Compound Bow Comparator

The Bear Pathfinder launched at $199.99 in 2022 and now sells for around $149.99, which makes it one of the least expensive ways to put a real, adjustable compound bow in a young archer's hands. It is not fast and it is not a hunting bow - the 150 fps IBO and 29-pound ceiling make that plain - but neither is the point. The point is a 14-to-25-inch draw and 15-to-29-pound range, all adjustable at home without a press, on a 2.1-pound frame a six-year-old can actually hold on target, wrapped in a complete ready-to-shoot package. What I keep coming back to with bows like this is that the best first bow is the one a kid can shoot well on day one and still fits a couple of years later, and the Pathfinder is built precisely around that idea. An excellent choice for the family following in Mom and Dad's footsteps, particularly strong as a backyard-to-club learning bow that grows with the child. Buyers whose archer is already near the top of its range, or who want real hunting-weight capability, should step up to the Bear Limitless; those with a very small first-timer who needs the lowest possible draw weight should look at the Diamond Atomic. Read full review...

The Diamond Atomic is the bow to reach for when the archer is genuinely small, and it solves that job better than anything near its $269 price. Its 12-to-24-inch draw and 6-to-29-pound range adjust at home without a press, so one 1.9-pound bow follows a child from a preschooler's first backyard arrows toward the day they move up to a full-size bow, and Diamond has kept the formula in the catalog continuously since 2012 for good reason. The all-aluminum riser, cams and limb pockets are the heart of it - on a bow that will be dropped, shared between siblings and left out in the yard, building it out of metal instead of plastic is the choice that keeps it shooting for years. The 191 fps rating marks it plainly as a learning and backyard bow rather than a hunting rig, which is exactly what a first bow should be, and the deep 70 percent let-off keeps a small child steady at full draw. What I keep coming back to is how low it starts: a 6-pound, 12-inch setting puts a real compound in the hands of a four or five year old, and very few bows at any price genuinely do that. It is an excellent choice for the parent putting a durable, real first bow in a small child's hands with room to grow, particularly strong for households sharing one bow between siblings. Families who need the range to reach a full hunting weight should also look at the Bear Limitless, and those who want one bow to carry a child from youth archery all the way into adult hunting might prefer the Mission Menace. Read full review...

The Limitless may be the perfect bow for transitioning shooters through the phases of becoming an archer. The Limitless allows shooters to begin in the world of archery, and the bow can grow with them a long while before they are interested in a higher end model with a bit more speed. The MSRP of $199 for a fully set up bow may be one of the best deals in all of archery. It would be really nice for this bow to be offered in left handed models as well, but for now, the Limitless is a right hand only production. Getting youngsters involved in the sport is a crucial step in growing archery, and this bow is a great one for getting shooters involved without breaking the bank. It would be nice to have some added color options, and the accessories are not the best money can buy, but ultimately getting shooters into archery at an early age and an affordable price is the goal of the Limitless bow for 2019, and Bear knocked it out of the park. Read full review...

• Genuinely adjustable youth bow - a wide 14-to-25-inch draw span and 15-to-29-pound weight range let one bow follow a child through several growth spurts
• Arrives ready to shoot: 1-pin sight, Whisker Biscuit capture rest, 2-arrow quiver, two safety-glass arrows and a nock set - nothing else to buy to start
• Light at 2.1 pounds with a forgiving 65% let-off and a 15-pound floor - a six-year-old can draw it, hold on target, and take real shots
• The most affordable route into a genuinely adjustable Bear youth bow - the budget pick in its cluster, undercutting rivals like the Diamond Atomic

• Reaches the youngest shooter of any bow in its class - a 6-pound, 12-inch-draw floor lets a four or five year old shoot a real compound, then grows to 29 pounds and 24 inches on the modules as they do
• Adult-grade all-aluminum build - aluminum riser, cams and limb pockets where most youth bows use plastic, so it shrugs off being dropped, leaned over and left out in the yard
• Feather-light at 1.9 pounds - light enough that a small child can actually hold it up and keep their form through a full backyard session
• Complete ready-to-shoot package including arrows - out of the box to the first shot the same afternoon, with nothing else to buy to get started

• A youth bow able to grow with younger shooters
• Highly adjustable draw weight 25-50-pounds
• Highly adjustable draw length 19-29-inches
• Sold in a Ready to Hunt Package
• MSRP of only $199.99

• Tops out at 29 pounds and a 25-inch draw, so a fast-growing pre-teen can outgrow it in a season or two - families whose child is already near that range can step straight to the Bear Limitless at 25 to 50 pounds

• It is a backyard and learning bow, not a hunting rig - 191 fps at a 29-pound ceiling is built for form and fun, and a child ready to hunt has outgrown it and should step up to a bigger bow like the Diamond Radian

• The accessories are not top of the line
• Only available in one finish pattern
• The bow is only right handed