Youth Compound Bow Reviews

The Bottom Line:The Mathews ARC 34 is the long-axle half of the 2026 ARC platform, and it answers a different question than its compact sibling: how much stability can a hunting bow borrow from the target world without giving up the weight and speed a hunter needs. The answer is a 34-inch axle-to-axle aluminum bow that... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Alpha AX-90 is Hoyt's 2026 Beast, and it earns the name honestly: an Alpha AX-3 chassis reinforced with steel limb hardware to hold a true 90-pound peak and pass a 1,500 dry-fire test at that weight, built with Cameron Hanes and Josh Bowmar for hunters who measure a bow by energy on target. At a... read full review

The Bottom Line:At a launch MSRP of $749 bow-only, the Hoyt Enduro does something no value Hoyt has managed before: it delivers the flagship HBX cam's smooth, planted draw and full In-Line accessory compatibility in a bow a newer or budget-minded hunter can actually afford. It is honest about its trade-offs - 328 fps... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Diamond Radian is the most youth-focused bow in the grow-with-me category and the one that best solves the problem of a very young beginner. At a $399.99 launch MSRP it undercuts the obvious alternatives while delivering the thing that actually matters at this tier: adult-grade aluminum hardware,... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Bear Legit Maxx delivers practical upgrades over its predecessor at a $499 launch MSRP and serves as the budget RTH option in Bear's adjustable lineup, carried over from 2025 into 2026 without spec changes. The addition of Integrate Mounting System rest mounting and a Picatinny sight rail brings... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Diamond Pro MAX is the fit-everyone bow of the value hunting category, the one that solves the problem of a single adjustable bow serving very different shooters without compromise. At a $649 launch price it sits above the online grow-bows, and what that money buys is the grown-up hardware the cheaper... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Bear Cruzer G4 is the compact redesign of a bow that has been a household name in the adjustable entry category for a decade, launched at a $449.99 MSRP for 2025 and currently $479.99 for 2026. The story is geometry: a 29 inch axle-to-axle and a 6.25 inch brace height replace the 30 inch, 6.5 inch... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Bear Persist 33 is the forgiveness play in the Persist family - the same quiet, machined-aluminum hunting platform stretched to a longer, steadier 33-inch axle-to-axle. At a $1,249.99 launch MSRP it undercuts the Mathews and Hoyt flagship tier while delivering the things a distance-conscious hunter... read full review

The Bottom Line:The AMS Hooligan V2 is the refinement of a bowfishing bow that already worked - a $449.99 launch-MSRP rig (or $599.99 as a ready-to-shoot kit) that keeps the original Hooligan's machined aluminum riser, 24-to-50-pound range, zero let-off, and two-post WRAP cam, then sharpens the shot itself. Heavy-wall... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Diamond Deploy SB is a new bow built on an old platform; the Knight riser. The new limbs and cams provide plenty of speed (330 fps) and accuracy, draw length adjustability (27" - 30.5"), and an overall draw weight range from 40# - 70#. With a respectable price point of $650 for the base bow and $750... read full review

The Bottom Line: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... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Mathews Lift X 33 is a $1,469 aluminum hunting flagship whose real selling point is not on the spec sheet - it is the Allen key that lets you tune the bow yourself. Limb Shift Technology moves paper tuning out of the pro shop and onto your tailgate, and the reworked ARC7 limbs put the 2024 Lift's... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Mathews Lift RS is the compact bow that refuses to behave like one. At a $1,399 launch MSRP it delivers the full 2025 Lift X platform - press-free Limb Shift tuning, redesigned ARC7 limbs, deep Bridge-Lock integration - in a 27.75-inch, 3.92-pound package that is among the lightest and most maneuverable... read full review

The Bottom Line:Bear Archery has nailed the mid-range market with the Gamekeeper, refining affordable tech through smart collaborations. Subtle yearly improvements add up, creating a bow that's more than the sum of its parts. The hybrid cams, integrated mounts, and versatile adjustments make it a standout for value... read full review

The Bottom Line:Launched for 2024 at a $1,399 MSRP - with the camo finishes running about fifty dollars more - and carried unchanged into 2025, the Core SS is Bowtech's answer for the hunter who wants a forgiving, all-day draw without giving up any flagship hardware. It keeps the parts that matter: the full DeadLock... read full review

The Bottom Line:Launched for 2024 at a $1,399 MSRP and carried unchanged into 2025, the Core SR is Bowtech's answer to an old compromise: real speed without a brutal draw. It pairs an up-to-344 fps IBO - about fifteen feet per second faster than the brand's prior flagships - with a riser whose reflex geometry lets a... read full review

The Bottom Line:The Bear Persist is a machined-aluminum hunting flagship that trades the last ounce of weight savings for a shot that is genuinely silent and dead in the hand. At a $1,249.99 launch MSRP it sits a clear step below the Mathews and Hoyt flagship tier while delivering the things that actually matter on... read full review

The Bottom Line:At a $749 launch MSRP, the Diamond Carbon Knockout answers a real gap: a genuinely purpose-built women's carbon bow rather than a recolored men's model. The full carbon Knight riser keeps it to 3.2 pounds, the ladies-tuned Synchronized Binary Cam holds a real valley across its 22.5 to 27 inch range,... read full review