QAD UltraRest MXT Review and Install – TOP SHELF

How important is a solid, well-built arrow rest for your compound archery shooting?  Also, how important is it for you when you go out to hunt that your equipment works?  To me the answer is simple, if I want to eat all natural red, or for that matter white meat (mmmm… grouse), it better be “Top Shelf” equipment.  Over my 20 years or so  archery hunting career, I’ve been able to use many different arrow rests.  All the way from the old stationary style, overdraw rests, and some of the first fallaway rests, to some of the latest and greatest rests, I’ve tried them all.  Some of my rests included the HHA, Muzzy Zero-effect, Ripcord, and the Trophy Taker Smackdown Pro.   Just like with compound bows, arrow rests have evolved over the years into high tech and sometimes over-engineered tools of the trade.  This article is focused on one specific rest that I recently purchased and fell in love with – the QAD UtraRest MXT.

Buy Now

Fall away rest have gained in popularity since they were first introduced, as the rest can be used to lock your arrow into the rest so you can leave it nocked during a hunt, it can be adjusted so that when you release the shot the arrow feathers/fletchings don’t come in contact with the rest as the arrow flies towards your target.  Some of the older rests required hours of adjustments, fletch tuning, and in some cases, if you didn’t do things right, it could cause arrows to fly inconsistent, or worse, cause severe mishaps during the shot.  I’ve lost an arrow or two with a “Y” style rest that comes on the Smackdown.  The arrow would sometimes get stuck at the top of the “Y” and not settle to the bottom valley.  I know, I know, you need to adjust your pinch point on the string, so it doesn’t squeeze the arrow at full draw.  Those arguments can fly out the window… Let’s say you get all the kinks worked out during practice and then you go to full draw on a mature bull elk and the arrow gets stuck. You’re hosed or are disgusted when your arrow sails into the deep timber never to be found again and the bull bolts into the next mountain range.  After this happened to me, I decided to switch my rest out for the “U” shaped launcher, which is what is on the QAD MXT.

Like many of you, I read and study forum after forum to find the best gear.  So, what does that mean, it means I do research but at some point, I have to choose a product and try it out and that’s what I did when I selected the QAD product line-up.  There are many different flavors of QAD out there, such as the QAD UltraRest HDX, QAD UltraRest Hunter, QAD Bowtech UltrRest, and the QAD UltraRest MXT to name a few.  Again, I chose to try the QAD UltraRest MXT.

Unboxing:

Here’s what the rest offers, right out of the Quality Archery Design site:

• Total arrow containment, the arrow will never fall off
• Drop-Away rest with total fletching clearance
• Click micro adjust (.00195” per click)
• Anti-Backlash Technology
• Positive locking dovetail systems
• Lock-Down Technology guarantees no bounce back and total fletching clearance
• Shoots from the launcher in 90 degree position (proven the most accurate position on drop-aways)
• Drops only when bow is fired, not when letting the bow down slowly
• Noise-reducing, laser-cut felt and rubber dampeners
• Tested at over 400fps with total fletching clearance
• Available in Right or Left hand
• Made in the USA with a Limited Life-Time Warranty

Well, I installed this rest on my Hoyt Carbon Defiant 34, not a new bow, but a solid bow I’ve harvested all-natural meat with over the last few years.  This is my go-to bow when I backpack into the mountains to chase the old wapiti.

The things I liked about this rest:

• Comes with 3 different launchers, which helps you to set up the rest for different rest locations.
• Fast micro-adjustments. I really like the easy to read dials, for the vertical and horizontal adjustments. No more guessing, or marking the spot with a sharpie.
• Locks in place at full draw, and stays there when you let off. It allows for a thumb press to quickly drop the launcher down, so you can remove your arrow after pass on shooting at that young bull.
• Full arrow concealment. You nock your arrow on the bow and leave it locked on the rest, so you can set your bow down or hang it up while you wait in your deer blind for that big buck!
• Zero bounce back during launch. This simply means it won’t bounce back up and hit your arrow as it launches across the rest.
• Noise dampening technology.
• Easy to install and adjust. Check out the install video. I even posted a video of the arrow clearing the rest in slow-motion.  Pretty cool stuff.

Installing, tuning and shooting with the QAD UltraRest MXT:

Conclusion

This is a great little rest.  It was easy to install and tune.  I think it took me all of 15 minutes to paper tune this rest.  I’ve put roughly 100+ arrows down range and it’s been very consistent.  I have also shot arrows in slow motion trying to catch the launcher as it falls away from the arrow.  The price point for this rest is right around $224.95, but if you’re like me and want to match the camo pattern on your bow it’ll cost you an extra $25.  To me the quality of this product justifies the price.  What do I think about this rest, well simply put I this is a “Top Shelf” arrow rest!

Where to buy link: QAD UltraRest MXT