Compound Bow Comparator

The Bear Pledge is a discontinued 2017 Walmart exclusive that quietly re-cammed the proven Bear Attitude platform into a no-frills adult hunting bow, and at a retail price around $388 - routinely under $200 on the shelf and used market - it is one of the most bow-per-dollar entries Bear ever pushed through mass retail. The headline numbers are honest rather than exotic: 300 fps IBO, 70-percent let-off, a genuine 40-70 pound range, and a light 4.25-pound mass, all wearing a Trophy Ridge Mist 3-pin sight and Whisker Biscuit rest out of the box. The dual-cam system will not out-quiet or out-run a flagship, and the package stops short of a quiver and stabilizer, but the thing shoots where you aim and hits harder than its price suggests - a broadhead over a foot deep at 50 yards is the number I keep coming back to. What you are really buying is a fast, cheap on-ramp to bowhunting that you will not immediately need to replace. It is an excellent bow for the budget-first or first-time whitetail hunter building a sub-$250 rig, and it is particularly strong as a shared teen-to-adult household bow. Buyers who want the widest adjustment range and a young-child starting weight should also look at the Bear Cruzer G2, and those wanting the smoothest, most tunable entry platform should consider the Diamond Edge 320. Read full review...

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 close to the 315 claim, and its machined aluminum riser gives it a solidity that belies the price. The trade-offs are exactly what the budget buys: a soft back wall that asks for a little shooting discipline, and a touch of shot buzz above 50 lb that a few dollars of dampers quiet down. What keeps the G2 on my short list for first-bow buyers is that nothing about it feels disposable, and its adjustability means it does not become obsolete the moment a kid grows. It is a natural fit for the family that will share one setup across ages and for the first-time hunter who wants to be shooting this weekend, and it is particularly strong as a grows-with-you youth-to-adult platform. Buyers who want the highest let-off and a touch more forgiveness should also look at the Diamond Infinite Edge Pro, while those who never need a youth floor can consider 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...

• Repeatable accuracy for an entry bow - owners group reliably out to 50 yards with the factory setup
• Real adult hunting energy - a broadhead buried over a foot into a target at 50 yards, plenty for whitetail vitals
• One bow covers a teenager and a grown hunter - 21-31 inch draw and a full 40-70 pound range
• Ships hunt-ready - Trophy Ridge Mist 3-pin sight, Whisker Biscuit rest, peep, and D-loop in the box
• Light 4.25-pound mass that carries and holds easily on a long stand sit

• Grows with the shooter: 5-70 lb draw weight and 12-30 inch draw on one bow, from a backyard beginner to a 70-lb whitetail setup
• Complete ready-to-hunt kit under $400 at launch: Trophy Ridge sight, Whisker Biscuit rest, quiver, stabilizer, sling, peep and D-loop
• Press-free setup: modules set draw length and limb bolts set weight with an Allen wrench, and three full turns take a maxed 70 down to 60 pounds
• Real speed lands close to the spec: 309 fps at 70 lb and 30 inch with a 350-grain arrow versus the 315 IBO claim
• One of the widest color and camo ranges in the budget class, from full hunting patterns to bright youth colors with matching strings

• 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

• Budget kit stops short of a full package - no quiver or stabilizer, so plan on roughly $30 in add-ons to finish the rig
• Not a young-child grow-with-me - the 40-pound, 21-inch floor suits teens and adults, so families wanting a 5-15 pound start should look at the Cruzer G2

• Shallow valley and a back wall that is soft rather than firm since there are no limb or cable stops; staying pulled into the wall and not creeping handles it in practice
• A little shot buzz creeps in above 50 lb and it sits a step behind flagship-quiet; a few dollars of stick-on limb dampers tame most of it

• 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