Mathews Drenaline?
 

It is on their web site this morning. Same basic specs as the regular Switchback, just a little faster and a little lighter. New slimline limbs. Refinements, no huge change, but I bet they sell a few of them.;)

RE: Mathews Drenaline?
 

Yep pretty much the same specs as the Switchback. A little lighter and rated 2 fps faster. I like the new limbs and the new retention system better than previous -- it is very similar to PSE's limb retention system. I will set up the demo later today (all dealers should have a demo today).

I would like to see them take the new limbs and stretch the riser another 4 inches witha little less reflex. You could have a 37+" bow that would be just over 4# with a 7.5" brace and still be about 312 fps. I think there are a ton of guys would would definitely buy one of those. Every year for the past 3-4 years on all the archery forums this is what is being asked for. I am sure this bow will be a big seller, but I also think a lot of SB and SBXT owners will decide to keep their current bows instead of "upgrading" to the latest. The guys who have to have the latest will buy whatever is released regardless. I think a lot of SB and SBXT guys wopuld go for a 37+" version. For guys who don't have a XT or a SB, this bow will sell well.

I think the price is a little high.

RE: Mathews Drenaline?
 

Yea looks the same as years past, there R&D department must have went on strike in 04.

RE: Mathews Drenaline?
 

That limb pocket does look like pse's design , with one diferance , it bottoms to the risor , pse's is suposed to have atleast a 3/16's inch gap .

I dont like the looks of the slim limbs , looks like it will increase the likelyhood of limbtwist/cam lean to me , sounds like they are not useing the standard gorden glass limbs , they have been for so long . PSE's limbs are very wide in comparison , to allmost all other manufactures . Im ranting on PSE , because I have recintly aquired a vengence , and am quite impresed so far , It needs some noise reduction , but if I get that figured out , I will be very impresed

RE: Mathews Drenaline?
 

It wil be interesting to see how it works out. Having studied self bow design, and making a few, the thick but narrow limb is actually more resistant to torque and twist than the wider but thinner limb. I actually had a similar experience with my champion bows this week. I was trying to set up one of my bows for my 16 yr. old son, who is not up to pulling 60# just yet. I had purchased 2 sets of PSE limbs to try out, as they had the exact same width at the base as the Champion limbs. On the pair that gave us the weight that we were after, the limb twist was very bad. These were the PSE limbs that were compression molded, with the wide, thin part in the middle. Cam lean on the bottom CPS cam was BAD, where with the Champion limbs, it had been nearly perfect. I called off the experiment because of the limb twist in the wider, thinner limbs. Not saying the new Mathews is going to be great or anything, just that the limbs may be pretty good. I'm sure they have tested them before letting the design hit the shops. Still would have liked MQ1 type specs instead of Switchback type clone specs.;)

RE: Mathews Drenaline?
 

You know what's sad? I bet that's the 500th time -- at least -- I've seen that request in the past three years and every year it gets ignored. Mathews builds great bows, butit sure don't listen to its customer base.

RE: Mathews Drenaline?
 

Ummmmmm. Apex 7 fits that description nicely and is as fast or faster than just about anything out there with that same description.

RE: Mathews Drenaline?
 

I seen the pics on their site. Same old technology for about the 4th or 5th year in a row from those guys. Just a lighter version of their Switchback/Outback/...whatever you want to call it that year. Don't really matter, their all the same bow, just different name each year.;)

RE: Mathews Drenaline?
 

I look forward to seeing how it shoots but expect it to be similar in that regard to the Switchback models. I do find the new limb design interesting though. Jeff's comments have me thinking about that issue.

RE: Mathews Drenaline?
 

I just got back from shooting our shop demo bow. It is nice, and I wasn't really that impressed before I got there, but I like it and I like it better than my XT. It is light and for a hunting specific bow that is nice.

Mathews has been known for speed ratings in the past that may not be quite accurate. I have found this as well with their hunting bows (my A7's are spot on) but this new one I actually think may beunder rated. At 70lbs and 29" with a 355 grain arrow we got 313fps out of it with a G5 peep and loop on the string. Assuming another 10fps for the 30" draw used in IBO standards, this would be faster than they state in the ratings and still 5 grains over IBO.

Another thing I can see in the limb and pocket design is that the limb seems to continue to flex after the pivot point of the new pockets pivot point, similar to the bowtech commander design however not quite as drastic. It did this when bottomed out a 74lbs, and when we backed it down to 70lbs. I wish I would have paid attention to what it looked like at full draw to see what it looked like there. I will update more on this later.

The bows are more money because these limbs are MUCH MUCH better quality than probably anything on the market right now and production cost is much higher on them. They are not the standard gordon glass limbs that 90% of everyone is using that are mass produced in huge lots to keep prices low. I know its a lot of money, but maybe it's worth that money to know that your chances of having a blown up limb in the middle of season are next to nothing. I don't know about other dealers, however we are not selling them at MSRP, we will pass on a break to the customers.

Again, I don't see this as being a the perfectbow for a cross between 3D and hunting. I do think this bow is perfect for the guy that wants a bow specifically for huntingthough which is more than 90% of the population of archers..

I will reserve further opinions until we get out batch of other bows in and I have one that fits me to play with.

RE: Mathews Drenaline?
 

I think the differences in limb pocket angle and price don't fit the description very well.

RE: Mathews Drenaline?
 

Ok, last night I set up and measured/tested/shot the new Mathews Drenalin -- here are the results.

