MATHEWS REEZEN 6.5
My review of the new Reezen from Mathews comes from my own personal experience with this bow. I have never owned a Mathews bow before the Reezen so my compound bow reviews will focus on the advantages and disadvantages of this bow but will not compare the bow to others.
The Reezen in this compound bow review is a 60-70 pound draw bow with a draw length of 28.5" It is set to 63 pounds and has a string loop for release shooting. I have added a whisker biscuit arrow rest which I feel is superior for hunting with a bow. My sight is a Workhorse model made by Black Gold. My quiver is a Vortex 4-arrow design which I think is pretty unique and releases and attaches to the bow quiquly and quietly with metal parts - not plastic. My arrows are easton axis 397 grains with blazer vanes. So, as you can see this compound bow review is of a fine bow outfitted with basic accessories and in my opinion, built for deer hunting.
With this setup my Reezen shoots 291 fps through a chronograph and delivers approximately 74 pounds of kinetic energy downrange. I'll go through a few key points in this compound bow review to help you make your own judgements on the bow.
Draw
The bow is not the smoothest draw I have ever experienced. I was a bit surprised when I drew it back because it was a lot harder than I had expected after hearing the hype on Mathews bows. Not to say it isn't a nice draw, I was just expecting better. The feeling among shooters seems to be that this is a side effect of a speed bow, which the Reezen is. I will say that the wall is near the end of the draw cycle which I like and it holds back with very little effort. With my setup I am holding back at full draw around 13 pounds of draw weight which is very manageable. Once I get used to the sharp hill at the end of the draw I believe it will pull much smoother.
Vibration
The feel of a bow in your hand after the arrow is released is the topic of many compound bow reviews. The Reezen will not dissappoint in this regard. When the arrow leaves the bow moving at the speeds this thing is capable of you should feel something. Afterall, that is a lot of energy. The Reezen dies in your hand in my opinion, and remember, my arrow is moving at 291 fps. It is a real pleasure to shoot.
Noise
With the kind of speed this bow delivers you could get away with some noise after the hsot. Again, the Reezen doe snot disappoint on this compound bow review hot topic. The bow makes an acceptable "thwack" as it goes off, but what you really hear much of the time is your arrow absolutely slamming the target face downrange.
Accuracy
And speaking of downrange performce, this bow can shoot. For the purposes of this compound bow review I have been paying attention in my shooting to groups, distances, and overall accuracy in my practice shooting. I have struggled from time to time to get long range accuracy out of the bow, but I am not a great distance shooter to begin with. I would say, this bow has added 10 yards to my effective kill range for deer hunting. A group shot at 20 yards will be so tight the fletching is touching on each arrow. This is almost automatic with each group I shoot now. I have struggled with bad form lately, which seems to throw shots several inches off the bull for me. I just set the bow down for a few days and when I pick it back up try to pay attention to my form, and I usually come right back in, but it can be frustrating. The bow is not very forgiving to shoot in my opinion.
So, there you have a basic compound bow review on the new Mathews Reezen 6.5 A great bow for sure. I'll keep you posted on its performance in the field and with broadheads as season nears.
MATHEWS Z7
While still the proud owner of a Reezen 6.5 the newest addiiton to the Mathews lineup had me intrigued. While I did not spend a great deal of time with the bow I do have some basic observations and a brief review that may be able to help you decide on a new bow. Remember, the Reezen and Monster are still out there and continue to make the majority of the news.
In short, the Z7 is slower than the Reezen and Monster, but smoother in the draw and at the shot which is the trademark for Mathews. The milk crate camo riser design leaves something to be desired in my mind and is nothing really out of the box in terms of design. While these characteristics mean a great deal to many shooters I can't help but feel they took a step backward under pressure from the shooting community that their speed bow introductions of 2009 didn't fit the mold of what Mathews bows were supposed to be.
So, a bow similar in style and design to the Reezen with beautifully parallel limb design and a draw that is silky smooth. You have to know though that when you pull the trigger on your release and the bow sits quiet and still in your hand that the speed downrange is going to be short of last year's models. I guess the long and the short of the Z7 review is - now Mathews has something for everyone.