yep the waiting game now begins! PSE, Martin/Rytara, Merlin, Pearson have released their line ups whileMathews have released 1 new bow at this time & the rest come out in Jan. Bowtech should be releasing something soon, I can't wait to see their new bows. I am also curious what Hoyt will do this year, and I look forward to seeing the new McPhearsons as well.
So far this is my take on everything I have seen.
Martin/Rytera = nothing that makes me want to run out & buy one. They are nice looking and a little more refined. I think the new Rytera line isn't anything special, one is trying to cash in Hoyts TEC riser succes while the other appears to be hoping to pick up on some of the Bowtech/Mathews success with similar geometry, etc. If I had to pick one it would be the Slayer.
Hoyts Tricon is very interesting to me exceptI am not a big fan of the TEC riser ( Idon't care for the way they use the brace behind the grip) I think this bow is going to be a great shooter & it would be a bow I would be interested in. They appear to have done some new work with the brace & it looks more appealing & a little more "out of the way".
Mathews Conquest Apex 7 - I am not blown away by this bow, I like the riser design better than the original Apex but I don't care for the cam & I am sure the price is way too much. I don't even really find the bow appealing visually. I am really becoming dissapointed in Mathews & I don't think they have really done anything great since the "Q" bows came out. The Switchback is nice but somewhere along the lines of the string supressors, rollar guards & new cam designs I have lost something for them. I still shoot my trusted Q2XL but unless Mathews comes out with something amazing this may be my last year shooting a Mathews for a while (of course I won't get rid of the Q2XL!
).
Bowtech - from the specs I have seen I like what I see. My first Bowtech was an extreme VFT, it was a good bow but not really the type of bow I shoot very often. The lineup for 05 was really nice & the BC cam system was cool, at first I worried about cam lean but it dosn't seem to be an issue. I think they have really grown the last few years & they are really worth checking out. The new lineup when it comes out should be awsome based on the specs. Good job Bowtech, I am impressed with your new stuff the last couple of years! 2006 I may be shooting Bowtech as my main bow.
Merlin, great looking bows! I like the fact you are doing the TEC riser concept in reverse....I like your design much better than Hoyts. These bows are simply high quality & very nice. I wish they would start producing a true 100% hunting bow designed for hunting (camo from head to toe in commercial patterns). I think the new X range bows will bring Merlin a lot of respect form the American bowhunting community.The onyl thing is the price...a little high but the quality appears to be awsome.
Ben Pearson/McPhearson - The new Stealth is simply an awsome looking hunting bow. This bow (so far) is the one I am most interested in.I am glad they are not using split limbs on this bow! I really think Ed McPhearson has turned this company around for the better and they are producing some great looking equipment. They have made a lot of changes & the quality is great. I am glad to see Pearson coming back! I can't wait to see what the new McPhearson line is going to look like.
PSE - The Diablo is cool looking & the Mojo is kind of cool. I am not blown away with any of them to be honest. I still think I like their AR line the best out of all the bows PSE has made the last few years. If I had to choose out of the PSE brand bows it would either be the Mach 12 or the Diablo, either would be a great hunting bow.
Well thats my take on the eye candy we have seen so far....I am still waiting for a bow to come out that blows my socks off but I am not sure we will ever see anything like that for a few more years. It appears we are more into a refinement stage than anything.