Mathews, if you think you perfected the bow then don't make it worse.

[OutdoorAg]

@JStol5 you make some good points.

I think what I'd love to see is some side by side testing of the Phase4 with ALL the accessories -vs- the Phase4 with non of the bridge lock stuff.

It seems to me that a test of that kind would help determine if the new split limbs are the driver of the softer/quieter bow, or if its a combo of limbs plus accessories.

My gut tells me that a Phase4 without any accessories is going to shine. That a guy could buy a bare bow Phase4, add all the non-Mathews pieces, and still have a fantastic bow.

 

[OutdoorAg]

Bc, IMO, the Phase4 as a bare bow - cost wise - is right in line with the other flagships out there.

Its the accessory game that takes it over the top.

But if those specific items add negligible improvement to the bows sound/hand feel/performance...then do without them.

Only one way to know. Anyone have $5K sitting around to do a side by side? Ha.

 

[william schmaltz]

I believe that the younger generation will continue to spend money regardless of a recession or not. They’re all driving $90,000 pickup trucks pulling a $40,000 duck boat or a $25,000 Ranger to the farm that daddy bought so the kids would have a place to hunt.. As long as they can pay the monthly minimum they will keep rolling along to get instagram likes.

I think the data says the exact opposite. It's why we're seeing such a labor shortage. People under 30 are fine with living off 20 hours a week and having free time to enjoy life instead of owning all the things to impress the neighbors that the generations before them are obsessed with.

Anyways, interesting conversation so far. I follow very little in the compound archery world, but just outside looking in I've been asking myself for the last several years what these companies could possibly be changing at this point.

 

[Billy Goat]

I feel like Mathew's main selling point has been the dead in hand, quiet bow.

They just improved on their main selling point, personally I don't see anything wrong with that. It's not what I'm interested in, but that is what sells those bows.

I remember hearing all the same complaints about split limb bows when they came out, time will tell.


I don't know of anything that Mathews has rushed out that was a major failure, maybe this will be the first, but I suspect they have done a whole lot of R&D on these limbs and feel confident in them.

 

[TX_hunter]

@JStol5 you make some good points.

I think what I'd love to see is some side by side testing of the Phase4 with ALL the accessories -vs- the Phase4 with non of the bridge lock stuff.

It seems to me that a test of that kind would help determine if the new split limbs are the driver of the softer/quieter bow, or if its a combo of limbs plus accessories.

My gut tells me that a Phase4 without any accessories is going to shine. That a guy could buy a bare bow Phase4, add all the non-Mathews pieces, and still have a fantastic bow.

Elkshape podcast had a Mathews engineer on that claimed in their testing, using the phase4 with all their accessories had a greater impact on noise/vibration than bare bow.

But he also contradicted himself on a couple things so idk how much I believe what he was saying.

 

[JStol5]

Elkshape podcast had a Mathews engineer on that claimed in their testing, using the phase4 with all their accessories had a greater impact on noise/vibration than bare bow.

But he also contradicted himself on a couple things so idk how much I believe what he was saying.

Putting accessories on a bow always reduces the vibration… especially stabilizers. What did he contradict himself on?

 

[TX_hunter]

Putting accessories on a bow always reduces the vibration… especially stabilizers. What did he contradict himself on?

Talked up how great the mod system was. Then right after said they don't make a 75% because that's too many different mods to make/keep track of (which is one of the main complaints about their mods already)

When asked about 80lb bows, he alluded to there being material/strength constraints. Then right after said go ahead and twist up the cables if you want and you can probably get to 80.
So which is it? They don't make 80lb mods/limbs because of materials, but it's ok to twist up the cables to get it to 80 and now the material is fine?
Most of the other manufactures offer 80lbs, so obliviously there are materials they feel comfortable building in 80lbs.

 

[JStol5]

Talked up how great the mod system was. Then right after said they don't make a 75% because that's too many different mods to make/keep track of (which is one of the main complaints about their mods already)

When asked about 80lb bows, he alluded to there being material/strength constraints. Then right after said go ahead and twist up the cables if you want and you can probably get to 80.
So which is it? They don't make 80lb mods/limbs because of materials, but it's ok to twist up the cables to get it to 80 and now the material is fine?
Most of the other manufactures offer 80lbs, so obliviously there are materials they feel comfortable building in 80lbs.

