PSE Carbon Air Bow Review

So once again, it seems I have let a busy schedule interfere with publishing my 2016 bow reviews in a timely manner. My apologies once again. So far, I have reviewed Hoyt for 2016, but before I move on to Mathews or Elite I'm going to go ahead a knock out the new 2016 PSE Carbon Air.

If you've had the opportunity to read any of my previous bow reviews, you know that I currently shoot a 2015 Hoyt Nitrum Turbo. But I will reiterate as I have before, I am not the kind of guy who thinks Hoyt is gold and everything else is dirt. I do not like to be biased, and having previously worked in a bow shop for several years, I can say with 100% certainty that there are many outstanding bows out there from many manufacturers.

So, I am going to start with the obvious, I personally think the new Carbon Air looks incredibly similar to Hoyt's Carbon Element, another bow I have in my own personal inventory. I am not accusing PSE of copying Hoyt, but if I was in the market for a new bow, I might raise my eyebrows to the fact that a new 2016 bow resembles another manufacturer's model from 4 years ago. Just an observation.

The specs on the Carbon Air are as follows; 6 1/8" brace height, 32" Axle-to-Axle, IBO speed sits at 340 fps with an 80% let-off, bare bow weight in the hand is 3.2 lbs. The bow also features PSE's "Hyperdrive" cam.

When I first picked up the Carbon Air, the 3.2 lb bare weight of the bow was the first thing I noticed. The bow is very light! It weighs in the same as Bowtech's Carbon Knight (also 3.2 lbs), but in my opinion, the Carbon Air has a much better overall balance. It does present with a shorter brace height (6 1/8").

The Hyperdrive cam wasn't too bad. A little aggressive, yet still fairly smooth with a definitive drop into the valley and a decent back-wall. The bow felt charged and ready to go at full draw! The shot itself is where I was disappointed.

When I released the arrow, the hand shock was too much for my liking. I've always been able to fix this kind of issue with various stabilizer and weight systems, but not this one. To put it delicately, I would not want to take this bow to the woods.

No, I did not mess around with tuning or any elaborate set-up. After a few shots and continuing to feel the same hand shock over and over, I began to lose interest in the bow.

I do not like writing poor reviews, so to put it delicately, I have no desire to own a PSE Carbon Air. I'm sure there are some of you out there who have shot it, do like it, and now own one. That is your decision and your preference, and I respect that. But for those of you in the market for a new bow, I would recommend testing ALL the waters before getting your heart set on the Carbon Air.

If you had a different experience with this bow, or any bow I have reviewed for that matter, I would encourage you to share it with us. I'm definitely curious of other people's opinions, and I'm sure other readers are as well. Thanks for the quick read, and keep an eye out for more reviews in the near future!

-Sam Thrash, Fall Obsession Pro Staff