2015 Bows: Who's Shot What, Reports?
Equipment
I'm thinking very seriously about buying a new rig this season and was hoping I could get a little feedback prior to shopping. I've got a wicked case of tendonitis (from too much shooting) so I can't shoot em myself for a while. Anybody shoot the Hoyt Nitrum or Bowtech Prodigy. I'm comparing these to the 2014 Experience which I already know is sweet and would save me some money. Any and all opinions much appreciated
I have shot the Hoyt Nitrum. I thought it was a very good drawing and shooting bow. Its a short ATA bow. With that said I have heard it shoots very similar to the Nitrum turbo. That is the bow I plan on buying. I just wish the shop had one to shoot when I was there.
I did shoot mathews new bow. I thought it was ruff drawing. Its not for me.
Thanks for the input. So you shot the Nitrum 30? I'd be looking at the turbo (33.5 ata) or the 34
I have shot the Nitrum turbo and 34 as well as the carbon turbo. Draw lenght is 29 inches and 70 pounds. I currently shoot the Carbon Spyder Turbo.
Both new turbo's have the same draw cycle. Compared to my bow the valley is smaller and stacks up more at the end of the cycle right before dropping in. Not a surprise considering the added speed. I'm thinking Bowtech guys should be right at home with this.
I thought the new carbon turbo shot great, possibly deader than my bow. The Nitrum is at least as quiet (audible) but there is a lot more shock in the hand even with a basic stabilizer on the demo bow I shot.
The draw cycle on the Nitrum 34 felt very similar to my CST but again there was more hand vibration at the shot.
I've also shot the new Mathews bow. I can't compare draw cycles as the demo was an inch too short and guessing a few pounds lighter than what I'm used to. If you're not looking for a speed burner this is worth checking out as it is amazingly quiet, dead at the shot and balances great in the hand (but is a bit heavy).
Save money, go with the experience, I have one, also have a rpm 360, the crazy thing about the experience is its a 7" bh bow and its shoots as fast as a 6" bh bow, I need to chrono both my bows but it seems as fast as my rpm 360. I watched some youtube videos and guys claimed the experience was as fast and in some cases faster than the insanity!
Great feedback, J.P. Thanks carcus. My elbow is starting to heal up and I'll be shooting all of em. I guess I'll have to shoot the No Cam as well. Any more opinions/insight would be great
I've shot all the Hoyt offerings and the Mathews. I'll give a +1 to Rich. He nailed it on both bows. My nod goes to the Carbon Spyder ZT Turbo. Thought it was the best of the bunch. The Mathews is a tack driver though. Far and away the most accurate bow I've ever shot. I could probably run to the deer and stick the arrow in it faster than the Mathews though which was the only drawback on that bow! Ha!
I shot the Nitrum, No Cam HTR, Prodigy, and the Elite Energy 32. I'll be honest, I have shot Mathews my entire bowhunting life, and I think this year will be the year I make the switch. All of the bows were smooth, good back walls, dead in the hand and quiet. Blind folded I would have a hard time making a decision. But I think based on the way they shot and Elite's customer service reputation that I am going to go with the Energy 32.
I Shot the Nitrum Turbo last weekend. Its everything I am looking for in a bow. Very smooth draw, solid back wall as well. The shot felt good. I didnt notice any hand shock. As a 350 ATA bow its a screamer. I am hoping it will push my 500 grain arrow around the 295 mark. I am also looking forward to Yoke tuning since I will be coming from shooting an Elite.
I havent shot the Elite Synergy which is Elites bow for 2015. It looks like a E32 Riser with Answer limbs and cams to me. It has similar specs to the Answer. I have shot an E32 a bunch and my last bow was an Answer. To me I think the Answer was a little smoother on the draw.
My son shot a few bows last week and decided on the Elite Energy35. Smooth rollover, solid wall, dead at the shot. He switched over from a Mathews.
