And The Winner Is...
04-26-2007 | 09:21 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Giant Nontypical
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 5,541
Likes: 0
From: Phoenixville, PA USA
And The Winner Is...
Well, after much deliberation and shooting and thought and more shooting and back-and-forth I have made a decision on what bow to get for my new baby this year. The decision may surprise some of you that have heard my reviews of this year's equipment. I know I'm a bit surprised by my own decision.
I have looked at or shot many of the most popular bows or brands this year and while being somewhat limited being left handed, I have sucked it up and learned to shoot right handed for testing purposes. My current bow is an 05 Allegiance that I have been very happy with. My criteria for a new bow was quieter than my current bow first and foremost, smoother than my current bow a close second, and as fast or faster than my current bow. To me this was a pretty tall order, but here is how my decision was made.
Early on I tried the Guardian after hearing all the hype. I drew the bow left handed and was immediately disappointed in the stiff draw of the bow. This only being one criteria I shot is right handed and it lived up to the hype in how quiet it is. Very impressive, and it was as fast as my Allegiance. I was shooting it at 59 lbs. and drew it left handed at 62 and it felt heavier than other bows at 70 lbs. I could not get over the draw. Next.
I tried the 07 Allegiance with smooth mods. The draw was like butter. Very sweet and I love the new grip. Unfortunately, there has more vibe, even when I put my STS and stabilizer on the bow than my 05, and it was a bit louder. (This was an observation from someone with me). Next.
I drew the Mathews Dreanalin, and shot a few arrows right handed with it, but never gave it much thought. I hate Mathews' grips.
I now went to an Elite dealer and tried the Synergy. Very nice draw, very fast, very quiet. The draw is comparible to an Allegiance with speed mods. A little stiffer than what I am shooting now, but faster and very quiet. Probably the best bow released this year. Unfortunately, I personally cannot get past some statements made by the company's chief designer and the instability of the company (they have changed ownership twice in the last two years). This was a hard one to pass up, but we'll see where they are in a few years. Next.
The next bow to get serious consideration was the Ross Cardiac. What a bow. Very nice smooth draw. I checked it out at the shop but did not shoot it.
At this point I have been shooting my Allegiance and noticed that I was getting shoulder soreness and fatigue much more quickly than in the past. It looks like years of playing hockey and shooting hatchet cam bows with high draw weights is catching up with me. A smooth draw has moved up on the priority list.
I went back to the shop and brought my Allegiance. I had the sole intention of shooting the Cardiac in right handed. I spoke with Ross earlier yesterday and asked when the lefties will be coming out. "At least two weeks."[:@] I hate being left handed.
The shop had a left handed Drenalin, so I asked to see that and the Cardiac. They were both 29" draw lengths which is 1.5" long for me and both with the limb bolts buried. 70 lbs. on the Drenalinwhich is 5 lbs. heavier than what I shoot now. 73 lbs. on the Cardiac. I have to say, side-by-side they are close. Both have a wonderful draw cycle. The Mathews was a touch less smooth, but it was 4 fps faster. In the grand scheme of things this doesn't mean anything, but the difference in draw was so slight it's nice to get some speed out of it. The one thing I noticed about the draw was that after drawing and shooting both bows I broke out the Allegiance and noticed a very pronounced "hump" at the end of the draw before it dumps into the valley. Also, both the Cardiac and the Drenalinhad heavier draw weightsthan my Ally, but drew much easier. This had me very disappointed with my current bow and loving the new options.
Both bows were veryquiet, this was a wash. The Cardiac had less string vibe, but it has a riser mounted string suppressor (more on this later). Speed, as i said the Drenalin was 4 fps faster which put it 2 fps faster than my Allegiance which is at 65 lbs. The Cardiac was 2 fps slower. Both the Cardiac and Drenalin would be shot at around 70 lbs. with how nice their draw is.
I have to tell you, I was loving both bows very much and my shop manager was smiling with dollar signs in his eyes. The Cardiac was really pulling away with the little things, teflon cable slide stock, Winners Choice strings stock, hush kit with limb and sting devices stock, much nicer grip stock, riser mounted string suppressor stock...Uh Oh. As I was shooting and loving this bow disaster struck. I shot and arrow and felt something hit my leg after I released. I looked down to find the string suppressor laying on the floor. WTF?!?! I had read online that some people were having this problem and simply super gluing it back in. When spending $700+ on anything I don't want to be super gluing anything.
So, decision made, I have a 27.5" dl 70 lb. Mathews Drenalin on order. I will be going to Torqueless.com to get a grip to replace the 2x4 Mathews grip (before the Ross guys say anything this is a personal preference, not a manufacturing flaw). I will also measure and order a CSS with matching camo. The bow will be dressed in a QAD LD rest, a Fuse 6 inch stabilizer in Realtree APG, and an Extreme RT 1000 sight in Realtree AP.
Once I get the bow and all the goodies I'll do a proper review. Like I said, if someone had said this would be what I would have bought 1 month ago I would have said you are crazy, but this is one of the first times I have not made a rushed bow purchase and put this much effort into finding what I really want. We'll see how it works out.
