Compound Bow Buying Guide: Entry Level vs Mid Range vs Flagship | FRIDAY KILL NOTEST

Buying a compound bow shouldn’t feel like a guessing game where the only safe answer is “spend more.” I’m Zakk Plocica from Extreme Outfitters, and I walk you through a clear, practical way to pick the right compound bow based on how you actually hunt, how often you shoot, and what you can realistically budget.

We break the market into three price tiers: entry level, mid price, and flagship. You’ll hear what changes as you move up, from adjustability and ready to hunt packages to smoother draw cycles, quieter shots, better components, and modern tuning systems. I also explain why setup is everything, including draw length, cam timing, and center shot, and why a quick trip to a solid archery pro shop can matter more than the logo on the riser.

Then we get honest about the numbers that surprise first-time buyers: “out the door” cost. A flagship bow is often sold bare, so accessories like a sight, rest, quiver, stabilizer, arrows, and a release can push the total far past the sticker price. I’ll help you avoid underspending if you know you’re all-in, and overspending if you’re still figuring out whether bowhunting will stick.

If you found this helpful, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s bow shopping, and leave a review with your current tier and what bow you’re considering.

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Transcript

Buying A Bow Without Confusion

Zakk Plocica 0:00

All right, if you are making a compound bow purchase, looking to make a compound bow purchase, this episode is for you. Today we are covering the different tiers that you can expect when buying a bow, what each price tier has to offer, how to determine which price tier is correct for you, and examples of bows within each of those price tiers. So thanks for joining me today on the Archery Project. I'm your host, Zach Placica. I have a company called Extreme Outfitters, one of the fastest growing archery shops and suppliers in the country. And our mission here with the Archery Project is to provide good information for you guys to become informed and make good decisions and help guide you along your archery journey. So we're going to do that today by talking about compound bows and the price point or the different price categories, I should say, right? Because not everybody needs to spend $1,200, $2,000 on a bow. So when we look at it, when it comes to buying a bow, a compound bow specifically is what we're talking about. There's three different price tiers. You have an entry level, you have a mid-price point, and then you have a flagship. When we look at each of those price tiers, the entry level is going to be somewhere between three and six hundred dollars. Your mid price point is going to be roughly $700 to $1,000. And then flagship is top of the line. We're looking at $1,200 plus. And within the flagship category, there's kind of two different price points. So you have that standard aluminum, $1,200 to $1,500. And then when you get into your carbon bows, it's $2,000 plus. So we're going to identify each of these and kind of break them down so you guys have a better understanding of what to expect within each of these different price tiers. Because it is a little bit confusing. If you've never bought a compound bow before and you're looking at getting into one, you kind of need to determine what your budget is and what is the correct budget for you. Because like I said, not everyone needs to drop all their coin on a bow. So when we look at it, entry-level bows, right? $300 to $600 price point. Anything below that is a toy. It's going to be, in my opinion, just if you're looking at getting into archery for the sake of bow hunting, anything below that price point is really not going to fit the bill. It just doesn't have the features, it doesn't have the reliability. Once you start getting into that $300, $600 somewhere in there, you start getting a bow that is capable of being utilized to hunt with. Right. So that price point, that entry-level price point, you don't get the same capabil. I don't want to say capability, but you don't get the same features that you get when you start moving into the mid-price point and upper level price point bows, right? They're still capable, right? You still can hunt with them, you can set them up, you can shoot, you can, you can tune them, but they don't have the same cape capability when it comes to tuning and the performance that you would expect out of those higher end or higher end bows, right? So when we look at them, um the risers, typically you're only going to have aluminum risers, cast aluminum risers in that price point. The weight is going to be somewhere between like three and a half and four and a half pound as far as the bows go, right? Which is kind of in line with most of your other bows. The speeds are typically a little bit slower on these price point bows. They don't, you're not going to get the same speed out of them, and they they don't offer the same tuning capability when you step up in price, right? And tuning a bow is incredibly important. You can still tune these bows, but they don't have the same features in which you can tune the bow. So when we talk about getting set up with a bow, as you guys know from previous podcasts, it's critical that the bow is set up for you. Right? That's that's the thing about archery. It's in order to be good with a bow, it has to be set up specifically for you. It can't be set up for your brother and then you pick it up and shoot