Bear Legit Review

Editors' review

One compound bow that starts a 30-pound backyard shooter and finishes a 70-pound whitetail hunter, sold for under $400 at launch with a full ready-to-hunt kit already in the box - that was the Bear Legit's whole argument, and for four model years (2021 through 2024) it was one of the loudest value arguments in the category. The Legit is Bear's ultra-adjustable budget platform, later succeeded by the Legit Maxx, built around a 30-inch axle-to-axle (ATA, the tip-to-tip length between the cam axles), a 6-inch brace height, and a 315 fps IBO rating across a 14-to-30-inch draw length and a 10-to-70-pound draw weight range - every bit of it adjustable with nothing more than an Allen wrench and no bow press. What you give up for that range and that price shows up in two places a new buyer should understand going in: a firm 75-percent let-off (the percentage the holding weight drops to at full draw) that keeps the valley short, and composite draw modules where a pricier bow would run aluminum. What you get back is a genuinely rigid machined-aluminum riser, a smooth draw, and a package that is essentially shoot-ready the afternoon you bring it home. This review covers the standard Legit; the 2025 Legit Maxx is a separate bow with an integrated mounting system and a slightly taller brace.

Finish

The Legit shipped in about nine finish combinations across its run, a wider palette than most budget competitors put on the shelf. Solid and hydro-dipped options ran from a clean Shadow Black to personality dips like Wildfire, Undertow, Toxic and Muddy Girl that family purchases often hinge on. Hunting patterns covered Realtree Edge, TrueTimber Strata and Veil Stoke, usually as two-tone limbs against a darker riser. For 2022 and 2023 Bear added limited Special Editions - Throwback Black, Throwback Green on Fred Bear Camo limbs, a Throwback Tan desert scheme and a light-grey GHOST edition - that leaned on the brand's heritage look, and a Fred Bear Camo option carried the classic tribute identity for buyers who want it. Bear's dip-coating is the same process used on higher-tier models and holds up to ordinary field use, though contact with treestand rails and brush will eventually mark any dipped riser. In practice the breadth matters most when a parent and a teenager have to agree on the one bow they are bringing home.

Riser

The Legit's riser is machined aluminum with aggressive weight-relief cut-outs, and it is the part of this bow that most clearly justifies the step up from Bear's cheaper adjustable models. It is noticeably beefier and more rigid than the smaller Cruzer riser, and a cast-in center-shot reference mark on the shelf gives a clear starting point for setting the rest. The geometry is compact - 30 inches axle-to-axle for the 2022 through 2024 bows, and 29 1/8 inches on the first-year 2021 build before Bear restated the length - which keeps it easy to handle in a treestand or a ground blind where a longer target rig fights back. Cable management uses a standard cable slide on the cable arm rather than the roller found on higher-tier bows, a cost choice with a small effect on perceived draw drag. Standard stabilizer bushings sit under the grip, and the sight and rest mount to conventional threaded holes rather than the dovetail-and-Picatinny system Bear later put on the Maxx. In my experience the rigidity here is the quiet reason the Legit tunes and groups better than its price suggests - a flexy budget riser is what usually gives an entry bow away, and this one does not feel like that.

Grip

The Legit uses Bear's slim standard grip, a thin profile that sits cleanly in the web of the hand and encourages a low, repeatable wrist position. Owners consistently note that the bow does not jump or twist in the hand at the shot, which is partly the grip shape and partly the riser mass behind it. The narrow section suits medium and larger hands well; a shooter coming off a fatter target grip should expect a few hundred shots of adaptation to how little there is to hold onto. A low-torque grip like this rewards a relaxed hand, since the less you fight it the straighter the bow shoots. Standard aftermarket grips fit the Bear interface for anyone who wants a different shape, more warmth for late-season aluminum, or a fatter palm swell. For a bow at this price the hand feel is a genuine strength rather than an afterthought.

Limbs

The Legit runs a split-limb design carrying the full 10-to-70-pound adjustment range, which asks one limb set to store energy across very different loads, from a light backyard setting up to a 70-pound adult hunting weight. Draw weight changes with the limb bolts and an Allen wrench with no press needed inside the published range, and draw length changes through a rotating module held by two screws that also works without a press at every setting. Two realities temper the headline range. First, actual peak weight falls as draw length drops - hands-on measurement showed about 67 pounds at a 30-inch draw and 62 at 26 inches on the same bow - so a short-draw shooter will not pull a true 70. Second, the very bottom of the range is more a spec than a usable setting: at the lowest weights the string and cables go slack enough that they can slip a cam without a press, so the practical floor is closer to a 20-inch draw and 25 pounds than the printed 10. Within its usable band the limb architecture is the same one Bear has run reliably across the Cruzer and Legit families, so long-term durability is not a worry. For the family or growing-archer buyer the range is the entire point; for a shooter who will lock the bow at one adult weight it is simply unused headroom.