I wonder if it has to do with how parallel/preloaded their limbs are. Maybe it’s a liability to offer higher poundages. Just a thought.

 

[TX_hunter]

I wonder if it has to do with how parallel/preloaded their limbs are. Maybe it’s a liability to offer higher poundages. Just a thought.

Maybe. But if that's true why tell people to twist the cables up to 80?

 

[Kularrow]

Elkshape podcast had a Mathews engineer on that claimed in their testing, using the phase4 with all their accessories had a greater impact on noise/vibration than bare bow.

But he also contradicted himself on a couple things so idk how much I believe what he was saying.

$786 to replace a current V3X stabilizer setup.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I love the ability to change mods without a press.

 

[sndmn11]

There is a lot of truth here-not sure compounds didn’t peak a few years back actually.

I think performance did in about 2010. Where I think the big "advancements" are lie in ease of tuning, consistency though material refinement, and trimming weight.

Bowtech/Elite are doing the tuning part, I think everyone is trimming accessory weight via integrated attachment, I haven't heard much about material improvement.

 

[AkRyan]

The only area to improve on bows now is weight and ease of draw cycle with sacrifice. The speed war has been stuck at the 320ish fps since I started shooting bows. I love how most guys sit around all year dreaming about what's coming out next and then when it's not a revolutionary improvement they have to make a post to talk shit.

 

[Long Cut]

Not sure why y’all fanboy so much over Mathews on here.
It’s like Tikka & Mathews sponsor this Forum I swear

 

[Dan Carey]

You can,

I love the ability to change mods without a press.

For 40 bucks for a string. Or you can just buy for 90 bucks a nice tool (Synunm) that does it all.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

You can,

For 40 bucks for a string. Or you can just buy for 90 bucks a nice tool (Synunm) that does it all.

Switchweight mods can be changed with no press whatsoever...just remove two hex socket screws and swap the mod. The SAS cable is for partially pressing the bow to change the string/cables, install a peep sight, etc.

 

[roosiebull]

Welcome to my rant about the 2023 bows. Hopefully at some point Mathews learns to listen to their consumers........

You already had the deadest bow on the market and adding more limbs is just going to suck. I'd be willing to bet it's going to squeak after one backcountry hunting trip and dirt gets in between the rubber and limb. You're behind on tunability and the regular joe who uses his bows at home wants this. It's time for the mod and spacer system to go. Ok, Rant over, I just hope at some point they listen to the actual shooters.

Mathews doesn’t need to do anything to improve their bows and know it, and they won’t as long as the remain the king of compounds in sales.

I’m sure they have some cool stuff ready to implement in their bows, but why play that card if they can basically release the same bow and sell them like crazy?

They are geniuses in the marketing game, and I think that sells more bows than anything.

Luckily, everyone builds excellent bows today and we support companies that build the best bows for us. I personally don’t like how mathews bows pack in the woods, they shoot well, and are fun to shoot, but they have the balance pretty jacked up. I could see buying one for treestand hunting, but don’t like packing them for elk.

It’s more the balance than weight, my nexus 4 is heavy, but carries well, and you can carry it by the grip, which is a nice option rather than string only.

I don’t see mathews changing much, what they are doing works, and they seem to have a business model that is unrivaled in the industry.

I would be a mathews guy if they had built off of the chill series rather than the no cam/halon, loved my chill r, even liked the factory grip, but haven’t really liked any since. My next bow after my chill r was a triax, which was a fun little bow, but I despised carrying it in the woods, heavy unbalanced little sucker

Was really close to buying a v3x 33 recently, but the new bow is probably the very bottom of the heap for me, their stabilizer system seems like taking advantage of their loyal customer base

 

[AngryIdahoan]

They are geniuses in the marketing game, and I think that sells more bows than anything.



they seem to have a business model that is unrivaled in the industry.

Quietest EVER!!!Deadest in the hand EVER!!!