I think Elite have put a hurtin on lots of bow companies recently.
I'd like to compare the Bowtech CPXL, Nitrum 34, Elite Energy 32, Strother Rush XS....shooting them side by side is the challenge.
Don't overlook Obsession bows. I shot Elite for two years and loved them. Picked up an Obsession Phoenix and won't look back. It is as smooth drawing as Elite, awesome backwall, no handshock, and smoking fast. Hands down best bow I have shot. Also if you can believe it is quieter than my Elite.
What the heck is up with the Nitrum? I thought the new riser design was supposed to eliminate a lot of vibration. Is it a fail in this regard?
Will be switching from Mathews. Shot the nitrum 30 amazing bow dead in hand, quiet and fast also have shot new Mathews not impressed at all new design and all but feels like bow from 80's
It's really not possible to fully judge "hand shock" from merely shooting a bow in a store. There are too many variables. Like whether draw stop timing has been set correctly. Draw weight, arrow weight, and dampener and string stop settings can all affect feel too.
Hand shock is barely in my top 10 list of bow variables, but I do know that I can't get a true feel for it until I've set up the bow myself and tuned it. Or in the alternative heard from someone I trust who own's one and is shooting the same draw weight and arrow weight, and has tuned their bow to perfection.
A friend just picked up a barely used Elite E35 last week of the web. He shot it over the weekend for the first time. He bought a new Mathews Heli M last year. I texted him this morning about his thoughts on it. His words were, so smooothe, tons of let off and quieter than his Mathews. I told him he would be hooked and selling his Mathews.
Shot the Mathews No Cam and liked how it felt at first. But was quite concerned about cam lean on the one I shot. Obviously Mathews is too with that little plastic guard on the cable. It was almost touching the cam, and I mean 1/64" clearance at most.
Then I shot the Bowtech Prodigy. Blew me away on the smooth setting. I'm not really a speed guy and I like shootability. One is in my future.
Nate- is that the #3 setting? Bought one and love it. Easy to tune also.
I shot an Obsession Evolution, and ordered one on the spot. It's fast, but I found it easy to draw, and the easiest bow I have to shoot well.
My other two bows are a Switchback XT and an Admiral, both excellent bows. This one is faster and at least as forgiving as either of the other two. And the draw is better than the Admiral, but not quite as easy as the SBXT. But close....
Eyad, no #3 is the speed bow setting. #1 is the smooth setting. That is, if I remember correctly.
I am very interested in the nocam. I have seen a couple of mentions of it, but no real elaboration. Can someone add thoughts on the new Mathews no cam? At first seeing Mathews had went with a new no cam design, I thought they might really be back into the swing of things. But maybe I am wrong. I would really like to get more feedback on this new concept. Thanks for any feedback.
Nate-I had it the other way around but will check again. I actually preferred #1 slot (ie speed) per my notes as the transition to the valley wasn't as pronounced. A tougher pull but steady and uniform. #3 was great also, but liked the uniform draw at #1 better whichever that setting is. I also liked the grip and walked back into the world of 27" draw length!!!!!!!!!!!
Was shooting focus grips and side plates last 4 years and had to drop down 1/2" as I lost 1/4" on the move away from full grip. Good to be back at 27...LOL.
I shot a new Elite 35 a couple of weeks ago. Very easy drawing, no hump. Super solid back wall and held great. Not really much for vibe. If I was buying a new bow this year it would be on of them at the top of my list.
Also shot the Mathews no cam. Honestly I thought both bows were very similar in feel. To me the Elite held steadier and a more solid back wall.
I have a PSE Decree coming and an obsession Fusion 6. Very different bows with different feels but they will ROCK.
