Darton vs. Mathews
 

Hey ya'll,
I'm looking at purchasing a "newer" hunting bow (not necessarily new), and really like Darton and Mathews but I can't decide which to pick. The Mathews is a little higher in price.
I guess what I'm wondering is does the Mathews performance that much better to justify this? I know there's a lot of hype surrounding Mathews (and for good reason) but can the Darton perform just as well? The models I was looking at for the Darton are the Typhoon, Tundra, and Maverick and for the Mathews, the Icon, LX, and Ovation.
I know it's hard to be objective as everyone has his favorite but can someone out there give me an objective opinion? Hope I'm not stirring up a hornet's nest:D
Thanks in advance!

RE: Darton vs. Mathews
 

Go shoot both and buy the one that feels best to YOU, not anybody else. I personall like mathews, but I have never shot a darton.

RE: Darton vs. Mathews
 

I would chose a darton mavrick over anything mathews makes , but thats me .

RE: Darton vs. Mathews
 

SCbowhntr, You are asking a tough question. I own a 2004 Darton Typhoon. The only Mathews bows I have shot are the LX & Q2XL. I am not knocking Mathews, they make a great bow. The Darton Typhoon fit me better & I shot it better.
IMHO Mathews bows are alot quieter that Darton bows.
Resale value should be something else to consider. I am sure the Mathews will have a higher resale value.
My local proshop offered me $450 in trade for my Darton Typhoon. If I trade, it will be for a Hoyt V-tec? I will still need to give them $300 to make this trade happen.[:o]

RE: Darton vs. Mathews
 

My 2 favorite bows of all time are the Darton MAverick and the Mathews MQ1. The Mathews is noticeably quieter and that is what I now shoot.....take that for what it is worth.....

RE: Darton vs. Mathews
 

I had the two bows that CG mentioned, and yes, the MQ1 was quieter than the Maverick. I my current #1 bow is a Darton Tundra. With it, I have all the easy tuning, smooth draw, and performance of the CPS system in a bow that is right there with any I've owned for noise level, including the MQ1, Q2 XL, McPherson 38 Special, etc. The Mathews bows definitely recoil less than the Dartons, but again, my Tundra has very little recoil, and it bothers me not at all.;)

If you are buying used, there are other considerations. IMHO, the Darton Extreme cam system is definitely quieter than the Express cams. For a used Darton, I would want an '03 Avalanche Extreme, or an '04 Tundra, Avalanche, Maverick, or Typhoon. Dartons do not hold resale value like Mathews, so you can save buying a used, but like new bow. The older Express cam bows will be louder though.[&:] Still, the Darton CPS bows are very easy to tune with broadheads, draw very smoothly, and have good performance for the draw weight.

The Mathews bows hold value so well that buying a slightly used Outback or LX hardly seems to make sense, since the price is very close to a new one that has a warranty. Also, with the cams having no draw length adjustment, you have to be very sure you are buying a bow that really fits you in the first place. It seems that you can finally get the MQ 1, Q2, Q2 XL, and Icon for a decent price, as resale seems to have dropped on those due to demand for the Outback and Switchback. If you like low recoil and noise, it is hard to top the Mathews bows. I found the grips to be too wide for me, and tended to torque the bows much more than some other bows I've owned. That is probably a personal thing because lots of guys claim the Q series bows are forgiving for them to shoot. It just wasn't true for me, or I'd probably still have the MQ1.

As usual, it really comes down to personal preference. Both are good bows. I personally feel that I got the perfect bow for me in the Tundra. Nice to see a broadhead tipped arrow fly just like a field point and hit the exact spot I aimed at out to 40 yards. (when I do my part, that is!)

