I was recently in the market for a new bow and as some of you know, once you shoot a Mathews you become part of a cult that will shoot nothing other than a Mathews. It's not that other bows aren't good, it's just what happens once you shoot a Mathews. It's like asking a guy to give up his Ford F-150 for a Nissan - ain't gonna happen!
I went in the bow shop thinking I was going to purchase the new DXT since I'm a short bow guy and will never part with my first bow - a Mathews MQ-32. To me, the DXT was the evolution of the MQ-32 and I was sure this bow would be incredible. I shot the bow and it was everything I hoped for, well, except for one thing - it only had one machined hole in the riser for the new Mathews quiver and didn't have the usual bottom hole to accept a two piece non-detachable quiver. I always hunt with my quiver on the bow and only use two piece quivers because they keep the arrows more secure, eliminate arrow vibration, and sit closer to the riser causing less torque.
I knew what the Drenalin was like since my father has one, but I really didn't want to get it, I wanted the DXT. Although the bows are almost identical there is a noticeable difference in the way they shoot. It's not a bad difference or a good difference, it's just different. The Drenalin, sporting two machined holes for a two piece quiver, became my bow of choice. When compared to my Mathews MQ-32, which I've been shooting since 2002, the Drenalin was only about 1" longer and the DXT was about 1 1/2" - 2" shorter. Either way I went there would not be much of a difference. Another advantage would be that the longer riser of the Drenalin, in theory, should be more forgiving. Personally, I don't think there is a noticeable difference in the accuracy of either bow, even though an Olympic shooter might tell you otherwise.
Flying Arrow Sports in Carmel, NY did a great job of helping me choose the right bow and spent over 2 hours with me setting up the bow and shooting it until it was dead on. Without firing the factory string I replaced it with a Winner's Choice string and about a week later had a custom grip made by Torque Less on the bow. I wasn't terribly impressed with my shooting that first week, but it takes about that long to get used to a new bow after shooting a different bow for 6 years straight. I've had the bow for about a month and a half now and my shooting is incredible. I can legitimately say I have never shot this good in my entire life. This bow is extremely accurate and forgiving. Although I've never shot past 40 yards in my backyard, I did take shots out to 63 yards at my first 3D tournament and was able to land the arrow in the kill zone.
There are two downsides to the bow in my opinion, first it's a bit on the pricey side, but I've learned the hard way that you get what you pay for, so I can't complain about the price (I just wish they had a higher quality string and slimmer grip on the bow!). Second, I feel that the bow is a bit on the noisy side, however, others who shoot the Drenalin that I've spoken with swear its dead quiet. The reason I think its loud is simply because its makes more noise than my previous bow - which was a slower bow. The MQ-32 is incredibly silent and the quietest bow I have ever shot. Even without a single sound dampening device on the riser or limbs, it is quieter than the Drenalin. The Drenalin makes up for this fact with its fast flying arrows which allow me to keep two pins on my target versus one with my MQ-32.
Although the bow is rated at 320fps IBO, don't expect to get anywhere near that with your hunting set up. I chronographed my hunting arrows which weigh in at a heavy 470 grains and was shooting 252 feet per second - not even close to the 320 fps the bow is said to shoot, but my arrow is about 120 grains heavier than the arrow used to achieve that 320 fps speed. I will be switching to a lighter arrow in the near future and possibly lighter vanes to drop about 50 grains or so off of my arrow weight and pick up a few feet per second. That being said, this bow is still quick and will pack quite a punch with a heavy arrow.
If you're in the market for a new bow I would highly recommend giving the Drenalin a test at your local bow shop. It's sister bows, the DXT and the longer Drenalin LD, are also great bows to try out. After a few shots you won't be disappointed. As the saying goes..."catch us if you can."
I knew what the Drenalin was like since my father has one, but I really didn't want to get it, I wanted the DXT. Although the bows are almost identical there is a noticeable difference in the way they shoot. It's not a bad difference or a good difference, it's just different. The Drenalin, sporting two machined holes for a two piece quiver, became my bow of choice. When compared to my Mathews MQ-32, which I've been shooting since 2002, the Drenalin was only about 1" longer and the DXT was about 1 1/2" - 2" shorter. Either way I went there would not be much of a difference. Another advantage would be that the longer riser of the Drenalin, in theory, should be more forgiving. Personally, I don't think there is a noticeable difference in the accuracy of either bow, even though an Olympic shooter might tell you otherwise.
Flying Arrow Sports in Carmel, NY did a great job of helping me choose the right bow and spent over 2 hours with me setting up the bow and shooting it until it was dead on. Without firing the factory string I replaced it with a Winner's Choice string and about a week later had a custom grip made by Torque Less on the bow. I wasn't terribly impressed with my shooting that first week, but it takes about that long to get used to a new bow after shooting a different bow for 6 years straight. I've had the bow for about a month and a half now and my shooting is incredible. I can legitimately say I have never shot this good in my entire life. This bow is extremely accurate and forgiving. Although I've never shot past 40 yards in my backyard, I did take shots out to 63 yards at my first 3D tournament and was able to land the arrow in the kill zone.
There are two downsides to the bow in my opinion, first it's a bit on the pricey side, but I've learned the hard way that you get what you pay for, so I can't complain about the price (I just wish they had a higher quality string and slimmer grip on the bow!). Second, I feel that the bow is a bit on the noisy side, however, others who shoot the Drenalin that I've spoken with swear its dead quiet. The reason I think its loud is simply because its makes more noise than my previous bow - which was a slower bow. The MQ-32 is incredibly silent and the quietest bow I have ever shot. Even without a single sound dampening device on the riser or limbs, it is quieter than the Drenalin. The Drenalin makes up for this fact with its fast flying arrows which allow me to keep two pins on my target versus one with my MQ-32.Although the bow is rated at 320fps IBO, don't expect to get anywhere near that with your hunting set up. I chronographed my hunting arrows which weigh in at a heavy 470 grains and was shooting 252 feet per second - not even close to the 320 fps the bow is said to shoot, but my arrow is about 120 grains heavier than the arrow used to achieve that 320 fps speed. I will be switching to a lighter arrow in the near future and possibly lighter vanes to drop about 50 grains or so off of my arrow weight and pick up a few feet per second. That being said, this bow is still quick and will pack quite a punch with a heavy arrow.
If you're in the market for a new bow I would highly recommend giving the Drenalin a test at your local bow shop. It's sister bows, the DXT and the longer Drenalin LD, are also great bows to try out. After a few shots you won't be disappointed. As the saying goes..."catch us if you can."
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