Compound Bow Comparator

The Hoyt Trykon Jr is the rare youth bow built to be kept rather than outgrown. Its Versa Cam & 1/2 delivers nine inches of draw-length adjustment - 17 to 25 inches on a single cam - and a draw-weight span that reaches a real 40-pound ceiling, so one machined-riser Hoyt at 2.7 pounds follows a young archer across years of growth. The 65 percent let-off keeps the holding weight manageable for small shooters, the catalog 255 fps IBO is modest and honestly right for a controllable youth platform, and the whole bow is engineered to teach good form on a rig the kid can succeed with early. Having watched which bows keep kids coming back to the range, I come down on the side of control every time, and the Trykon Jr is tuned for exactly that. It is a discontinued 2007-2010 model, so pricing is used-market today; buyers wanting the lightest 10-pound floor should seek a 2009 or 2010 unit. An excellent bow for the parent who wants to buy once and let a growing young archer grow into a real Hoyt - particularly strong as a first bow that lasts several seasons and then trades up to the Trykon Sport. Buyers who need to start a much smaller child should look at the Diamond Nuclear Ice, and those wanting one bow to span child all the way to a full adult draw and weight should also look at the Mission Menace. Read full review...

The Diamond Nuclear Ice is one of the best youth bows suitable for small kids from 4 to 10 years old. A lot of experts and archery enthusiasts agree this is one of the best youth bows on the market. They say the Nuclear Ice is a very well made bow that delivers exceptional performance and has a nice look and feel. Although this is a youth bow, it looks "like a Dad's bow" due to beyond parallel limbs, fully machined aluminum riser, and efficient cam system. Being extremely adjustable, the bow does not require a bow press or additional modules for changing the draw length. Overall, the Nuclear Ice comes with a very low price tag, yet it is one of the best quality youth bows out there. Read full review...

This bow has "let me show you how" written all over it. It is smooth, forgiving, light, and highly adjustable for any sized youth archer. It fills a niche along with the Craze in Mission's line up, however, the Menace will fit a smaller shooter. The dual cams give it good speed even at lighter and shorter draws. Mission has good quality like Mathews, but no quite as flashy. It is comfortable to shoot and shouldn't put a bad taste in a new archer's mouth. The color options available on the Menace should be enough to excite most youths itself. Its enormous range of adjustability should satisfy a huge range of kids and adults. The MSRP is $269 and should fit the price range of many, but may be a little too high for others. Read full review...

• One cam covers 17 to 25 inches of draw in inch steps, so the same bow follows a child through years of growth instead of being outgrown in a season
• Machined-aluminum Hoyt riser and dedicated youth limbs - a real Hoyt build at 2.7 pounds, not a plastic toy-grade youth bow
• 65% let-off keeps the holding weight low enough that a small archer can settle and aim rather than fight the bow
• A documented upgrade path - Hoyt built the Jr to trade up to the Trykon Sport once a kid grows past its 40-pound ceiling
• Light and short at roughly 30 inches axle-to-axle, easy for small hands and arms to hold up and steer

• One of the best bows for small kids (from 4 to 10 years old)
• Extremely adjustable draw length (no bow press or modules are needed)
• Very fast for a youth bow of that size
• Low vibration due to post-parallel limb design
• Looks like an adult (Dad's) bow - great factor for kids
• Great value for money

• Smooth
• Quiet
• Perfect youth/beginner bow
• Easy to adjust draw length without bow press or module change

• Draw-weight floor was 20 pounds in 2007 and 2008, which is stout for a very young beginner - buyers of a first bow for a small child should hunt down a 2009 or 2010 unit, whose cam family drops the floor to 10 pounds
• As a discontinued 2007-2010 model it is a used-market buy today - worth a quick string and cam-module check before handing it to a kid, since fresh strings and the right module are inexpensive

• No hand grip

• Slide type cable guard