Hoyt AX-2 29 Bow Review

Hey y'all, Brody Swishy with bowhunting.com here and today I'm taking a look at the brand new Hoyt AX2 29. Now this is a 29 but it's also available in a 32 model as well as the SD model for short draw shooters but again today it's all about the 29 which is actually a 29.5 inch axle to axle bow. We're going to take a look at all the performance the features and the specs and I'll be honest with you this bow's got big shoes to fill coming on the heels of last year's super popular Hoyt Now when it comes to first impressions on this bow the things that jump out to me right away are the compact design of the bow coming in again at 29 that 29.5 inch axle to axle it's short it's sweet compact design it's going to be perfectly suited for the tree stand hunter saddle hunter ground blind hunter those tight confines but it's also going to be well suited for the western hunter who's looking for that minimalist design something compact to throw on lightweight minimal design so east or west this bow I think is going to have you covered but it's also got that beefy riser design it looks tough and feels tough we've seen it for decades from Hoyt you're going to find it again on this bow for 2025. Now as we get started let's take a quick look at the specs again this is the 29 which is actually a 29.5 inch axle to axle length the bow's weighing in at four and a quarter pounds which is actually a quarter pound lighter than what we saw last year and I'll tell you what it honestly feels lighter than that again I guess it's just because of the compact design it looks small so it feels even smaller but four and a quarter pounds have shaped some weight off from what we saw last year other specs include speeds up to 340 feet per second brace height of six and three-eighths inch draw length range from 25 to 30 inches draw weight range from 40 to 80 pounds and it wears a price tag of 1449. Now one of the things you need to know about this bow for 2025 is that it has a brand new cam system they're calling it the HBX Gen 4 now the cam system and the draw cycle is really what I loved about last year's bow I love that HBX cam I love the draw cycle of it again one of the best drawing bows I've seen yet out of Hoyt so why change you're going to find more performance in this HBX Gen 4 but you're also going to see that it is a more aggressive looking cam but it also feels more aggressive in that draw cycle at 70 pounds I really noticed that it took a little more muscle to get that bow back it kind of surprised me again compared to what I saw and felt from last year the Gen 4 is a more aggressive cam but again it's got that extra speed built into it the Gen 4 just a more aggressive draw cycle but again it's something you're going to get used to as you get out on the range spend some time go through the motion feel the cycle learn how it lays out not a problem at all another thing to know about the cam system is that it's one cam with five modules again allowing you to get that specific draw length you need you've got quarter inch adjustments around that specific draw length but kind of like what we saw in the past you're going to have that module to fit your specific draw length again the engineers are going to tell you that this is the best way to maximize efficiency and performance in that cam system at your specific draw length other features for customization you're going to find in this Gen 4 cam is the let off adjustment you choose the let off you desire 75 80 85 one screw turn right here make the adjustments quick simple easy this little boot on the back allows you to adjust the feel of that back wall you can have a hard back wall extreme hard back wall again you're flipping these little boots on the back top and bottom again lots of customization built into this cam system giving you the perfect custom fit and feel that you desire no matter your draw length they've got you taken care of with this setup another thing about the Gen 4 cam is that it is a four track cam design with the yoke we've been seeing that a lot from a number of different bow manufacturers the cam system with the yoke design again preventing that cam lean but also eliminating interference with the cam and the cables one other thing i want to point out on this cam that i like i saw last year is this little what i call a bump button i don't know the name for it but it's a little bump button on top you see a little bump above this cam you see it on the top you're going to see it on the bottom as well it's just that first contact point if you're lowering your bow from the tree stand it's a contact point that's going to allow you to keep your cam up out of the dirt for making that contact on the ground we're seeing accessory integration becoming a standard these days you're going to find that on the ax2 picatinny rail mount out front for your bow sight you're going to find the ims mount on the backside standard burger hole if you want to go traditional there oh but i love the cutout they've got on the backside to kind of protect that drop away string that down cable used to have to wrap around the side now you're going to find it kind of with this cut out in the middle to protect and house that a little bit now with some time on the range i quickly learned this bow is very quiet and vibration free i think a lot of that goes again to that short stop stabilizer some may say it's a gadget or a gimmick but again i think putting that stabilizer so far out front of the riser really helps eliminate that vibration you're going to feel it or maybe not feel it in the hand shock from this bow again it's slim to none when it comes to vibration you're going to find that stabilizer has been redesigned for 2025 it's a new stabilizer or short stop stabilizer out front you've got the threaded weights opportunities to add on as well so some new improvements there now when it comes to the grip on the bow you're going to find a rubberized feel grip kind of an add-on grip with the texturized side plate on the left side texturized strip on the back and then the hoyt logo with the texturized feel on the side and a texturized piece for your thumb there as always i want to get a real world feel of this bow and how it performs with my hunting setup 420 grain eastern axis arrows i'm gonna put some arrows through the garmin chrono see what it does this is a 28 inch bow 70 pounds setup and i'm also going to shoot it at 65 pounds as well we'll get an idea for what it's doing through the chrono so let's take a couple shots see what we got 302 302 feet per second at 70 pounds we shot at 65 pounds got 288 feet per second cranked it back up to 70 pounds we're at 302.7 so zipping pretty good that 70 pound mark but you're going to pay for it that speed comes at a price at 70 pounds more aggressive on the draw cycle you feel that stacking through there after a handful of shots you get used to it you know what's coming not a big deal but that initial draw you're going to feel that stacking on the draw cycle particularly at 70 pounds i think again when i cranked it down to 65 not an issue all right so let's talk about the pros and cons the stuff i like as well as a few dislikes for this bow we'll start with the things i love about this bow and again that's the compact design of the bow man i'm a sucker for a compact lightweight bow i love a bow that i can pack easy on my shoulder carry it at my side or strap it to my backpack this bow meets those demands really nicely again it's got my favorite camo pattern so it looks as good as it feels those are a couple of the pros for me now when it comes to the negatives on the bow i'll point out real quick the lack of tuning in the cam system itself i love the fact that the customization is there for the let off options i like the opportunity to adjust the draw length right there quick and simple on board no bow press required i like that but we're not seeing that tuning technology yet from Hoyt so the Hoyt crew we're calling you out for 2026 we want to see some tuning technology built into the cam system going forward that would be a huge advantage for these guys i know it's coming we're hoping to see it in 2026 the only other negative thing i would say is the draw cycle on this gen 4 takes a little more getting used to than what we saw last year a more aggressive draw cycle is what you're going to find on this gen 4 again not a problem just something to get used to from the start so that's it the Hoyt ax229 i hope i've answered some questions you might have on this bow it's ringing up at 1449 check it out at your local Hoyt dealer or online at hoyt.com