I have the Diamond Black Ice since last year. I have shot a lot of bows andI prefer the draw cycle on this bow and the speed is good too. Some of the newer bowsare faster but they have two cams so your not really comparing apples to apples. It is a great single cam bow, light, very little recoil, and it is nice and small, very comfortable grip, adjustable draw stop, great for hunting. I had a chance to get a Mathews DXT, I tried it and it felt very similar, not a big enough difference to justify the cost. I think he will be very happy with his new Diamond. I just added an STS to mine. If he got the Marquis it comes with onebuilt in and the bow has a similar feel.