;)

RE: Darton vs. Mathews
 

I have both right now, a 2004 Mathews Ovation and a 2005 Darton Tundra. The Ovation
was a nightmare to tune with fixed broadheads and I use it now for shooting indoors.
The Tundra, as JOE PA. knows tuned very easily even with fixed broadheads. I got
his and others advice on the bow before buying it and I really like the bow! I can easily
check the timing on the bow, the bow shoots accurately, the recoil is low IMHO even
with light arrows. I like the hybrid systems much better than solocams. :)

RE: Darton vs. Mathews
 

Have a look at the new 2005 Darton Tempest Extreme.
This bow reminds me of the Champion Scorpion ETS--it's about 5/8" longer ATA.
I'm sure this bow will be worth the while to look at.

RE: Darton vs. Mathews
 

I agree with the Nuge. I have never shot a Darton either, so I couldn't really compare the two.

RE: Darton vs. Mathews
 

I used to own two Mathews. I now own two Dartons. 'Nuff said.

RE: Darton vs. Mathews
 

I just bought a new bow back in June of last year. I went to the pro shop not looking for any bow in particular. I drove the guy there crazy, because I pulled a bunch of different bows down and had him set them up just enough so that I could shoot them. Well after shooting 15 bows I ended up buying a Darton Magnum Extreme. And I really like it., it fits me well and has been staying very consistant. As far as set up is concerned it was tuned very easily at the shop adn after being set up adn sited in the next two arrows cut fletching. I suggest that you go to the shop and have them pull a couple different models down for and shoot them. Don't go with a name go with what fits and shoots better for YOU!

RE: Darton vs. Mathews
 

You got a nice bow there pat.I really liked the Darton Avalanche Extreme but the patriot just felt a little better.
I do agree with ya though,Dont go a buy a bowtech,mathews,hoyt etc because everyone else has one.Shoot all kinds of name brands and choose the one you want and feels best in your hands.
Glad to hear the bow is shooting good for ya.

P.S---I really like the Darton grips:)

RE: Darton vs. Mathews
 

SO do I. Shot five deer with it this past year. And plan on hopefully sticking a turkey with it in the spring.

RE: Darton vs. Mathews
 

SCbowhntr,

Here's my 2 cents on the Darton and Mathews bows based on my personal experience.

I've been shooting the Darton Avalanche Extreme the last 2 years. Nice moderately fast bow for the price. My buddy also shoots the Typhoon and is quite happy with it. Low maintenance, very little string creep, fairly quiet, with the proven CPS cam system. For a hunting bow, you can't go wrong.

That being said, I just bought the Mathews Switchback (call me a traitor if you want) after test shooting it 3-4 times. Hey, I just got a big tax refund burning a hole in my pocket. Had to get a new toy. Over the last year I've also shot the LX, Legacy, and Outback. One of my other hunting buddies also shoots the MQ32. Out of all of these bows, I think the Switchback has the optimal combination of smooth draw cycle (very circular cam), lack of vibration/shock, and speed. Although, it has an ATA of 33" it appears and shoots like a longer bow (it has a very long riser and extreme parrallel limbs). Personally, I'm gravitating towards longer bows for greater forgiveness. The only negative thing I can say about the SB is that I've gotten some string creep on the stock Zebra Barracuda string. For the kind of $ you will be paying it would be nice if Mathews could put a high end string like Winners Choice or similar on their bows. You can't go wrong with this bow. Although you may pay a bit more for the Mathews you will also be getting alot of innovation and technology for your $. Resale value on used Mathews is also good.

SCbowhntr, test shoot both lines of bows. See which feels the best to you and your wallet. Good luck and have fun shopping for that new toy!

RE: Darton vs. Mathews
 

I have two bows. One is an 2003 Oneida Black Eagle ESC and the other is 2005 Darton Avalanche Extreme. I was at the local shop yesterday talking to a guy who owned a mathews and we were talking about another shop he had been in and how they had a bunch of used ones for sale at good prices. He told me I should try his LX since they had some of those for sale so I picked it up, sat at 20 yards and actually hit the X ring with it (I almost never shoot that good with my first shot out of a "new" bow). I actually really liked the bow, it was quiet, fast and even with its low brace height it was easy to shoot. So he started in on how I should sell my Darton and get that bow instead or buy another bow because I can always use the Darton or Oneida as a backup. Well I walked over to my bow, picked it up and took the three arrows and hit three little dots with it that were on the wall. I was shooting very well that day. I than turn to him and he laughs and says I should never sell that bow.

