2023 Carbon Bow of the Year with MFJJ

Our detailed breakdown and review of who makes the best carbon bow for 2023

[@kaelangerhardt5651]

I believe mass weight is an important category when comparing these carbon bows

[@chandlerh]

Agree.

[@thorwaldjohanson2526]

I think they should be weighed in a typical hunting setup and then compare how much heavier (percents) they are compared to the lightest. It should perhaps stay as a bonus category, as some people might like more weight, but the context would be great.

[@steve8828]

If weight is important, then let PSE in the contest.

[@charleslefebvre5515]

@Steve they would've been if they made a 30" ata. He wanted it to be more of an apples to apple comparison.

[@alexgrier9869]

The let off adjustment on the era is a huge plus. 70-90% in 1% increments, and combined with the 1/4 inch draw length adjustments, you can really customize the draw cycle and hold to your liking.

[@Makka316]

Era also has the option to switch between cable stops, limb stops or both. Carbon One has the FlipDisc built in which is great. Era has the option for smooth mods (have them in my Verdict and they are great) but costs extra.

[@gmatthewpaul]

I owned a Omnia and everything was great about that bow except the sight picture! Cables in sight window bad no matter what we did! I just couldn’t gel with that so went to Bowtech.

[@Angel.Custodio]

I’m not a speed freak, but I think speed needs a category. Bowtech might be smoother at 70#, but shoots at the same speed Elite at 65#. If someone is okay with a specific arrow speed they might realize 65, even 60 pounds can do the trick

[@austinhilton2364]

If you watched his speed test the carbon one shot around 2-3 fps slower rated from the factory while elite and other company’s was shooting 10-14 fps below marketed so can’t just look at what they say from factory

[@CameronThompson1414]

The fact you're wearing a Hoyt shirt in the video and eliminate it first shows the unbiased nature of these reviews!

[@PAKraig]

Thanks for taking the time to do this review. I currently own an RX7 I've had for almost 1.5 yrs now, I've had my Era for for about 2 months now, and I owned a Carbon One for about 2 weeks right after release. I'm a Bowtech fan, so I really wanted to like it, but prefer the other 2 instead. If you are giving points for draw cycle, don't you NEED a category for fps/energy? That Era w/ Perf mods is probably 12 fps quicker than the Carbon One, and the RX7 another 2-4 fps faster than the Elite. Also, fully setup w/ similar accessories, my Era has somewhat less feedback than the RX7. Despite the tuning disadvantages of the Hoyt, once it's set for you, it's set, and the back/sidebar mounting locations of the Hoyt and Elite are MUCH better than the Bowtech.

[@africanbornadventures]

You make excellent points. The test isnt complete without adding those categories.

[@micahdunleavy9227]

He’s a Mathew’s dude, they always are negative on hoyt since it’s their top competition..

[@geoffreydaymond851]

Rx7 ultra all day. Comfort control shooting 50 plus arrows most days and still get excited like the first day of shooting after perfect tune. 80# 31 draw and its a lightweight rocket launcher.

[@shanebolerhunting]

I was always a fan of elite, but you are talking about the era being much faster with performance mods, well yeah it feels like 80 pounds . Elite use to have a really smooth easy draw cycle , well when they went for speed with these new cams, they totally sold out to an extremely stout draw cycle.

[@PAKraig]

@@shanebolerhunting yep, definitely more hump in the draw, but it gives more options. Smooth mods still retain that Elite smooooth feeling. Win - win 😁

[@martythompson6509]

I'm an Elite shooter. But I would have picked the Bowtech as well. Bowtech are building some impressive bows right now. I'm also loving your more laid back approach this year. Not sure what you have changed, but you're content is really enjoyable this year. You and Tim are a good dynamic together as well.

[@Not_Andrew_Huberman]

Spoiler alert

[@kylefrye6265]

I love the way you are doing these head to head reviews. I definitely want to buy the Carbon ERA from Elite but it’s still a bit out of my price range. Keep up the good work!

[@JoelKessler-xc1fm]

Speed and weight are important, in my opinion. Love all the stuff you're doing on the channel!

