Diamond Carbon Knockout Review

Editors' review

Most "women's" compound bows are men's bows in disguise: the same chassis, dialed down to a short draw and a lighter peak, sold in a different color. The Diamond Carbon Knockout was built the other way around. It starts with a full carbon Knight riser that drops the bare bow to 3.2 pounds, wraps it around a Synchronized Binary Cam sized specifically for a 22.5 to 27 inch draw, and hangs a forgiving 6.75 inch brace height off a 30 inch axle-to-axle frame. The result is a bow that gives a shorter-draw archer a proper valley and real speed instead of the mushy, over-drawn feel of a men's cam wound down to its shortest setting. It ships as a complete R.A.K. package, so a first-time owner can be shooting the afternoon they bring it home. What a purpose-built women's platform actually changes is the whole point of this bow, and it shows up the moment you draw it.

Finish

The Carbon Knockout comes in two looks, both leaning into the carbon identity rather than hiding it. Micro-Carbon shows the raw carbon-weave riser in black, and Mossy Oak Break-Up Country wraps it for the treestand; each pairs the neutral riser with electric-blue cams and accents that read as the bow's signature. The blue is deliberate and unisex enough that a short-draw male archer picking the bow up for its carbon-and-price combination is not stuck with a pink flag on the range. The powder-coat and camo dip hold up to normal field handling, and the exposed carbon weave resists the dings that show quickly on painted aluminum. Two finishes is a modest palette next to a mass-market aluminum lineup, but it fits a focused, single-purpose model. Neither finish carries an upcharge over the other.

Riser

The heart of the bow is the Carbon Knight riser, Bowtech's carbon-composite layup process built to eliminate the weak spots that a hollow aluminum riser has to engineer around. Carbon is why this bow weighs 3.2 pounds bare when a comparable aluminum women's bow lives closer to four, and the difference is the kind you feel in the last minutes of a long sit rather than on a bench. Carbon also runs warmer than metal against a bare hand in cold weather and soaks up buzz before it reaches the grip. It is the same carbon-riser family Bowtech puts under the Carbon Icon and the men's Carbon Cure, so the material has a track record across the lineup rather than being a one-off experiment. Picking it up, what I notice first is how little bow there is to hold, which is exactly the point for an archer who has been fighting a heavier borrowed setup.

Grip

The grip is a slim, direct-to-riser design that keeps the hand close to the carbon and low to the shelf. Hands-on owners consistently single out how naturally the hand settles into it, which matters more on a women's-oriented bow where a bulky aftermarket-feeling grip can force a torqued, uncomfortable hold. The narrow profile suits smaller hands without punishing larger ones, and it encourages a repeatable, low-torque position that helps a developing archer group consistently. There is no heated debate here about swapping it out the way there is on some flagships; most shooters leave it as it comes. For anyone who does want a change, the standard riser-mounted grip footprint accepts common aftermarket side plates.

Limbs

The Carbon Knockout runs split limbs off the carbon riser, offered in 40, 50, and 60 pound peak modules with ten pounds of downward adjustment in each, so the whole platform covers a 30 to 60 pound band depending on which limb option a buyer chooses. That range is chosen with intent: enough to put a 50 or 60 pound setup into legal, ethical whitetail territory, low enough at the bottom that a newer or recovering-from-injury archer can build up without over-bowing. Changing peak weight is a limb-bolt operation done with an Allen wrench, no press required for the adjustment within a module. The split-limb design and the binary system share load evenly, which keeps the limbs balanced and the timing honest over time. It is a conservative, proven limb layout rather than a chase for the last few feet per second, and that conservatism is a feature on a bow aimed at accessibility.

Eccentric System

The Synchronized Binary Cam is the piece that earns the built-for-women claim rather than just wearing it. Diamond sized the cam smaller than its standard system so that the short-draw settings still store energy properly and hold a defined valley, which is the trap most detuned men's bows fall into: run a big cam down to 24 inches and the shooter lives in a vague, creepy back end. Here the binary cams stay synchronized top and bottom, which keeps nock travel straight and makes tuning forgiving. Rated IBO speed is 302 fps (the industry-standard chronograph figure at a fixed 30 inch, 70 pound, 350 grain setup that no short-draw shooter actually replicates), so real hunting-arrow speed at a 26 inch, 50 pound setup lands well below that number, in line with any bow of this class. The 80 percent let-off (the share of peak weight the hold drops to at full draw) means a 50 pound peak holds 10 pounds, easy to settle and aim. Draw length adjusts in half-inch steps through the Rotating Mod System: reposition the module and slide the draw-stop post with a 7/64 hex wrench, no bow press needed. On paper the 302 IBO sits right on the 302 of its Bowtech Carbon Rose twin and just under the 306 of the aluminum Mission Craze, so speed is not where this bow separates from the field; feel and weight are.

Draw Cycle/Shootability

This is where the smaller cam pays off. Drawing it, I keep waiting for a hump that never really arrives; the cycle ramps gently and pulls lighter than the peak number suggests, which is exactly what a newer archer or a shooter stepping down from an over-heavy loaner wants to feel. There is a slight bump as the cam rolls into let-off, and then the shot goes quiet. I settle into the limb-stop back wall and it simply stops, a firm wall rather than a spongy slope, so there is nothing to creep against while aiming. Owners describe getting tight groups on the first outing with only minor adjustments, and that tracks with how forgiving the 6.75 inch brace and the straight-tracking binary cams make the release. Shot signature is quiet and low in vibration, helped by the carbon riser damping buzz before it reaches the hand. At 3.2 pounds bare it is genuinely light to hold at full draw, though like any light bow it rewards a deliberate float over a muscled hold. The overall impression is approachable and confidence-building, not intimidating, which is the whole design brief.