I just came from the shop. Shot the Prodigy, Nitrum 34, Carbons Spyder turbo, Mathews Chill X, and Obsession Addiction. I still want to shoot the No Cam and the Monster Wake before I make a final decision. Between these that I just shot I liked the Nitrum 34, Chill X, and Prodigy the best. The 34 had the best overall feel and was super quiet. The Chill had BY FAR the best grip and is probably the fastest of the 3 I liked. I didn't like the power disc on the Bowtech. Seemed like an unnecessarry add on. The Spyder turbo was loud compared to my top 3. If I had to pick today it'd be the Nitrum 34. I get trigger shy when making big purchases though so we'll see.
That Nitrum 34 is a sweet bow.Thats my favorite of all the bows you shot. I spent a day shooting those same bows at my local shop.
Long time Mathews shooter here who went to the shop to try the Bow Tech Prodigy and left with a Bow Tech Experience.
I shot a Mathews No Cam the other day, and currently have one on order.
I also have a Hoyt Carbon Spyder 30 and the Spyder 30 from the previous year and do not plan on getting rid of either one.
After shooting these two Hoyts the past couple of years I can say that the No Cam felt different. You really have to draw one back, let it down, and shoot it to fully appreciate the difference. If felt very comfortable to shoot, unlike the hard break over of a cam. The reason I got the No Cam is because it doesn't have cams. Easy to draw, easy to shoot, easy to let down if necessary. A good bow if in a tight space like a ground blind.
As far as speed - hypothetically, if a bow can shoot a 450 gr arrow at 285 fps and the other bow can shoot the same arrow at 250 fps, you're only talking about tenths of seconds difference between the two to get to the target. At a range of 30 yds, it really doesn't matter all that much. Of course, this could escalate into a thread hijack of KE and penetration, but who really cares...
There are several bow reviews on that "other site" incase you fellas want to read them. I'll add my 2 cents however........
I haven't shot the No Cam, but I've read that the plastic sleeve on the cable is to protect it from the wheel due to the cable crossover on that side. It's the only design really that has one of the cables on the opposite side. It's not due to cam lean at all.
That Carbon Spider Turbo that was loud was most likely due to the cams being out of time a good bit. From what I've read from the tuners on that other site, the Hoyt's get loud where the timing is way off.
I've shot the E32, E35, Synergy and Nitrum Turbo so far. The Elites all shot good, practically no vibration that I could tell, but the top fell back a little at the shot for me, not that it's a bad thing but something I noticed. They were all very smooth and quite too. Very nice bows.
The Nitrum was very nice and I'm really liking the new riser design this year. I've never owned a Hoyt before so this might be my 1st. There was some minor vibration but it could be from the new ZT cable guard when it snaps back at the shot. I don't know...... Anyways, I would think that after it would be all setup and timed properly, any vibe would probably be canceled out.
I still want to shoot the prodigy and chill before I make a final decision. I will say though it would be hard to buy a new 2015 Elite just because you can find very good deals on slightly used 2014 models and the only change is from the cerokot to the procoat on the cams and limb pockets. Not worth the additional 250-300 dollars extra for a new bow.
"but I've read that the plastic sleeve on the cable is to protect it from the wheel"
That is correct.
I was hoping to be an Elite fan. I went in and shot quite a few of the new bows. When the Elite line came out I shot the 2015 Synergy and decided on a 2015 E35 after shooting the 2014 one. I also convinced my dad into getting the 2015 Synergy. I do have to say though, I ordered my new 2015 E35 on Oct 7th. I have sent 3 emails to Elite archery and left 2 Voicemails asking for an ETA or update on my order. I have NEVER received a single response back from them, now over 4 months later. Both bows are paid for and I haven't heard a word. My bowshop said they called and was told by ELITE it isn't even being built yet. I bet if I called or emailed any of the other well known makers I'd at least get a follow-up.
I'm honestly thinking of cancelling my orders with them now and letting people know what it is to deal with them. If they are this bad on customer service with new orders, how bad are they at the other stuff. Is this normal for Elite?