[@bentleythomasiii567]

Awesome thank you for sharing this information.

[@SandySmith-qd1ku]

Nice vid! My SS34 put me on the podium 7 times this year so far both indoors and outdoors, no plans switching to carbon anytime soon.

[@hamedizzy5137]

Man these kind of videos are much more helpful when choosing a bow then measuring specs

[@groundrootsoutdoors627]

Hey it’s a great starting point for people to look at. But they need to do exactly what you did and try them out for themselves. Good video

[@wadephillips3882]

Awesome job!

[@jesse4r5]

Would love to know your opinion comparing Mach 34 EC2 vs Hoyt rx7 ultra!

[@gmatthewpaul]

Owned both and liked my PSE Mach 34 better! Not as dead in hand as the Hoyt but shot it better and liked the shim system exchange more.

[@blessedvetoutdoors]

MFJJ you did a great review brother. Keep doing your thing.

[@darnellwatkins4031]

Butter smooth. Good video.

[@thorwaldjohanson2526]

I think you should add speed, actually measured with actual hunting weight arrows. But awesome video! Please do more reviews like these. Target bows next? :D

[@africanbornadventures]

Speed and gross weight of the bow should have higher importance than say something subjective like how the grip feels, especially when grips are changeable. It’s nice to have a light chassis so that you can add weight to balance and dampen the bow. Starting with a heavy riser limits that. Otherwise good comparison.

[@wyatthill92]

Would be interested to see a short video addressing what you like in a bow and what is important to you. You often throw out little bits and pieces here and there but an overall baseline for what you like may be helpful when other people compare your thoughts on a bow to what they are looking for.

[@bertcard2307]

Great vid always always a pleasure taking the time & watching & learning about the new products. If you have the time can you take a look at some of the premium target bows as well thanks MFJJ & all who is involved in the video production’s.

[@blessedvetoutdoors]

Man the fact that the era and carbon one are on their first iteration and they are booming in this review. Flat out amazing.

[@jeremyrobinette2563]

Seems like lately you don’t even need to watch these. You already know the Bowtech is always going to win.

[@scottgulden7035]

I like what your doing here!!

[@DaveF-tj5vq]

I would like to see draw and vibration compared a approximately the same speed. That way the fast bows dont get penalised, when you have the option of turning down the draw weight to match the speed of a slower bow. Really enjoy the reviews, waiting for the longer ATA comparison.

[@wraystyle7116]

Nice examination josh I’ve never shot 1 personally but great insight 👍 it would b nice to see a review on targets (3D) and the difference in brands etc

[@gmatthewpaul]

I got a Bowtech carbon one off this review! It’s my favorite bow to date. Owned 5 Hoyt carbons and 4 PSE carbons. It’s not the lightest but excellent for an 30 inch axle to axle which I don’t usually like. String angle decent for 29/29.5 inch draw

[@chandlerh]

Durability, Speed & Performance and weight should be categories. A big part of the Hoyt for me is that they dry fire their bows in a stress test. Now... how much of that is marketing hype, but still it's a selling point none the less. And performance is the other big thing. I'll trade performance during the shot for some vibration after the shot since these are mainly hunting bows. Personally I care less about vibration since it's after the shot, doesn't affect my arrow flight... unless you're arguing that force could have been in the arrow... then maybe. Categories that I feel are subjective: Grip and Fit and Finish. I'd personally swap those two for Durability and Speed/Performance.

[@africanbornadventures]

Yes you make excellent points there. There shouldn’t be pure subjective categories. I don’t know how speed isn’t included.

[@jeffcopenhaver2217]

Why would Matthews want to make a carbon bow? They make enough money off their fan boys selling cam mods and stabilizers.

[@micahdunleavy9227]

Lol exactly, this is a fanboy we are watching..

[@the_sharp_carpenter]

​@@micahdunleavy9227 he mainly shoots Bowtechs

[@thehunter9149]

Maybe because there is a market for carbon bows as well. It’s always nice to have options.