it. It's not going to be set up to its full potential for you to be as accurate as you could be. So that's why it's important that whenever you do get any of these bows, you take them and get them set up. One of the cool things about an entry-level bow is you can pretty much buy it anywhere. You could buy it at a big box store, you can buy it at a pro shop, you can buy it offline, you can get some of them off Amazon, which is absolutely fantastic, right? So you're not limited to a pro shop. The major downfall with that is anybody getting into getting an entry-level bow is typically new to archery and they don't understand how to set the bow up. So if you do take that approach and you do buy an entry-level bow, you need to make sure that when you get it, you take it to a pro shop. You're not gonna be able to set it up like it needs to be. Yes, you can probably look up how to set the draw length and whatnot, but you're not gonna have the capability to time the cams. You're not gonna understand center shot, setting center shot up. So it's best if you do take the approach of ordering it online, just go to a pro shop. You need to look up a local pro shop. If it's an hour drive, make the commute. It's gonna save you the headache of getting that bow set up and dialed in because you will be able to shoot it correctly once you actually have it set up for you. So that's the biggest downfall, right? Um, is with an entry-level bow, is the the tuning capability, the features, it's just a more price point, more affordable price point bow, as you would expect, right? You're you know at that at an entry-level price point with anything, you're not gonna get all the same features that you would with a top-a-line product. And one of the things too is what we see when people talk about entry-level price point, like, oh, that's too expensive, right? Three to five hundred dollars, three to six hundred dollars is too much for an entry level. That's that's an expensive bow. It's not in the archery world, it's not, right? Expensive is whenever you're spending $2,000 plus dollars on a carbon bow, you're spending $1,500 on an aluminum bow, $12. That that's where we can see it it's more expensive. But whenever you're buying a bow, you're buying most people buying a bow as a bow hunter with is with the intent to kill an animal. So you need to invest accordingly. And whenever you get to a three to six hundred dollar price point, that's j that's where the the bows become uh capable enough and have the the performance and the features that you need in order to be reliable in the woods in order to take an animal's life. Like I said, anything below that is a toy. It's fun to learn on. You can take it out back and you can plink, but it is not designed well enough or does not have the features that you need in order to take it out on a hunt. So $300 to $600 is that entry-level price point. Some of the bows you can look at at getting that that into that price point are great bows. We all know Bear Archery makes some great bows. The Bear legit. We sell a ton of those bows. Fairly inexpensive. They they're ready-to-hunt packages, ready to hunt, meaning they have everything you need except for your arrows and your release. So you buy this bow, it's got your sight on it, it's got your arrow rest, it's got your quiver, your stabilizer, your peep site. All you got to do is have it set up, get the arrows built for it, get a release, and you can take it out and start shooting. That's another great thing about the um entry-level price point is the majority of those bows are ready to hunt, ready to shoot packages. And that makes it easy for you. If you're somebody new to archery and you're just getting into it, the anxiety of buying a bow is pretty high because there's so many options, right? Almost an overwhelming amount of options. And not to mention, you've got to buy the bow. And then if you don't buy a ready-to-hunt package, you've got to buy the accessories to go with that bow, pair them together, have it put together, built, set up, tuned, sided in before you get out in the woods. The entry level is great because you get a bow that's already picked or already set up essentially with the accessories that you're gonna run on it, and you just take it to your tech or whatever tech you go to and say, I've got this bow. I would like it set up for me. And your tech should say, absolutely, no problem. Let's get your measurements, let's get this um started, and let's get it set up specific to you and get you on your way through your archery journey. Very, very important. And there should be, I've seen some comments. They're like, What if I bought a bow from somewhere else and I take it to a shop to get it set up? Is that is that bad? Absolutely not. That's what we're here for. That's what a shop does. We provide a service to you guys. And our job is to provide a good service to get you into the archery game and get you set up correctly so that you enjoy it and you become a lifelong archer or bow hunter. That's that's our mission, right? We want to keep you in the game. And if you're you go to a shop and they don't take the time with you, it's a red flag. You I put up a podcast on red flags with archery shops. Go check it out if you're not familiar with it. Um you should be able to buy your bow from wherever you you want it, you want. If you buy a bow from Amazon, you bring it into us, we're gonna help, we're gonna set you up and get you and get you dialed in and get you shooting. Um that's that's what a shop should do. So don't feel ashamed or embarrassed that you