Bought a Prime Ion 2 weeks ago.Great fit/finish and one smooth drawing machine.Bought my son a Prodigy but for 10 less fps the Ion draw cycle is soooo much smoother with a firmer wall with limb stops.
Was XPedition there with their line?
"but the top fell back a little at the shot for me"
If the bow did not have a decent stabilizer on it that could be the reason. Many of the new bows are meant to have a longer weighted stab like a b stinger, etc. on them to balance at the shot.
Have to remember when testing bows (as touched on above) other factors like fit, draw length, timing, accessories, etc. Also one bow listed at 27" may draw 27.5, another model maybe 26.5" depending on several factors.
Sounds like some good bows out there, several from companies I've never even seen their product.
Will did you try out any of the elites?
Haw nitrum on the way too. Slamming deal on EBAY.
"The reason I got the No Cam is because it doesn't have cams."
What do you call those things the stings and cables attach to at the ends of the limbs?
"Long time Mathews shooter here who went to the shop to try the Bow Tech Prodigy and left with a Bow Tech Experience."
I went in last year planning on buying a Hoyt Carbon Spyder and left with a Bowtech Experience. Great bow.
"Long time Mathews shooter here who went to the shop to try the Bow Tech Prodigy and left with a Bow Tech Experience." The cool thing about the experience is its has a 7" brace height but shoots as fast if not faster than its 6"bh brother the insanity!
The No Cam most certainly is a cam. It has a round string track but the axles are offset. It seems to be a round 2 track binary.
Hey Will.....have you pulled the trigger yet?
I don't think the wheels (string tracks) themselves are offset but the smaller inside string tracks are slightly off giving it the "caming" action on the cables transferring that action into the string travel. I guess the best way to describe it, though very misguided I'm sure, is putting a parabolic travel path into a linear travel path.
I believe there is another thread on this very topic but focusing on the No Cam bow.
You are correct as I didn't explain it well enough. The axles are center of the cam but the inner cam (I don't know what they call it) is offset.
Well-Strung,
I custom ordered an Elite Synergy on the morning of Monday, Dec 22. Bow was delivered to bowshop ( central MS) and delivered to bowshop on Friday, Dec 26. Was set up and sighted in on Monday, Dec 29.
Elite is definitely building and shopping 2015 model bows. Also other persons on Bowsite have commented about buying and having in possession 2015 Elite bows.
Something is not right somewhere with the inability/delay in getting a 2015 Elite bow.
I shot the prodigy set at 73 the other day on the smooth setting and it was smoother and held better then my elite at 60#
After shooting everything including some bows that I hadn't really considered, I bought a Nitrum 34 yesterday. Lots of sweet bows out there but this was the one for me
Good call on the Niturm 34. I bought mine about three months ago. They were only out about a week when I got mine. I love it!! I'm a nub to bowhunting and this is my first bow. I got this one partly due to the slightly longer riser than the turbo for a bit more forgiveness. I've since already changed arrows from the original ones i purchased, went to small diameter arrows and couldn't be more pleased. Enjoy your purchase and KEEPHAMMERING!
I just finished up setting my nitrum 30 up. Shooting great. 291 FPS @ 67 lbs with 29.75 inch arrow 396 total weight. Not to bad. While i was at the bow shop the guy asked me if I was interested in shooting a no cam while I waited, I did, then shot a carbon spyder turbo, then an elite synergy and by far as reluctant as I am the no cam was the best shooting. It was just to slow for my liking though. I have an obsession fusion 6 coming and a PSE decree so we will see which is overall the best. Just trying to find the best setup for me. 10 days to christen the Hoyt!!!!!
I just finished up setting my nitrum 30 up. Shooting great. 291 FPS @ 67 lbs with 29.75 inch arrow 396 total weight. Not to bad. While i was at the bow shop the guy asked me if I was interested in shooting a no cam while I waited, I did, then shot a carbon spyder turbo, then an elite synergy and by far as reluctant as I am the no cam was the best shooting. It was just to slow for my liking though. I have an obsession fusion 6 coming and a PSE decree so we will see which is overall the best. Just trying to find the best setup for me. 10 days to christen the Hoyt!!!!!
