Compound Bow Comparator

The Bear Resurgence is a lot of ready-to-hunt bow for its $629.99 launch price, and it holds up well as a used or closeout buy years after its 2022-2023 run. It pairs a 335 fps IBO rating - a real 291 fps on a 400-grain hunting arrow - with a draw that rolls over smoothly, a shot that reads a hair over 98 decibels and goes nearly dead in the hand with a stabilizer, and a back-wall system, cable stop or limb stop, that hands the shooter a tuning choice the price class rarely includes. Add machined aluminum limb pockets where composite is the norm, two 15-pound draw-weight modules, a 25.5 to 31 inch draw span, and a full Trophy Ridge kit in the box, and you have a bow that fits a whole household and takes any North American big game at honest hunting range the day it arrives. What I keep coming back to is how complete it is: near-flagship speed and real hardware in a package you shoot, not assemble. It is an excellent bow for the value-minded whitetail hunter who wants to be hunting this weekend, particularly strong as a fast, fully-kitted treestand rig. Buyers who need the widest child-to-adult adjustability should also look at the Diamond Edge 320, and those chasing the lowest entry price at the PSE Stinger MAX. 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...

For a fully set up bow, with a package price of $449, it is really hard to beat a rig like the Stinger Max. Although entry level models are often geared toward a younger shooter, PSE was conscious in making the Stinger Max available to all ages and shooter sizes. Almost anyone in the bow market can be set up to fit in the 30-inch axle-to-axle rig, and the single cam draw force curve is amazing for those just getting started in the world of archery. The Stinger Max shoots well, but when considering the value, the Stinger Max really shines. PSE also did a great job giving the bow enough finish options to meet the entire range of potential buyers offering patterns for anyone and any purpose. Anyone interested in getting started in archery with a frill less bow, at a great price, needs to seriously consider the PSE Stinger Max. It may be one of the best values in the compound bow market for 2020. Read full review...

• Ships ready to hunt - Trophy Ridge 4-pin sight, Whisker Biscuit V rest, 5-arrow quiver, stabilizer, peep and D-loop in the box, sighted-in and in a treestand the same weekend
• Fast for the money - 335 fps IBO and a real 291 fps on a 400-grain hunting arrow at 70 pounds puts near-flagship speed in a sub-$650 package
• Machined aluminum limb pockets where most bows at this price drop to composite - a rugged, rock-solid limb seat you usually pay more to get
• Dual back-wall choice - run the bottom limb stop for a brick-solid wall or leave it off for a softer valley, tuning latitude the price class almost never offers
• Grows with the shooter - two 15-pound draw-weight modules plus a 25.5 to 31 inch draw span, and the DHC pull breaks over light enough that lighter-framed shooters draw full weight comfortably

• 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

• A redesign of a popular model from previous years
• 2 limb options cover a draw weight range of 22-70-pounds
• Has an accessory package
• Decent starter bow for any shooter

• Some owners have reported the factory RTH peep tubing giving out after a few hunts - it is a common wear part, and any standard aftermarket peep is a few-dollar drop-in; worth checking after the first range sessions
• At just over 98 decibels on a hunting arrow it is not flagship-quiet - the KillerWave dampeners and a mounted stabilizer settle it well, but buyers stepping down from a premium-quiet bow may want to shoot one first

• 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

• Does not have any flagship model technology
• Not the best accessories in the package