they were the top H2H pick this year? They would probably get a ton more orders only to have the wait longer. Just my .02
FYI I have an Infinity AS that I would have sent for them to test if SA would have said yes.
I've got an Infinity as well and offered same. Honestly, with the boiws reps had in hand, it is hard to swallow that they couldn't get a friggin bow in for the test. I absolutley love the Strother Infinity but this was LAME period.
"Honestly, with the boiws reps had in hand, it is hard to swallow that they couldn't get a friggin bow in for the test."
Yup.
The way I see it, Kevin Strothers is selling a lot of bows now based on his reputation, nothing more. The last thing he needs is an objective comparison of his new line against the cream of the crop. If his bows didn't finish on top, it'd pretty much kill the momentum SA has for now. While it may have been a good defensive business maneuver, it was still chickenshit. And I was considering ordering an SR-71 or Infinity!? Ha-ha!
... having shot a lot of the bows in the test and both of the above, I'd still give'em a look.
Bill in MI
no surprise some people go ballistic over something like this. when a little bloodtrail game brings out the competitive worst in folks is it any surprise some will whine when their decision to spend $1,000 on a new bow is not validated by someone else's opinion in print?
...with that said, the destoryer and z7 were amazing. The carbon matrix was the most dissapointing to shoot to me, perhaps I was expecting narnia.
Bill in MI
Bill in MI, I agree with your comments on Carbon Matrix, very disappointing and not worth the $$$$$.
Bob
Did anyone see what Vendetta was tested, xl or xs?
Looks like the bear attack did very well- that does not shock me. I bought a truth 2 this year and can understand why people like the bear product. I had sworn off bear for many years and find it ironic that I am shooting one today. Of course it is an entirely different company now and they now have a very competitive product line. Very smooth shooting bows.
Pat: as always a well done and professional analysis.
Concerning this test/why not Hoyts top bow was in this test.Hoyts top bow is Carbon Matrix. Bowtech has the Destroyer/Mathews has it´s Z7. If Hoyt Carbon Matrix was included in this test it has be the winner of all the bows tested.It´s not fair to have the best bow from all manufacturer to compare with.It´s my opinion about it.
Roland, the head to head test bows were voted on by us bowsiters. The bows with the most votes were the ones selected (unless the company decided not to participate). The Carbon Matrix is a little over rated IMO (especially for such a steep price tag).
I just realized the Attack has an IBO rating of 340. Wondering why it was in the shooter catagory instead of the speed catagory.
Roland,it seems that the Hoyt fans here thought that the Maxxis had a better chance of taking the top prize.
A sentiment shared by my Hoyt dealer as well.
I have to say first of all, good job. I personally could care less who won I just enjoy the comparisons. I would like to make one recommendation in the future and that would be too take the winning two bows of the past year and put them in the running. Might be a real eye opener.
HTC --I feel the way you do also about companies refusing to participate---:^)
Strother not putting a bow in was like getting kicked in the nut's. There's no sack in Sandusky MI
Its great to have a resource like this report available. Amazing!
I was surprised and a bit disappoited the the Boetech Destroyer 340 wasn't tested in the Shooter Bow group since it fits by speed rating. I suspect it would have likely finished first in the subjective & speed rating given it's faster than a Z7, about as quiet, has less shock, and draws pretty nice.
It's amazing to me how folks get so invested in their bows to the point they take this rating system like an assessment of the inherent worth of their children or something. I shot a lot of bows before I selected the Destroyer 340 and it was a tough call which bow to go with. I have owned three Mathews over the previous 15 years. How anyone can claim Darton or any other bow "blows this group of bows out of the water" is testimonial of how wrapped around the axle of opinion people can get. This test provides useful data that can be considered in screening bows. Don't trash it because the findings conflict with your subjective opinion. Where is your data?
Maxxis is a great bow everyone has their own opion that's why there' so many makes of bow Me I'll stick with hoyt
Yep, I liked the Maxxis very much and it was in my final three to select from. I also shoot traditional bows handmade by craftsmen so I don't hold much loyalty to the corporate giants. The three bow shops I talked to said they got good service and reliability from Hoyt, Mathews and Bowtech so brand wasn't in the decision.
It's the grip. If the grip doesn't fit, you won't be able to shoot the bow regardless of who makes it, or how much it cost. Speed is over rated. Most bow kills are within 20 yards. Speed not that much of a factor until reaching out over about 30 yards--not really necessary in heavily wooded terrain like in my hunting areas in southern IN.