Got to shoot a couple more over the weekend. A Carbon Spider Turbo ZT and a Monster Chill R.
I've never shot a carbon bow before, but man........ that was one sweet bow. and FAST!!!! IT's out of my price range though @ $1400. I just can't justify spending the $$ but if I had the extra coin, I'd probably get one.
The Chill R was a bit of a surprise for me as I haven't really been a Mathews fan for some time. It's a nice bow, very quite and plenty fast. No vibration or so minor I couldn't tell. The focus grip is better than anything Mathews has come out with in a long time IMO. I could own a Chill R and be happy. I also shot a regular Chill, a 2013 model I believe (used) and it was nice too, but I liked the Chill R better.
Now, I also got to hold, look over and draw back a few times the Mathews Nocam HTR. It's pretty obvious why those plastic sleeves are on the cables to prevent contact with the cam itself. The draw cycle was fine and I didn't feel anything too weird about it. But I didn't shoot it. I didn't have any desire to since its not a bow I have any interest in buying. I shot the other 3 a good while and needed to get going so I just hung it back up.
Still haven't shot the Prodigy yet.
UPDATE on my 15 week Elite order delay for those who asked. Here is the response I got back from Elite yesterday after 5 tries over 3 months to get a callback. I ordered the 2015 Elite E35 80# on OCT 7th.
"I've passed an update along to your dealer and that was that we are waiting for limbs; production is unable to give an accurate ETA at this time. If you are interested, we do have 70# limbs available. We do apologize for any inconvenience and are working to get that order out ASAP." EVP
They have it listed on their website and are taking orders for them... BUT No ETA from production. How can they advertise and take orders for a product they have no eta on. I'm debating going to 70# limbs but also just dropping both orders with Elite at this point. The limbs can't be much different than the 2014 limbs since the cams didn't change?
On an unrelated note, I am taking orders for a heat guided arrow. I haven't built it yet and cant give you an estimate on when it'll be completed.. But I'll surely take your money now!
I'm surprised you'd even consider buying a bow from them after this ordeal. False advertising for sure. Good luck
Gotta say I like my 2014 Bear Agenda 6!! I wouldn't count out the new Bear Bows...
After Elite's big Illinois poaching ordeal a couple years back and now what Well Strung is going through with them I wouldn't even consider buying a bow from a company like them !!! Good luck..
well strung, if you eventually get your bow, whats going to happen if you need parts or service? I would cancel that order and go with another company.
To be honest that is my biggest fear kentuck. I mean I guess I don't mind the wait but it would be nice to be kept informed. Some gun makers have years worth of backlog but at least you know about it. I'm going to go try out a Hoyt Nitrum 34.
well... if you end up choosing Hoyt at least there will be lots of surplus parts from China available. good luck.
just kidding, I don't know where hoyts make all their parts.
Well-strung,
That really stinks about your bows, and isn't right.
I have an Answer and the tech that set it up forgot to tighten the draw stops and one fell off. It was pretty late but I got in my phone and emailed elite. To my surprise I got an email 10 minutes later that she was going to drop two off to ship on her way home. I had them two days later. It was the best customer service I've ever seen. So, though I would blame you for canceling your order, I wouldn be too worried, either.
I have never had a problem with Elite. I ordered my synergy and had it in 1 week. Previous to that I had an answer and bought the elite quiver and the bracket did not clear my hha sight so called elite got thru 1st try talked to a lady in customer service told her what I had for a problem she said they make an extended quiver bracket and she would send it right out, had it in 3 days no charge. I have nothing bad to say about that company, nothing but great experiences and awesome products.
Well-Strung, that's as much on your dealer for not being on top of things as it is Elite.
