Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Bowtech or Mathews??

Kind of like Acura vs. Lexus. Both will do the job in style.

I have both a Mathews Switchback XT and a Bowtech Allegiance. I have also shot both the bows you mentioned. I'm a 28" draw. Both are quality bows and companies. I will say that my mathews is my back up because it's so much slower(17-20 fps)with the same arrow and set up. Speed may not be everything but the shorter the draw the more important it becomes IMO. Speed and arrow weight equal KE and that matters. The numbers never lie. If you can shoot just as well and they are both quality quiet bows then why would you not want the speed. It certainly can't hurt. The bottom line is it gives you more options. (arrow weights, broad heads, KE)

I was where you are 2 years ago.........

I really wanted a mathews but thought I had better shoot a bowtech and I found the bowtech was WAY BETTER. Much faster and way smoother. I went with the bowtech and have no issues what so ever.

Definitely shoot them and others. PSE, Hoyt as well as others make great bows as well. Shoot as many as you can. Like others have said, one will speak to you. I shot a pile of them one afternoon and I picked the PSE Vengence. I love it. Flinch

BowTech.

Mathews makes quality bows, but IMO, BowTechs are more impressive. They're a step ahead of the industry in technology & innovation. (e.g. binary cam system, center limb pivot, etc.)

Possibly the best buy for the money might be the new Bears, though.

There was no or or so I can't tell if it was a serious comment or not. I hope not.....

Probably was serious! 17-20 fps aint a hill of beans to worry about......listen, I was there on the velocity race......now I would give up velocity anyday to achive accuracy......what good does it do to miss an animal at 300+ fps when you can could have hit it at 200fps.
I have a friend that shoots aluminum arrows somewhat near 500 grains including broadhead at the astounding velocity of 210 fps.....you know what! he seems to always have complete blow throughs (aint that what were after with bows afterall?)
then on the other end of the spectrum we have (I wont say who....its a family member)that has to have a Bowtech allegience (90lb) model because he says..."I never get blow throughs".
He was shooting carbon arrows of 385 grains at 320 fps, and guess what...he shot a nice buck last year at 25 yds and DID NOT HAVE BLOW THROUGH.....ever wonder why?...(oh by the way he lost that buck) now he hates that bow because later on in the year he could not even draw all those "wonderful" 90 lbs on 2 seperate deer because of all his cold weather clothing.....DUH!
Just worry shot placement and good sharp broadheads, dont take any stupid looong shots and ANY reasonable bow will do just fine, as long as you practice with it.

Well, the use to be last new bow I had was a Dan Quillon Longhunter, a 70 lber, (1992)then one day at the Bowshop...the owner got a Bowtech 60lb long, smooth target type bow, ordered by mistake he was in a dealing mood so as no tot send the bow back.. Sweet. So, I kinda had a .45 the shop owner wanted ...Shot that bow, fingers, feathers instinct-way for a few seasons. Simply fabulous. Then in Iowa, I worked at a Matthews dealer so had to shoot one in public, a Conquest 60 lb (just like the Bowtech target bow). The Matthews was more quiet, but I still liked the Bowtech,just a little smoother, maybe, kinda, would be happy ever after with either. But you dance with who brung you, so I shoot all Matthews all the time now. The Bowtech went on the used rack and it brought a small fortune to me and the new owner is pleased as well. Fine product and companies both, truthfully. Bill

Ive owned 5 MATHEWS bows and 4 AR bows no complaints I liked em all. Ive never owned a BOWTECH but I have a friend who shoots BOWTECHs and he loves em, Ive shot a few of his bows and the BOWTECHS dont seem hardly as forgiving as either MATHEWS or ARs but I will say this the BOWTECHS Ive shot are extremely fast. Go out to some archery shops and try em out for yourself most good dealers will let you shoot their bows............good luck!........................547.

hg,

One question I'm not sure anyone has asked - Are you shooting fingers or release?

If you're shooting fingers buy a longer bow (as measured axel to axel). You don't want all the finger pinch associated with the shorter bows today. If I was going to shoot fingers, I'd look hard at the Mathews Ovation.

As for release bows, I just bought a Mathews Switchback. Looked at PSE, Hoyt, Martin, Mathews. For me it was Mathews hands down. I never looked at a Bowtech.

I'm just coming back to compounds after 15 years of shooting and making recurves. Things have changed - alot. My Switchback is very forgiving compared to what I was used to 15 years ago - and -zero- handshock.

