HuntingNet.com Forums - shot the Admiral, Alphamax, Iceman, Reezen today!

Hey All, I just wanted to post my opinion of the bows I had a pleasure to shoot today. First let me start by saying I am not a fanboy of any of the companies. I stopped in at the shop and took 'em for a ride. I had a blast.
So here goes.... Only in this order because of the order I shot them.
Bowtech Admiral... 29" @ 64lbs.
Looks/stylepoints... 9.9... no such thing as a pefect 10 IMO but this and the Iceman are just plain awesome looking. Fit, finish, and invelvet are great!
Grip...9.8... total opinion... again the Admiral and Iceman were great in this regard.
Draw...9.5...very smooth and stable but this bow was set at 64lbs. and I swear it seemed like it was heavier than that. Don't ask me why it felt that way it just did.
Sound...9.8...virtually none existent
Shock...10...yes I know what I said about no such thing a perfect 10 but I have to retract that statement. This thing was absolutely dead in my hand after the shot. No vibration whatsoever.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hoyt Alphamax 32... 28" @ 70lbs #2cam
Looks/style points...9.7... not quite as sharp as the Admiral and Iceman but a very good looking bow none the less.
Grip...9.2 on the bone collecter, I just didnt care for the rubberized grip...9.7 on the stardard grip.
Draw...9.6 on #2 cam, (9.8 on the #3 cam, I did not shoot the #3 but I did draw it back). Actually of the 4 bows the draw seemed easiest to pull. On the #2 cam there is a distinct hump or fall off into the valley that I did not notice on the #3 cam.
Sound...9.7... just a little bit(I mean very little) twang seemed to be coming from the string slapping against the sts or whatever Hoyt calls it. Almost like the rubber was a little to stiff if that makes any sense. Again, I mean very little noise. I was in a 4'x20' plexiglass windowed hall that you could hear a pin drop in.
Shock...9.75... not really shock or bow jump at all just the slightest sensation of vibration after the shot. Possibly feeling the string twang I mentioned above.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diamond Iceman...29"@ 70lbs
Looks/Stylepoints...9.9... see above
Grip...9.8... see above
Draw...9.65... very smooth and stable, kinda like the bowtech almost seemed heavier to pull than the Alphamax.
Sound...9.7... again very indiscernable
Shock...9.8... certainly very, very good
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reezen 6.5 30"@70lbs
I currently shoot an '05 Switchback at 27.5" and 65lbs. So I wanted to see if I had a Reezen to be in the market for another Matthews.
Looks/Stylepoints...9.5... not bad but my least favorite of the 4 bows I shot. For some reason it seemed bulky (not that it was noticeably any heaver than any of the rest)
Grip...9.6... typical thin neck fat heel Mathews grip, I am used to it on my Switchback. I like the grips on the Bowtech better though.
Draw...9.6... the most aggressive of the bunch to me(because of the speed I'm sure) again it wasnt bad by any means. I was also probably a little tired by now being that this was the last bow I shot.(side note... I only shot the reezen once because of the long draw length, lack of sts, and perhaps shorter brace height. I got a little string slap on the wrist, not bad just a bee sting but I didnt want to chance it again.
Sound...9.65... not a real issue maybe ever so little more than the Iceman and Alphamax.
Shock...9.7...not bad at all, no bow jump by any means just a little bit of vibration after the shot thats all.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well folks there you have it, my take on 4 of the top bows out there. I will most likely be purchasing a new bow this year. I am not real sure if I a more confused now than before I shot these today. All in all I truely must say that the bow manufactures today have got it going on! I mean you really cant go wrong. I want to shoot a few more before I decide which way to go. Namely the Monster, Air Raid, Xforce. I would love to try some of the Elites, Pearsons, and Martin top end bows as well. I'll have to find a dealer that carries them in my neck of the woods.