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  • MATHEWS vs HOYT – [Nov 22 Updated]

MATHEWS vs HOYT – [Nov 22 Updated]

There are many top-notch bows on the market. Therefore, you may be having trouble narrowing down the list, OR you could just continue to vacillate between two HUGE brands like Mathews vs Hoyt bows.

mathews bows vs hoyt bows

Quick Summary

Remember! There is no “best” bow, in general, but there may be a “best” bow for YOU.

Buying a new bow is like buying a new vehicle; you do your research, eliminate the ones you don’t want and put yourself in the driver’s seat. Bow shopping is no different. The test shoot, or test drive, is what sets them apart. Hoyt and Mathews are the Ford and Chevrolet of the compound bow universe.

There is no satisfying answer for the question of ''Mathews or Hoyt?''.

The truth is that both of them make GREAT products. Altough they're not cheap!

Mathews is certainly less pricey than the Hoyt. But the Hoyt seems more adjustable, whereas the Mathews also needs some add-ons purchases, like new cams. 

The best thing you can do before chosing one of them is, comparing the specs and pick what works for you. Do not try to pick a bow. 

Let the bow pick you.

Hence, shoot as many as you can. the general advice is not being a brand guy; being a bow guy.

If you're looking for a cheaper solution ...

These both brands are producing high quality hunting compound bows. That means finding an affordable solution is not an option for these brands. 

If you're someone who's looking for an entry-level compound bow, I'd reccomend PSE, Bear, Bowtech.

mathews bow vs hoyt bow

◊ If you ask 1000 people, you will get 1000 different answers, but it’s feasible to say that Hoyt seems to have a longer track record of making quality bows than any other brand.

For some people, it could be easy to narrow down their choices between Mathews vs. Hoyt compound bows. But would it be easy for them to take the next step?

‘’Preference’’ is the answer. Let’s take an in-depth look at the differences.

In-depth: MATHEWS vs HOYT

In reality, every archer looks for something different in a bow. 

  • Smooth draw
  • Accuracy
  • Quick response
  • Well priced
  • Durability 
  • Easy to tune
  • Brand loyalty

If we put aside the last one, we can compare them with a more objective view.

◊ It’s hard to find a quality review of the comparison between Mathews vs Hoyt. There were LOTS of discussions on the forums.

So, I’ve taken some time to review this scattered information and compile it into an objective review and to present to you.

Let’s dive right in our review on Hoyt vs Mathews.


Quick History of HOYT

Earl Hoyt Sr started this company in 1931 by producing wooden bows and cedar arrows. Hoyt began creating the best recurve bows available with technology that was little changed in thousands of years. They also survived the Great Depression with their high-quality products.

Hoyt saw that archery equipment could always be improved with the latest manufacturing equipment, techniques, and materials. After World War II, Hoyt began to use reinforced plastics in their production.

In 1969, a patent was issued to Holless Wilbur Allen for a new type of bow: the compound bow. After that, archers could let go their arrows at unpredictable speed from their bows.

Archery returned to the Summer Olympics in 1972. In the 47 years since lots of Olympians have won the gold medal using Hoyt equipment.

Movies expand the people’s awareness of archery like we know Hoyt Spectra bow was used in Rambo 2 in 1985 and Rambo 3 in 1988.

Recently, Hoyt’s Buffalo hunting bow was used by Hawkeye in the Avengers, as well as by Katniss in the Hunger Games.

What this company knows about archery comes with almost a century’s experience.

◊ You can find a complete list of famous archers in movies in our other article.

Quick History of Mathews

Mathews has only one purpose; building the best archery equipment in the World. Mathews is the only bow company to ever make Inc.’s Top 500 list of fastest-growing companies (1999).

Founder of the company, Matt McPherson, began building bows in his younger years. It’s hard to believe that they started this giant company in a garage. His passion takes him to this place.

Matt has a significant advantage. His own design for the single cam. That made Mathews bows lighter, faster, quieter and more accurate. That technology set them apart from other bow companies. Besides, it prevents the synchronization problem and requires less maintenance than other dual cam systems.

The critical marketing strategy has a significant role in the early success of Mathews. This bow brand is one of the most recognizable ones in the archery industry. Besides this phenomena, they did it in just 27 years.

Hoyt vs Mathews Comparison

Hoyt and Mathews do a great job of advertising. Both companies are very proud of the bows they make.

Hoyt produces compound and recurve bows while Mathews only produces compound bows. If we compare the compound bows; the featured differences are Hoyt has split limbs and hybrid cams; Mathews has solid limbs and a solo cam.

The cam system is the biggest difference.

◊ Hoyt and Mathews are not the world’s top speed bow companies, yet they are PLENTY fast enough. No other company rates their bows speeds as conservative as Hoyt. Everyone hates the bow companies that post unbelievable speeds.

Both of them are a GOOD company that stands behind their products.

People generally shoot a Mathews, but not because they think they are better than a Hoyt or others. Picking a bow differs from one person to another. There is no right choice. It just like most things, it comes down to personal preference.

Hoyt, Mathews, and Bowtech have been considered “the big three” over the past few years. But people generally never liked Mathews, Hoyt or Bowtech until they shot them. They simply went by hearsay information. People said Hoyts were slow, Mathews was overrated, and Bowtech had a terrible draw and were just plain ugly. I advise you to just walk into an archery shop that sells Hoyt and Mathews and try them for yourself.

