Do you have invested in your bow? The people on TV seem to have the high end bows costing $1500 to $2000. Is there that much a difference between a $600 bow to $1500 bow? I'm sure the IBO is better.

Yes, but the differences are not always a huge ROI.

Biggest difference you see is materials(riser material/strings/cables) and cam efficiency, which can lead to a more pleasant shooting experience, but not always more perceived accuracy.

Like Bobo said there is a difference but is it worth the ROI to you

I tell people to shoot all the bows you can and let it tell you, then you decide about the ROI for yourself.

There are some 5 to $600 bows I prefer to some of the 1000 to $1500 bows.

Bows are highly feel dependent with draw cycle/let off/grip/balance/weight.... Generally a bow that feels real good to the shooter in all aspects they will often shoot better.

A friend bought his wife a Diamond bow made for Cabela's that she liked but he decided she needed a better bow so he got her a Hoyt. Guess which bow stays on the hook when she gets out shooting.

I shoot a custom longbow, made by a great guy in Texas. I think I have about $800 in it but I had him make it back in 2012. Now it would be $1,000+ I think.
Like stated above, custom trad bow or compound, it's how you shoot it not how much it cost.
My fancy footed arrows run up there with carbons for compounds, but I really like them and the way they shoot.

It adds up fast. Bow, arrows, points/heads, sight, rangefinder, block-type target. You can start at $600 and suddenly you've spent $1500.

After not bowhunting for 12 or so yrs I bought a crossbow then two years later a bow. I bought a PSE Stinger package kit bow from Cabelas with my points and it was around $300-400 IIRC. About 2 yrs later I bought a used Elites Impulse 31. For the money the PSE was a better shooting bow for me than the Elite is. The PSE was half the price of the used Elite bow.

you can get a good bow for less than $1000.


For years I shot a Diamond Iceman that i bought for $450 or therabouts. With sights, rest, etc. I think i was in it all together for around $700-$750.

Was a great whitetail bow and I took it to Colorado and Wyoming, killed an antelope with it at 84 yards.


Now, does it perform the same as my Halon? No, it does not. It is louder, not as smooth and not as fast. But is the Halon worth the extra $$$? Only that person can decide.


I can say this.....for shooting whitetails out of a tree stand or pop up, the Diamond bow is more than adequate. Where I found it lacking was shooting arrows long distances, which is conducive to the type of hunting I do, but most people don't.

I still hunt with a Hoyt Super Slam Supreme. Probably bought it in the mid 90s and could not tell you what I paid for it. Shooting 15 to 30 yards from a ground blind or ladder stand, does it really matter as long as you can hit a small pattern around the bullseye and it is quiet enough? I will keep using it until I put on the last string I stocked up on when they started getting scarce. My guess is I will go with a $500 to $750 package bow when that day comes. I am sure it will be 10 times better than my current bow and more than I need. Though I have been using the same bow for 25 years, that is not the norm for bows today from what I see others around me using. So the problem with a $2000 hot rod bow plus cost of accessories is unlike a rifle it is reduced in value over a time until it's near worthless due to eventual lack of company support, parts, strings, and advancements in technology. There is still so much technology advance to come IMO that it is probable a $1000 bow bought 5 to 10 years from now will shoot much better than a $2000 bow bought today. Those opinions don't apply if your going on once in a lifetime type hunts, competition shooting, or if most of your hunts are western hunts like antelope and elk. You would not want to show up at the starting line of the Tour de France on a Walmart Huffy bike.

great analogy!

But the Huffy is great for cruising around the neighborhood, which is the equivalent of hunting whitetail out of a treestand. and you are right about the advances in bow technology.


I bought both my boys Diamond Edge bows....they are great, super easy to work on and shoot, ultra forgiving and super adjustable. My 13 year old took his first bow deer with it.

I would recommend it to anyone wanting a value priced bow with Top notch features! My only recommendation is to change to a drop away rest .

This rig is ready to shoot for $479!


https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/diamond-by-bowtech-100260224?ds_e=MICROSOFT&ds_c=Shop%7CGeneric%7CAllProducts%7CHigh%7CSSCCatchAll&gclid=589347e175a01fc0d9b927484e59f618&gclsrc=3p.ds&msclkid=589347e175a01fc0d9b927484e59f618

I bought a used z7 about 8 years ago. Total invested, traded for an ar15 back then.

I think about bows like I think about rifles. Get one, and shoot it. I bought a brand new Q2 in 2001 for $600. Been through about 4 dozen arrows and a sight or two, three strings and cables over the last 20 years. Finally changed to a drop away rest just last year. Still shooting the Carter Big Kid release from back then as well. Maybe it's a vintage Huffy bike, but it still gets me around the neighborhood just fine. I've done everything from some 3d and indoor, down to a few years I barely shot, then back to shooting a few dozen times a year.

