I really don't think Mathews' sales are going down all that much. They are still #1 in overall sales of hunting bows to my knowledge, regardless of what we each independently prefer, and many 3D'ers still love them.
I have to mirror some of PAB's thoughts on this, however I don't believe that raw speed sold many of Mathews' bows, with maybe the exception of (as stated) the original Z-Max and the Black Max. They soon realized in their early years that building quiet bows could generate more income because they were not stressing the components as much as their competition, and thus they felt maintenance would be more infrequent, and warranty issue percentages much lower, which equals more money. Seems John Q. Hunting Public agreed, and for whatever the reason--hype, marketing, advertising, word of mouth, or maybe quiet, low shock, accuracy, whatever, they have sold many thousands of bows, and are the undisputed leader in hunting bows currently, like it or not.
However, the conventional solocam design was not without problems. Over the past ten years each manufacturer has tried their own versions of different "band-aids" to rectify these inherent problems, mostly to no avail.(I myself have touched on these many times, as have alot of other techs) Thus solocam evolution has evolved to where we see it today, development of hybrid systems such as the Darton CPS and Hoyt "cam and a half" are quickly gaining the attention of lots of archers as more and more realize their benefits over a conventional solocam system. Soon, Mathews too, will have to further evolve their system to stay in the mix. This seems to be the way solocam design is heading, at least from my perspective.
(My feeling is they will eventually re-invent the twin cam, they are already up to "cam and a half"! <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> Sorry, couldn't resist Frank! <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>)
OK, bottom line--I believe Mathews bows to be quiet, and quite stable to shoot. I believe their best cam was the original Maxcam on the original Conquest however, which was the one everyone got to pay royalties on. The MQ1 was a popular bow, even tho the straightline cam was not totally "straight". Once the Q2 and Q2XL worked through their cable chewing and paint falling off issues, they performed well also. I personally do not care for the stationary roller guides on the Legacy or Icon from a technical standpoint that I have mentioned in previous posts, therefore still prefer the MQ1, Q2, or Q2XL. Other than that, and the fact that I feel the conventional solo design is becoming dated and screaming for an upgrade, I have no beef with them. My son still shoots an MQ1 for hunting, but will soon retire it for a new Merlin after this season is complete.
But that is another story. <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle> Just my own thoughts, Pinwheel 12