Man, do I ever agree with CG on this one!

The first blatantly obvious thing that glared out at me when I picked up the Outback was its weight... bare bones, it far outweighs my MQ-1 with sights, quiver, wrist sling, and stabilizer. DEFINITELY a lot more heft there...

And the guys were right about the valley; there is none basically. Any creep at all, and she's gonna go. Maybe you loved the bigger valley Mathews had before, but this model ain't got it. The shop owner explained that's where Mathews was gaining a little extra speed at. It did draw smoothly though, just no valley.

Having said that, though, she does shoot smooth! I'm sure all the extra bulk does a good job soaking up the vibes. It seemed a touch faster just eyeballing the arrows on the way to the target (I didn't shoot through a chrono), and it was absolutely rock-solid. It honestly reminded me of the glowing reports everyone's been attributing to the Bowtech Liberty.

Having said all that... Would it be worth it to plunk down several hundred dollars more -- provided I could get a few hundred for my current MQ-1, either as a trade or outright sell? Nope. CG's right; the MQ-1 shoots almost as smooth, is very noticeable lighter, and is whisper quiet in its own right.

Unless you've just got to have the latest of the latest, you'd do well to save several hundred dollars and buy yourself a used MQ-1.