JOE PA

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.

RobVos

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.

PatriotDually

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

ijimmy

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

JOE PA

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.

Greg / MO

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.

Rick James

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

muzzyman88

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.

PABowhntr

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.

Rick James

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.