# Tested the 2017 Pro defiant against the 2016 Defiant and others.



## 4IDARCHER (Jul 1, 2006)

First forgive the rambling of this post as I am trying to get my ideas down as they are fresh in my head.
Second, I did not have a chance to chrono anything tonight but have several of these bows in the past and will again here soon and report the findings. 


For years I was a bowtech guy. Took my first black bear with a Bowtech, and my first two trips to Africa were done with Bowtechs in hand. After that I shifted to Hoyt and have been MOSTLY there ever since (or at least I keep coming back to them). I love to test different bows but Hoyt seems to "fit" me better than most others. Now it very well could be that by now they "fit" me better because I am so used to their particular draw cycle and feel, so I freely admit that might be part of it. Fast forward to last fall and I was blessed to take an awesome buck in the cold with carbon defiant 34, then onto my first Rio's, and then a great black bear with the regular carbon defiant. This summer I hammered a good pig with the carbon defiant turbo and then during the first week of this season took my best buck ever with that same bow. I really seem to be on a roll with my carbon defiant turbo but really did miss the valley of the regular DFX cams vs the Turbo cams, so I decided to do an honest look at not just the new 2017 Hoyts when they hit the stores today but several other bows. 

I first tested last year's defiant vs this year's pro defiant. The riser on this year's bow is wicked and just looks plain deadly. That being said after shooting them side by side, apples to apples set at the same weight and same draw length they are essentially the same bow. I could not tell with a 448gr arrow any difference in noise or vibration. Neither one is loud, but to say it plainly neither one is whisper quiet. There is no way they stack up against the Halon or BTX in noise, they simply do not. 

I also compared the defiant pro to the Obsession K34. The K34 had a larger valley and maybe what would be considered an "easier" draw, meaning to me it didn't seem like you were pulling as much weight with the K34 even though they both were set at 71lb. The K34 did absolutely have a more hump and dump then the defiant, but I equate my emphasis on that or maybe I should say my sensitivity to it as me being use to a hybrid cam and the K34 having the binary cams. Also the larger valley has to come from somewhere and that somewhere is the dump before you hit the valley. Not horrible and I am sure my body would get use to it, but I did not like it as of now. 

I also compared the new PSE Evolve and last year's Carbon Air (had previously shot this year's carbon air, but it was already sold). Against the two the draw cycle winner was clearly the Evolve. The 90% lettoff and the large valley are just about perfect for cold weather hunting here in Iowa. Can't really beat the forgiveness built into that bow holding on a 190in buck in 10 degree weather. The Evolve also was just a hair more quiet then the pro defiant, but really splitting hairs at that point. I thought I would like the grip on the Evolve but after shooting it for a while I just did not. A little 2X2 feeling in the hand to be really comfortable or repeatable for me. The carbon air (last year's and this year's as well that I shot) had quite a bit more vibration in them then the defiant pro. They have great draw cycles with either the HD cams or the new Evolve cam, but I did not like the noticeable thump in the hand at the shot on these bows. Also they sound different as well. It is like you can almost hear the vibration; course that part is in my mind, but they do have a different sound to them at the shot. 

I also compared this bow to the Impulse series from Elite. I have shot those bows several times in the past but wanted to refresh my mind in comparing them to the pro defiant. I do not understand the increased stiffness, especially on the backend, of these bows. I think they draw not only harder then all previous Elites, to me, they draw harder them most other bows period. I just plain do not like the draw cycle, so no surprise that I favored the defiant pro over those. 

In the end, as much as I LOVE the new riser on the Hoyt's I just couldn't detect one single difference between last year's bow and this year's pro defiant. The look is sick and the new dampeners are awesome looking but a defiant is a defiant. That being said I did not select one of the other brands. Each of the other brands all had qualities that I liked in different ways, but the carbon defiant still to me is about as perfect a all around hunting bow as can be. Compact enough in the blind with a forgiving cam that you can draw extremely slow and hold for a long time in a weird position if you are in a blind or treestand, quite enough for any hunt, warm to the touch in the cold, light weight so you can stack weight where you want, and with the new for 2016 black finish actually durable (something that could never be said before about a Hoyt carbon bow finish).