What I am trying to say here is, shoot what fits you. Yeah, the Darton is a little louder than the Mathews. Yeah, it might not be as fast and it might even pull harder than a Switchback (everything pulls harder than a BE so my whole what feels good is out of whack right now) but it is a real nice bow. If you can grab a Vapor from darton and it shoots good for you than that is what you should shoot. All of these bows are going to shoot better than the average person can shoot them. I would personal spend less money on the bow and more money on the time to practice as much as you can be it 3-D shoots, leagues or whatever. This is where you are going to get your moneys worth. Darton Magnum or Mavrick or Typhoon or whatever bow you buy is going to be a better bow than anything around from 8 years ago and those bows killed plenty of deer/turkeys/elk. The component that will have a lot more impact is you. You might be a crack shot for all I know but most of us can still do with a lot of practice. I know I need tons more because somedays I shoot well and others... Well, good enough but not as well as I would like.

RE: Darton vs. Mathews
 

Matthews

RE: Darton vs. Mathews
 

try both and get what you like, however i would get a hoyt;)

RE: Darton vs. Mathews
 

I personally really like the CPS cam, but I also realize that it's the draw cycle that I like, not the fact that it "outshoots" a Mathews siingle cam. All well tuned modern bows, put the arrow where you point it on release. What you buy, are personal preferences. For instance, you shop for a draw cycle you like. A grip that allows you to hold steady on the target without torque (forget about comfort - it means nothing in my opinion). You want an ATA that fits all your anchor points (plural), a brace height that allows plenty of clearance when wearing your heaviest hunting jacket and shooting at an odd angle. Once you find this bow (only you can find it), put a custom no-creep string on it, tune it professionally and it will put the arrow where you release (I don't care what brand it is).

RE: Darton vs. Mathews
 

I'm kind of surprised by the few Darton Shooters we have here.... WOW..... I didn't know anybody really shot them??? I know locally I don't think I've ever seen anyone that actually had a new Darton?? Like they all mentioned, go shot 'em and simply buy the one that you fall in love with. Personally, I do find it hard to believe that it could even come close to the feel of the new Switchback.... BUT you never know? Good luck and good shootin'

RE: Darton vs. Mathews
 

They feel nothing like a Switchback, Outback LX, FX or classic. They feel nothing like a Bowtech. they feel nothing like a Parker. I would say they feel nothing like a Hoyt but that would be silly. They feel like a Darton. One person thinks the Switchback is the best thing ever in the world while another feels like the Alle is and someone else will say it is the V-tech or some other bow, and maybe foe them it is a Darton or a PSE or an AR or an Oneida. I shot a Switchback, might even buy one some day, but the Darton just felt "right" in my hand and at draw and the cycle was fine. To be honest, it has a better wall than a Switchback but the valley is not great on my Avalanche so you have to be carefull about creeping but a short valley can cure you of creeping real fast. But if it shoots good for you and is 200 dollars less than a Switchback than why in the heck would you buy a Switchback? The Darton's are selling very well around here right now, probably not on pace with the big three but the local guy who sells them is basically in a situation where they are out the door within a week of coming in the door. Good deal for him.

I talk to guys all the time at shops and they will say how they had this great bow 3-4 years back and it just shot perfect for them and how much they still wish they had that bow. I always wonder why they got rid of it and the answer I get is "Oh, I just had to try this such and such new bow because everyone said how great it was" You find out in the following 4 years they have owned 10 bows and are still searching for one that shoots as nice as the old XXXX brand that they traded in.

Edited because I was a in a pissy mood when I first wrote it.