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Change comes slowly…unless you’re Mathews. Over the years Mathews has developed a knack for quickly changing things. One cams, parallel limb designs, harmonic riser dampers, string suppressors, innovative roller guards and a whole lot more have marked the path that Mathews has blazed across the archery industry. The 18-year history of Mathews is a story of ever-changing innovation and improvement.

It would be easy to make the case that 2010, and particularly the new Mathews 2010 Z7 bow, puts an exclamation point on that quick-change Mathews notion. The new Z7 represents a remarkable departure in appearance from all previous Mathews compounds. Its Grid Lock riser is striking, as is the bow’s new Reverse Assist Roller Guard, new Z7 Solocam System, new LP (Low Profile) Grip and even the bow’s new Monkey Tails. Then there’s the Z7’s new twist on performance.

For years Mathews bows have been smooth, quiet and convincingly fast. That developed legions of bowhunting fans. Then last year, Mathews introduced the Reezen 7.0 and 6.5, the fastest single-cam bows ever developed. Chronographs sizzled and speed enthusiasts loved them. But arrow speed is rarely free, and some bowhunters lamented the stiffer draw of those faster bows.

Addressing those concerns while continuing to improve things across the board became the 2010 Mathews push and directly resulted in the astonishing new Mathews Z7. The Z7 is a smoother-drawing bow, remarkably shock free and quiet, while delivering exceptional arrow speed. In other words, the 2010 Mathews Z7 is exactly the change that most bowhunters ordered and Mathews envisioned.

How It Shoots

How a bow draws can directly affect how pleasant that bow is to shoot. But it also affects its speed. Exceedingly fast bows, by mechanical necessity, typically feature stiffer, sometimes even harsh, draws. Most bowhunters can get used to that, if they want to. The glitch is that many don’t. Many bowhunters prefer a smoother-drawing bow. Longtime Mathews admirers are correct in pointing out that the 2005 Mathews Switchback and the 2007 Mathews Drenalin were wonderfully smooth-drawing bows. But those models were also a good bit slower than, say, last year’s Reezen. In my own Bow Report comparisons, the 2009 Reezen 6.5 shot roughly 20 feet per second faster (!) than the smoother-drawing 2005 Switchback. The price was a stiffer draw. So where does the 2010 Z7 fit into that comparison? I find it slips into the middle. The Z7 is about 10 feet per second faster than the Switchback and about that same amount slower than the stiffer-drawing Reezen 6.5. That means that the Z7 delivers exceptional arrow speed with a draw pattern that falls comfortably about halfway between a Switchback and a Reezen. To me, the Z7’s draw feels great, blending smooth with power.

What also feels great on the Z7 is the bow’s new Low Profile Grip. This new-for-2010 grip fits me better than any previous Mathews grip. It’s thinner in the throat and narrower through the palm swell. My hand seems to slide into it more naturally.

Everyone likes bows that deliver. At the shot, the 2010 Mathews Z7 delivers like a champion. It’s wonderfully fast and more. The “more” includes an excellent balance, an almost complete lack of handshock and a very quiet shot.

Bow balance is important to me. A well-balanced bow aims steadier and, for me, tips slightly forward upon release to promote a better follow-through. Equipped with a sight, a rest and a loaded Mathews two-piece bowquiver, my test Z7 balanced perfectly. That helped me shoot better. The new Z7 also enables you to custom-tune bow balance––see Harmonic Stabilizer under “Key Features and Benefits.”

The Z7 is effectively dead in the hand upon release. It just doesn’t move, jump or vibrate. I found that allowed me to relax more throughout the shot, and particularly during the follow-through. That enabled me to focus more on where the arrow was going than on controlling the bow.

There are more damping, silencing and suppressing systems on the 2010 Mathews Z7 than you can shake a stick at. There’s both a Harmonic Stabilizer and a Harmonic Damper, Mathews String Suppressors, a Dead End String Stop and Monkey Tail String and Cable Silencers all combined with the bow’s past-parallel SE4 Composite Limb System and the new and extraordinarily stiff Grid Lock riser. The result is a wonderfully quiet shot.

With all of that working in concert––smooth/power draw, improved grip, excellent bow balance, lack of handshock, a quiet shot and lots of arrow speed––it’s no wonder that the 2010 Mathews Z7 feels and shoots so well.

Key Features
and Benefits

New Grid Lock Riser

Anything genuinely new is always a bit shocking. The Z7’s new Grid Lock riser is dramatically different for Mathews. I find it exciting. It’s stiff and very strong. With all the angular cutouts it’s also surprisingly light in weight. That advanced combination provides a superb arrow-launch platform.

New Reverse Assist Roller Guard

Most roller guards tug the cables inward, putting more tension on the cables and rollers when the bow is brought to full draw. The new Reverse Assist Roller Guard on the Z7 pushes the cables outward so that there is less tension on the cables and rollers when the bow is drawn, making for a smoother draw and reducing system friction.

New Low Profile Grip

This is a better Mathews grip, smaller through the throat and slimmer
in the palm-swell area for a more torque-free shot. It also includes a distinctive red laminated line through its center to clearly mark the centershot of the bow. When setting up the Z7, simply adjust your arrow rest in and out until the arrow on the rest and your bowstring line up with that red line.

New Z7 Solocam System

The brand new Z7 Solocam System was specifically designed to blend a smoother draw with a fast shot. Because it’s a one-cam system, there are no cam-synchronization issues. That makes tuning, especially with broadheads, easier and more lasting.

New Monkey Tail Silencers

These new cable-and-bowstring silencers are ingenious. They’re easy to install on any bowstring or cable without a bow press. They stay firmly in place, are long lasting and they work like a charm.

String Suppressors and String Grub

Limb-tip-mounted Mathews String Suppressors grab and dampen the bowstring with every shot. The Z7’s String Grub, located on the bowstring just above the lower cam, also reduces string vibration while it catapults the string forward for more arrow speed.

Harmonic Damper & Stabilizer

Long risers can vibrate if not properly dampened. The Z7 utilizes an on-board Harmonic Damping System to stop riser vibration cold. At the top of the riser is a standard Harmonic Damper. Near the bottom of the riser is a slightly heavier Harmonic Stabilizer. Both work to squelch shot vibration and noise. The heavier Harmonic Stabilizer also helps balance the bow during and after the shot. It can be removed, replaced or moved to fine-tune bow balance.

Dead End String Stop

Located just below the bow’s grip is one of today’s most effective string stops. Its soft, wide bumper captures and stops the bowstring, eliminating residual string vibration and promoting a cleaner release of the arrow from the bowstring. K