Eccentric System

The Legit uses Bear's improved dual cam system, and the interesting detail is how it is yoked: each cam is tied to the opposite limb through its own yoke (a double-yoke, cam-to-limb layout) rather than being slaved cam-to-cam. In practice that makes cam-lean tuning approachable for a home tinkerer - you can twist a yoke to true up the cam without shimming - but it also means the cams drift out of sync a little more readily and reward an occasional timing check. The cams themselves are a large single-piece design, and here is the clearest cost-cut on the bow: the draw modules are composite rather than aluminum, and they can vibrate loose over time. The Legit carries a 315 fps IBO rating (the industry chronograph standard at 30 inches, 70 pounds and a 350-grain arrow), and real-world chronograph testing at that setup lands around 304 to 307 fps once the cams are timed - within roughly ten feet per second of the claim, which is honest performance for the tier and actually closer to IBO than many budget bows manage. Step to realistic hunting numbers and it reads about 273 fps with a 400-grain arrow at 29 inches and 70 pounds, 258 fps with a 430-grain shaft at 28 inches, and 237 fps with a heavy 450-grain hunting arrow at 27 inches and 63 pounds - enough kinetic energy for whitetail-sized game at typical bow ranges. Let-off is fixed at 75 percent, lower than the 80-to-90 percent many competitors offer, which is the central trade-off: more stored energy for the speed at the cost of a shorter valley and more weight held at full draw. Draw length adjusts from 14 to 30 inches through the module with only an Allen wrench, so a parent can move the bow up for a growing teenager on a Saturday morning without a shop visit.

Draw Cycle/Shootability

Drawing the Legit, the front end is smoother than the price tag suggests - a clean breakover with no hump or dump, pulling up near peak weight early and holding it steady across most of the stroke before it settles into let-off at the back. That draw is a real strength, and owners routinely rate it above the cheaper Cruzer's. The back wall is the character line to understand: there is no hard cable or limb stop, just a rollover module that lays flat against the cables, so the wall feels soft and a little spongy rather than a firm concrete stop. How soft depends on timing - when the two draw stops are even slightly out of sync the wall gets mushy, and it firms up markedly once both hit together, so a timing check is the first thing I would do on a new one. The 75-percent let-off keeps the valley short and a touch grabby; relax your back tension and the bow creeps forward and accelerates back toward peak quickly, which means it asks the shooter to stay engaged at anchor. For a newer archer that is arguably a teaching feature - it will not let you get lazy at full draw - but a shooter used to a flagship's deep, forgiving valley should shoot one first. On the shot there is a little hand vibration, mild rather than punishing, and a stabilizer plus a set of limb dampeners tame most of it. The bow is not whisper-quiet - it is about average for its class, and no independent decibel figure exists to pin it more precisely than that - but nothing about the shot is harsh for a sub-$400 rig.

Usage Scenarios

The Legit fits a handful of very concrete buyers. Picture a 14-year-old who starts at a 22-inch draw and 45 pounds in the backyard, then over four seasons grows into a 28-inch, 65-pound whitetail setup on the very same bow - one purchase instead of three, every change made at the kitchen table with an Allen wrench. A household with several archers can share one Legit the same way, dialing a parent up and a younger sibling down between range sessions without a trip to the shop. The compact 30-inch axle-to-axle handles well in a treestand or a ground blind, and the real-world speeds carry enough energy for whitetail-sized game inside about 40 yards with appropriate broadheads. Backyard practice, casual 3D club nights and indoor lanes all sit comfortably inside what this bow does. Experienced hunters often keep one around as an inexpensive backup or a loaner to hand a friend who is curious about bowhunting. Where it is not the right tool is the top of the sport: it is not a competition target rig, it would be underpowered for elk at long range, and a shooter who needs a deep 85-to-90-percent valley for long stand holds should look elsewhere. For its actual mission - one affordable, adjustable bow that covers most recreational and entry hunting - it lands squarely on target.