I ended up ordering a new 2017 Black Carbon Defiant to replace my 2016 Black Carbon Defiant Turbo. I do like the idea of more valley, and as much as I loved seeing heavy arrows move out fast, a 450-470gr arrow at around 270 will do about anything that I need doing. I am completely aware that as much as I think I am impartial I clearly like Hoyts, or at least the idea of Hoyts as I keep coming back to them. It very well could be my success with them and the confidence that I have that when I release the string the arrow will go where it is supposed to and that there will be a short tracking job to a great dead trophy on the other side. Could be that they are just a solid built, quality bow that are designed well and preforms when needed. I think that although there was a clear push to keep things mostly the same as last year from Hoyt (Of Course there was to keep the dealers happy and clear up any lagging issue with delivery times) that does not mean these bows are less then the offerings from other companies for 2017. If I did not already have a defiant and was in the market for an aluminum Hoyt I would go the defiant pro as the performance is the same and the looks are sick. I think everyone should shoot these themselves to see how they preform for them and they might get completely different results. 

I also think that there is more subconscious things that go thru one's head (such as past confidence) when selecting a new weapon whatever that type may be. 
Good luck this fall, and I still might end up picking up a defiant pro one day just to put on the wall as it looks like something that would hang from the trophy room on a Predator movie.


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## evox (Jan 5, 2014)

nice review! 


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## Ryjax (Mar 3, 2014)

Did they change the #2 cam to the 2.1 cam? I haven't had a chance to look and see


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## golfbum (Nov 17, 2008)

Ryjax said:


> Did they change the #2 cam to the 2.1 cam? I haven't had a chance to look and see
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Wondering the same thing?

Heard they have the same cam but people on AT are saying otherwise


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## Bullhound (Feb 5, 2004)

Ryjax said:


> Did they change the #2 cam to the 2.1 cam? I haven't had a chance to look and see
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


this is my biggest question............................


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## deer310sg (Feb 20, 2006)

Great review! A long time hoyt shooter myself. For sure will shoot the pro defiant, and the carbon version soon.
That riser does look kick butt!!


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## Larry brown (Aug 17, 2013)

I saw one today and forgot to look at the dang cam. I think the new riser is ok and limb dampeners are limb dampeners and don't matter to me what they look like. I don't have a tuning issue with my defiant and don't really think I would dump another G for new riser and dampeners. I will be keeping my defiant and look for a carbon defiant in the classifieds for my next bow I am thinking. Good review and honesty with a little bit of bias like I have towards my bow because it is a good shooter.


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## 4IDARCHER (Jul 1, 2006)

All three of the defiants I shot had the #3 cam. I am a #3 cam shooter so I guess I didn't even think to check. Next time I am at the shop (Thursday) I will see about the 2.1 cam.


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## silasbowhunter (Jan 17, 2014)

Thank you for the review. One thing I enjoyed was what you said about the impulse, because I've shot them a lot and I think that every time. Can not believe how stiff they are. Anyways, I think I see a buckskin pro defiant 34 with 80lb limbs in my future..


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## Momentum man (Jan 4, 2016)

I'm a Hoyt man myself but I can tell you my next bow will be a xpedition. Once I shot my buddies xcentric 7 I fell in love with xpedition. Hoyts make great bows and my faktor isn't going anywhere but xpeditions are worth a look.


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## WTFizzat? (Jul 21, 2016)

I started to check the cams today but the first two I picked up were #3's dang it! Somehow, I got distracted before finding a 2 lol. The new risers do look wicked. The couple 17's I held today seemed to have narrower grips than the 16's.


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## 4IDARCHER (Jul 1, 2006)

*Hoyt defiant series*

Here are some of the animals I have taken since last fall with the different Defiants, so maybe this is why I gravitate back to them.


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## 4IDARCHER (Jul 1, 2006)

*few more*

few more of the Defiant's kills


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## 4IDARCHER (Jul 1, 2006)

*last ones*

Last ones from last fall.


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## V-TRAIN (Feb 27, 2009)

great review and great kills, congrats


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## Bullhound (Feb 5, 2004)

4IDARCHER said:


> All three of the defiants I shot had the #3 cam. I am a #3 cam shooter so I guess I didn't even think to check. Next time I am at the shop (Thursday) I will see about the 2.1 cam.


great! By the way, I know what you're talking about with the Hoyt draw cycle. I love the draw cycle on my Carbon Spyder Turbo. The Hoyt has more sound and vib at the shot but it sure seems to want to go where I look!

you've been a busy man!!! great job with your Defiants!!!