Additionally, according to a survey about the topic on Hoyt vs Mathews which starts in archery forums in 2011, shows us they cannot beat each other.

Annotation: If you like our comparison guideline, you should definitely check our rangefinder review and arrow model comparison.

Why Should You Choose HOYT Bows?

Buying a Hoyt over a Mathews could stand for one simple reason. Mathews cams are draw-length specific. If you guess right the first time (draw-length) and never intend to sell it, then buy a Mathews if you want. Adjusting the draw on a Hoyt is as simple as changing mods, and a lot cheaper. That makes it much easier to adjust or sell.

A lot of really good archers and hunters use Hoyt outside, but are there any real reasons why they choose Hoyt while there are so many other top quality bows out there?

The answer is: lot’s of guys shoot Hoyt 1) because they make a very high-quality bow, 2) because they never claim to be the fastest. Claiming to be the fastest is HYPE.

Hoyt builds the most durable hunting bows for the western hunter world. I feel that being familiar with your equipment provides a high level of confidence when it comes down to making a shot in unpredictable hunting situations. Whatever bow you choose, I cannot stress the importance of knowing your equipment on an intimate level. 

Even though it's very personal, I can easily say, Hoyt definitely produces bows that are much more aesthetically pleasing.

A good-looking compound bow is not a critical parameter for most advanced bow hunters.

But if you're willing to pay hundreds of dollars for a compound bow, you have the right to expect an aesthetically pleasing result.

◊ Honestly, lots of Hoyt models can be used even over 20 years without any functional loss.

Lastly, what I appreciate most on Hoyt is their cams and how they’ve defined the hybrid system to the max with huge championship results consistently every year.

Why Should You Choose Mathews Bows?

Mathews is the largest bow manufacturer and is often referred to as the best bows. People that shoot Mathews bows know that they definitely live up to their own hype.

Mathews has a single cam technology which makes Mathews bows lighter, faster, quieter and more accurate. Single cam also prevents a synchronization problem, which can be a nightmare for a compound bow users. Their solid design does not require as much as maintenance than other compound bows with twin cams.

Maintance of Hoyt vs Mathews

Mathews and Hoyt make high quality products that have dealerships everywhere.

Most probably you already spent thousands of dollars and too many hours to decide. That's why, to be able to easily reach a professional service support is really important, 

As for maintenance, most of the Mathews bows require full disassembly just to replace strings. If you do this with a support of a local shops, they may charge extra for. This can be a positive feature also considering you will keep your bow more up-to-date by greasing up and cleaning all the moving parts.

On the other hand, Hoyt’s new cam system does not require full disassembly. This makes maintenance cheaper and easier.

Hoyt Bows / Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Hoyt makes great bows and has for years in the industry (around 60 years more experienced than Mathews).
  • Smoothness – Even some people who don’t like the cam system say it’s pretty simple and hope they keep it that way. Hoyts always shoot smoother.
  • Durability – I truly believe they are the toughest bow you can buy. There is no problem if we say Hoyt bows can still perform after they dry fired or dropped. 
  • They keep the let-off in a sensible range. I believe accuracy is compromised when we go to higher let-off bows. New models of Hoyt are built great and tune easily.
  • Bowstring stays in a single track. It will prevent alignment problems with the opposite wheels and reducing timing issues.
  • Hoyt definitely produces bows that are much more aesthetically pleasing.

Cons

  • Some people think Hoyt’s cam system may be behind the times. That feature sometimes turns off even the biggest Hoyt fans. Sometimes they even prefer PSE bows just because of this.
  • Some of the models like Nitrum Turbo felt like they were cheaply made.
  • Hoyt bows users are more inclined to get arm slap than the Mathews.
  • Some people don’t like the design of Hoyt bows. But I should say that buying a bow based only on looks is a bad idea. I really hope this is not your deciding factor.

Mathews Bows / Pros and Cons

Pros

  • One thing about Mathews is that they have the highest resale value by far.
  • In general, Mathews is cheaper than Hoyt.
  • Mathews is hard to beat for a bow. They have all the marketing, quality, technology, and power.
  • Single cam technology (prevents synchronization problem, and this means less maintenance neediness.)
  • Mathews was SIGNIFICANTLY quieter than the Hoyt.

Cons

  • The great number of people who use Mathews after-sale service have a terrible experience with their customer service than people who use Hoyt’s service.
  • Mathews bows shoot as good as the Hoyt but no better. Besides, their bows are heavier than Hoyt’s, in general.
  • Mathews bows require full disassembly for maintenance.

Conclusion

There is no right answer. It’s all about your personal choice; which one feels best to you. Both of them are solid companies. So, find a shop that has Mathews and Hoyt and shoot them all. You’ll decide for yourself.

If you decide not to get a Hoyt bow, you would be probably getting a Mathews if you want a top-level compound bow. In my opinion, no other company can compete with Mathews or Hoyt!

I also believe in modern archery/hunting world, all the major bow brands and top line bows are really close today. Figure out what’s the most important thing to you (weight, speed, price, etc.) and go from there.

The worst bow on the market today is still better than the best on the market ten years ago. 

Mathews is certainly less pricey than the Hoyt. But the Hoyt seems more adjustable, whereas the Mathews also needs some add-ons purchases, like new cams. 

People always argue about superiority of one brand over another. In my experience all the criterias in this area are personal preference rather than a superiority metric.

One thing you should get from this article for me, there is no “best” bow in general, but there may be a “best” bow for YOU.

Both of them are great bow brands!

Reference

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