RX4 Ultra, VXR 31.5, Revolt X, Black 5

[Eagle]

Shot each of these this am and was most impressed with the VXR and Revolt X. Each bow was set to 30" draw and 70lb (aside from the revolt x which for some reason bowtech only seems to be sending out at 60lb), and I placed an 8" fuse carbon blade stabilizer on each bow and shot my hunting arrows out of each as well. String angle wise, the hoyt and revolt x were the best, with the mathews just a touch steeper and somehow, the prime was the worst, even though it has the longest ATA. Vibration/noise wise, the VXR and revolt were well ahead of the rx4 and the black 5. Draw wise, only comparing the three bows set at 70lbs, the VXR was head and shoulders above the hoyt and prime. I had to have the tech assure me it was set to 70lbs, as it felt considerably lighter than that.

All said, I don't think anything was enough to get me to upgrade from my current Hoyt Spyder 34, and I'd like to shoot an axius ultra and a revolt x set at 70 lbs before making a final decision; but if I was forced to buy a bow based off of what I experienced today, I believe the VXR would be finding it's way into my house.

 

[Gumbo]

Yeah, but that Bowtech drive system is freaking awesome. Consider the ability to infinitely adjust cam position vs being stuck with a few shim combinations like on a Mathews...

It is pretty sweet to be able to BH/BS tune at the range!

 

[HookUp]

The ability to tune your bow with out a press, bowtech for the win. Hanging on to my SR6 for another year or two until they come out with a speed bow with this new system. I had always planned on owning a press at some point for tuning and now I no longer have to it. That is huge!

 

[Brendan]

Tuning a bow is more than lateral movement of the cam - you still need to be able to tune cam rotation and timing. Bowtech's system makes it easier, but you still need a press.

 

[Eagle]

Tuning a bow is more than lateral movement of the cam - you still need to be able to tune cam rotation and timing. Bowtech's system makes it easier, but you still need a press.

Yeah, a bow press will always be required for those of us that demand a perfectly timed and tuned bow, so while the drive system is a cool innovation, and I can see it being adapted by other manufacturers, I'm fine with twisting a yoke to fine tune. Ultimately, a press is still required for a lot of different things, timing, peep sights and string/cable changes being the biggest three.

 

[Cody_W]

Just picked up a 31.5 VXR a few days ago and I am loving it. Definitely pulls lighter than it is. Dead in the hand even without a quiver and stabilizer. Back wall is firm, the valley pulls pretty even throughout.

 

[mfllood3800]

I shot the VXR 31.5. Good shooter. Didn't have a peep on it so not real sure on its holding ability, but what I did feel was really good. I didn't like the narrow grip. The new PSE EXT grip is more my style. To each their own. I will add the VXR pulls easier than it's DW indicates. It also didn't feel like 4.4 lbs. Or whatever its spec weight is, it feels lighter. I'll wait til the magic wears off and someone drops price to where these should be. No Hoyts other than the RX3's. I believe the VXR owners will be more pleased than their wallets.

 

[Stalker69]

What were they selling the VXR ?

 

[Eagle]

What were they selling the VXR ?

If I'm remembering correctly, I think the VXR 31.5 was listed at $1069.

 

[bat-cave]

Each to their own ... I liked the VXR 31.5, but the RX-4 Ultra is much smoother - IMHO. I actually like the grip on the VXR and it feels dead in the hand at the shot. I just feel as though the VXR has more of a hump near the end of the draw cycle whereas the RX-4 (Alpha and Ultra) felt much smoother. The RX-4's I shot were maxed out and showing 72-73 lbs and the VXR was 73 lbs, but for me the RX-4 felt much easier to draw.

I haven't shot the Bowtech. The VXR was faster by ~2 fps over the Ultra, but for me it was no contest as the Hoyt felt like I was on autopilot and the VXR required more conscious effort to come to full draw and hold.

My .02

 

[Muley15]

Shot them all as well and was least impressed with the VXR draw cycle. Felt like I was pulling a lot more weight than the others for a longer amount of time. Really would like Bowtech but don't care for there quality. Ordered the Ultra.

 

[TheTone]

I shot a revolt, pse nxt 31 and the vxr yesterday. Of those three I would have had a really hard time deciding between the revolt and pse and some of that would be that I really preferred the shop where those two were over the shop that had the vxr. I really liked the revolt grip. One thing about it is there are a bunch of really good bows anymore.

 

[rob86jeep]

Shot them all as well and was least impressed with the VXR draw cycle. Felt like I was pulling a lot more weight than the others for a longer amount of time. Really would like Bowtech but don't care for there quality. Ordered the Ultra.

Most of the reviews of the VXR i've read have said the opposite, that the VXR feels like you're pulling less weight then you actually are. I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet though.

 

[Muley15]

Most of the reviews of the VXR i've read have said the opposite, that the VXR feels like you're pulling less weight then you actually are. I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet though.

Not sure where you found those reviews but most of the reviews on Youtube say its stiff. All of the Mathews bows with Switchweights are stiffer on the draw force curve. You pull most of the weight through the entire draw cycle.

 

[bat-cave]

Not sure where you found those reviews but most of the reviews on Youtube say its stiff. All of the Mathews bows with Switchweights are stiffer on the draw force curve. You pull most of the weight through the entire draw cycle.

+1 .... I felt that the VXR is smooth enough, but you feel the poundage. The RX-4 simply feels as though you are pulling far less poundage.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rob86jeep]

Not sure where you found those reviews but most of the reviews on Youtube say its stiff. All of the Mathews bows with Switchweights are stiffer on the draw force curve. You pull most of the weight through the entire draw cycle.

Maybe I was getting something mixed up. I thought I heard/read several reviews saying it felt like pulling less but I just tried searching and can't find any now so it was probably me remembering something wrong.

 

[MattB]

Maybe I was getting something mixed up. I thought I heard/read several reviews saying it felt like pulling less but I just tried searching and can't find any now so it was probably me remembering something wrong.

I've read the same, but the perception of poundage and smoothness largely depends on the similarity to what bow any given person is used to drawing rather than an objective statement about the draw force curve , so taking other people's opinions on such a thing is rather pointless.

 

[Muley15]

I agree to a certain extent. Shooting all of the Mathews bows with switch weights is noticeably stiffer throughout the entire draw cycle compared to there bows without switch weights. I recently shot the VXR at 71 lbs and a traverse at 72 lbs and the VXR felt like I was pulling another 6-7 lbs compared to the traverse. The draw cycle is smooth but a bit stiffer than everything else I shot. I shoot a lot of different bows and feel a lot of different draw cycles so I feel I have a pretty good idea on how they might feel for most. Without shooting it side by side something else it would probably go unnoticed.

 

[Eagle]

Maybe I was getting something mixed up. I thought I heard/read several reviews saying it felt like pulling less but I just tried searching and can't find any now so it was probably me remembering something wrong.

I actually felt that the VXR draw was smoother/easier than the black 5 and RX4 Ultra I shot at the same time, all set to 70lbs. I thought that was clear with respect to my statement that I had to have the tech assure me that the mods in the bow at that time were the 70lb mods and not something lighter. All that said, as mentioned, draw cycle is subjective and really means nothing to anyone outside the person comparing bows at one time.

 

[bat-cave]

I agree that everybody is different and needs to shoot the various bows side by side. I like the RX-4 over the VXR ... the shop tech felt exactly the opposite! I don't consider myself a fan boy of any brand ( I own bows from Matthews. Hoyt, Elite and Xpedition). For example, I didn't care for the Defiant ... the shop tech loved the Defiant and prefers its to the RX-4. I always fall back to the fact that NONE of these bows are bad!