Bow Review: Hoyt REDWRX Carbon RX-1

Hoyt's new Carbon RX-1 has been tagged with the company's REDWRX badge, which is as much of a culture as it is anything else. It is the idea of creating the

absolute best through elite engineers, technologies, materials and processes.

The culmination of all Hoyt's history, experience, every single employee's effort and expertise is all aimed directly at the REDWRX reality. Three models make up the REDWRX Carbon RX series, including a Turbo version, 35 inch axle-to-axle rig and the subject of this bow test, the RX-1.

Each RX-1 is built on the company's popular Helical Flex Tune Hollow Carbon Tube riser, which serves as an ultra-tough platform for the rig. Other features include the QuadFlex limbs, Bi-Ax limb pocket, ZT Hyper Cam & ½ and much more.

Carbon Crafting

Working carbon into specific and useful shapes can be difficult; however, Hoyt has proven that its technology allows for advanced and extremely complex crafting as seen in their unique carbon risers. These risers incorporate more than 50 individual custom carbon layers and Hoyt's hollow carbon tube weave to create the stiff platform that the rest of the bow relies on for support and stability. Carbon material has an extreme strength-to-weight ratio, natural warmth that is appreciated on cold days afield and vibration-dampening qualities.

One of the tubes that make up the overall structure separates from the handle and weaves its way behind the grip to create that signature Hoyt Tec-Lite strut that channels vibration away from the main body of the bow, bypassing the grip and shooter's hand. The RX-1 also features the company's patent-pending offset riser design, which employs their Perfect Balance Stabilizer mounting insert that allows for counterbalancing of accessories and better side-to-side balance.

Additional riser features include a rubber Silent Shelf Pad, X-Act molded polymer one-piece grip, Stealth Shot string stop, roller cable management system and Shock Pod vibration dampers.

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Effective Eccentrics

Hoyt's ZT Hyper Cam & ½ system partners with the company's patent-pending cable system, which utilizes a unique yoke and split ends designed to balance the lion's share of the load evenly on either side of the lower cam. A curved groove in the module causes one side of the split cable to move closer to the centerline of the bow during the draw cycle, resulting in what the Company calls a 3-D shift with the intended result of eliminating inherent torque and therefore the need for a flexing cable guard.

Hoyt uses its FUSE Custom string and cables made with BCY-X material, pre-stretched and served under high tension to eliminate peep rotation. The RX-1 employs three base cams to cover draw lengths from 24€‰1„2-31 inches, in half-inch increments. A rotating module with positive locking pin is used to adjust draw length within the range of the base cam. No bow press is required. Standard system letoff is 85 percent, with an 80 percent option.

Split

The RX-1 QuadFlex limbs measure .75 inch across and employ Hoyt's Multi-Layer lamination process and Uniform Stress Distribution design to allow for a full-contour, pre-loaded limb. Lateral and torsional stability are built into the wide-stance split limbs, which eliminate the common weak areas found in v-grooves and limb-bolt grooves. Limbs are matched into identical sets of four based on deflection values and are available in 40-, 50-, 60-, 65-, 70- and 80-pound peak draw-weight options. The new Bi-Ax pocket uses three counter-pressure control points on each limb to eliminate limb shift for precise alignment at this critical interface. A Limb Shock vibration dampener is wedged between each set of split limbs.

Behind the Scenes

Because Hoyt engineered the RX-1 with a lower grip position, which moves the arrow closer to the exact center of the bow, they created an asymmetrical wider pocket and limb stance on the bottom of the bow. It is 3.1 inches wide as compared to the 2.6-inch wide top stance. This Offset Weight Distribution Technology keeps the center of mass at the grip for nearly perfect balance at that point. This was done to overcome the common, top-heavy balance issues with such a grip position.

Hoyt also engineered the cams so their rotation relative to the limbs creates a broader string angle, giving the RX-1 the feel of a bow several inches longer. This brings the peep closer to the shooter's face, allowing for a more relaxed head position, better form and increased accuracy.

Last, but certainly not least, is the incredible durability requirements Hoyt imposes on its bows. If a design cannot survive 1,500 dry fires and 1 million draw cycles, it doesn't make the cut. Those numbers are off the charts and translate into extreme reliability customers can count on for many years.

Impressions

The complex shapes, twists, turns, flares and contours of Hoyt's carbon risers are truly something to behold, especially when you consider their functionality and the endurance testing they are subjected to. While a "jump" was noted in the handle at the shot, there was no detectable vibration. That translated into a quiet shot. A set of aftermarket string silencers made the RX-1 even stealthier. The draw felt extremely consistent from start to finish, which is easy on the shoulder and gave me a sense of control while drawing and letting down. The X-Act grip was both comfortable and functional, and the after-shot movement of the RX-1 was nearly zero, for excellent stability and follow-through.