Best archery brand?
Which one?
12-16-2016, 12:39 PM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Illinois
Posts: 3,695
It's not so much as personal "likes" as it is personal "fit" and "feel". Having taught archery for many years, what I always tell my students that ask that question is to go to an archery shop that has many different brands and models of each brand and only go to those that have demo models to let a person shoot them. A compound bow is a highly personal weapon. Way more so than a rifle. You can shoot an improperly fit rifle to a reasonable degree of accuracy. You can't with a compound bow.
Your top makers are BowTech (my personal go to brand), Mathews (thieves but still okay bows), Hoyt, Martin, PSE (they have really brought their game up), Diamond (subsidiary of BowTech), Mission (subsidiary of Mathews), Elite (only 11 years old but making a dang fine name for themselves).
Your job, is to find the best fit and feel for YOU not what someone on the internet says you should use. I, and others, can tell you the better manufacturers out there for high quality products. What we can NOT tell you is what bow would be best for you.
Your top makers are BowTech (my personal go to brand), Mathews (thieves but still okay bows), Hoyt, Martin, PSE (they have really brought their game up), Diamond (subsidiary of BowTech), Mission (subsidiary of Mathews), Elite (only 11 years old but making a dang fine name for themselves).
Your job, is to find the best fit and feel for YOU not what someone on the internet says you should use. I, and others, can tell you the better manufacturers out there for high quality products. What we can NOT tell you is what bow would be best for you.
12-16-2016, 12:44 PM
#5
Banned
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: idaho
Posts: 2,773
yup. you'll probably get a different answer from each individual you ask.
also depends what your willing to spend.
PSE makes some decent bows for beginners relatively inexpensive. I had one for years that I liked(many don't) and finally handed down to a nephew and he still shoots it today. it's got to be pushing 30 years since I bought it. he did have to restring it.
I think many would say mathews is a great brand.
I don't bow hunt anymore , but may start again one of these days. there is nothing more awesome then hunting the elk rut with a bow.
also depends what your willing to spend.
PSE makes some decent bows for beginners relatively inexpensive. I had one for years that I liked(many don't) and finally handed down to a nephew and he still shoots it today. it's got to be pushing 30 years since I bought it. he did have to restring it.
I think many would say mathews is a great brand.
I don't bow hunt anymore , but may start again one of these days. there is nothing more awesome then hunting the elk rut with a bow.
12-16-2016, 12:45 PM
#6
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: On an Island in Paradise
Posts: 23,428
I have a Mathews bow which when it came out many years ago was a state of the art technology. Still a good bow but the new stuff both by Mathews and by several other bow companies is so much better. For the level of my ability my bow serves me well. My F150 is a great ride but a Ferrari would probably be much faster and more fun to shoot...err I mean drive. Same kind of deal 
I just read SH-54 post and probably the best answer. take his advice.
I just read SH-54 post and probably the best answer. take his advice.
Last edited by Champlain Islander; 12-16-2016 at 12:48 PM.
12-16-2016, 01:50 PM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 3,359
It's not so much as personal "likes" as it is personal "fit" and "feel". Having taught archery for many years, what I always tell my students that ask that question is to go to an archery shop that has many different brands and models of each brand and only go to those that have demo models to let a person shoot them. A compound bow is a highly personal weapon. Way more so than a rifle. You can shoot an improperly fit rifle to a reasonable degree of accuracy. You can't with a compound bow.
Your top makers are BowTech (my personal go to brand), Mathews (thieves but still okay bows), Hoyt, Martin, PSE (they have really brought their game up), Diamond (subsidiary of BowTech), Mission (subsidiary of Mathews), Elite (only 11 years old but making a dang fine name for themselves).
Your job, is to find the best fit and feel for YOU not what someone on the internet says you should use. I, and others, can tell you the better manufacturers out there for high quality products. What we can NOT tell you is what bow would be best for you.
Your top makers are BowTech (my personal go to brand), Mathews (thieves but still okay bows), Hoyt, Martin, PSE (they have really brought their game up), Diamond (subsidiary of BowTech), Mission (subsidiary of Mathews), Elite (only 11 years old but making a dang fine name for themselves).
Your job, is to find the best fit and feel for YOU not what someone on the internet says you should use. I, and others, can tell you the better manufacturers out there for high quality products. What we can NOT tell you is what bow would be best for you.
Prime, obsession , Darton , Strother , parker , bear
I shot bowtech for years but switched to prime last year.
After shooting a lot of bows the prime was what I liked best.
The same guy/engineer had a lot of influence on a lot of these brands... Kevin Strother came up with bowtech , married the Martin girl, started the elite brand, the Strother brand , and had his hands in the obsession and expedition brand as well.
Hell of a bow designer but a little shady apparently.
12-16-2016, 02:51 PM
#8
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Illinois
Posts: 3,695
Oh I could keep adding all day Rock. I just listed the top name brands with the best reputations in quality and customer service. And you are 100% correct about Kevin being "shady" to put it nicely. And you forgot he started Oregon Bows before he hooked up with John Strasheim (money behind the BowTech startup) to start up BT. And didn't Strother Bows go out of business? I know they haven't had a new bow come out last year or this year.
12-16-2016, 03:10 PM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 3,359
Oh I could keep adding all day Rock. I just listed the top name brands with the best reputations in quality and customer service. And you are 100% correct about Kevin being "shady" to put it nicely. And you forgot he started Oregon Bows before he hooked up with John Strasheim (money behind the BowTech startup) to start up BT. And didn't Strother Bows go out of business? I know they haven't had a new bow come out last year or this year.
I don't know if they are still in business or not....either way the bows are still around. I haven't shot that many strothers bows but they were my least favorite strother designed bow. Got to give it to the guy...he's shady but he knows what he's doing when it comes to bow design.
Have you shot a prime yet?
12-16-2016, 03:20 PM
#10
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Illinois
Posts: 3,695
Yeah, tried out a Rize and a Centergy Hybrid. The Rize I didn't like at all. The Centergy felt pretty good but didn't have the balance I like. Rollover was smooth and the wall was like a brick but I didn't like the feel of the follow through. Probably something I could easily adapt to if I ever fell away from my BowTechs. But at my age, I aint going to be pulling a bow much longer so my BowTech Experience will be my last compound I'm sure. Probably be coming over to your place and borrowing your crossbow before long 