[@TheManic.5-OH]

Because they need to. I love the way their bow shoots, not saying it's the best, but in a subjective conversation, it's all personal preference. If mathews put out a carbon bow, I would check it out and absolutely consider buying that bow

[@RMC2021]

@@TheManic.5-OHbut you wouldn’t consider buying a Hoyt carbon bow? They’ve only been producing them for over a decade. Your only interest in carbon is if it says Mathews on it - definite fanboy.

[@l.i.archer5379]

A spongy backwall correlates to vibration. If the cams were timed correctly, both of those things would be greatly diminished.

[@danielfetchak1865]

I agree 100% with your decision. I shot all 3 bows and I thought the draw cycle on the Carbon 1 blows everything else away.

[@MainelyArchery]

Awsome videos! I think it would be great if you did another video just like this but with non flagship bows, and add in some different brands like Darton and maybe even Athens!

[@royhoglund1322]

I shot Hoyt bows for almost 20 years and was partial to the carbon bows. But since I started shooting a Mathews bow, I'm over the whole carbon thing. 😀I know several guys that really like that new Bowtech carbon bow. Nice review!

[@micahdunleavy9227]

Ehhh Hoyt has gotten drastically better the last three years so you quit shooting them when they actually became worth it..

[@naturalstatehunter5591]

Josh!!! Omg lol please for the love of all things do a review and include the longer ata carbon bows (Mach 34)! I’d say the majority of your followers shoot 32-34 inch ATAs. It confused me when the last two reviews have only included 30” atas. I love your channel it’s BY FAR my favorite archery channel.

[@geoffreydaymond851]

Haven't shot the other carbon bows but the rx7ultra I've been shooting for 8 months and once I got it tuned and shooting through paper perfect I've had the best time with it. Coming from v3x I noticed how much lighter and easier to hold on target it is. Makes a pop noise but man what a great bow. Picatinny with landslyde and epsilon. Still on factory strings and happy to blow budget.😊

[@nicetryb0z0]

What was the tuning process like? Did you have to get into shims?

[@brucescott9814]

Lite Weight is one of the many reasons for spending a Extra $500 to buy a Carbon bow and I'm sorry to say the Bowtech Carbon One needs to go on a serious Diet, its heavier than a lot of the Aluminium bows... Did you have the Bowtech and the Elite both with Performance mods or both on Comfort Mods...

[@tylermoore3024]

What about stock cables and strings? I’d like to see that as a category in the comparisons. Great video and input as always.

[@jakebell2414]

Gotta love the de-rail on the Hoyt first shot…

[@williamcaffey7887]

Great Video. Personally I would love to hear your thoughts on how “they hold” I know others would as well) We know it’s subjective much like the grip. Im the same way (bowtech frip is my fav grip). But we would like to get your opinion on how you think each one holds and sits for you… Awesome video man! Keep them coming please sir!

[@perryknetter8577]

I really enjoy your knowledge and talent you have. I have 10 grandkids coming up What is the proper way to get there draw length Thank you and God's Blessings

[@ILhunter23]

Great videos ! Very honest and rational critiques. I think a lot of people are surprised at the overall features of the bow techs. I’m in the market for one . Waiting to see if they ad the dead time feature to the hunting line next year

[@thorwaldjohanson2526]

I hope so but I'm almost certain. EVERYONE says that in every review of the bowtech hunting bows "Please add the timelock feature"

[@ILhunter23]

@@thorwaldjohanson2526 fine tuning fixed heads with both those features would be insanely easy, we will have to wait and see! Fingers crossed

[@micahdunleavy9227]

Lol honest…. Right….

[@tommurph4496]

Should have added in a speed test as well! In order for Bowtech to compete it will need to be on performance, in which it will feel different.

[@thenameiwantedwastaken]

Would be interesting to add a catagory for OEM accessories, maybe? A lot of these flagship bows have features that can only really be utalised by using OEM quivers/stabs/rests ect. I also feel like most people shopping for a new flag ship would be more likely to fit it out with OEM gear so it all matches

[@jarretttalley4274]

If you ranked them 1-3 for each category, with 1 being the worst and 3 being the best, then divide the total score for each bow by the number of categories, you’d have a clearer representation of how they stack against one another.