bought a bow from somewhere else. Take it in, introduce yourself to the guys at the shop, and they should help you out no problem. Um, again, some other great options in there. The Diamond Lines, right? The Diamond Infinite 305s, Infinite Edge, uh, the Infinite Edge, the Edge XT, I think is what it was. We had we saw those were kind of a pain. But like the um the Pro Max, I think from Diamond, they were good bows. Uh again, the bear legit max was a fantastic option. Um PSE had um the last year or two, they had the Stinger ATKs, all within that entry-level price point, which were good bows that you can get set up, dialed in, and you can very capable. We had a guy that took a Diamond Infinite Um Infinite Edge or I think it was Infinite Edge or Pro Max or something. It was a little bit older, um, and he shot a caribou with it. So the capability's there with the equipment, as long as it's set up correctly for you. So don't be discouraged if you're just getting into it, and that's your budget. There's nothing wrong with that budget. And if that is your budget, stick to that budget. Get set up there. The entry level budget, as these bows have evolved over the years, that price point has gotten better and better. Of course, there's always gonna be that next step, but it's a great way to get into it. And if you're somebody who is not a hundred percent sure on where they're gonna go with this hobby, I would encourage you to start at that entry-level price point. If you're, if you don't know, you know, you're gonna be a casual hunter, maybe you're gonna hunt a couple times a year, you're not doing any big hunting trips, you want to shoot a little bit in your backyard from time to time. Don't overinvest in this thing if you're not sure you want to be in it. Start at the entry-level price point. You can always upgrade later on, right? Spend a year or two behind that bow, and then you realize you really like it, then you can justify upgrading to that next price point. So don't feel obligated to jump in this thing headfirst. The entry-level price point is there for a reason, and it's great for a lot of folks who just aren't sure how far, how evolved they're gonna get into this thing, right? So don't um don't sleep on the bows, man. Um, they there's been some really a lot of the technology has really evolved and advanced over the years, and even now in that entry-level price point, you still get some really good bows. Um, so like I said, if that's your price point, start with there. There's no wrong, there's there's nothing wrong with it. But just be aware of what you are getting, right? It's an entry-level bow, it just doesn't have the same features and functionality and components as your higher price point. I'll give you a prime example of when we talk about um the actual pieces of the bow, how it's manufactured, the manufacturing is not the same. One of the big differ differentiating factors between like an entry-level bow and a mid-price point bow, and then all the way up to your flagship is the mods. Mods on your entry-level bow are typically always plastic, a plastic material. The problem with them is we do see them fail eventually, a lot of times, right? They'll on the actual cam system. Sometimes we've had issues where the they don't seat well and then the cable or the string slips in between them, or they just break. If you over-tighten a screw, it'll crack the mod. Um, potential issues that are are there. Do they happen all the time? No. But the great thing about buying a bow new from a pro shop is you get a warranty on that, and that stuff gets replaced typically at no cost. So keep that in mind whenever buying. If you buy from your local shop or you buy from somewhere that has a warranty, issues like that are typically taken care of by the manufacturer. They send replacement mods, you can reinstall them and you're you're not out anything. So that's a great thing about buying new. Uh, the other thing, too, you'll notice on like entry-level bows is the cable uh slide. Typically, um it's a friction slide and it's made of plastic, so it's a little bit noisier. The draw cycle on the bow isn't as good. Um the the overall draw cycle on your entry-level bows is usually not bad, but it's not as smooth or consistent as your upgraded bows. Um, and the only way for you to really understand that is if you've ever shot any other bow. If you have nothing to compare it to, it's it's not bad at all. Um, but it's just something to keep in mind um when it comes to making decisions. So, again, the great thing, the pros about it, they're affordable, um, they're easy to get started with, they eliminate the anxieties of having to buy and choose all your components. And they're very adjustable. That's the other great thing about your entry-level bows, is typically the adjustability that you get with them is fantastic, right? So, like, say you're a dad, for example, me, and you get into archery and you're, you know, you shot for a year or two and you want to upgrade and you bought an entry-level bow, you can pass that bow on to your kids typically because there's so much adjustment in it, right? Or it's the other thing too, if you have kids and they want to get into it, the entry-level price point is great because the adjustability, these bows really have a wide range of adjustments so they can grow with the kid, right? So you can adjust the draw weight in some of these bows from 10 all the way to 70 pounds, draw lengths from 14 all the way to 30 inches. So they're almost like a grow with you type of bow, which is fantastic for somebody that's