PSE Decree vs. Hoyt Carbon Spyder ZT Turbo

I'm pretty sure 2015 is going to be a smasher year in the bow world! First you have Elite come out with what is by far the smoothest bow ever designed, their Synergy. PSE then comes out with their new lineup, including their Decree, their Bow Madness 32 and 34, their Source HD, and their new Premonition series. Hoyt follows with an all new design in aluminum riser with their Nitrum series, and continues to blow people away building upon last year's Carbon Spyder with their Carbon Spyder ZT series. Mathews and Bowtech are scheduled to release within the next week.

Yesterday, we preformed a pretty in depth test at the bow shop, comparing the new 2015 PSE Decree to the new 2015 Hoyt Carbon Spyder ZT Turbo. The PSE Decree, IBOs at 355 fps, and the Carbon Spyder ZT Turbo IBOs at 350 fps. First let me give you a brief summery of the bows in general.

The PSE Decree has probably stolen the title as my favorite PSE bow! Yes, I currently shoot Hoyt, but I try not to be bias and be as open minded as possible when it comes to bows. The Decree is really a one of a kind for PSE. In a nutshell, it draws like an Evo, but it has the speed of a DNA! Not kidding, this bow is awesome to shoot. Smooth draw, solid back wall, a strong valley so you don't just bounce off the back wall as soon as you hit it. It's awesome! The grip is also designed with a 1 degree offset to help control and eliminate hand torque. I think the Decree is going to steal the stage for PSE this year!

Now for Hoyt… As some of you know, I currently shoot a 2012 Hoyt Carbon Element RKT. And in my opinion, Hoyt hasn't come out with anything mind blowing enough since then for me to think about a new hunting bow...until now. The Carbon Spyder ZT Turbo with Hoyt's all new turbo cam, is the first speed bow we've seen from them at 350 fps. A lot of people are saying that the draw cycle is stiff, and nowhere near as smooth as the Decree. I call bullcrap. I love the draw cycle! It's closer to the feel of the RKT cam than to the new Z5 cam (which I would choose the RKT over the Z5), and it gives a familiar bow a completely new feel. The back wall is extremely solid compared to previous Hoyt bows, and just like previous carbon bows, it's dead in the hand.

So which one is better? The Decree or the Carbon Spyder ZT Turbo? Both are smooth shooters, and both are going to do everything you want them to, but the question that we asked was how accurate are the speeds? Particularly the Hoyt, it being the company's first speed bow.

So, we set both bows to 29 inches in draw, and put them at a 70 lb. draw on the nose. We put a brand new whisker biscuit arrow rest on both (not the best rest ever, but quick and easy to install), and built an arrow that weighed in at 351.8 grains total arrow weight. The Decree went first, and got fps readings of 320.3, 321.6, and 322.0, giving it a 321.3 fps average, respectfully. The Hoyt got fps readings of 326.1, 326.2, and 326.4, giving it a 326.2 fps average, respectfully.

So the Carbon Spyder ZT Turbo, which is rated at 5 fps slower than the Decree, actually averaged 5.1 fps above it. In my mind, you can always wonder about a manufacturer's speeds, and how truthful they are. What this tells me is the new Hoyt is for real, and they are about the claim a seat at the speed table. Don't get me wrong, PSE has also made an outstanding bow, one I would be happy to shoot. What do you think?

-Sam Thrash, Fall Obsession Pro Staff