2 Years vs Brand new - is there THAT big of a change?

[horse43]

Mathews has changed their grips quite a bit over the last 2 years for the better.

Hoyt RX1 to RX3 was a big difference. I believe RX1 was their first go at carbon (I could be wrong) so they improved it a bit.

Other than that, what others have said. Not a huge difference. More of a feel and balance I'd say is the variable year to year.

 

[Brandon_SPC]

No. I bought a new Realm SR6 and a hoyt hyperforce before that. This year and I'm going back to my Elite E35 from 2015 mainly because I love the longer ATA of that bow and it just feels extremely comfortable. I can't shoot shorter bows but would love to see more 34"-35" faster ATA bows. There has been ALOT of well made bows over the last 5 years that will keep up with the new bows that are about to come out. I see zero reason to go out an spend $1000 on a new bow. There just isn't a big enough justification to drop that money.

 

[1000yrds]

I have a Reign6 and a RealmX. The Reign6 is a 60lb bow set at 60lb draw weight, the RealmX is a 70lb bow set at 60lb draw weight at the minute. There are subtle differences in the draw of the bows which maybe due to ATA but both feel familiar, steady, no humps, and are like home. Both my bows are on the comfort setting and the let off is about the same on both, you almost have to start pushing the string back. I'd say the new RealmX maybe a slightly better balanced than the Reign6 when just held in your hand, but that's splitting hairs. At full draw both are easy to hold and forgiving enough to allow you to creep forward and pull back easily. Both the Reign and the RealmX are ridiculously more accurate than me. My Reign is setup to shoot with a thumb release, the RealmX with a wrist release which gives my bows a slightly different feel to each other. I thoroughly enjoy shooting both bows and if I had to pick one over the other it would probably be the RealmX.

 

[5MilesBack]

I have a 2006 and 2007 Bowtech and speed wise they are within 9fps of my 2014 PSE. The only difference is having yokes versus no yokes. Much easier to tune with yokes. And the newer bows I've tried don't have much of any gain over my 2014. When 9fps is the difference, all I'm looking for at that point is how well they feel and hold. The 2006 is a little more clunky with solid limbs, but both bows can be set up for a near perfect hold.

 

[OXN939]

Friends - looking at some new bows. Price matters, so I'm looking at some older bows (2017-2018) vs. brand new 2019's. I get there are changes from year to year, but is it worth the money?

Specifically, comparing the Bowtech Realm vs Reign 7, Hoyt RX1 vs Defiant, Triax vs Halon. I do mostly east coast whitetail hunting with one trip a year to Colorado/Wyoming/Montana for Elk or Mule Deer.

Do speeds change that much? Is comfort that much different in a two year span? What would you do?

Thanks!

I just took my first animal with a bow in eight years yesterday. Used a Mathews Z3 I got for $400 brand new a few months ago. I understand that many people consider the Z series to be "old and outdated" now, but the 8 pt Whitetail I killed wasn't able to tell that was the case. I can't see a reason to switch to another platform any time soon.

 

[87TT]

I bought a new old stock 2017 Hoyt Pro Defiant this year. It was still in the box and never set up or fired. It was dirt cheap. It is also the first bow I ever tuned and set up myself. It shoots awesome. Killed my bull with it this year

 

[LookinforDirt]

I would add that if you buy used, you really need to be able to work on it yourself. Otherwise you eat up the savings paying the shop to do the things it will likely need. New string, dloop, peep, possibly new draw cams, adjust cam timing, set up a rest, sights, etc. and the tools to do it. It could need any or all that and can easily end up costing the difference you saved buying used. A pro shop would likely do all that for you if you buy new from them. Not saying one is a better way than the other. But it needs to be considered if it’s about the savings.