Bow toughness/reliability

[Luked]

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the big names just like the above comments have stated.
I have no brand loyalty at all and over the years have shot them all at one point or the other.
Big thing for me is shoot them all, get some ideas of which ones you like then feel out the shop your buying from. If the shop is shit dont buy from them, For me I have zero shops around me within less than an hour drive. Last year before my trip out west I wanted something new a month before we left...not the brightest idea, but I bought one anyway.
I shot Elite, Prime and Mathews. The Mathews got my big vote so that's what I went with. Shop is small but has been a dealer for years and are a good bunch of guys. I have another shop that is about the same distance away and sells Mathews, Hoyt, and Bowtech. I wanted to shoot the Hoyt and Bowtech but don't care for the shop they are sold out of so I never thought twice about going to them to put down my hard earned cash.
To me the shop is just as important as the bow itself.
My shop I bought told me didn't matter what I did to the bow, long as I had a good story behind it they would fix it no problem. So far haven't had to check.

 

[USMC1302Colt]

I was ready to upgrade my bow. Unfortunately my local shop isn’t great. The proprietor is close to retirement and just doesn’t put effort into getting the bow set up for you. I bought my first bow from him not knowing any better. He never actually measured my draw length, but sold me a bow at the length he thought I was. He won’t ever adjust a bow to your draw length for you to try it out. He won’t help you paper tune or dial a bow in.

With all that said, the shop makes a BIG Difference.

I ended up driving over an hour to go to a good bow shop.

 

[Fowl Play]

I believe Hoyt dry fires their qualification units 1000 times before being put into production. Thats only their metallic risers though. Their carbon variants can not handle that.

 

[camelcluch]

Drops are fine, it's the getting pissed, wrapping them around trees that's the real test.

Ahhh, the old trusty ground tune is a favorite.

 

[Bigborealaska]

I believe Hoyt dry fires their qualification units 1000 times before being put into production. Thats only their metallic risers though. Their carbon variants can not handle that.

Any credible source for that? I watched someone who knew nothing about archery grab a bow and dry fire it. Blew the cams and one wrapped over a limb damaging it beyond repair. I believe thats why most bow shops put locks on them so they cant be drawn off the shelf in the showroom.

 

[Bigborealaska]

I was ready to upgrade my bow. Unfortunately my local shop isn’t great. The proprietor is close to retirement and just doesn’t put effort into getting the bow set up for you. I bought my first bow from him not knowing any better. He never actually measured my draw length, but sold me a bow at the length he thought I was. He won’t ever adjust a bow to your draw length for you to try it out. He won’t help you paper tune or dial a bow in.

With all that said, the shop makes a BIG Difference.

I ended up driving over an hour to go to a good bow shop.

Sounds like he doesn't want to do it anymore. Thats sad because my first setup was done by someone at a pro shop that didn't care either and it was awful shooting a bow at 28" when your draw you find out later is 30" because I got a wingspan apparently. i'm 6' but have long arms I guess. Its so much better shooting a bow fitted and properly tuned to you it makes all the difference.

 

[Fowl Play]

Any credible source for that? I watched someone who knew nothing about archery grab a bow and dry fire it. Blew the cams and one wrapped over a limb damaging it beyond repair. I believe thats why most bow shops put locks on them so they cant be drawn off the shelf in the showroom.

 

[Bigborealaska]

Dang thats some serious testing. Thanks

 

[Coopsdaddy]

I’m biased to my old sbxt and could pick up a new bow anytime,i just dont like the feel.
I picked up a lift this week and it’s just felt fragile.
I have shot many different Mathews for years and they all took a beating.I have two sbxt for with one being dry fried once,warping cam a little but that was the extent .

 

[USMC1302Colt]

I was ready to upgrade my bow. Unfortunately my local shop isn’t great. The proprietor is close to retirement and just doesn’t put effort into getting the bow set up for you. I bought my first bow from him not knowing any better. He never actually measured my draw length, but sold me a bow at the length he thought I was. He won’t ever adjust a bow to your draw length for you to try it out. He won’t help you paper tune or dial a bow in.

With all that said, the shop makes a BIG Difference.

I ended up driving over an hour to go to a good bow shop.

Also, back to the discussion about bow toughness and reliability. I recently upgraded bows. I really wanted to fall in love with the new BowTech Core SS because of the pure adjustability of the platform and they draw very smoothly. From the outset I had misgivings about their durability because of their past limb delaminating issues and the plastic limb pockets. Well, about 10 shots in at the bow shop and and the cable guide broke apart on the draw. It’s connected to the riser with a piece of thin fiberglass and it straight up broke. That took them out of the running immediately.

I then went on to shoot Matthews and Hoyts. I didn’t like the draw cycle on the Matthews. The shop had 3 years of models of Hoyts on hand and shooting them all side by side, I ended up preferring the Ventum Pro 33 from 2 years ago. By the way the cable guide is attached by a machined aluminum bar unlike the BowTech. I saved about $400 and walked out with a sweet new bow.

Honestly, I’m seriously bummed the BowTech broke like that. They have some of the coolest technology and are the only company to offer a military discount, which I find important as a veteran. I still think the Core SS drew very smoothly. But the Hoyt is obviously built more durably, even if it isn’t nearly as adjustable by the end shooter.

 

[Szwampdonkey]

What’s your current 11 yo bow? I’d just do a once over, replace the string, and roll with that. Zero reason to replace an 11 yo bow that saw one year of use then sat for 10.

My bow is a Mathews DXT that i bought brand new back in 2009, might have been 2006? It’s sent thousands of arrows down range and been hunted extremely hard yet it still shoots as good and kills deer just as dead as any flagship bow today. It’s given me zero reason to replace it.

This idea new bows are better and better or provide some massive value over something a bit older is a fools game. And you know what they say about parting a fool from his money.

 

[Point Man]

Looks like Adam went ghost on us but out of all his choices at his bow shop, I would say PSE is the better bow for what he wants. That's just in case anybody else is wondering.

 

[LostArra]

I was ready to upgrade my bow. Unfortunately my local shop isn’t great. The proprietor is close to retirement and just doesn’t put effort into getting the bow set up for you. I bought my first bow from him not knowing any better. He never actually measured my draw length, but sold me a bow at the length he thought I was. He won’t ever adjust a bow to your draw length for you to try it out. He won’t help you paper tune or dial a bow in.

With all that said, the shop makes a BIG Difference.

I ended up driving over an hour to go to a good bow shop.

That's too bad. I had the opposite experience at a not so local shop. This shop has been in business for decades in a small rural community. He knows almost all of his customers have to drive a while to get there.

I was buying my first compound at 64 yr old after shooting a recurve or longbow since I was 15. Drew elk tag and shoulder was acting up. I went on a weekday 5 months before the season and he could not have been more helpful. After explaining my situation he set up 6 used bows and a couple of new bows, from flagship to entry level. Taught me how to use a release. We went to his indoor range and he said to shoot them all as long as I want and decide based on what feels good, not some advertising. Needless to say I bought there and continue to do business there.

I believe it is helpful to shop for bows well before the season and not a weekend in August or September when they are swamped.