[@countdooku5703]

I'm sorry but You wrong. On what basis do you claim that simplifying the analysis method, will provide a more reliable result? It's exactly the opposite. That's one of the reasons why your grades at school range from A to F instead of A to C :) Apart from the fact that simplifying it won't be more precise, the results will be in the form of decimal numbers. How will this give you a clearer representation? :D

[@jarretttalley4274]

@@countdooku5703 scored ranking requires the reviewer to make a decision of what product does what category better or worse than the head to head competitors. Averaging that across the board is better for true comparison. The example you used for grades in school doesn’t work. Grades in school are based on answering questions and completing assignments correctly. The answer key is the basis of comparison of comparison to a students work. Everyone in a class can score a 100 on a test. 3 bows in a comparison of which is the best can’t all be the best.

[@trevordavies2789]

Did that bow fire unexpectedly when you were pulling the back wall or am I imagining things? 😂 you held your composure very well if that is what happened! Excellent content

[@nicetryb0z0]

100% but we've all done it lol

[@BigDube]

String angle and comfort at full draw are things I think you should add to your review.

[@PAKraig]

Oh, I LOVE the Mathews score ❤ Build it!!!

[@KillingStuffWithJosephJackson]

So what caused the Hoyt to derail the first shot?…

[@kennyputney3971]

All in all I believe everyone knows deep down that there are no longer any BAD bows so it just comes to personal preference, in saying that in the shop I ended up buying a Mathew’s and hated the feel of The CORE, after a few months of practice I realized my shooting was horrible. I went back and shot all the new bows again and after it came down to the Carbon 1x and The alpha x I chose the 1x. I’m shooting better now than I ever have.

[@jasonnull2248]

What do they feel like on let down? Some are hard to let down like PSE and some are easier like bowtech. Just curious, some times you gotta do that and I’d like to not make a crap ton of noise.

[@davidcook5314]

Love my Carbon One! And for any of you military out there they give a great discount on one bow per year for you. Took away some of the sting for going Carbon this year🏹

[@trevorboutin]

Who gives a military discount?

[@jimbogema8565]

Which one had the best feeling string angle at anchor for you at your 30" draw?

[@TheBowdoc1]

GREAT JOB AS ALWAYS MFJJ!! Add your REAL Speed and same let off. You choose let off most your customers prefer.

[@stick__shooter]

All of those are too short for my liking, but I liked the Carbon One a lot more than I thought I would. Very smooth and balanced well. The RX7 Ultra was one of my favorites I tried this year. I didn't get to try an Era, but liked the Omnia quite a bit. I hated the draw cycle on the Levitate. I couldn't find anything I liked better than my SR6, though.

[@patherbert6684]

weight, price and looks are very important. I love the look of my ERA

[@user-wi1dx6ih3q]

very unbiased...honest review

[@johnheitkamp4792]

Hey Joshypo do the comparison with the smooth mod on the elite, much more comparable to comfort setting on bowtech, also Era is much faster with speed mod should be a factor, and Era is actually lighter than its aluminum brother should be a factor. Having said that love your stuff and keep it up

[@kristofvero4095]

Hey! Love your videos and these comparison videos. The thing I would add/not rate on these videos, is that the fit&finish. A camo on a bow will always look worse as finish than one color on a bow...so if we want to compare apples to apples I would not rate a camo bow(most of them will be dipped, and because of that will have disfiguration) in one category with a one colour sanded bow.

[@robertdouglas2800]

Nice Hoyt Tee while doing a comparison, I give the shirt a solid 8...

[@daleowings7894]

Do you have stings for a diamond infinite pro? Ima need new strings before next year for sure and I’d really love to get one of your all natural strings that don’t really stretch!!

[@mattthadd4663]

Please do a review on the elite Verdict.

