Athens Protege Compound Bow

The Athens Protege is a 25-inch, 230-plus fps IBO youth growth bow made from 2010 to 2012, and its whole case rests on reach: a 5-pound, 11 3/4-inch floor low enough to start a toddler, climbing to 29 pounds and a 26 1/4-inch draw as the child grows, with heavier limbs to extend it further. Unlike the single-cam kid bows it competed with, it runs a true dual cam with a rotating draw module, sealed cam bearings, a solid-wall stop and rear-pivot limb pockets - real construction that owners consistently rank a cut above discount-store youth bows. What stays with me about the Protege is that it refuses to treat a small child's first bow as a throwaway: it adjusts lower than almost anything else, holds together through hard backyard use, and keeps fitting the same archer for years. It comes as a bare bow in a Boys or Girls colorway, so plan on adding a sight, rest, and arrows, and on a quick pro-shop press visit each time you step up the draw. Discontinued now, it is a used-market find, but a clean one restrung by any pro shop is a lot of genuinely-built growth bow. It is an excellent choice for the parent who wants to start a very young child on a real bow and keep it in service as they grow, and it is particularly strong at that low-weight, small-draw starting point most youth bows can't reach. Buyers who want an inexpensive ready-to-shoot package should also look at the Diamond Atomic; those whose child is already heading toward hunting weights should look at the Bear Apprentice... read full review