drockw

Went and shot the AM35 and the Captain today extensively back to back, over and over for an hour. I have shot them both before, but at different times. Today was one bow, back to other, and switch and repeat until ifelt i could actually describe all of both bows feels and performance.

I must say this was and is a very very hard decision indeed, but on the draw, and durability premises I will be ordering my all black AM35 soon!

Im gonna be honest,there is no bias here from me at all. Ive owned 2hoyts (ultramag, UltraTec) and two Bowtechs (General,101st Airborne) so I can say,going into the shop, there was no opinionated"feelings" here abouteither bow brand, b/c my experiences with both have been fortunate and pleasant.

They were reallytoo close to call thoughas to which better shootingbow. They are both awesome shooters and feel amazing, and have their ups and downs, but they are soo close.

Hoyt's durability/dependability andconsistantly smoothdraw is what sold me though. Iwas shooting 70# 29" bows. I shoot 29.5" and 60#'s so i could tell which bow drew better/worse, and honestly, the draw on the captain was "easier" than the AM. i couldnt believe that. The hump was still there in the captain though when falling into the valley, but is much improved from previous BT's. The AM was solid all the way through the pullwith no hump at all, and letting it down, felt as smooth as drawing it back (something you wont experience with a binary cam). Both had walls as solid as a brick so there was no real difference that i could feel at all. I also like how the hoyt held the weight in my hand, where with the captainit felt like i wasnt holding anything. Certain shooters prefer different things, but i always feel like having more weight in my hand makes me steadier.

On the shot, they are just like everyone says. Both are whisper quiet, with virtually no hand shock. I thought the AM was a tad quieter, and the BT had less vibration/hand shock during the shot. Like i said though, they were so alike in those ways, that you have to be really nit picky (like me) to even notice those slight nuances in either bow. To me, the AM felt better in the hand when drawn though, the BT felt a little top heavy where the AM was more well distributed in the weight department.

I feel i dont really need to comment on speed b/c both bows ibo's arerelatively the same. They arent speed bows, but arent slugs at all either. Plenty fast for what I do.

Just thought I would do a solid review of these bows and try and keep it unbiased as possible.There is obviously no winner here andI believe they are both going to do very well this year, and either way you go, you are picking a great shooting bow.
Derek

muzzyman88

Good unbiased review.

I had the opportunity to shoot both bows as well. I personally leaned toward the Captain. Admittingly, I'm getting partial to the way the binary cam feels since I've shot them for so long. But, all else being equal, these two bows are very comparable in terms of noise, vibration and shootability.

Where I think the Hoyt's have an advantage is in balance. They seem to balance out very well which most likely has to do with how the weight is distributed on the riser.

Both bows are excellent though. I'm glad that both Hoyt and Bowtech are still very hunter driven in terms of design and specs for their bows. I personally don't need a 350fps - 6" brace height, hunting bow like some other manufacturer is doing this year.

drockw

I agree, in the 3rd paragraph from the bottom i touched on the balance and feel. The hoyt felt perfect, while the BT felt a tad top heavy.
Derek

WBowhunt

I am curious when you did this comparison did you have a stabilizer on both or neither bow.
I am kinda of a Hoyt guys just becuase I have gone out and done the same comparisons in the past, such as when the Trykon came out, I could not bring myself to seriously consider it as I felt the draw cycle was very harsh and just didn't like the feel. But when the Vectrix came out it was much better and oh so quite.
When I did side by side testing I added a doinker to both and found that the noise issue between the two was not longer an issue and also noticed that what little vibration I had on the AM35 was gone.
Just curious?

kdsberman

Awesome, Thanks! Im hoping to shoot an Alpha Max real soon. One question though, how come it seems like everyone is "ordering" an AM? Are they really being sold that much or something where you cant get one at the shops?

drockw

WBowhunt- I actually tested with and w/out stabilizers. I THOROUGHLY tested these bows to the extreme. I alternated with and w/out the stabilizer back and forth. Neither reacted very differently with the stab. so it wasnt much a concern.

BTW, the stab used was my Octane 11.5"

kdsberman- Many people are ordering them b/c they want them in different colors. I wanted mine in black so... Lots of people are ordering the black/camo version as well which is not in most shops.
Derek

WBowhunt

Sounds good. I was just curious to see your thoughts on if you noticed a difference. I have to agree with you that Making an unbiased decision is tough on this one and as I tell everyone who asks " Which bow do you recommend? " I never give them a manufacturer. I always tell them to go to at least the two local pro shops and shoot as many differend bows as they can within their price range. This includes shooting the different models even from the same Manufacturer and then choose the one that feels best to them. It really is a personal decision and should not be made because someone else likes that one.

KDSberman: Many shops also only have one or two bows in the most popular draw weights. Ours is currently only carrying the 60 - 70lb AM. So folks also may need to order based on the specs of the bow they need.

kdsberman

I have a question you those who have shot the AM. A couple weeks ago I shot the PSE Mossy Oak-X, which was at 60lbs. I thought in my head that it cant be much different than my 60# Firestorm, as far as the draw. Man did that thing pull hard! Can I expect this from an Alpha Max too?

drockw

It pulls hard, but it is oh so smooth Its smooth like butter if you ask me. To me it feels like about 4#'s more than it really is.
Derek