Well........I had been hearing a lot of nice things about the new Bowtechs and so I thought I would head to the shop and send a few arrows through one. I have a 2003 Patriot already but I would be willing to upgrade if something blows my sox off.

First thing I found out was that they can't change the draw length on a Bowtech without replacing the cams........ That sucked because my draw length is 27" and all they had was 29"........not the end of the world but not great either.

I grabbed an Allegiance that was set at 67lbs and headed to the range with my Patriot in tow to compare the 2. From everything I had heard I expected the Allegiance to draw MUCH smoother then it did......it felt every bit of 67 lbs and when I went back to my Patriot at 63 it felt like 50. The draw was not smooth and was not easy IMO........it got better the more I shot so maybe you get used to it. I expected a smoother draw from all the things I heard.

The bow SMOKES..........absolutely SMOKES arrows. There is no doubt about that. It sizzles, plain and simple. The bow was solid and smooth......I did feel some buzz in the grip on the shot.......nothing huge but it was there. I went back and forth shooting my Patriot and the Allegiance. I wish I could have shot a 27" Allegiance to compare speeds better because at 2" longer and 4 lbs more draw weight my Patriot would shoot faster too.......not as fast as the Allegiance I don't think but it would have been nice to see. Great bow no doubt, and worth the $700.......top shelf all around. I will be keeping my Patriot though. IMO my Patriot draws smoother and shoots as well if not better.........speed difference would be the only reason to upgrade and there wasn't enough difference there to justify it either.

I highly recommend you go shoot one if you get the chance.......a super, super bow. For anyone who already owns a Bowtech I would say that your step up would be minimal at this point.........like going from a Corvette to a newer Corvette..........sweet as hell no question.......just not much sweeter then your current ride. In the end the decision will be a personal one but I just didn't find anything on the Allegiance that made me want to have one over my Patriot.


On to the Switchback..........I have NEVER, NEVER, NEVER had anything good to say about a Mathews bow...............until now. The Switchback is a damn fine bow. The draw is as smoooooooooth as silk (what I expected the Allegiance to be) and it is dead in your hand....close your eyes and put ear plugs in and you will be hard pressed to knw when the bow went off. Bravo. The one noticable thing for me was speed. The Switchback just didn't sling them like my Patriot or the Allegiance. Don't know what the IBO is on the Switchback but it was slower. Not a snail by any means and fast enough to kill anything out there, but not a burner for those interested in those things. Lastly, Mathews grips have always felt like crap in my hands.......the Switchback's grip fits me like a glove. Personal thing again but felt great to me.

All around EXCELLENT bow........really have no negatives at all except not blown away by the speed.......for longer draw guys or people that don't hug a chrono every day it should be a dream bow......speed seekers may be left wanting that little extra.


Both wonderful bows that anyone will be thrilled with IMO. Go shoot them if you get the chance. I am going back soon to shoot a Defender, and 05 Patriot just for kicks.....didn't have time today once the hunting stories started flying

I can't wait to finally get my truck runnin so I can go up to the shop and compare these new bows to my Oneida. If they are as shock free and recoil free as they are supposed to be, I will be surprised. I just wanna try em out so I can say I shot a new 05 BowTech/Mathews/Hoyt etc...

Great post!

I've read on different sites that the Allegiance stacks waaay early and you pay for the speed you get during the draw cycle. Then you come to this website and the Allegiance is the cure to world peace and will skin a deer and slap it in the cooler for ya.

I've never shot one so I don't know, but it is interesting the different opinions that can be had from one bow site to another.

I have shot the switchback and thought it was plenty nice, it reminded me ALOT of my Patriot, just heavier and stacked earlier in the draw cycle.
If you like most of the things about the switchback, except the marginal speed then an 04/05 Patriot is what you need!

BTW, everyone keeps hyping the awesome speeds of the Allegiance, are my eye's deceiving me? I could swear it carries the same IBO #ers as the 04 Patriot did?
Maybe it's more efficient at lower draw weights?

