Compound Bow Comparator

The Bear Inception was the fast-value pick of Bear's 2021 Legend Series - a compact 32-inch hunting bow that chased a 340 fps IBO rating and, on a chronograph with a heavy 400-grain arrow at 29 inches and 70 pounds, still delivered around 304 fps. It backs that speed with a quiet, low-shock shot from the ShockWaves dampening, a slim low-torque grip that owners keep praising, and a wide press-free fit range across 25.5 to 30 inches and a 15-pound weight window. The trade-offs are honest and clear: the hybrid cam draws a touch stiffer up front than Bear's EKO single-cams, and the let-off is fixed at 75 percent rather than adjustable. At a $599.99 launch MSRP for the full Ready-to-Hunt kit - and considerably less now on the used market, since it was a one-year 2021 model - it delivers a lot of hunting bow for the money. What I keep coming back to is how quiet and stable it feels for a mid-priced speed bow; that combination is rarer than the spec sheet suggests. An excellent bow for the value-minded hunter who wants real speed and a slim, quiet hunting rig without flagship money, and it is particularly strong as a compact treestand and thick-timber bow. Buyers who want maximum adjustment range for a beginner or a growing shooter should also look at the Diamond Edge 320, and those who want selectable let-off and flagship refinement should step up to the Bear Redemption EKO. Read full review...

The Diamond Edge 320 earned its place as one of the best-selling grow-with-you hunting bows of its run for a simple reason: it does more things well at once than a $449 launch price has any right to. It is the longest and steadiest-aiming bow in Diamond's Edge family, adjusts across a class-leading 7-to-70-pound weight range and 15-to-31-inch draw entirely without a press, and holds a high 85 percent let-off for a light, long aim. The Synchronized Binary Cam System delivers real speed to match the name - a true 320 fps at the top setting and 309 at the 30-inch IBO mark on a chronograph - and the shot is quiet and calm in the hand in a way that usually costs more. What I keep coming back to is how little this bow asks of the shooter: an even draw, a wall that holds, a light hold, and a clean release, all on a frame forgiving enough to teach good form. Produced from 2019 to 2022 and now found on the used and closeout market, it was succeeded by the current Diamond Pro 320, so the platform lives on. It is an excellent bow for the grow-with-you household, the beginner who wants a bow they will not outgrow, and the value hunter who still wants genuine speed and a steady frame. Buyers who need to start a smaller, lighter beginner should also look at the Bear Legit Maxx, and those who prefer a tall, forgiving brace at the same tier should look at the PSE Stinger MAX. Read full review...

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• Real hunting-weight speed for the money - rated 340 fps IBO, and even a heavy 400-grain arrow at 29 inches and 70 pounds still crosses the chronograph near 304 fps
• Quiet with little hand shock - the ShockWaves limb dampeners and rear string stop kill most of the vibration, so the shot goes quiet and dead in the hand
• Slim, low-torque grip that owners keep singling out - the narrow side-plate grip sits the hand deep and repeatable instead of perched high where torque creeps in
• Wide press-free fit range - a rotating module covers 25.5 to 30 inches of draw and a 15-pound weight window, so one bow sets up for a range of shooters without a bow press

• The name is the speed and it nearly holds up - 320 fps IBO on paper, and a real chronograph reads 320 at the top draw setting and 309 at the 30-inch mark, fast enough for any whitetail range
• One bow spans a child to a grown hunter - 7 to 70 pounds and 15 to 31 inches, all set on the limb bolts and a rotating module with an Allen wrench, no press required
• Smooth draw into a back wall that holds - the cam rises evenly to peak and settles into a wall firm enough to anchor against, easy to let down
• Quiet and dead in the hand - minimal post-shot vibration and hand shock for a budget bow, the kind of calm shot that usually costs more
• Complete R.A.K. ready-to-hunt package plus a high 85% let-off - everything to start hunting in the box and a light holding weight at full draw

• The draw starts a touch stiff up front - the hybrid cam ramps harder than Bear's EKO single-cams, the honest price of the speed; it settles into a defined valley, and shooters chasing the smoothest possible pull should shoot an EKO single-cam bow first
• Fixed 75 percent let-off runs lower than the 85 percent many rivals offer - you hold a little more weight at full draw, which some owners flag on long treestand waits; buyers who hold at anchor for extended periods may prefer an adjustable-let-off bow
• Some owners have reported the RTH package's Trophy Ridge quiver grippers arriving very stiff and hard to load - working them in or swapping in any aftermarket quiver solves it, and the Bow Only version skips the kit entirely

• At peak weight it draws about a half-inch short of the marked length, and the 15-inch floor sits on the cam's B cable setting rather than the default A - back the draw weight off or move to the B setting and the full range opens up
• Plastic limb pockets and a barebones Tundra sight mark the price point - the whisker-biscuit rest and 3-pin sight get you hunting, but shooters who grow into the bow often swap the sight for a brighter multi-pin later