You're too kind, as usual Buckhunter.
But the real point of this review, to be perfectly honest, is to convince Walt to finally upgrade form his Bear Polar II. Are you listening, Walt?

I loved this review and I would like to see more like it. Although the average hunter loves to dream about guns and bows they cannot afford, at the end of the day, the equipment that sparks the most interest is the best equipment for the cheapest price (aka - the best bang for your buck :-)). The bow I currently shoot was listed at $299.99 in 2007. To date, that bow has killed 6 deer, robin hooded 4 times at 20 yards, and broke a lot of knocks.

I appreciate the objective assessment of the Bear bow.

I like you Dave, you are a true gentleman. But honestly my Polar II will outshoot both bows. I realize the VALUE of a BEAR BOW. Maybe more than anyone. Since I bought my Polar II in 1993 I've taken 27 deer with it. The previous owner took 19. What makes this bow so good is the long axle to axle length and the pollington red dot scope. Longer axis bows are easier to hold on target than short axis bows. I'm going to be 50 this hunting season and I'm still pulling back a 65# 50% let off bow because it simply works. $300.00 buys a lifetime supply of carbon arrows and Muzzy 3 blade broadheads for this hunter. Maybe someday when you get around the middle of the mitt you'll e-mail me and I'll let you shoot a legend. That of course would be fodder for another one of your great stories!

By the way, the 2 other bows I was down to in my decision were the diamond outlaw and the mission endeavor. Both noticeably more expensive than the bear and the outlaw was faster. The outlaw did have a large "hump" at the end of the draw. The mission seemed to be a close cousin to the endeavor in many respects. The price of the bare bones bow wasnt the deciding factor, it was the RTH (Ready to hunt) package. Mission wasnt offering any real deals on equipped bows and the bear seemed to do everything really well. If mission would offer a better package, I might have gone with the endeavor. Then there's the issue of buying a good used high end bow,,,,,,,,,,

I think Walt has the right idea. Stick with what works. Wish I still had my old Bear Whitetail. It had killed a few deer in it's day.

Dave, a person could argue your test not only shows the good quality of the lower priced bows but also the little difference in quality for the high priced bows. But there are a lot of hunters who really want the extra little edge.

I like these kinds of tests, they prove you don't have to buy top-end equipment to get a good bow. Most of the costs in a bow come from time spent machining the riser, cams, and technology put into it. The more time it takes t develop and make the more money it costs, thats just business. Top end models also get all the advertising and hype, raising public demand and that raises the price. The 'lower' end models are very good quality and they cater to a large market that want to bowhunt or just enjoy archery but not spend a fortune doing it. It doesn't surprise me that Bear has kicked out a great, lower cost bow, they are the backbone of the industry. Long live Fred Bear!

I shoot a Bear Legion, great bow, reasonably fast, quiet, accurate. Bear's are underrated as far as I'm concerned.

Is there a link to the full review?