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2009 Head-2-Head Bow Test - 2009 Compound Bows rated by speed, kick, draw, noise, and feel
2009 Compound Bows

2009 H2H Intro
H2H Prologue
Voting and Test Procedure
Disclaimers
2009 H2H Evaluation Team
Special Thanks


Subjective Results

Noise Level
Balance / Feel
Kick/Vibration
Draw Cycle

Score Data Sheet


SPEED RESULTS

FINAL RESULTS


2009 Bow Evaluation Commentary

Rytera Alien X
Elite GT500
Mathews Reezen 6.5
Diamond IceMan
Quest HPS 33
Hoyt AlphaMax 32
Bowtech Admiral
PSE GX
Martin Warthog



Untitled Document

Voting and Test Procedure

Choosing the eight bows for the Head2Head Bow Test is done through a voting process on BOWSITE.COM. The poll was conducted in the same manner as last year - that is, voters not only chose the manufacturer but they also chose the model to be tested. Here is the official voting thread posted on February 6th of this year:


From: Jon E. Silks........ ....... Date: 06-Feb-09
 

Most of you have seen or at least heard of all the new bows on the market for 2009 so it time again for our official vote. Here are the rules:

* 1 vote per Bowsiter.
* 1 bow per post - if you vote for more than one bow your entire thread will be disregarded.
* No "extra" talk about the test procedures, bows, etc - if your post includes more than the name of a bow it will be disregarded. Please start a new thread for those discussions.

Following these rules helps us get an accurate count of the bows and keep track of those that have voted.
This is the only place that will be used to count votes - no PMs, emails, other posts, etc.
The bows that receive the most votes will be included in our tests.
Start voting...


As you can see from the post we rely completely on the Bowsite for our votes and eventual test bow lineup. Once the 8 bows are selected I add an additional bow as my "Wild card". The first year I picked a wildcard it ended up placing very well and only retailed for approximately $399.00!

Subjective tests were conducted with each bow set to a 28" draw length and 65 pound draw weight. Why 28/65? Several reasons. First, a 28" draw length is more common than a 30" draw length according to many manufacturers polled on the subject. Finding a tester with a 28" draw length is much easier than finding one with a 30" draw length. The 65-pound draw weight is also very common with today's hunters and is easier to handle through the entire test.

Each evaluator worked separately through all four categories. A blindfold was used to keep brand loyalty at bay and was worn from the beginning to the end of each session (noise, kick, etc.). Evaluators were not permitted to see the bows until after they were done with their evaluation. Following is an example of how the testing was performed:

Example of the "draw cycle" category process:

  • The evaluator is blindfolded.
  • He is handed a bow to draw.
  • The bow is handed back to the helper and the evaluator is given a second bow to draw.
  • He then chooses between the two.
  • The one that is not chosen as "best" between the two is put through the same process with the next bow in line.
  • Both are drawn and one is chosen.
  • Again, the one that is chosen is put up against the next bow in line.

This process is continued until only a single bow remains. The bow that remains is the evaluator's #1 pick for that category. That bow is then taken out of the testing. The entire process is completed again for the remaining eight bows until only one remains, which becomes the evaluator's #2 overall pick for that category. This process is repeated until all 8 bows (9 with the wild card) have been placed/ranked.
Each evaluator's results are then scored. This was done by simply inverting the numbers of the rankings and rewarding points for each ranking. Just as an example we will rate the bows arbitrarily for draw cycle (this is just an example - not actual results):

1. PSE
2. Quest
3. Elite
4. Hoyt
5. Martin
6. Diamond
7. Rytera
8. Mathews
9. Bowtech


The bows would then be given the following scores for one evaluator for the draw category:

PSE - 9 points
Quest - 8 points
Elite- 7 points
Hoyt - 6 points
Martin - 5 points
Diamond - 4 points
Rytera - 3 points
Mathews - 2 points
Bowtech - 1 point

The points are totaled for all evaluators in each category. The bow with the highest number of total points in that category was rated #1 and so on down the line to #9. In this way we were able to get a true ranking for each category based on the results from all evaluators.

Speed is tested in the following manner (28/65 with 350 and 425 grain arrows):

  • Just to make sure the bow is at least in the right ballpark the draw weight and draw length are roughly verified with Easton's Hand Held Bow Weight Scale and a simple draw length arrow correlated to a mark on the shelf equaling the deepest part of the grip. This saves me a lot of time if the bow is not close to the right draw length or draw weight.
  • Brace height is tested using calibrated dial calipers
  • Install New Archery Products Quik Tune 3000 Arrow Rest
  • Set nock point
  • Verify draw weight using a calibrated digital force gauge backed up with the Easton Bow Force Mapper (BFM) System handheld unit
  • Verify draw length using my Silks Outdoors Bow Analysis Program, which is a combination of a custom software package, modified Apple Bow Drawing Machine, Chatillon force gauge, calibrated 36" steel rule and trammel point
  • Mark cams at full draw
  • Paper tune by hand
  • Set bow on Spot Hogg's Hooter Shooter portable shooting machine - draw to cam marks and fire through two chronographs - Oehler and Easton. Both chronographs are equipped with indoor lighting kits.
  • Speed is recorded from the average of 5 shots.

In the event that a bow that does not meet the draw length spec, either short or long, I will contact the manufacturer and get a module that brings them into spec or just get another bow altogether. Strings and cables are not tweaked to bring a bow into spec. The same goes for a bow that has "out of tune" cams- a term that is commonly used in referencing the timing, synchronization, etc of the bow's eccentric system.


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