Athens Summit Compound Bow

At launch in 2019 the Summit ran $799 for the camo-riser-with-black-limbs build and $824.99 for a fully matched camo riser and limbs - value-tier money for a made-to-order American bow when the flagships it was shown against sat past a thousand dollars. What you were paying for was not headline speed but a forgiving, maneuverable 30-inch treestand hunter that holds like an anchor: a deep valley, adjustable let-off into the high-80s, near-zero vibration, and a grip that points itself. Its 340 fps IBO rating translated to an honest 321 fps out of the box with a 350-grain arrow, a few feet per second short of the number and squarely in line with Athens' reputation for straight speed talk. The DLS cam is the one real commitment it asks of you - spec your draw length correctly, or lean on the free first swap, and the bow otherwise disappears into years of use. Shooting it, what stays with me is how little happens at the shot; it is genuinely dead in the hand for a sub-$825 bow. On the used market now it is one of the quieter bargains in a forgiving hunting bow, and it sits a step below the modular convenience of the 2020 Summit 6 and Summit 7 that replaced it. It is an excellent bow for the patient treestand or ground-blind hunter who values a long, restful hold and a calm shot over chasing speed. Buyers who want more velocity and home-adjustable draw length should also look at the Bear Divergent EKO; those who want the same forgiving geometry at the lowest possible entry price should weigh the PSE Stinger Max... read full review