I have a trad bow with two sets of limbs that has me in the two grand range.
My compound is set up for around $1600.
I've killed a lot of animals with a lot less expensive set ups.
But I like to shoot what I like to shoot and I have worked hard to have the disposable income to do so.
The deer and pigs however really don't care how much I've spent. They just don't like me shooting them regardless.

Martin Threshold, I think when I purchased it I gave $180 for it. With the release, arrows , rest and broadheads say another $120?
Its all I've known and it kills them. Reminds me of my Marlin 60, zebco 33 or my buck 110.

I bought a 2yo "ready-to-hunt" Mathews HeliM 2.5 years ago....Axion 5 Spider Quiver, Axion 5-pin sight, QAD Ultra Rest, Axion stabilizer, fresh custom string, half dozen new Bloodsport arrows my size, and 6 new Dead Ringer broadheads....all for $550. Still kills 'em just as dead as any $2K rig.

I had been shooting a 2006 Bowtech Allegiance. It was a pretty dang good bow. Sold it to a friends son and went bow shopping. I stopped when I shot a Mathews V3. Best bow I have laid my hands on and bought it. This new project ran me 1400.00 with all the goodies.

Picked up a Redhead Kronik from BPS @ 8-10 years ago for @ $350ish I think. Tuned it, added a string loop, a little nicer sight and a fall-away rest. It's not gonna win any speed contests but it is effective for my needs.

Most any bow is only as good as the person shooting it.

to a point this is true..


some bows are easier to shoot at distance than others. I just bought an Elite Enkore because I cannot shoot my Halon 32 at distance. Same price bow and mathews is high quality...but I can't get that bow to group past 50 yards. Online forums seem to confirm that many people have the same problem.


I shot my $400 diamond Iceman way better at 50 yards than this.


Some bows are going to be harder for the average or even above average archer to shoot accuratly at distance.

20-30 yards pretty much all bows should drive tacks

About 400 total in my current bow, but everything was either moved from the old bow or bought cheap for what it is.

Cabela's Instigator, Ture-Glo 5 pin, QAD HDX, and a Mercury stabilizer from 1980, The bow is not fast these days but it replaced the top Browning bow from 1997 that was in the same price range as Mathews bows then. It is also faster than that bow or the Mathews at that time. I shoot out to 60 yards but limit deer hunting shots to inside 40 yards and am happy with that. These days to me it is more about the hunt than the kill, I just want it to be quick and clean when I do shoot something.

Some bows I shoot better than others and agree with 85 there are some bows that just shoot better than others at distance and in general. If I were looking to get a new high end bow now it would most likely be an Elite or APA but I would shoot many others before making that decision.

I think another thing to consider is is this going to be a primary hunting weapon or just a “ bow season only” tool?

I don’t really care to shoot a whitetail with a rifle anymore so when I made that Step it made buying a higher end bow more justifiable.

Before I shot mid level bows in the $400-$600 range. If I could shoot my Halon like I want to I would not get rid of it. If the elite performs at distance like I hope it may be many years before i upgrade, and that is only if significant speed increases are available.

I’m not one to trade a bow in every year or two and it makes buying the flagship line more palatable.

When I went from my Bowtech Captain with a 34" axle to axle to a Bowtech 360 with a 32" axle to axle I lost my long range accuracy. Wish I would have kept that old bow if for nothing other than target shooting. But I really like hunting with the 360. Set at 60 pounds I still get 300fps with my hunting setup. It pile drives everything you shoot.

The RPM 360 is a hard bow to shoot. Mad speed but it’s not forgiving at all, draw cycle is rough and hand shock very noticeable.


I shot them when they came out and there was no way I could buy that bow

I have 2 bows, both Bears, one compound and the other a recurve. The recurve I bought in 60's the compound in the 80's. The recurve was at a surplus sale at Minot AFB, I paid $10. The compound, I bought it used, for $50. Both have had numerous new strings, and the last time I shot either, I still was able to hit the target. My last set of new arrows cost more than the recurve bow.

I've heard on some of the speed bows they have a rougher draw cycle at shorter draw lengths. At 29 1/2" it is not rough at all. At 60 pounds a women could shoot my bow.

All you Tall’s with your long draw lengths.....I gotta pull 80lbs to get the speed you do at 60 lbs...


Yes a long draw length definitely helps with a smooth draw. At 26 1/2 “ draw the 360 was brutal.

About $1400, including the whole Shabang and a hard case.