[@davidholder5030]

I'm with you bloke it's about time Mathew's need to make a carbon bow I've shot Mathew's for as long as I can remember currently shooting V3 31 n loving it come on Mathew's get on-board guys

[@mariolaberge7741]

Hi thanks for the video what is ipinion between the carbon one with the phase 4 in 33 i know its not a carbon bow but i need to know what you thinjg about that 2 bows

[@dubstylee444]

i would like to see more hunting specific categories, for example: full draw hold ability, efficiency, draw difficulty, hold ability, overall noise, hunting specific special features, weight, tree stand or blind maneuvering, etc.

[@dubstylee444]

durability

[@jonheatlie3809]

Off topic… what release to you shoot? Looks awesome!! Back tension??

[@douglasvaughn9530]

It's a Scott Sigma "thumb trigger"

[@justanchartier9932]

I’d be curious to have a discussion about the logic, pros, cons of having an 80lb bow but running it at 70lbs. Are there any benefits or downfalls? Increased longevity of components? I just ordered a ss34 but want to shoot an sx80 at 70 lbs mostly. Can’t get objective or quantifiable answers from archery techs around here. Thanks MFJJ.

[@drewmalcovsky9068]

Lefty here. Looking at the RX7 ultra and the Phase 4 33 both fully loaded for the same price. I don’t have a place to shoot them side by side. Any recommendation?

[@hunthealthy1018]

I really enjoy Mathews bows, still have my VXR. I think of they came out with a Carbon bow, it would be a great move and I think a lot of people would buy it. I wasn't too impressed with the Phase 4. I went to the Prime Revex 4 and I really like it! If Prime came out with a Carbon bow.. That would also hurt a lot of other manufacturers.

[@parkerlipetzky]

Doesnt the elite have a option to add limb stops to the cams?

[@EinsteinTeachedYou]

I love my carbon 1

[@barbellsandbowhunting]

@podiumarcher do you ever get your beard hairs pulled out when you're shooting? I have a couple of times 😅

[@kelly-zenaahrens616]

As far as the draw cycle goes was the carbon 1 on the performance setting? I believe the era comes with a performance setup on it. That could contribute to the difference in feel if the carbon one was set on comfort and the era set up for performance.

[@kyleware2520]

Very advanced review that would take way too much time, it would be cool if after tuning you could do a 40-50yd group test

[@saxman7131]

I was recently gifted a brand new Oneida Phantom. I guess I’ll work with that.

[@jmjoutdoors]

What about bow weight as a category?

[@brettwelch8368]

I would be interested in speed comparisons at different arrow weights. i know you do the 350Gr. arrows, would be interesting to see if one bow is more efficient at different arrow weights and put that in the comparison.

[@tsi-rocket4144]

too many companies post IBO ratings no one gets to begin with and then some are much slower when you shoot a 500grain hunting arrow. Not to mention I've found bow companies have overdrawn bows. My mathew's traverse and hoyt rx4 turbo draw just under 1/2" longer than advertised, while elite bows draw at dead nuts. Backyard bows does an excellent job of reviewing bows and of the bow's ive shot he describes them exactly as I would and he does a 500grain speed test with the same arrow to get a fair comparison of a bows speed with a realist hunting arrow.

[@aarondhermanson]

I keep seeing higher level bows being shown off, will or could you also do a best budget bow of the year? For those getting into archery.

[@saxman7131]

New subscriber. Why do you close your eyes when you shoot?

[@jacklengyel6515]

It is a really hard decision between the 2 best carbon bows. Unfortunately you don't have them there..... They are both made by PSE!

[@davidnuzzaci2459]

Did you notice a difference with the string angles? I wear glasses and this matters greatly to me for setting peep height and head position.

[@ethanfeatheroff9135]

I just feel like you can’t do a carbon bow review without PSE. They’re the only ones that make a carbon bow that actually makes sense because it’s light like carbon should be, I’m not bias on any brand of bow and it’s just picking them up that one makes sense as to why it’s carbon

[@Rikcey]

The conductivity or, lack thereof compared to aluminium is a big reason for carbon on top of weight. The Elite is light too.