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## buckmastered (Mar 28, 2014)

I don't know if I'm right or not but wasn't the problem with the #2 cam on the regular Defiant only and not the turbo's? 


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## V-TRAIN (Feb 27, 2009)

I would hope that the hoyt defiant pro would have a better draw than the obsession k-34. The dump in the draw is what gets you the extra 19 f.ps., that speed has to come from somewhere. 
Speed isn't everything though as you can tell from your pictures. lol 

I feel the exact same way about the elite impulse line, I was just floored the fist time I drew one. It was so stiff all the way back, I just could not see why someone would want one of those.
If it was in the 355-360 fps range than I could understand it. there are 7" brace bows out there putting out equal to, or greater than speeds with a more pleasant draw, was a real shocker to me.


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## Abyss512 (Jun 24, 2016)

Obsession k series cams do have a noticeable hump and dump. I suggest you try an M6 or M7, much smoother draw cycle. I also would have liked to read what you thought abou xpedition bows.


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## Predator (Jan 18, 2003)

Great review. Yes, you are missing some notables that would compare very well IMO (Obsession Defcons & new 2017 Xpeditions) but obviously the CD has worked well for you.

And wow, you've shot some nice animals! Congrats on that!


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## 1955 (Sep 22, 2009)

WTFizzat? said:


> The couple 17's I held today seemed to have narrower grips than the 16's.


Hoyt wooden grips are finished by hand and vary in size from one to another. If they felt thinner, then who ever was doing the finish sanding just took more material off the grips you picked up. I'm sure it's the same now as before.
I took out the calipers a couple of years ago and measured 15 or 20 Hoyt wood grips in the shop, and they varied by as much as .100". That's nearly an eighth of an inch, for those of you in Rio Linda.

So don't decide on which Hoyt bow to buy, because of the grip...


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## rangstng (Jan 2, 2009)

Ryjax said:


> Did they change the #2 cam to the 2.1 cam? I haven't had a chance to look and see
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I just looked at one yesterday and yes it is the 2.1


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## labonte.r (Oct 1, 2010)

Oh boy might get expensive. Any input on draw cycle compared to other elites like an e35? My last hoyt was a maxxis and been stuck on the elites for last five years but the carbon defiant 34 is really catching my eye. Id need 2 cam so im kinda leary on picking up a used 16 with some of the tuning issues i read about. 



rangstng said:


> I just looked at one yesterday and yes it is the 2.1


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## THE ELKMAN (Jan 2, 2013)

They did.



Ryjax said:


> Did they change the #2 cam to the 2.1 cam? I haven't had a chance to look and see
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## THE ELKMAN (Jan 2, 2013)

I love it man! keep em coming!



4IDARCHER said:


> Last ones from last fall.


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## Mallardbreath (Dec 7, 2007)

Instead of the Impulse line, you should have compared them to the E32/35 or Synergy. More similar in performance to the Defiants.


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## Mallardbreath (Dec 7, 2007)

Great review though. I do love Hoyts and definitely want a carbon one someday.


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## ridgehunter70 (Sep 30, 2012)

Can someone post up a pic of the new hoyt carbon bow?

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## Grimm33 (Jun 27, 2016)

Thanks to this thread I ordered my 2.1 cams for my cd31 today can't wait to see if it helps the bareshafts fly a little better especially without advancing my top cam to a different slot I also had to order some strings and cables seeing as how there different lengths now for the 2.1 cam and had to get the limb dampeners hello transformed 2016 cd31 to 2017 (it's a lot cheaper this way) lol


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## golfbum (Nov 17, 2008)

What did they charge for the cams?


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## centershot (Sep 13, 2002)

I shot one of the new 34's after shooting leagues with my 30 last night. Nice bow and if I did not already have a Defiant then that would be on the short list. No real difference in feel, hold, etc. The new one did kind of buzz my bow arm a bit - my old one has never done that. It was about 1/2 short for me also - strange.