Usage Scenarios

Picture an archer who has spent two seasons borrowing a spouse's 29 inch hunting bow, holding it at the very bottom of its draw and never quite trusting the anchor. She sets the Carbon Knockout to her real 26 inch draw, picks the 50 pound limbs, and for the first time the bow fits her instead of the other way around. That is the core scenario: whitetail from a treestand or ground blind at moderate range, where the light carbon riser is easy to hold steady through a long, cold sit and the complete R.A.K. kit means she is hunting the week she buys it. It doubles as a capable 3D and backyard-target bow for building form, and its low bottom-end weight makes it a genuine grow-into bow for a teenager transitioning toward adult setups. It is not a long-range speed rig, and a hunter chasing elk at extended distances or a long-draw archer who needs past 27 inches should look elsewhere. Within its lane, though, it covers the newer-to-intermediate hunter and target shooter cleanly.

Versions

The Carbon Knockout is a single model sold as one R.A.K. (Ready. Aim. Kill.) package at a $749 launch MSRP, configured across a few SKU axes rather than distinct trims. Buyers choose a peak draw weight of 40, 50, or 60 pounds, a right- or left-hand riser, and one of the two finishes (Micro-Carbon or Mossy Oak Break-Up Country). Every configuration ships fully equipped: an R.A.K. custom sight, an Octane Hostage Max capture rest, an Octane DeadLock Lite quiver, an Octane 5 inch Ultra-Lite stabilizer, a carbon peep, a BCY string loop, and a comfort wrist sling. There is no bow-only versus ready-to-hunt split to weigh, which simplifies the decision to draw weight, hand, and finish. Diamond produced the Carbon Knockout from 2018 through 2025; it has since left the current lineup, so new units now come from remaining dealer stock and the used market.

Diamond Carbon Knockout vs Bowtech Carbon Rose, Mission Craze

Bow	Diamond Carbon Knockout	Bowtech Carbon Rose	Mission Craze
Version	2025	2025	2014
Picture
Brace Height	6.75 "	7 "	7.5 "
AtA Length	30 "	30 "	28 "
Draw Length	22.5 " - 27 "	22.5 " - 27 "	19 " - 30 "
Draw Weight	30 lbs - 60 lbs	30 lbs - 60 lbs	15 lbs - 70 lbs
IBO Speed	302 fps	302 fps	306 fps
Weight	3.2 lbs	3.2 lbs	3.6 lbs
Let-Off	80%	80%	80%
Where to buy Best prices online	$499 to $857.8 Compare prices	$550 to $749 Compare prices	$100 to $650 Compare prices
	compare more bows

The closest bow to the Carbon Knockout is its own corporate twin. The Bowtech Carbon Rose shares the carbon riser, the Synchronized Binary Cam, and effectively identical numbers: a 30 inch axle-to-axle, a 6.75 inch brace, 302 fps IBO, a 22.5 to 27 inch draw, and the same 3.2 pound mass, at a $699 launch MSRP. The practical difference is the marque and the dress, Bowtech's badge and rose-themed finish versus Diamond's blue-accented carbon look, with the Knockout historically carrying the slightly higher tag; a buyer cross-shopping the two is really choosing branding and color, since the shooting experience is the same bow. The Mission Craze comes at the decision from the opposite direction: at a $299 launch MSRP it is far cheaper and vastly more adjustable, spanning a 19 to 30 inch draw and a 15 to 70 pound range on an aluminum chassis, but it gives up the carbon lightness (3.6 pounds, and a longer 7.5 inch brace on a 28 inch frame) and the women's-specific cam tuning. The decision comes down to priorities: the Carbon Knockout for the archer who wants the lightest, women's-tuned carbon feel and will pay for it, the Bowtech Carbon Rose for that same bow in a different badge at a little less, and the Mission Craze for the shopper who prizes maximum adjustability and the lowest price over carbon and refinement.

Summary

At a $749 launch MSRP, the Diamond Carbon Knockout answers a real gap: a genuinely purpose-built women's carbon bow rather than a recolored men's model. The full carbon Knight riser keeps it to 3.2 pounds, the ladies-tuned Synchronized Binary Cam holds a real valley across its 22.5 to 27 inch range, and the 302 fps IBO is plenty for whitetail-range hunting once you accept, as with any bow, that real short-draw arrow speed lands below the IBO figure. What I keep coming back to is how the smaller cam and the light carbon frame make the whole bow feel approachable, drawing lighter than the number and settling into a firm limb-stop wall that builds confidence fast. It arrives ready to hunt with the full R.A.K. kit, and although Diamond has retired it from the current lineup after a 2018 to 2025 run, remaining stock and used examples keep it relevant for shoppers who want carbon without a four-figure bill. It is an excellent bow for the newer-to-intermediate female or short-draw archer who values light weight, a forgiving draw, and out-of-box readiness, particularly for treestand whitetail hunting and form-building target work. Buyers who want the same platform for a little less should look at the Bowtech Carbon Rose, and those who prioritize maximum adjustability and the lowest price should look at the Mission Craze.