Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Mathews flops....again

Once again the ol "lipstick on a pig" routine. Creed XS....shorter ATA, 321fps IBO.
Chill R....6" BH 340IBO
Nothing new.

Need pictures...

I can do that

www.mathewsinc.com

Nothing new. 28" ATA Creed XS 321fps IBO. Few color options. $150 price increase.

33" ATA Mathews Chill R. 6 1/8" BH. 340fps IBO

I think Matt is too busy playing with guitars and has let the archery portion of the company slip. They have really not done much since the Switchback. Same cams, geometry etc with different holes in the riser and a new name does not make for much innovation.....

I'm no fanboy, but why do now companies need to come out with a new bow every year, or be considered a flop?

I agree with you. If a bow is a good bow why not keep it in the stable until you have a design that is better and knocks it off the podium? I can see refining it with small details to better it, but no need to change the name of it. However "NEW" good, bad, or indifferent sells!

Ah...therein lies the "problem". If its a good bow, keep it. Refine it. Tweak it. But advertise/sell it as such. Dont put a new sticker on it and tout it as the next great thing in archery.

I own a McPherson guitar, wonderful instrument.

I disagree about the bows, the new ones are nothing like the Switchback. They are much nicer IMO.

They tweak it a little. Add something to the name, and laugh all the way to the bank. Most bow companies do this Hoyt has also been doing it for years. Some people feel the need to buy the latest and greatest bow every year. Call it a flip if you will, or call it smart marketing.

Never understood why so many people buy a new bow, then the following year they sell it and buy the "latest and greatest" and they do it every year.

I was a die hard Reflex guy for years because it just worked for me, then my buddy talked me into shooting a Mathews Drenalin LD. To say I was hooked is an understatement. The following week I bought a 8 month old Drenalin LD for about half of what the guy paid for it (he wanted to buy the latest and greatest).

I don't see me ever selling that bow as it shoots lights out for me. YMMV.

I bought a new Hoyt Charger last year - nice bow $500. Before that I have been shooting a Hoyt Ultratec that I bought new in 2003. Shot the hell out of that bow. Indoors all winter, 3D in the spring and summer and hunted in the fall. I think I got the good out of it, but I still have it and shoot it once in a while. But, this new bow does have some improvements: shorter, faster, quieter, and very dead in the hand. At $500 for a new bow I felt it was a good value. Now some of the top end Carbon risers etc are more of a want than a need and at $1200 to $1500 not even on my wish list.

After being away for a few years, i bought a used Bowtech Heartbreaker. Great shooting bow for a short draw archer. Took a deer with it last season. Wanted more speed so I sold the Bowtech and bought a used Mathews Monster 6. Fast for a 60# bow. Shot a couple 3ds with the bow. Just too heavy-excess weight where i didnt want it. Sold it and bought a Mathews Helim. Kept that bow for all of 5 days. Now I have a 2011 Bowtech Invasion. Yeah it has some finish peeling off the limbs, but its everything I ever wanted in a bow. And yeah Ill shoot all the 2014 bows just to get some string time with them. But when I look at the price tags and then think about how much I love my bow, the new ones get left at the pro shops

golf club manufacturers have gone the same route the last 10 years. 2-3 new sets of irons from nearly every manufacturer, nearly every year.

retail companies are desperate to separate us from our money!

If more people were worried about how the bow shot rather than the "cool factor" of the price tag and advertising, etc. that Hoyt Charger would be their top seller. If they would offer one longer than 31", I'd find something to sell to have one. Same with the Assassin. The big boys might want to start watching out for Bear too...they are back in the business of making a good shooter.

Bows are much cheaper than guns, so I have tried several new bows over the years. My first new bow was a Hoyt Trykon. It shot well and I killed a few deer with it.

While I was in a sporting goods store, I tried the Mathews Drenalin and found it smoother, lighter and more quiet, so I bought it. Then Mathews came out with the Z-7 and I bought it. Then they came out with the Heli-M and I got it.

I was able to sell each bow within a reasonable price compared to what I paid for it, so I wasn't out a ton of money.

This past year I tried both the Chill and the Creed and even though the single cam usually is smoother and easier to pull, the new Chill was, in my view, better, so I bought it.

All that said and done, it is my feeling that the Chill is indeed a better bow than any of the rest. The Drenalin was the best of the bunch for it's timing, but they have improved the dynamics of these bows.

Mathews has done a good job staying competitive in this aggressive market and if you shoot the Chill along with any of the previous bows, you will notice fantastic handling, no hand shock, and a very smooth draw and rock solid back wall.

I would say Mathews is far from a flop...

I'm a Bowtech fan and bought a new Experience this year. Awesome bow for me, fits great and is the most accurate bow I have shot.
I was in the bow shop today and the owner said "hey check out the new Creed XS. I was impressed. Smooth, accurate and quiet. Nice and compact for the tree stand guys. If your looking for a new bow it's definitely one to look at. Not super fast but nice to shoot.

Their market share is steady dropping. Sure some will continue to buy simply because its a Mathews. But lots of folks are becoming unhappy with Mathews reluctance to produce longer ATA bows and bows with higher IBO speeds. They have refused to put out a new target bow. Yeah folks are unhappy. The blasting they took on FB and on their website the night of the 2014 release was sign of that. They tried to ride the success of the Z7 ext with the Creed XS. But at 321IBO, cant see sales jumping thru the roof. The Chill R is what the original Chill should have been. It has a more solid back wall than the original, but most will shy away because of the short BH. And it certainly is no replacement for the MR series they discontinued. It wont happen over night, but if they continue the direction they are going, they will find themselves in the same boat as Martin.

Look at Mission Blaze. Mathews is likely to have its best bow be in its value line.

280 is right. The fanboys(mostly the treestand hunters) will keep buying their bows simply because of the name, but Matthews hasn't come out with anything "new" in a while.