PA Hardwoods

Well last night a took a trip to the shop again just to shoot my Old Glory and to make sure everything was dialed in for PA's late archery season coming up after Christmas. Wel I walk in and I see the owners talking with someone. I go over to them and they proceeed to introduce me to our Hoyt rep Tony Tazza and tell me Tony has all kinds of "toys" to show us. So he pulls out a Hoyt 38 Ultra, 38Pro, Vulcan, and the brand new Reflex Rampage that hasn't been released yet. So here again guys is my honest opinion on how these bows shot.

Hoyt 38 Ultra
The 38 Ultra is normally the type of bow I would first look at. It is 38" ATA, 7 1/2" Brace with 310 ibo. This bow was set at 29" Draw at 65lbs with the Vector 1/2 cam on it. Finish on this bow was flawless with no pin holes or scratches. Overall mass weight seemed to be no more than the Vectrix XL. This bow basically felt just about the same as the Vectrix and the Vectrix XL with one difference. That being there was a little more hand shock, and like some of you guys are saying it wanted to lurch forward on the shot a little bit, but it is nothing that can not be tamed by a good stabilizer I feel. The Vector 1/2 cam had the draw stop installed wich provided for a next to solid back wall. The only way you make the back wall move is by pulling on it much much harder than you normally would on the shot. Overall a very nice bow that i belive a guy could purchase and use it for triple duty as a hunting/3D/Indoor (2D) bow.

Hoyt 38 Pro
The 38 Pro was decked out in the Riptide target color which I must say is very nice. But hey I'm partial to blue. This bow was also setup at 29" draw at 65lbs but it had the new C2 1/2 cam. the 38 Pro is 38" ATA with a 8 1/4" brace height and 305 ibo. The 38 Pro shot the same as the 38 Ultra with the exception of the draw cycle. The new C2 1/2 cam is the replacement for the old spiral cams. It is toned down a bit and which makes it much smoother than the spiral cam. But it does not have much of a valley and it seems it wants to roll back over if your not using proper back tension. This quality didn't make me a fan of this cam. I've owned some short valley cams in the past and will never go near anything like that again. But don't get me wrong the C2 1/2 cam is not harsh by any means, it just has a short valley. But other than this it shot just like 38 Ultra with the same characteristics on the shot such as some minor hand shock, but with the new stealth shot string silencer there was no string noise that I could tell. Both of these bows were very quiet shooters. I think anyone who gets one of these bows for target archery will be very pleased.

Hoyt Vulcan
Well this is supposed to be Hoyts "speed hunting bow" with an ATA of 33", brace of 6" and ibo of 325, but I really didn't notice that it was screaming fast. This bow also was set at 29" draw at 65lbs with the Vector 1/2 cam. The cam felt the same as the others that had the vector 1/2 cam. But what I did notice on top of the lack of speed was the fact that there seemed to be more handshock than the 38 Pro and 38 Ultra. And that lurching foward feel on the shot seemed to be a litle more pronounced. Also on the shot It seemed to me that the bow wanted to "twist" right and left after the shot. This kind of bothered me and made me think that his may cause someone some frustration with left right misses. But overall not a "bad" bow but just had a few things I didn't care for.

Reflex Rampage
Sorry guys but I don't have any specs on this bow yet since it really hasn't been released yet. In fact the cams on it don't even have a name yet! The cams do look a lot like the Zepher 1/2 cam but redesigned a little bit (The overall shape I mean). The bow was in the 33 ata range (I didn't measure it and forgot to ask) and was again 29" at 65lbs. It will retail for around $450 or so. It did have a nice smooth draw with a soilid back wall and good valley. It did have some handshock and some string buzz was there since this bow does not have the stealth shot on it like it's Hoyt brothers. But this in my mind is nothing that can't be tamed with some sims products and a good stabilizer. The riser also seemed to be a bit chunky to me compared to the Hoyts. This is also not a Tec riser bow. Overall it is a very nice bow for someone on a budget. I really believe this would make a nice hunting bow.

Additional Notes
Additionally we were told that Reflex will have 6 bows this year 5 of them being completely new. The Rampage and the Caribu from before are the only ones I know names of. Tony Tazza also told us that these 5 new bows will not have recycled Hoyt risers and technology. They are going to have their own risers and technolgy. They will continue to be affordable, but he told us that the Reflex line is going to be advertised more this year and directed at getting younger archers involved in the sport.

