Top_Heavy's World

Well, today I finally got my hands on a Monster. It looks like the PSE X Force, with its curved limbs and short brace height. The hatchet shaped cams were noticable and obviously the power in this beast. The weight was fine, about normal for a Mathews, the camo was fine, but who really cares. The question of the year is HOW DOES IT SHOOT. I was handed a pocket full of arrows. Yes, I stuck the entire handfull in my back pocket so I looked sort of like a turkey in strut as I set up to shoot it! Fin and Feather had the cobra release I use, the hand held model with the finger groves, so this would be a fair comparison. The guys at the shop had done a phenominal job at setting the bow up. The peep lined up great, the sights were dead on (you can be off a bit when the bow is shooting this flat) and the center shot was perfect. I tried to draw it and WOW, this beast at 63# pulled longer and harder than my LX at 70! The cams came back very hard and the pull was LOOOOONNNNNGGGGG. When the cams finally rolled it was a slam that nearly cost me the grip on the bow. I have shot some rough drawing bows, and this was one of them. With an idea of what to expect, the following draws became better and better. The valley was clear back in the draw cycle and there was an almost weightless point as the cams rolled. The wall at the back was dead solid, but near perfection is expected from Mathews I touched the release and the arrow was too fast to follow. They claimed that it was shooting from 288 to 300 fps with a 28" draw, set at 63 lbs, but I think it was much faster. The arrow weight was the factor, energy was not in short supply! If you want power and speed this bow was designed for it, unfortunately the draw was not made for a guy like me.
Shooting this bow was smooth, mellow and lacking the jump I expected from other dual cam speedsters, but the thought of being in a tree, 10 below zero and shivering for 3 hours waiting for a shot, drawing this bow, even at only 63# and then being forced to let down and redraw as the buck clears.... NO WAY!
If you are an aggressive speed freak, one of those guys that just wants raw power and pass through shots at deer no matter what the angle. The kind of guy who wants to know that you can shoot through both front legs, at the joint! and still get a complete pass through... this is your bow. If you want to be the fastest bow at the shoot, this is your bow. If you don't want to worry about a 3 yard question in range, this is your bow. If you want to shoot one pin to perhaps 40 yards, this is your bow. If you want to shoot a pass through on a Block Target, this is your bow. If you will be standing or kneeling for most of your shots (I can't imagine drawing this while leaning over and then trying to sit up with it drawn)this is your bow. If you will be willing to spend huge hours perfecting your shooting form, truly working to get good with a tough bow to shoot, if you are one of those guys, the Monster is your bow!
I say this as a 210lb guy with a 29.5" draw who shoots 100's of arrows a week at 70lb draw! If you have followed me at all you will know that I only own Mathews bows, I have since 1997 when I bought my Z max and used my brother's Black Max. I am a believer in the technology and the superiority of this brand. Because of this following it pains me to say that I am not a true speed freak. I will not sacrifice that much comfort, not even for that much speed. Mathews has done it to themselves, I have grown so fond of the smoothest, best shooting bows, it is just too hard for me to move away from a single cam again. The Reezen is much more comfortable and will spit a hunting arrow at more speed than I have ever used. It is tougher on the draw than the round cam smoothies of the past 10 years, but I will accept that small percentage of comfort lost for another 20fps from my hunting arrows. My choice for the best bow at 60# will start with the Reezen from the Mathews camp.