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## Grimm33 (Jun 27, 2016)

6953]What did they charge for the cams?[/QUOTE]

130$ for cams and the new strings and cables


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## Grimm33 (Jun 27, 2016)

That was our price as a dealer. 90$ for the cams


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## golfbum (Nov 17, 2008)

Thanks! Good to know!


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## Ryjax (Mar 3, 2014)

THE ELKMAN said:


> They did.


Awesome thank you!

I tested the Pro Defiant this afternoon, and really liked it. The new riser just looks mean lol. I also felt like the pro Defiant has less hand shock than the 16 Defiant. With the change to the 2.1 cam, I will likely own one this year. 


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## buckmastered (Mar 28, 2014)

Do the turbo's come with the 2.1 cams as well? And was there ever an issue with the 2016 Turbo cams? Thanks


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## wiscpublichntr (Dec 18, 2010)

Great review.


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## apeshot (Sep 5, 2016)

Awedome

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## THE ELKMAN (Jan 2, 2013)

No, and no. The Turbo Tuned great as always!



buckmastered said:


> Do the turbo's come with the 2.1 cams as well? And was there ever an issue with the 2016 Turbo cams? Thanks
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## buckmastered (Mar 28, 2014)

Thanks elkman 


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## bojangles808 (Sep 5, 2013)

great review and congrats on some sweet trophys. whats the pricing on the 2017s?


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## elothian (Nov 18, 2015)

Excellent review. Shot Hoyt until last year when I switched to an Elite Synergy. I hope to give the Pro Defiant a try this week at my local bow shop.


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## BowBaker1640 (Aug 6, 2010)

I've been a Hoyt man for years. They just " feel good " to me but my question is have they done anything about the issue of the finish coming off the carbon?


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## 4IDARCHER (Jul 1, 2006)

I spoke to that in my first post


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## HawkeyeBruiser (Oct 2, 2016)

4IDARCHER said:


> ... I just couldn't detect one single difference between last year's bow and this year's pro defiant...


I talked to a pretty knowledgeable guy a couple weeks ago and he said Hoyt had such good luck with the Defiants that they really weren't changing anything this year.


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## 1955 (Sep 22, 2009)

BowBaker1640 said:


> I've been a Hoyt man for years. They just " feel good " to me but my question is have they done anything about the issue of the finish coming off the carbon?


We received a 2017 Carbon Defiant 34 with the 2.1 cams on Saturday. The bow was for our Hoyt rep, and knowing he wouldn't care, I set it up for myself and put 30 or 40 arrows through it. I will be getting one if these!!!

To the finish...it had the new Buckskin on it and it's nothing like the pictured. It has an 80 grit sandpaper like finish. You may or may not like it, but I thought it was awesome!!! You'll get absolutely NO glare off if this bow. Will it hold up? Time will tell. Of course Hoyt says it's a new rough finish, and it sure feels like it, but only time will tell for sure.

Also...some are talking about the 16's being noisy and vibrating a lot. I'm very surprised to hear this. In the past, Hoyt's had a bit of a tuning fork feel out of the box, but it went away after a couple hundred arrows. This had been my experience selling hundreds of Hoyt's over the years. And I never found anything that felt better TO ME, than my 2013 Spyder....until I shot the Defiant! I had no intention of getting a new bow this year, until I was showing the new Defiant to potential customers and friends. The bow had a dloop and a whisker biscuit on it, and was SO quiet and completely vibration free straight out of the box!!! I canceled my order for the carbon Defiant and ordered an aluminum model. The bow I received was just like the shop bow...quiet and vibration free.
I never test a bow without putting it to specs first, and maybe that's what it is...maybe the bows that people are have a bad experience with are not set up properly. JMO


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## whack n stack (Dec 23, 2007)

1955 said:


> We received a 2017 Carbon Defiant 34 with the 2.1 cams on Saturday. The bow was for our Hoyt rep, and knowing he wouldn't care, I set it up for myself and put 30 or 40 arrows through it. I will be getting one if these!!!
> 
> To the finish...it had the new Buckskin on it and it's nothing like the pictured. It has an 80 grit sandpaper like finish. You may or may not like it, but I thought it was awesome!!! You'll get absolutely NO glare off if this bow. Will it hold up? Time will tell. Of course Hoyt says it's a new rough finish, and it sure feels like it, but only time will tell for sure.
> 
> ...