I have looked at or shot many of the most popular bows or brands this year and while being somewhat limited being left handed, I have sucked it up and learned to shoot right handed for testing purposes. My current bow is an 05 Allegiance that I have been very happy with. My criteria for a new bow was quieter than my current bow first and foremost, smoother than my current bow a close second, and as fast or faster than my current bow. To me this was a pretty tall order, but here is how my decision was made.
Early on I tried the Guardian after hearing all the hype. I drew the bow left handed and was immediately disappointed in the stiff draw of the bow. This only being one criteria I shot is right handed and it lived up to the hype in how quiet it is. Very impressive, and it was as fast as my Allegiance. I was shooting it at 59 lbs. and drew it left handed at 62 and it felt heavier than other bows at 70 lbs. I could not get over the draw. Next.
I tried the 07 Allegiance with smooth mods. The draw was like butter. Very sweet and I love the new grip. Unfortunately, there has more vibe, even when I put my STS and stabilizer on the bow than my 05, and it was a bit louder. (This was an observation from someone with me). Next.
I drew the Mathews Dreanalin, and shot a few arrows right handed with it, but never gave it much thought. I hate Mathews' grips.
I now went to an Elite dealer and tried the Synergy. Very nice draw, very fast, very quiet. The draw is comparible to an Allegiance with speed mods. A little stiffer than what I am shooting now, but faster and very quiet. Probably the best bow released this year. Unfortunately, I personally cannot get past some statements made by the company's chief designer and the instability of the company (they have changed ownership twice in the last two years). This was a hard one to pass up, but we'll see where they are in a few years. Next.
The next bow to get serious consideration was the Ross Cardiac. What a bow. Very nice smooth draw. I checked it out at the shop but did not shoot it.
At this point I have been shooting my Allegiance and noticed that I was getting shoulder soreness and fatigue much more quickly than in the past. It looks like years of playing hockey and shooting hatchet cam bows with high draw weights is catching up with me. A smooth draw has moved up on the priority list.
I went back to the shop and brought my Allegiance. I had the sole intention of shooting the Cardiac in right handed. I spoke with Ross earlier yesterday and asked when the lefties will be coming out. "At least two weeks."[:@] I hate being left handed.
The shop had a left handed Drenalin, so I asked to see that and the Cardiac. They were both 29" draw lengths which is 1.5" long for me and both with the limb bolts buried. 70 lbs. on the Drenalinwhich is 5 lbs. heavier than what I shoot now. 73 lbs. on the Cardiac. I have to say, side-by-side they are close. Both have a wonderful draw cycle. The Mathews was a touch less smooth, but it was 4 fps faster. In the grand scheme of things this doesn't mean anything, but the difference in draw was so slight it's nice to get some speed out of it. The one thing I noticed about the draw was that after drawing and shooting both bows I broke out the Allegiance and noticed a very pronounced "hump" at the end of the draw before it dumps into the valley. Also, both the Cardiac and the Drenalinhad heavier draw weightsthan my Ally, but drew much easier. This had me very disappointed with my current bow and loving the new options.
Both bows were veryquiet, this was a wash. The Cardiac had less string vibe, but it has a riser mounted string suppressor (more on this later). Speed, as i said the Drenalin was 4 fps faster which put it 2 fps faster than my Allegiance which is at 65 lbs. The Cardiac was 2 fps slower. Both the Cardiac and Drenalin would be shot at around 70 lbs. with how nice their draw is.
I have to tell you, I was loving both bows very much and my shop manager was smiling with dollar signs in his eyes. The Cardiac was really pulling away with the little things, teflon cable slide stock, Winners Choice strings stock, hush kit with limb and sting devices stock, much nicer grip stock, riser mounted string suppressor stock...Uh Oh. As I was shooting and loving this bow disaster struck. I shot and arrow and felt something hit my leg after I released. I looked down to find the string suppressor laying on the floor. WTF?!?! I had read online that some people were having this problem and simply super gluing it back in. When spending $700+ on anything I don't want to be super gluing anything.
So, decision made, I have a 27.5" dl 70 lb. Mathews Drenalin on order. I will be going to Torqueless.com to get a grip to replace the 2x4 Mathews grip (before the Ross guys say anything this is a personal preference, not a manufacturing flaw). I will also measure and order a CSS with matching camo. The bow will be dressed in a QAD LD rest, a Fuse 6 inch stabilizer in Realtree APG, and an Extreme RT 1000 sight in Realtree AP.
Once I get the bow and all the goodies I'll do a proper review. Like I said, if someone had said this would be what I would have bought 1 month ago I would have said you are crazy, but this is one of the first times I have not made a rushed bow purchase and put this much effort into finding what I really want. We'll see how it works out.
04-26-2007 | 11:13 AM
#5
Thread Starter
Giant Nontypical
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 5,541
Likes: 0
From: Phoenixville, PA USA
RE: And The Winner Is...
One thing I forgot to mention in my comparision of the bows was the back wall. I felt the Drenalin had a more solid back wall than the Cardiac. The Cardiac did have a much more solid back wall than the Ross bows of last year, but it still felt like I could pull through it.
This is not a major issue, but an observation.
This is not a major issue, but an observation.
