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Darton Archery was a powerhouse in the 80s and 90s. They constantly innovated compound bow design, and brought to market things like the first true center-shot bow, the hybrid cam, and the synchronized cam that many of the best compound bows use today. Darton registered over 30 patents, but their popularity declined in the early 2000s.
Then, in 2020, Randy Kitts (owner of Black Eagle Arrows and Conquest Archery) bought Darton. He’s been leading the brand on a steady comeback by making bows that are shootable and innovative.
Steady Improvement
At the 2022 Outdoor Life bow test, the Darton Spectra E was one of the top bows tested, and I gave it “the sleeper” award. It’s 7075 T-6511 aluminum riser has a high strength-to-weight ratio. The cams used Darton’s E system, which was a new take on yolks with three points of contact instead of two.
In 2023, we tested the Darton Prelude. That bow also featured a high-grade aluminum riser, ¼-inch axles, and ⅝-inch bearings. It featured cams with ¼-inch draw length adjustment and eight settings for holding weight. It was the fastest bow we tested that year, and it had one of the smoothest draws.
Last year we shot the Darton Sequel 31, which tied our Editor’s Choice winner for smoothest draw cycle.
That’s three bows at the top of very competitive fields. Looking back at the reviews, each mentioned Darton being underrated. But I’m calling this year’s bow the end of Darton’s underdog era. They are now a major player and innovator in compound bows.
The Darton Sequel 33 ST²
Specs
- Price: $1,250
- Draw Length Range: 25.5 to 30.5 inches
- Axle to Axle: 33.187 inches
- Brace Height: 6.375 inches
- Let Off: 75 to 85 percent
- Weight: 5.1 pounds
- Speed: 279.7 fps (60.5 pounds, 395-grain arrow, 29.5-inch draw)
Features
- Perfect Tune: Allows for adjusting cam lean with just an Allen wrench
- Perfect Timing: Allows for fine tuning cam timing
- QAD Integrate and Hameskea COR rest mount
- Micro adjustable let off
- Optional speed mod available
The 2025 Darton Sequel 33 ST² has a smooth draw, rigid riser, and good speed. But, the headline is its new features: Perfect Tune and Perfect Timing.
If you’ve ever had cams that were 1/8-inch of sync and then spent an hour trying to get them perfectly even, you’ll appreciate the Perfect Timing system. To adjust timing you just loosen a set screw on the Perfect Timing adjuster and then turn it as much as needed. Instead of being pigeonholed to a half or full twist in your cables you can now put in 1/100 of a twist if you need to.
The Perfect Tune system adjusts cam lean by turning a screw next to the limb bolt with an Allen wrench. It’s a fast and easy system for fine tuning your bow.
The Upshot
For the last 75 years, Darton Archery has been an archery innovator, and this year’s bow shows that they are far from done innovating. They’ve successfully built a great shooting bow with brand new features that make tuning easier. Perhaps most impressive is that they’ve done all that while being one of the least expensive flagship compound bows.
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