I feel my test is non-biased, but I do have some personal opinions in it, so it is not totally subjective. Disclosure --I shoot the following for my personal bows at the moment: 2 Martin Slayrs, a Martin Shadowcat, a Merlin Supernova, a Bowman Accuriser, a older Diamond Widowmaker (carbon riser) with Hoyt Spiral cams, and a Frankenbow that I put together with various components.

The bow came with a cardboard bow case of sorts -- not sure if all the bows will come this way, but it protects the bow in shipment better and is a nice touch. Add a little foam and you can keep your bow in it. The name "Drenalin" was agreed upon at the stop to leave something desired (to put it nicely).

The camo looks nice, for those who are camo junkies. The only thing was when the limb bolts were backed off a little there could be seen a little bare metal around the edges -- it was due to the limb bolts being crank in so tight froom the factory that it compressed a little of the dip. This is very minor.

The bow came out of the box with the following measurements:
A-A -- right at 33"
Brace -- 6 15/16"
Pounds -- it was bottomed at 76# (quite high for a 70# bow)
Draw -- I measured the draw per the standard and it was 29 1/2", the sticker said 29"

Draw length is a pet peeve of mine and if is says 29" it should be with 1/8" out of the box, IMO. I hate it when they are 1/2 or more off.

The riser looks nice and the bow is definitely a lot lighter than previous offerings. The riser has a lot of cut-outs and many areas are "webbed" (sort of I-beam-like) to remove weight. The new limbs are impressive -- they are thin and widen slightly at the limb tips. The seem to resist twisting well. The new pocket system which is similar to the PSE design places the pivot further from the limb bolt. This allow the entire limb to be used more effectively and it is more of a gradual arc on the draw without theconcentrated stressor just past a conventional pocket. This system seems to work effectively and I will say that I would venture that Bowtechs new system will take this even further.

The cam is very similar to previous cams with no real dissernable differences. It still uses one bearing and one bushing so they achieve the let-off groove. The string is a typical Mathews string (not that impressed, but better than some other stock strings). On a bow of this price, (and with the price of the strings if you buy them as replacements) the endloops should be served -- I have seen where guys get a strand or 2 not on the peg on the cam. The grip is still the same -- I personnally do not care for it -- I wish they would offer a less bulbous thinnner grip.

The draw cycle is nice without and major humps, the wall is pretty solid, but not solid as bow with a draw-stop peg. A prong rest was installed on the bow.

Since we had a 375 grain arrow, the limb bolts were backed off to give 75#. I consistently got 308 with this, however the arrow nock seemed too tight, so I would venture that 1-2 fps more could have been obtained. The only thing on the string was a D-loop. For me, at 75# the bow was stout to draw, but I could do it. I usually shoot 65# in my hunting bows.

The limb bolts were turned to obtain 70# and at this weight I could draw the bow a good bit easier. With a 350 grain arrow with a proper fitting nock, I consistently achieved 308 fps again. Still only a D-loop. I was hoping to get around 312-315 with a 29 1/2", 70# bow with a 5 grain per pound arrow. Add around 5 fps for the 1/2" and another 1-2 fps for a D-loop and the IBO is actually around 315 -- not bad, but at measured specs, not 320. It should be noted that the measuring equipment used typically gets us extremely close (within plus or minus 1-2 fps) to the Bowtech birth certificates, so I am confident it is not off by any significant value.

The bow shot well and the balance was good. At the shot there was only a little recoil. The bottom of the bow kicked forward very slightly. There was no stabilizer on the bow. I was impressed with the way it shot. Others who shot the bow felt it had more recoil than their personal SBXTs. I contribute this to lighter mass weight, however, a little recoil does not bother me at all. The bow was quiet, on par with a SBXT, others though it was a tad louder.

Overall, I was very impressed with the bow and with a different grip, I would not hesitate to shoot this bow for myself. It is the first Mathews bow that I really liked the way it shot for me. I am impressed with the thin limbs and the retention system.

We backed the limbs out more and got it down to 65#. I did not break the bow all the down, but at 65# there is a significant gap between the limb and the riser and we did not want to take any more turns out of the bow. Since the limb bolt is normal to the riser, as it is backed out the limb retention cup to limb bolt become angles on the bevel. It is designed to accomodate that, but without complete disassemble, I am not sure to what extent. At 65#, the draw was very nice and the bow felt nice to shoot.

I did not fully optimize the tune of the bow, but when the centershot was at 13/16" (inline with the "inline grip") I had the "left-tear" through paper which was very prvalent in the XT. It did not seem as bad however and I moved the rest slightly. I did not really try to tune it any further, but with adjusting the rest and idler, I assume the left tear could be removed. I intalled a peep and and a pin-sight and shot the bow. The bow haed well even without a stabilizer and shot well. It diled in easily and was a pleasure to shoot. I think it will be a great hunting bow. Of all the Mathews hunting bows, this one impressed me the most. I feel fully confident in recommending this bow.

I still would like to see a 38" A-A version of this bow with about a 7.5" brace. I know there are guys who say the major market is in the short bows, but I KNOW there is a market for a intermediate A-A bow(37-39" A-A). You will see a ton of bows that length at 3D shoots (Hoyt, Bowtech, Martin, PSE, Ross, etc. all offer bows in this length and they sell -- maybe not as many as the 31-34" bows, but a significant number, and certainly more than the LD -- we sold none of those last year). Some guys will say Apex-7, bit that is not what many people want, the A7 is designed for atarget shooter -- people want the longer riser, parallel limb design in the longer bow with the softer cam.