[@larrymckenna881]

I have the RX7 Ultra, PSE LEVITATE, and just set up my new ERA. I tried the Carbon one. I could be wrong but it seems you favor Bowtech on must videos that you include that brand. But if it feels like you want to shoot it all day then it's probably the one for you. I say ERA is best A-Z I can shoot it all day.

[@lspostma]

That is my response to shooting my Carbon One every time too.

[@bertcard2307]

R U shooting in comfort or performance with the BT C 1. Also real hunting speed with the average weight of 440 grain arrow

[@PAKraig]

Guaranteed that he is shooting in Comfort setting. NO ONE will ever call Performance setting "butter."

[@bertcard2307]

@@PAKraig I sure do like the back wall on the performance side!!!

[@PAKraig]

@@bertcard2307 can't argue that 👍🏼

[@joncox2682]

I liked the carbon one but ended up leaving with a phase 4 but it was close

[@danielschultz955]

An EC2 Levitate might be a good option?

[@nicfield6895]

It is the best option for speed, but not in a 30ata.

[@IamJonsCranium]

No speed consideration?

[@jasonbrown8133]

Would agree with your decision because of the criteria except after shooting all 3 u showed I'd buy a PSE mach 1. If ata didn't matter than mach 34 wins

[@chrisnakos215]

I think just like when you shoot one arrow out of each bow at a time to make a final decision you should shoot each category across each bow so you can tell vibration immediately across all 3 and then next category across all 3 etc

[@JJ79_]

Much easier to compare all to the first one, just like he does. And what do you mean shoot every category? How do you even do that, all the gategories are there all the time.

[@chrisnakos215]

@@JJ79_ Pretty easy. Watch the last video where his new hire bowtech shot through all of them and then went back and forth at the end. I’d much rather shoot one arrow out of each in succession for each category. Then you could immediately give numbers for each bows vibration because you immediately felt a change. That’s why he had his tech do this in the last video. Then shoot one arrow out of each draw cycle and so on

[@vm859]

You should also put weight as a category. Most important for a carbon bow comparison.

[@larrygronholm435]

Be interested in seeing comparison of bows for the extreme draw lengths, like 33" or even better the truly short draw of 24-25". Since the flagships usually don't accommodate these.

[@N8Stein]

Great idea. It's a super niche topic, since there aren't many people at those draw lengths, but at the same time it would be nice if they had somewhere to go to get some ideas for what they could buy. My brother is 6'5" so he could certainly benefit lol

[@rodrodriguez9915]

Yes, I totally agree. Do a video on if bows can do short draw length.

[@griffin2599]

Would you ever do a review on the Bear Execute? The guys down at my local bow shop said Bear has finally made a flagship that can compete with the other big name aluminum bows. What do you think? FYI… I am having an internal struggle between the Era and CarbonOne. If I’m going to spend that kind of money, I want the best bang for my buck. Not even considering the Hoyt! Lol!

[@bradleykucharzak207]

First time commenting but I can’t help but wonder what would happen if you fully tuned both bows, took tags off and payed attention to chrono readings as well….only reason I say that is because the Elite has 2 different mods and that both feel completely different from each other….on top of all the other tunable features on both bows….to me, it would be very interesting to see if your opinion changes or is even stronger towards the carbon one…..just a thought…..

[@jeffmetz7665]

Have to agree with you have shot all three and as for weight heavier is more stable to me

[@user-oc6vw2zr6d]

Build a carbon one with sr350 cams!! Your vedios are great! And titanium 4mm outserts are on there way exsited to try them!!!

[@joshuaraines7574]

It would be super cool to see the bow your shooting while your shooting it, after all the video is about the bow correct?

[@robertwest196]

Bowtech on comfort mods, if so how about putting smooth mods on era?

[@greglangille7432]

MFJJ, just wondering which mod was on the ERA?? Performance or Smooth

[@jeradlene1732]

I was pulling for the bow tech lol

[@mantanamanman]

How long the vibration lasts. Noise measurement.

[@davefish8107]

Still shooting my Hoyt matrix , never found one that I thought was better The Matrix also looks the best in my opinion