Prologue
For those that are new to the H2H let me explain how bows are selected for the test. A thread is started here on the Bowsite's national forum in which everyone is encouraged to register their single vote for the bow they want to see entered into the test. Only one vote per archer was accepted (as far as we know anyway) and only one bow per company was permitted entry into the test. Bows from the same family of companies are permitted to be entered. For example we would accept a Ross, Bowtech and Diamond bow into the test. They are all different companies with one common parent - Savage.
The most votes came in for the following rigs:
- Elite GT500
- Mathews Reezen 6.5
- Hoyt AlphaMax 32
- Bowtech Admiral
- Martin Warthog
- Diamond IceMan
- Rytera Alien X
- PSE GX
It has now become a tradition to enter one wild card into the H2H. It is my chance to select a bow that I believe would interest readers and provide some additional flavor to the test. This year's wildcard:
- Quest HPS 33
The whole idea behind the H2H is to, as best we know how, evaluate the SUBJECTIVE qualities of 9 bows - head to head. Many archers select a bow based on subjective traits such as the kick/vibration at the shot, how smooth it is on the draw, etc. A bow that is easy to draw, quiet, and generally shock free at the shot will many times win out over one that displays harsher characteristics. There is one OBJECTIVE factor that seems to come into play fairly often for those selecting their next bow - speed. For that reason we tested speed of each bow and used the results as part of our overall results.
The validity of the H2H subjective results lies with the method of testing - blindfolded archers evaluating bows without regard to brand or looks. We followed last year's strict rule in keeping the identity of the bows hidden until an evaluator had completed the entire test. And it absolutely works! Every year some of the evaluators try to guess the bow that they are holding and while they occasionally get it right they much more often get it wrong. Throughout the test we (me and the folks who help with the test) share a snicker under our breath when guys insist they are holding a bow that is lying on the table behind them. This year one guy got a big smile on his face and said, "I thought this would happen. I knew I would know some of these bows. I KNOW this is a Mathews I am holding." Nope - he was holding the Quest! I couldn't even keep my laughter quiet on that one. Understand, these bows are being shuffled in and out of the testers hands very quickly and from their perspective it is pitch black under the blindfold.
Although I will include my personal opinion about the bows in their individual write-ups the results are based solely on the eight evaluators and their selections in each category.