This year's aluminum Hoyt's are a big improvement in noise and vibration imho.

High quality affordable bear hunts PM me


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## 4IDARCHER (Jul 1, 2006)

The new buckskin finish is the same (texture wise) as the black from later in 2016, meaning it has that grit feel and is indeed more durable then he painted finishes of before. It will NOT be as durable as a kolorfusion finish but it is much better then before.


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## 1955 (Sep 22, 2009)

4IDARCHER said:


> The new buckskin finish is the same (texture wise) as the black from later in 2016, meaning it has that grit feel and is indeed more durable then he painted finishes of before. It will NOT be as durable as a kolorfusion finish but it is much better then before.


Have you actually felt the new Buckskin? I'm not sure you're correct. We received two bows on Saturday...the carbon bow is Buckskin and the other one is a black Defiant Turbo. The black bow has nothing like the texture on the Buckskin! The black bow has the same old texture...smooth. And yes, both bows are 2017. I held both bow that day.


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## 4IDARCHER (Jul 1, 2006)

I should clarify. On the carbon the buckskin and black are applied the same way. The buckskin is a tiny (extremely tiny) bit smaller grit than the black. On the aluminum bows there is a difference. The buckskin has the same gritty feel as the carbon bow and the aluminum black is a dip. 
I got to play around with a couple and the buckskin is very nice. Coupled with the new aggressive riser it looks really good, but have to stick with what I said in the first post. There is no felt difference to me between the 2016 and 2017 aluminum bows, except for the 2.0 vs. 2.1 cam which I don't use. I love Hoyt, but really the difference between the two aluminum bows is looks, marketing, and the talking points given to those sponsored by Hoyt, and there is nothing wrong with that.


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## Ryjax (Mar 3, 2014)

whack n stack said:


> This year's aluminum Hoyt's are a big improvement in noise and vibration imho.
> 
> High quality affordable bear hunts PM me


I'm with you... I thought the Defiant was the loudest Hoyt I've ever shot, and it felt like a tuning fork compared to years past. I feel none of that with the pro defiant. 
Now the CD has felt great all along. If it weren't for the #2 cam issues and the horrible wait times, I would have purchased a CD last year. 


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## 1955 (Sep 22, 2009)

4IDARCHER said:


> I should clarify. On the carbon the buckskin and black are applied the same way. The buckskin is a tiny (extremely tiny) bit smaller grit than the black. On the aluminum bows there is a difference. The buckskin has the same gritty feel as the carbon bow and the aluminum black is a dip.
> I got to play around with a couple and the buckskin is very nice. Coupled with the new aggressive riser it looks really good, but have to stick with what I said in the first post. There is no felt difference to me between the 2016 and 2017 aluminum bows, except for the 2.0 vs. 2.1 cam which I don't use. I love Hoyt, but really the difference between the two aluminum bows is looks, marketing, and the talking points given to those sponsored by Hoyt, and there is nothing wrong with that.


Cool. Yeah, the black one was Aluminum. I'm sure you're right.

I use the 2 cam, but still couldn't tell the difference. They had a winner last year, I'm glad they didn't make any real changes.


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## THE ELKMAN (Jan 2, 2013)

The CDP 34 shoots and tunes like an absolute dream. Put hands on mine yesterday...


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## c5mrr270 (Mar 3, 2009)

Cdp?


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## THE ELKMAN (Jan 2, 2013)

Sorry type-O. Should have been DP-34.


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## OklahomaShooter (Oct 25, 2016)

Glad someone put the work in to give a good review! Awesome! And that buckskin color is too cool. I don't usually buy new bows but these have me looking hard!


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## magnusf (Mar 5, 2015)

Nice review


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## Ermine (Jul 17, 2016)

I have a Carbon Defiant 34. Made in 16. It is super quiet. Finish has held up great. Bow tuned easy and shoots amazing!


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## Hunt10400 (Jul 1, 2016)

I am currently in the market for a new bow. Although my first bow was a Hoyt, I've been shooting Bowtech for years now. Obviously bow technology has evolved drastically since my last Hoyt. I shot the new Reign 6 the other day and loved it. I don't plan on choosing though until I get a Defiant in my hands. What can I expect? Any comparison to the Reign? I fear I'm going to love it and end up torn between the two.


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