So in closing I'd like to say that this is just what I found with these bows so take it for what it is worth, I am not affilliated with Hoyt/or Reflex in any way nor I have I ever owned one. If you have any questions feel free to ask, I didn't get to spend alot of time with these bows but enough to get a decent feel for what they were like. Enjoy!

PABowhntr

Hmmm, I wonder what that means. Are the bows all going to be youth/intermediate bows or just bows with traditional risers and possibly a different cam system...maybe something along the lines of the original Command Cams maybe?

PA Hardwoods

The way I took it, Reflex is going to direct their advertising towards younger archers, But their bows will be normal adult type bows but with a lot of adjustability. The Reflex Rampage I looked at looked like the cam had alot of adjustability. I think the youth he spoke of was teenagers. I do belive this Rampage will be a nreal good option for those people who don't want to spend $750 on a bare bow.

jmac_or

Thanks for the updates. I agree, the spiral, C2 is not for everybody. But, for the archers it is designed for, namely the target crowd, it is a great system. Since moving to spirals on my bows, my form, accuracy, and scores have gone up. I actually prefer the lack of valley, as I feel it provides a more consistant shot. You can't creep. I also have 2 deer in the freezer this year, sono problems pulling double duty with these cams/bows.

I am not arguing, as I understand everyone likes a different feel. I just wanted to point out the lack of valley is intentional, and has its fans in various venues.

Gotta love archery, a bow for everyone......usually a few new ones every year...[&:][:-][X(]

The bit about Reflex is interesting. I was at the bowshop the other day and a 13 year old and his grandparents walked in. They all got sticker shock at the Bowtechs on the wall, but the kid wanted a "real bow". I think this could be a wise move to get more young adults into archery. Give them a "real bow" not a kids bow, for a price that is easier to take.

jmac

PA Hardwoods

Yeah I understand the purpose of the C2 cam and why it was designed that way. It did feel alot like the vector cam but without the valley. I know personally it would be something I could get used to. But it's not for everyone.

I agree that what I was told about Reflex could be a very good move on their part. I am so glad to see companies investing money into getting youngsters into archery.

mobow

Great reviews PA, thanks! Which one you going with buddy?

As I understand the Hoyt/Reflex pricing, Reflex runs up to $599 and Hoyt STARTS at $599.....is that what you understood?

PA Hardwoods

Not sure yet but that deal is just too good to pass up. As far as pricing goes that is what I understood too. I didn't get into the pricing last night but that is how I understood it in the past. But even $599 for someone who is budget minded is a lot of cash. If your gonna spend $599 on a Reflex you might as well spend the extra $100 to get a top of the line Hoyt. But I think this new Reflex Rampage is going to fill a void for an affordable top quality bow.

TFOX

You never mentioned how any of the bows held.

You did mention the Vulcan rocked side to side but that is expected out of a low brace bow.


The true testament to how well a bow will shoot is how well they balance and hold on target while aiming,or trying to aim.


Great job of reviewing but for some reason,no one ever talks about how well a bow holds.

mobow

I can only speak for one as yet, the Vectrix. That was actually the first thing I noticed when I shot it. It has a very solid back wall that holds incredibly easily. It is balanced very well, and it just seems to.....for lack of better words...."sit there," if you know what I mean.

PA Hardwoods

Sorry TFox too much info to remember with those 4 bows. I did take note of those things.

38 Ultra and 38 Pro
They both held very well on target. Very well balanced with only a very slow dip backwards after the shot. No kick left or right after the shot. And I thought the grip on both these bows was just right, well for me anyway, not too thin and not too thick.

Vulcan
Well I personally feel the Vulcan was the worst of the group when it came to how it held. It really wanted to fall back after the shot and like before it wanted to kick left and right after the shot. The grip was fine but but for some reason the truss seemed closer than all the rest and made me want to twist my hand to the left to keep from resting it on the truss. Holding it steady on the target was not a problem, for being a lighter bow it had enough mass to enable you to hold steady while shooting.

Reflex Rampage
This bow was surprised me. It balanced very well. It actually just had a nice slow fall forward after the shot with it's fuse stabilizer on it and had enough mass weight to enable you to hold steady on target. The grip seemed just a little chunky to me. I can't remember if you can get thinner grips for the reflex line or not. But in all actuality I think most guys who buy this bow will not care. Like I said before this I believe will make a nice hunting bow next year for someone on a budget.