Review: 2016 Hoyt Carbon Defiant

Hoyt continues to improve and refine its line of carbon-riser bows with new designs and technologies introduced on the 2016 Carbon Defiant.

Based on a Helical Flex Tune Hollow Carbon Tube riser, this rig features new cams, limbs and limb pockets along with the ZT cable-containment system and many other proven technologies.

The Carbon Defiant also features FUSE custom string and cables, a one-piece laminated wood grip, stainless steel stabilizer insert and several shock-, vibration- and noise-killing components and technologies.

Better Position, Better Shooting

An interesting aspect to the Carbon Defiant's new DFX cam system is Hoyt's positioning of the cam and resultant string angle at full draw.

Basically, the string comes off the cam at a higher position to create a less acute string angle. Combined with the limb position at full draw, Hoyt says it was able to increase the distance where the string comes off the cams by 3.5 inches.

The end result is a short, 31-inch axle-to-axle bow that performs more like a longer bow. A further benefit of the string angle is a better peep position, which in turn changes the archer's head position to one that is advantageous to proper form and better shooting.

The 2016 Hoyt Carbon Defiant also offers an optional limb stop peg on the upper cam in addition to the dual cable stops. The limb stop gives the archer a super solid, no-play back wall, while the cable stops alone have a somewhat softer feel with more play.

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This system is machined from aluminum, and both cams ride on steel axles and high-grade, sealed, inner-race bearings. Three base cams and an adjustable mod cover draw lengths from 24-26 inches in half-inch increments. System letoff is advertised at 75 percent.

Locked and Loaded

The new UltraFlex split limb sets, like earlier Hoyt limbs, are multi-layer laminated. The difference in the 2016 Carbon Defiant limbs is a greater pre-load applied at rest. The pre-load, as Hoyt describes it, is possible because its lamination process allows for a full contour, Uniform Stress Distribution limb design without cutting through critical stress fibers.

The split-limb design creates excellent stability while eliminating the troublesome V-grooves and limb bolt grooves associated with solid limbs. 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.

Hoyt's patent-pending, dual-rocker, limb pocket system employs a contact point at the head of the pocket, and one approximately three inches further down the limb in the form of an open rocker.

These two contact points work in concert with a third, which is the cam axle. These three counter pressure points manipulate the directional force of the limbs to lock them into place at this critical interface between limb and riser.

O Tec

Woven together in a series of flowing tubes, Hoyt's Hollow Carbon Tube riser has a high strength-to-weight ratio and natural vibration-dampening characteristics. Using O-Tec Technology, Hoyt designers are able to form the Helical Flex Tune Carbon into its final shape, which features its patent-pending offset riser design.

A stainless steel stabilizer mounting insert is offset to the opposite side of the riser than that of the accessory mounting holes. The "Perfect Balance Stabilization System" counters accessory weight to produce a balanced platform.

The Rest of the Story

Hoyt's Carbon Defiant is completed with several vibration-dampening components, FUSE custom string and cables, one-piece grip and the ZT Roller Guard. The laminated wood Pro-Fit grip is designed to produce a neutral wrist position and is interchangeable with wood side plates and an elastomeric option.

Better alignment, enhanced accuracy and easy tuning are advertised benefits of the new ZT (Zero Torque) Cable Guard System, which reverse mounts the flexible arm to create a rear pivot point designed to direct the cable torque in the opposite direction as compared to a normal system.

Impressions

The Carbon Defiant is light, easy to handle and has a comfortable grip and smooth draw. It is very quiet, and only a small "bump" and nearly undetectable vibration were noted at the shot. It is a quality rig from top to bottom, as Hoyt cuts no corners on components or materials.