Just went to the 1st 3d shoot of the year with my 3day old Bowtech Boss. Won the old fart class. This bow defines forgiveness, IMO. About 4 ft slower than my Experience but my right and left misses are fading away.
I was at a pro shop yesterday and shot the Mathews No Cam HCR, PSE Decree, Hoyt Nitrim 30 and a Bowtech Prodigy. The draw cycle was pretty good on all the bows but I didn't care for the slightly squishy back walls on the Mathews and the Hoyt. When rolling over the valley into the back wall on these two, there seemed to be a bit of bounce. My previous Diamond Solitaire had a rock solid back wall and what I am used to and what I prefer. The PSE Decree shot better than expected but the Bowtech Prodigy really shot great with a nice draw cycle and solid back wall. The grip was great and it was also the only bow of the four with a 7" brace height and was rated as the second fasted. I ended up buying the Bowtech Prodigy as it felt the best and shot the best for me. I shot it on all 3 performance settings. Setting 1 (performance) had a bit more aggressive draw cycle. I likes the 2 (classic) setting the best as the draw cycle was nice and the speed was still good. I've been to the range twice with it and have been impressed how quickly I was able to set my pins. Shooting nice out to 60 yards.
I went to an archery club today where the local bow shop holds what they calls "Super Bow Sunday" where they showcase all of the new Hoyts.
I shot several of them including a couple of the target bows. The Nitrum 30 was just too short for me @ my 29.5" draw. It was a toss up between the Nitrum 34 and the Turbo. After A LOT of shooting, I choose the Turbo as I wanted the greater speed with a heavier arrow.
I gotta say though, those Carbon Spyders are nice bows. I assumed there wasn't much to them that would make them much different compared to an aluminum riser, but I was wrong. If money wasn't an issue, I'd have bought one.
I tried several different bows. I was really leaning towards the Elite line. They shot really nicely and I liked them. I also shot the Mathews NoCam HTR. The problem with that was, that before I left the shop, I also bought a new 4 arrow quiver, a Copper John sight, QAD rest and a Scott Mongoose XT release, to go with my new NoCam.. That bow was soo smooth on the draw. At the shot it didn't move, at all. It was also so quiet that you could only hear the arrow hit the target. I would gladly sacrifice some FPS for a smooth drawing, shock free quiet bow. I put a 3" Axion Stabalizer on it just to hold the wrist sling in place. It is truly an amazing bow. No matter what you get, no matter what make bow, have fun with it and love your bow.... Shoot a bunch. Peace, Jay
Shot the new Mathews no cam and I took it home . Smoothest and quietest bow I have ever shot and the arrows effortlessly went into the bullseye
Shame putting an old ugly stabilizer on a brand spanking new beautiful bow! LOL! Great looking rig elkhunter!
Yeah I know but after I bought the bow I couldn't afford a new one . I have all summer to fix her up.
its almost a debate here to see who has the best bow/product but the bottom line is you cant really buy a bad bow now days they are all very competitive. I bought the elite synergy because its the one that fit me the best the one that I liked the best. if you bought a Mathews, hoyt,bowtech,pse etc etc you now own a great bow!
I agree bowonly it is what suits you best.
Don't be knocking 'used n abused' bolt-ons ;-)
The Alpine Soft QR quiver and Doinker currently on my Faktor 34 [brand new last Fall] are best part of twelve or thirteen years old...
Now that you mention it Barty, they look kind of moldy! LOL! Hey! I like those Alpine Soft-Locs. Got one on my old Vectrix XL. Bought a flashy new Hoyt quiver for my Maxxis 35 and I like the Alpine better.
I've had nothing but great service for Elite archery. Top quality products and service. That being said I just put my down payment on my prodigy.
Got my 2015 Elite E35 with 80# limbs two days ago. Got it set up and zipping arrows.
Glad to hear you got your bow and hope it was worth the wait. I've owned an Elite bow in the past and liked it a lot.