Good job Atlas!

I appreciate the objectivity!

I am still looking for a place that has an Allegiance to shoot. I shot the Switchback and thought it was a great feeling/shooting bow even though like you I didn't think it was a speed burner.
If the Allegiance can match the feel/shooting characteristics of the SB, plus the speed, then that would be an awesome piece of equipment.

I have commented already on the SB........very nice bow..........but I'm keeping my Outback !

Looked at the new Bowtech the other day and got to say I got a impression about in the middle of the road of what all is getting posted !
I liked the overall feel of it . Still don't like those super thin grips.......but I believe I could get used to one quick ! Quality seemed good and the film dip was better than the first Liberty's I saw last year !

The draw cycle was not what I expected ! 70# felt like 70# to me(that 10# less things is a joke IMO)..........but all the negative talk about how much weight stacked up at first(don't get it either).... it was not as bad as I expected or really not bad at all . The weight may be right at the beginning ......but it falls of real quick and gradual to full draw . I drew a Liberty for comparison and still like that DFC better.............but the Equalizer is not bad at all !

Given the performance of the Equalizer cams.........if I were getting a Bowtech right now..............I'd go for a 60# Allegiance I think . I am sure that draw cycle would be very nice for someone like me dropping from 76# ! Either that or go with a 70# Liberty............I still like the way those draw as well !

I didn't get to shoot the Allegiance but I imagine it's a pretty good shooter with little vibration !

I'm keeping my Outback though..............killed 7 animals so far this year and 3 went to the taxidermist ! Just can't see me breakin' away from that one !

Atlasman, if the Allegiance was 4 lbs. heavier and 2 inches longer than your Patriot it is going to feel a LOT harsher to draw. I know you already know that but you really would need to draw similiar poundage and draw length to get an accurate comparison. I also have a short draw and have found that a 29" bow can feel vastly different at 27" even at the same poundage.

My opinion is that the Allegiance is not the smoothest drawing bow and maybe some have exaggerated that a bit. But when you take into account the speed you get out of it compared the draw cycle it is very smooth. Also the draw cycle has a very smooth drop off into the valley compared to most single cam bows although it is harsher up front.

About the IBO speed comparison I think the Allegiance is close to the Patriot. But at lower than 70 lbs. and less than 30" the Allegiance is faster than the Patriot (and few shoot 70 lbs. and 30"). I plan to test the efficiency of the Allegiance when mine arrives. I have a strong feeling that the energy output compared to the energy input will make this the most efficient bow ever.

I would have to disagree with the smoothness of the Allegiance. I am very picky and didn't want to jump on the Bowtech bandwagon until I played with one a little bit. I was shooting a Hoyt Xtec and the Cam1/2 system is smooth, but I feel the Allegiance is smoother IMO. My Xtec was 65lbs and the Allegiance I shot was turned down to 65lbs as well. I felt the Allegiance pulled easier. Why? Because the Draw Curve builds right away, where most of your strength is. Then..all so smooth till you hit the draw stop. I liked the feel of the EQ cams on it. And, the speeds are sickeningly fast.

I think its a matter of not being used to the feel of the draw curve on them. We are so used to a gradual build, then a shap drop to full draw. I was too and it took me a few shots to get used to the Allegiance feel.

Now, if only mine comes in sometime this year......

Atlas , Blog has hit on something here , The draw force on a bow thats 2 inches too long for you is going to be alot diferant than one that has the correct draw length . Maybe that is a key , to the fact that the bowtech was dificult to draw .

True but it is rated for those speeds with the hush kit and knocks installed. Actual bare string speed (like most other campanies and bowtechs old ratings) is 5 - 8 fps faster.

i have been thinking of getting a new bow i guess just like anything else ill have to try em out to find what i want u was thinking of trying a browning my sons youth bow works great at 50# almost as good as my parker i guess ill have to head up north to shoot a few bows the pro shops around here are dying off fast i dont even think any of em let yah shoot anymore