I have a R5X, upgrading from vintage (20+ yrs old) Parker and 10 pt bows. It's an amazing upgrade and super accurate. The scope has aiming points every 10 yards to 100. Once the scope is set properly, I shot a 3 1/2" group at 100, not that you'd want to shoot at game that far, but it gives you an idea about the accuracy. I wasn't getting this accuracy at half the distance with the other bows. I can't tell if it's any quieter than my older xbows, but a deer within 40 yds isn't going to have much time to react to it.
My only complaints are the crank (and quiver for that matter) is difficult for me to attach to the bow in the dark and the new attachment point on the stock isn't secure enough to keep the crank from coming off. I knocked the crank off twice carrying it by the sling over on shoulder, and, being about 100 bucks to replace, I don't use that mounting point anymore.
The second complaint is that Raven recommends string replacement every 2 years or 400 shots. At my shop that's $125. Ouch. The bolts are also very expensive. You don't want to lose many! I don't use their lighted nocks, but they have a bad reputation for being hard to turn off. I'm not sure what competitor's strings, bolts, or lighted nocks cost or their string life.
When you decock the bow, the handle will free wheel if you lose your grip and has a tendency to bump the windage scope turrent.
The bolts stick out about 1" beyond the bow. I don't like this because the broadhead becomes a hang point for just about everything. I asked the bow shop to cut the bolt an inch and they didn't recommend it claiming it could cause flight issues.
Finally, you can't read the ranges on the scope in the dark with the illumination turned on. You can only see the dots so you have to count the dots to determine which dot to use. In the heat of the moment, it takes up precious time and can result in using the wrong aiming point. I don't know if competitor's scopes have this limitation.
Best features: Easy and quick to ****, accurate beyond belief, can be used safely in a shooting house, compact, and a very smooth trigger (lots of creep, but light/smooth). Would I buy it again? Yes.
Before dropping that much on a xbow, I'd recommend shooting a few to get the one that matches you the best. You can buy a really nice custom barreled action in the caliber of your choice for the same price and their is no string to replace. Lol!
