In my endless quest to find the right bow for me, I recently sold my RX3 ultra, and purchased a Prime Centergy 60-70 in 30.5 DL. The bow specs are pretty similar to the RX3 ultra. I also owned a Bowtech Realm X previous to this which is pretty comparable in spec. I don't care about the latest and greatest and don't mind going back a few model years to find what I think feels right.
Pros:
I like the grip better than on the Hoyt. I find the RX3 grip comfortable, but not as repeatable. I suspect this is due to the more contoured nature of the grip. I had the same issue with the wooden grip on my Defiant and I find I tend to induce more torque on the bow. This is evident to me on how much I have to fight the bubble on the sight. I find the Centergy grip on par with the Bowtech as far as flatness and repeatability. The Bowtech has some adjustability with the clutch system but I find the part of the shelf that touches your thumb to be slightly less comfortable than the prime.
The Centergy holds as steady as advertised and I find all the old reports of not really needing a stabilizer to be true. This to me has translated to better accuracy in a lighter package than the carbon. The Bowtech I felt needed a stab as it felt a bit jumpy without it.
I know carbon is extremely rigid but the prime does feel more rigid with less vibration at the shot even without a stabilizer. The bowtech always felt to me to be on par with the hoyt as far vibration. Also, I find myself fiddling less with the tune of the bow. Both Hoyt and Bowtech I felt "lost" their tune easier. This might have to do with the rigidity of the riser or just the fact I know it's supposed to be stiffer..
Cons:
At 33.25 A2A I feel the string angle is more pronounced than on the 34" RX3 Ultra. I wasn't expecting this from a 3/4" loss in over all length but I did notice it. Your milage may vary depending on your specific DL.
I did not notice this issue with the Realm X even though it is the same A2A as the Centergy.
The draw cycle I can only describe as more linear. It is very smooth but as confirmed by my draw board the weight is more constant through out the cycle. On the Hoyt, there was an initial build up achieving max weight right around 14-16" into the cycle with a steady decline from there until it found its hump and slight dump into the valley followed by a forgiving backwall.
The Centergy carries more weight through the cycle, I perceive no noticeable hump just an abrupt stop onto the backwall as I am running limb stops. The valley is very pronounced and it gives you a feeling of having to push forward to initiate drawing down, therefore feeling more aggressive on its way back then the Hoyt, which to me was more apt to coming forward and I felt more in control since I did not have to slack off as much.
The Bowtech was set on comfort mode and it was by far easier to draw. Even though the bow was maxed at 72# it felt to me like it was set at 65. It did have a hump and dump at the end but it was less noticeable than the hoyts. Drawing down also felt like drawing down on a lighter poundage bow.
Set on performance mode became more like the Prime. Even though it did not feel as heavy, to me everything was more pronounced. The weight was more constant, the hump and dump more noticeable and there was little to no valley to speak off, letting down felt much more aggressive than the Prime.
There is a peculiar sound to the Prime solid limb at the shot. I don't perceive it to be any louder than the other two bows, but just different. This might have something to do with the fact mine has ho dampeners at all. The other two did. The bowtech had a CoolhandLuke string stop which also aids in quieting things down. I purchsed limbsaver dampeners for the Centergy but have not installed them yet.
Conclusion:
I like the stability of the Centergy enough to try the Hybrid. I believe my issue with the string angle can be resolved by the longer A2A even though at my draw length I have to go with the LD model which sports longer limbs and a 7" brace height. I suspect the speed advantages of a longer draw length will be negated by the longer limbs and higher brace height but I'd be foolish to think I can find a speed bow at 35" A2A. The Bowtech fills that task the best. It is by far the fastest, easiest to draw bow I've shot. It was plenty comfortable and very accurate. As trivial as it may sound, the aesthetics of the bow had a lot to do with me selling it.
I was really not a fan of its looks. The rather wide limbs and limb pockets seemed off to me. Very much why I don't like the CT line of Prime bows. Also I could not get the color I wanted and ended up with my least favorite color in Kryptec green with purple splotches. Ultimately that is mostly what compounds offer at this point in the game, subtle differences that allow for subjective assessments. Some bows do somethings slightly better than others but you have to find out if those things matter to you or not. I am happy playing with the old bows at much more affordable prices.
