Currently I shoot a Hoyt Trykon from 2005. It shoots accurately and has always done what I've asked of it. It has helped me take quite a few deer over the years.
That said I feel like its time to upgrade to a new one. The new bows are so much better and I have the money strashed to buy a new one but I feel like I'm leaving my old friend behind.
How do you guys decide when its time to upgrade your setup?
The thing with newer bows is that pretty much every brand makes very nice bows, just some fit other people better than they might fit you. Others buy purely from hype and marketing. All of the brands copy off each other for the most part. I'm still using a 2012 bow and after shooting dozens of newer bows recently, I still have no reason to change.
Mathews in particular were one of the pioneers of these newer style compounds, but everyone else eventually caught up to them.
Not much new tech lately.
Speed means very little in the grand scheme of things. Speed is really the last thing i'd look for in a bow unless you are thinking of shooting 40-50 lbs. Even at that, recurve guys are killing deer and getting passthrough's shooting 150 fps. Don't dwell on speed, pay more attention to valley, wall, ease of drawing, grip feel...is it repeatable... Way more elements to choosing the right bow for you than a name or dollar amount.
Ihookem, 236 fps isn't slow. To you maybe...but what is slow? so a deer at 20 yards is 60 feet, you don't think 236 fps is fast enough? Ask a recurve guy what fast is and it will change your whole perspective on judging bows on speed. I know a lot of hardcore traditional guys and they kill the crap out of deer. The problem with compound guys is they think they have super powers. a deer at 35 yards will duck an arrow at 350 or 150. it's all been proven time and time again. chasing a speed number is not the way to choose a bow.
If all you shot is 3D unknown, then get the lightest arrow possible and shoot 330 fps, that should improve your scores a bit. To shoot a sub 350 grain arrow at a deer is just asking for trouble. This thread has nothing to do with speed or arrow penetration, but most are buying a bow to hunt. i'd never chase speed and I wouldn't buy a light arrow. only way I'd chase speed would be if I was going to make a super heavy arrow and build that arrow for 650+ grains. Then at least that speed will benefit you
I would also like to comment how it is not wise to get caught up in the Mathews Triax, Vertix and now the new one . I had the bow shop put on 25" pull for a Triax . It shot my arrows 236fps @ 55 lb pull with the Triax. This falls far short of the Avail . Again, my Avail shoots the same arrows 250fps @ 52 lbs. Not everything is what it appears. The Avail is a much better bow for shorter draw lengths. I found this out when I stopped at Wicked Archery in Slinger by the Cabelas. I mentioned I wanted a Triax. My BIL loves his. The owner said I will not be happy with a Triax with a 24.5" draw. He was right. Told me I would be happier with an Avail or a 5Max?? Had I went with the Triax , I would not have gained much of anything for speed, maybe 5 fps. and that's it.
I bought a new Mathews Avail in November. I had a Mission Endeavor for 7 yrs. I bought a new one cause I can't pull back too much anymore. I was concerned that the new bows were all hype. My Mission shoots my arrow at 230 fps @ 54 lbs. My new Mathews shoots the same arrow @ 250 fps @ 52 lbs. So , I gained 20fps with 2 lbs . less pull. That is considerable better , but now as much as I hoped for. The reason I hoped for more is cause these Mathews reps like The Crush people , like Tiffany makes them sound like more than they really are. I watched every Youtube and writ up I could find before dropping $ 1007 after tax . Tiffany, in an interview said she shot a big buck in the front shoulders at 45 yds. and got the buck. She mentioned " bone crushing speed" . She shoots the same draw , with the same pull weight . There is no way it is bone crushing speed when it starts at 250 fps. and at 45 yds it is no faster than my Mission @ 20 yds. I shot a buck too far forward . It was a bruiser and hit his front shoulder. I can tell you it did no bone crushing in any way shape or form. It went in about 3" and that was it. A lot od this is Bull crap to make their product look much better than what it is. It is a bow that shoots an arrow, nothing more. I am happy with the bow. I needed a new string anyway and traded my sons Mission Riot for $100. Had I kept my old bow a new $150 string would be needed so I am really only out $757. I lie the bow . The back stop is solid and believe it helps with accuracy compared to my 3/4" backstop on my Mission. It is a better bow and am happy with it. It is my last compound and should have bought a crossbow anyway. My rotators are shot and 52 lbs pull hurts cause I'm so sore.
What did u ever do. Get a new one and what was it. I have the same Trykon and feel the same way. Dead on at 30 and never any problems. Been wanting to get a new bow for a few years now I'm pulling the trigger finally in a few weeks. Hoyts are so expensive now thinking about a Matthew's going to shoot a few different ones tho.
The reason some people get new bows every year is because they can. Can, meaning they know someone where they get them for cost or at a discount. If you buy a $1000 bow for $700 in March of 2018, sell it in Dec of 2018, you might get $600-650 for it depending on brand. If you wait another 6 months, it's worth about 400-450. So some don't mind losing $100 and have the latest and greatest.
I'd imagine some just have the money to burn because bow hunting and archery are two different things. to some it's a year round hobby. To others a bow is just a means to kill a deer. They pick that bow up Sept 1 and put it down Nov 15th, not to be touched for another 10 months. So depending on where you fall in that spectrum, make your own decision that fits you.
I used to buy new every year and most years i'd made money on the bow. I don't do it anymore because i'm too old to care.
My old bow was a 2008 Diamond The Rock. Original strings and cables and they were worn bad. I don't know how many tens of thousands of shots went through that bow. I got it back in high school and my friends and I would shoot all the time during the summers. I shot good with it and probably could have got another year out of it but knew it was time for an upgrade. I got it hanging on the wall now as a decoration. Too many memories to get rid of it.
There's no need to get a new bow every year like a lot of the guys do. Should be able to easily get a new one every 10 years or so. That's my plan for my new bow - it should last me a decade unless I run into problems with it. I always find myself looking at the new Mathews, but I got my PSE for a fraction of the price.
I have considered used but am unsure because I'm always afraid that the previous owner might have abused it. Probably just me thinking that though. When the new mathews triax came out I went to check for deals on halon 32's and they were only $150 less. I'm definitely going to be keeping my eyes peeled for deals though.
