FLHunter

Mathews makes a pretty good bow! With that said, I think that there are other manufacturers that have "more to offer" for the same or fewer dollars invested. Right now I shoot mostly Dartons, an under rated bow line IMHO. For example: Darton offers with its CPS system a true level nock draw, timing marks, accurate drawlengths, drawlength changes can be accomplished by changing or adjusting a module(no cam purchase necessary)and their bows meet advertised speed numbers. Other bows that I think that have a lot to offer are Martin, Hoyt, Merlin, and number of others not so highly advertised. What is Mathews going to do when the "one cam" rage finally passes through its life cycle, theres already better engineering? Fact, if most of the better shooters were sponsered by any given company, that companies bows would win too!!! Shoot what feels comfortable to you and your budget. Forget the hype!

Aim Hard!

VFT_MD

Silentassassin, I shoot a 28 1/2" draw on my Q2.

HuntingBry

I like Mathews just fine. I also like Hoyt, Golden Eagle, Bear, High Country, Merlin, Reflex, and Bowtech. I have owned all these brands and they all did a good job of taking game, shooting 3D, or just putting holes in paper. Some I liked better than others for one reason or another. You need to go out and find what you like best and buy it.

litework

I actually prefer Mathews right now. Next year I may switch, but I said that last year. My choice came down to three bows...the Icon, Legacy and Patriot. I preferred the Legacy and I don't regret my decision. I don't like Mathew's advertising and their outlandish claims. Mathew's commercials are slightly less "cheesey" than in years past, but they are still pretty bad. I don't like Mathew's unjustified animosity towards dual cam bows. I am going to look hard at another brand this year and Merlin is top on my list. I am worried about resale though. The Mathews name sells on Ebay (high resale value), but I am still going to look at other companies' line-ups...but I said that last year.

Roland from Calif.

ditto FLhunter..............

olddogrib

Well the guys who are honest here have answered your question. Most of that dislike comes from a natural propensity to trash who's "on top of the heap" at the moment. But you have to give credit where it's due and Matt McPherson came out of nowhere and set the industry on its ear. Nobody that I'm aware of in any business has gone from obscurity to industry leader in as short a time. From everything I've read the guy is a Christian and a class act to boot and you have to admire that! Yes, alot of it is marketing savvy. When the other guys were decimating their shooting staffs Mathews was putting bows in the hands of every shooter they could buy and that sells bows. All BS aside, the bottom line is it's all about form and consistency, not the bow. Most pros on the circuit could win tournaments with a broomstick so it is just smart to make the investment to have them in
your "stable". Having said that, I've shot them all and the best bow is the one that feels best to you and the one you can shoot the most accurately. The bow I kept the longest was an MQ1. Just my opinion, but partial credit of Mathews reduced hand shock and vibration is due to wrapping the riser in wood. And Bowtech does the same. It feels great but when you've shot bows as long as I have, you come to realize the most comforable grip is not necessarily the most accurate. The grip on the Hoyt I'm shooting now is as cold and hard as a witch's tit, but I don't torque it and "beauty is as beauty does"!. Shoot what works for you and don't pay any attention to what
anybody says about it. They probably spend more time "chatting" than shooting anyway!

hogdaddy

Mathews makes a fine line of bows. My only gripe is that they spend so much money advertising in publications and T.V. media, that they forget about one on one sale information. Anybody ever seen a Mathews rep. at the "World" shoot the last 2 years??? The only representation I saw from them was dealers and sponsored shooters. Just think of the sales they would get if they would spend some of their advertising budget on the direct rep to consumer contact!!!!

JOE PA

I must admit that the advertising is what originally turned me off. Avoided Mathews for several years, but remained curious. This spring, I caved and tried 2, Q2XL and MQ1. Not bad bows, and the MQ was absolutely perfect for a used bow. I had a little trouble tuning it until a member of this forum sent me instructions on working down the grip. Then it tuned great. It shot better, but still had left-right issues, and needed a lot of stabilizer weight out front to cure that, then the bow quiver caused the left-right stuff to come back. All the while I had a bow that was just as fast, nearly as quiet, and shot great whether I had a stabilizer, bow quiver, etc. on it . It just shot the same no matter what. I was curious enough to try, and found Mathews bows lacking in the &quot;magic&quot; that seems to be attributed to them. They were not the bows for me, but they might be just the ticket for someone else.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Avoid the inevitable until it is absolutely unavoidable!

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Paul n Pa

here's my 2 cents. my first compound was a 1982 pse.
what i shoot now is a 2002 mathews legacy.
that old mach 1 felt perfect to me then as my legacy
did the first time i shot it.
bottom line get the one that feels right to YOU!!
that will be the one that when that moment of truth arrives
that trophy of a lifetime gives the shot you will have
100 percent confidence that YOU made the right choice.

O by the way to the guys complaining about
draw length adjustment my arms stopped getting longer when i was about 17.