Versions

The Legit was sold in two package tiers under one bow. The Legit RTH launched at $399.99 and is the version most buyers chose: it arrives essentially shoot-ready with a lighted Trophy Ridge four-pin sight and level, a Whisker Biscuit rest, a five-arrow Trophy Ridge quiver, a Blitz stabilizer and wrist sling, and a no-tie peep and D-loop already installed, plus a few months of onX mapping. The Legit RTH Extra, launched at $519.99, adds five Trophy Ridge arrows, an Arch-X release aid and three Siphon broadheads for the buyer who wants literally everything in one box. Across the run Bear's direct pricing crept from that $399.99 launch up through the high $400s by the 2024 model year, and the 2022-2023 limited Special Editions in Throwback and GHOST finishes sat at their own price point. Both tiers are the identical bow mechanically; the only difference is what ships in the box. Right- and left-hand builds were offered, and finish choice is independent of package tier for most colors.

Bear Legit vs Diamond Edge 320, Diamond Infinite Edge Pro

Bow	Bear Legit	Diamond Edge 320	Diamond Infinite Edge Pro
Version	2024	2022	2026 Legacy
Picture
Brace Height	6 "	7.25 "	7 "
AtA Length	30 "	32 "	31 "
Draw Length	14 " - 30 "	15 " - 31 "	13 " - 31 "
Draw Weight	10 lbs - 70 lbs	7 lbs - 70 lbs	5 lbs - 65 lbs
IBO Speed	315 fps	320 fps	300 fps
Weight	3.8 lbs	3.6 lbs	3.3 lbs
Let-Off	75%	85%	80%
Where to buy Best prices online	$200 to $900 Compare prices	$199.99 to $795 Compare prices	$125 to $900 Compare prices
	compare more bows

The adjustable-budget category has a few genuine alternatives, and the choice comes down to what a buyer weighs most. The Diamond Edge 320 is the more forgiving bow of the group: a taller 7.25-inch brace height and an 85-percent let-off make it easier to hold and to shoot well, and its 32-inch axle-to-axle adds stability, though it launched about $50 higher at $449 and is a longer bow to carry in tight cover. The Diamond Infinite Edge Pro is the widest-range option, adjustable from 5 to 70 pounds and 13 to 31 inches at the same $399 launch tier as the Legit, with a 7-inch brace and an 80-percent let-off - it reaches lower for the smallest young shooters and holds more comfortably, but it is slower on the chronograph and a longer 31-inch bow. Against both, the Legit is the most compact at 30 inches and the fastest of the three at the IBO setup, and it undercuts the Edge 320 on price, but it asks for the trade you feel in every shot: the lowest brace at 6 inches and the firmest hold at 75-percent let-off. The riser is the Legit's quiet advantage, a notably rigid machined-aluminum platform for the money. The decision comes down to priorities: the Bear Legit for the buyer who wants the most compact, fastest, lowest-cost adjustable bow and will keep it tuned; the Diamond Edge 320 for the buyer who will trade fifty dollars and a longer bow for a more forgiving brace and a higher let-off; and the Diamond Infinite Edge Pro for the household that needs the widest range down to the smallest child and values an easier hold over top-end speed.

Summary

The Bear Legit earned its four-year run from 2021 through 2024 by answering one question cleanly: what is the least you can spend on a bow that fits a whole family and still shoots like a real hunting rig? At a $399.99 launch MSRP for the ready-to-hunt package, the answer was a 315 fps IBO platform that chronographs around 304 to 307 fps at the standard setup - within about ten feet per second of its claim - with a 14-to-30-inch draw and a 10-to-70-pound range that genuinely takes a shooter from the backyard to a whitetail stand on one bow. The riser is more rigid than the price suggests, the draw is smooth, and the ready-to-hunt kit is one of the more complete in the tier. The honest trade-offs are a firm 75-percent let-off with a short valley, composite draw modules that reward a dab of thread-locker, and a soft back wall that depends on keeping the cams in time - none of them dealbreakers, all of them worth knowing. What I keep coming back to is that the Legit spends its money where it counts, on the riser and the draw, and cuts corners where a diligent owner can quietly fix them. It is an excellent choice for the growing archer or the one-bow household that wants the most compact and affordable adjustable platform and does not mind staying engaged at the back wall; buyers who prioritize a more forgiving brace and an easier hold should look at the Diamond Edge 320, and those who need the widest range down to the smallest child should weigh the Diamond Infinite Edge Pro.