Compound Bow Reviews

The Bottom Line:The Alpha series is an awesome offering from Hoyt in 2020, and the carbon RX-4 Alpha bow is worth a test shot. This RX-4 Alpha is the most compact hunting bow Hoyt has ever produced, and it came about with input from customers and shop owners from across the country with whitetail hunting in mind. For... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Invicta platform is an awesome target bow specifically designed for the most serious archers on the planet. Everything about the bow and the re-engineering was done to provide target shooters the most stable and forgiving platform possible. The SVX cam is a tournament favorite for Hoyt pro staffers... read full review

The Bottom Line:Hoyt has really hit a homeroom for shooters wanting a 40-inch axle-to-axle target bow. Everything about this, and the redesigned components was done to create the best, most accurate shooting platform possible. However, the price is borderline offensive with a bare bow price of $1899. To be fair, many... read full review

The Bottom Line:An MSRP of $1899 is a ton of money to spend on any compound bow, regardless of the style of archery or brand. The Hoyt Invicta 37 SVX is expensive, and for some shooters may be really hard to justify. For others, having a Hoyt target bow designed to put shooters in the best possible position to win tournaments... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Hoyt Helix Turbo, launched at $1,249 MSRP in 2020 and carried over unchanged through 2021, is the aluminum speed bow Hoyt built for the experienced hunter who wants flagship velocity without the carbon price. At 350 fps IBO on a compact 31-inch chassis with a sub-six-inch brace, it delivers real-world... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Axius Ultra is a sweet shooting hunting bow for 2020. This model has a newly designed ZTR cam system, an integrated mount for the popular QAD Integrate rest, and a wide range of draw length and weight adjustment to fit almost any interested shooter on the market for a new hunting bow. The Axius Ultra... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Axius Alpha is the most compact hunting bow ever designed by Hoyt, and it marks off a large number of wants for those on the market for a short hunting bow. There is a fair amount of performance with an ATA speed rating of 342 feet per second. The 4.3-pound bare bow weight is also fairly lightweight... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Bear Odyssey II is a discontinued 2007-2008 intermediate compound that did something most youth bows still don't: it put a machined 6061-T6 aluminum riser, compression-molded limbs and a 15-position no-press cam into a package sized for a 13-to-27-inch draw and a 40- or 50-pound peak. That construction... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Bear Effect is a straightforward answer to a specific need: a complete, ready-to-hunt, two-cam rig for the adult who wants to hunt this season without assembling a bow one accessory at a time. It pairs a 325-fps IBO H13 hybrid cam with a forgiving 7-inch brace and a rugged 6061 aluminum riser, all... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Bear Brave is one of the simplest ways to put a genuine compound bow in a young archer's hands. At a $79.99-to-$89.99 launch MSRP - and often nearer $60 on the shelf - it delivers a real cam-and-string bow, a full-capture Whisker Biscuit rest, and an adjustable pin sight in a package light enough... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Bear Young Gun is a genuine hunting bow shrunk to fit a growing archer, and that is what lifts it clear of the toy end of the youth category. Built on the adult Truth 2 platform with a cast machined aluminum riser, compression-molded limbs, dual string suppressors and axle-mounted dampeners, it delivers... read full review

The Bottom Line:For diehard Bear Archery shooters, there has not been an option for a dedicated target or 3D bow. Bear has focused their energy on creating a huge variety of compound hunting bows of varying specifications and price points to have one of the most well rounded lineups in all of archery. The Revival aims... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Bear LST is the range bow hiding inside a hunting brand's lineup - Legend Series Target, built for the aiming line rather than the treestand. It launched at $899.99 as a bare bow in blue or silver, in 45-60 and 55-70 pound brackets, and it spends that money on the things a target shooter actually... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Bear Cruzer G2 is the bow that fits a whole family for the price of one entry-level rig, launching at $399.99 with a full ready-to-hunt kit. Its span of 5 to 70 lb and 12 to 30 inches is the widest practical adjustability in its class, its real-world speed of 309 fps at the IBO setup lands honestly... read full review

The Bottom Line:The bear legend series of those instills a boost of confidence just from association alone. Fred Bear is often noted as the founder of modern day bowhunting, and the legends series is the lineup dedicated directly to his legacy. Bear did an amazing job with the Status EKO bow, and it is going to be a... read full review

The Bottom Line:For a strictly designed hunting bow, there is a lot to get excited about with the Bear Paradox HC. Potentially at the top of the list of things to love about the bow is the price tag of only $499, with the Ready to Hunt package only being an additional $100. For those just starting out, or shooters needing... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Bear Divergent EKO is a limited frills hunting bow, which does everything it is designed to do. Shorter axle to axle bows are not for all bow hunters, but those on the market for something a bit more compact are already aware of what a smaller bow performs like, and should have no issues with the... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Bowtech Vital Impact is best understood for what it was: a genuine Bowtech single-cam Tomkat, fully accessorized and sold as a Sportsman's Warehouse exclusive for about $429, aimed at the first-time hunter who wanted a name-brand rig without the flagship price. Its strengths are its completeness,... read full review