I'm not sure about the speed thing - nor do I care. I shot 10 bucks in 10 years using 60-70 lb recurves, 500+gr arrows traveling a whopping 175-195 ft/sec. Shot through almost everyone.

I can tell you this: my Switchback is set on 50lbs, I'm shooting 29" Blackhawk Vapors with a 100 gr field point (382 gr total) and I can't see them in flight - even at 50 yards.

Buy the one that feels the best, go forth and slay critters.

I've had a Mathews Q2 since 2001 and it's been a really nice shooting bow. I've got a 27.5" draw and it's in the 260ish fps range. I happened to shoot a friend's Bowtech a couple of years ago with a too-long draw length and it was a really comfortable and accurate rig.

If I ever replace my Q2, the Bowtech will absolutely be given a LOT of consideration before I make a final decision... This is not a Mathews bash, but be sure to give the Bowtech a good hard look.

You could always skip the Ford and the Chevy brands and go with the work horse PSE I'm digging my new PSE Vengence. No problem busting elk or deer from nearly any angle (within reason). I like a 450 grain arrow at 276 fps. It is simply amazing.

Actually, there aren't any bad bows out now days. They all make great bows, but many fit each individual differently. Oh and none of the ones I have chronographed have reached their advertised speeds by a long shot, so don't go by the factory figures or IBO speeds. They really are meaningless figures. They are as optomistic as most ammo makers. Like others have said, shoot as many bows as you can and keep and open mind. Don't think about speed at all when you shoot them. Think about the smoothness, quietness, accuracy etc. Flinch

It all depends. Is money an object, Is speed an object, Is weight an object, I could go on and on. Everybody shoots and feels bows differently. Personally, if I were you I would not get persuaded by anyone and shoot them both and see what's more comfortable to you. Now if your wanting my opinion and money is no object i would shoot the Drenalin. If money is an object I would go with the Diamond Black ice made by Bowtech. Just my two or three cents.

Good luck,

Since I picked up my new Drenalin today (and accompanying hat and window sticker), I'd have to say............Mathews.

Seriously though, you owe it to yourself to go fire several examples from both companies before you make a decision. I don't think there are any wrong answers in the top tier stuff, and it's your money that you'll be spending.

Bowtechs will shoot about 15 fps faster at the same draw weight and draw length and I've never shot more accurate bows and more comfortable for my shooting style. I sold my Mathews SB. I feel that there is some magic in those BowTech Binary cams :-)

I had to look at "the whole picture," which includes the dealer. I'm happy with my decision, but if my dealer also sold Bowtech (which he used to) I might have had to sweat the decision a little longer. I really liked the Bowtechs I fired too.

Do yourself a favor and take a look at the new Alpine Archery bows for 2007. Buddy of mine just got one. Watched him crony it at the archery shop and here is his setup. 27" draw @ 65 pounds shooting a 75 grain muzzy. 295fps!. Also $100 less than the Mathews. Take a look a them for your short draw length it just may be the ticket.

I shoot a Mathews Outback with 29" draw @ 70#. With 75 grain Muzzy's I am getting 290fps. I am in the 3" circle with one pin all the way put to 35 yards. This will enable me to use one pin for all of my stand locations. This is one instance where I think speed is important.

As many others have said, be fair to yourself and try several brands. Everybody here could recommend the exact same brand and then when you went to try it, you may hate it. Don't get caught up in marketing or image. Find what feels best. If you follow advice given here about trying several brands, go to a couple of shops. You will find that shops within close geographic proximity carry different brands. I own or have owned recently, Mathews, Bowtech, Matin, Ross, PSE and Bear. The low-end model of each of those brands is head and shoulders above any high-end bow of those brands from 5 or more years ago.

Personally, without using chronographs and other such devices, My Mathews, Bowtech and Ross shoot almost identically. Assuming my previous statement as true, I would buy a Ross solely for the fact, in my opinion, you get identical performance at $100 to $150 less, depending on where you shop. I think that Ross' price is a function of Ross trying to expand their market share. In the not too distant future, they will be priced up there with the more established brands.

I went from a 15yo browning to a new Mathews Drenalin. I shot 28" at 65 lbs and I get 257 but that is with fairly heavy arrow and 2 nocks a loop a kisser and a tru-peep with a whisker biscuit rest. planty fast for me and draws and shoots like a dream. I have so much more confidence in my equipment. I shot all the main brands and found the Hoyt to draw too hard. The bowtech had a fairly hard draw also but also just did not fit me real well.