Compound Bow Comparator

The Bowtech Carbon Zion did something rare in its 2021 debut and held it through 2025: it put a real carbon riser - the light, durable, corrosion-proof material usually locked behind $1,500-plus flagships - into a hunting bow that launched at $749.99 for the bare bow, with the fully-kitted Carbon Zion DLX at $1,099.99. At 3.3 pounds it carries and holds like nothing, the Synchronized Binary cams draw smooth to a firm 80-percent wall, and the 335 fps IBO is honest speed that lands in the low 240s with a heavy 500-grain arrow at a 60-pound hunting setup. It is not the quietest bow in the room out of the box, but that is a few-dollar fix, and everything the money did go toward - the carbon, the grip, the cam, the limbs - is the part that matters. What keeps me recommending it is simple: for the hunter who wants to carry carbon-light up the mountain without paying flagship-carbon money, nothing else at this price does the same job. An excellent bow for the treestand and backcountry hunter who values low mass and a steady hold over headline speed. Buyers who want a longer, more forgiving carbon bow should also look at the Diamond Carbon Cure, and those willing to trade carbon for a faster, more adjustable aluminum flagship should look at the Bear Redemption EKO. Read full review...

The Diamond Carbon Cure is a new hunting bow for the 2014 lineup. This rig is a 32" ATA, 7" brace height, single-cam bow that give the shooter an accurate shooting platform. It will work well on the 3D course, but is designed for hunting and fits excellently in a tree stand or ground blind. With a 325 fps, it is fast enough to meet any archery challenge, and feels good in the hand while doing it.Retailing at $650, it is priced right. It is also adjustable - 27" - 30.5" draw length and 50# - 70# draw weight. The bow is easily adjusted and can be done without a bow press. This is not a bow to overlook. Read full review...

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• Carbon riser at less than half the price of PSE and Hoyt carbon - warm to the touch, corrosion-free, and built to shrug off years of hard hunting weather
• Just 3.3 pounds on the scale, so a 70-pound draw carries up the mountain and holds on a treestand like a much lighter setup
• Smooth Synchronized Binary draw that flows to a firm limb-stop back wall with a shallow, forgiving valley
• New torque-eliminating grip that hands-on shooters rate among the most comfortable in the budget class

• Affordable
• Fast, forgiving, and accurate
• Solid back wall
• Light-weight

• Ships a touch loud with a little hand buzz - it goes without the string-silencing and dampening hardware of Bowtech's premium carbons, so a set of string silencers and stick-on limb dampeners quiets it for a few dollars
• Some owners note the cable-stop can occasionally drag on its rod - a dab of rail lube restores the slick draw, worth a quick check at setup

• Only comes in one camo pattern