PSE X Force Omen

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A couple of years back, I told you about a discussion with PSE's Vice President of Engineering David Kronengold in which he told me PSE had only scratched the surface in terms of performance with their X Force Technology. Well, it looks like Dave was right on as PSE introduces the Omen, a bow with advertised top speeds that make it the fastest bow on the market.

PSE's new UltraFast Hybrid Cam powers the X Force Omen to its terrific speeds, while past parallel split limbs, Vibracheck BackStop and cable guard silencers work together to tame shock, vibration and noise. Other features include HyperSplit limb pockets, PSE's B.E.S.T. Grip, multiple sight mounting holes and a choice of Mossy Oak Treestand or Army Digital finishes.

Speed, Speed, Speed
In my testing, at 65 pounds and 29 inches, the Omen rocketed a 375-grain arrow through two chronographs at 330 fps. It is hard enough for a bow to do that at IBO specs (70 pounds/30 inches), let alone ours. The engine that produces this power is an all-new UltraFast Hybrid Cam system, which produces a letoff of approximately 70 percent.

Draw lengths of 28, 29 and 30 inches are available and are cam specific, meaning you need a different cam for each. A unique feature that interested me was a two-position (short and long) valley adjustment. This bow utilizes a large majority of the draw cycle to store energy, which means there isn't much room between holding weight and peak weight with the short valley setting. The shorter valley is sufficient as long as you are shooting the correct draw length.

PSE machines their UltraFast cams out of high-strength aluminum alloy, which reduces weight while retaining strength needed to get the job done. The cam design goes beyond speed as it was also engineered for optimized nock travel and system tune. String and cable grooves are constructed to minimize serving wear and improve wheel tracking. PSE also designed the cam system to limit string travel past the 5€‰1„2-inch brace height, even without the BackStop. In testing, the draw cycle had an aggressive feel with a slight buildup right before breaking over — this is your trade-off for the speed.

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All About The Stress
PSE's 12-inch split limbs employ a manufacturing technology that allows for a significant preload. This stress shapes the limbs into a semi-curl shape while the bow is at rest. At full draw, the limbs move to an efficient, past parallel position while utilizing the inherent stability and performance characteristics of traditional upright limb pockets. Past parallel limbs move in equal and opposite directions at the shot, thereby cancelling out much of the leftover energy.

The result is a bow that has minimal shock or vibration, which generally translates into reduced noise. Limb sets are available in 60- and 70-pound peak draw weight options. Omen machined aluminum limb pockets serve as the critical interface between the pultruded fiberglass limbs and the riser. HyperSplit pockets pivot and incorporate precision engineered limb supports and patented limb isolation technology. Together with the Vibracheck BackStop string stop and cable guard vibration dampeners, the past parallel limbs work to minimize shock, vibration and shot noise. In testing, the Omen produced surprisingly little of any of these considering its speed. In fact, it's not that significant regardless of the speed.

On the RiserThe base of operations for the Omen is a CNC machined aluminum riser with a 3.3-inch reflex configuration. Featured on the riser is the fully machined B.E.S.T. (Biomechanically Ergonomic Slim Throat) grip, stainless steel stabilizer insert, extended sight window, multiple sight-mounting holes and engraved elevation and windage tuning marks.

Editor's Note: Our standardized High Grade testing includes the use of the same equipment and test methods. All bows are tested with a draw length of 29 inches and a draw weight of 65 pounds. Speed tests are conducted with two different arrow weights — 375 grains and 425 grains. For more detailed information on the testing parameters, go to www.bowhuntingmag.com and click on "Bow Testing Parameters."