getting into it, that needs the poundage dial down because they can't draw the bow back at the, you know, their goal weight yet. So you can slowly start 30, 40, 50, 60, all the way up to 70 pounds as you continue to get stronger and build those muscles. Um, and then kids growing, you get a lot of adjustability in it. So entry-level bows, absolutely fantastic for those who are unsure of where they're going to go in their archery journey, or they're just casual. You want to hunt a couple times a year, you want to shoot in the backyards, entry level, fantastic. But what's the advantage of going up in the mid to the mid-price point? I'm glad you guys asked. The mid-price point tier is roughly $700 to $1,000. And I will tell you, the mid-price point bows this year in particular have really blurred the line between mid-price point and flagship. The mid-price point bows are just awesome this year and really will make you reconsider some buying and spending the money on a flagship bow because the the mid-price point bows at this point just offer pretty much a majority of your flagship features and capability and performance. And they shoot and feel good. I mean, this is the most competitive year for mid-price point bows, in my opinion. Um, and it's a real it really is a sweet spot for people who just not over the moon for archery, right? You're not a uh someone that shoots all year round. You don't, you know, you you only shoot in the beginning of the season for the archery season, then you move over to rifle and maybe you don't want to overinvest in a bow. The mid-price point category is perfect for you. Um this is where I think you notice a massive difference in the overall feel of the bow, too, right? When you go from entry to mid-price point level, the feel of the bow is just so much better. I think there's a huge step up from entry level to mid-price point and feel, sound, and capability within the platform when we talk about tuning and shooting. The bows are typically a little bit easier to shoot. Um, they're usually, in my opinion, from what I've noticed, they're quieter. The draw cycles are better. And now they have tuning capability that is equivalent to flagship bows. So not only do you get less vibration post shot, do you get um smoother draw cycle, better back wall, uh, better valleys, more speed, more performance. You get the tuning capability that you get with a flagship bow, which is pretty much unheard of, right? In all the years past, that nobody really, not many people put out a mid-price point bow that really was in almost in line with a flagship bow. It's always mid-price point bows typically have a year or two behind as far as the generation of the cam, the tuning um capability, all that stuff is usually technology that's a little a couple years outdated from previous flagship models. This year, you've got, for example, the PSE Force has the current flagship cam and tuning capability. The uh Botech Ascent has the deadlock light um tuning capability. The the Prime Ronin, which has been in the lineup for a couple years, has the core cam on it. So these are all flagship features that have been integrated into the mid-price point category. And you also get the the integration, like your Picatinem's uh mounted sights. You get your integration for your quivers, your integration for your um IMS rest system. So the mid-price point bow honestly is a really, really good uh price point for a lot of people, especially with the economy, right? Everything continues to go up in price and the price goes up, but the value doesn't get any better. Well, I can say the value in the mid-price point bows is absolutely phenomenal at this point. Um, typically the bows in this price point, again, the speeds are there. You're you're getting bows now that are shooting 300 to 340 feet per second, IBO rated, um, which is equivalent to flagship. Uh the bows, they feel better. The risers, the design, the components on the bow are better. Your mods on on this price point tend to be metal, right? So they're not that cheap plastic. So you get a better uh performing mod, your cable slides are, you know, roller guards. It's just a massive step up. The limb pockets on the bow at this point start to become metal. Um, so you don't get the same amount of adjustability in a lot of these price points. Some of them do, not your higher-end mid-price point bows, um, but you get a better piece of equipment. Really great bows in this price point, like I mentioned, PSE Force, the uh Botec Ascend, the Prime Ronin, which is a little bit older, the Hoyt Enduro, awesome bows. And then Bear has a really, really good mid-price point bows uh in this lineup. And we've got the Alaskan Pro, which is awesome. It's a 33-inch axle to axle bow that just shoots and performs extremely well. Um, we've got the Bear Adapt 2 HP. Again, it's a little bit shorter axle to axle bow, but it just shoots really, really good. And the thing about it now in this price point category is you've got different ATA options to choose from based off your stature and what your goals are whenever getting into uh this thing. So the mid-price point back category really does cover a lot. Um it's just it's great. I think this category is great for if you're pretty serious about bow hunting, right? You you enjoy shooting a bow quite a bit, but you're still kind of budget conscious, it's a great option for you. If you're someone that is looking to upgrade, right, you've been, you got that entry-level bow a couple years ago and you wanted, you know, you want to get a little bit more serious. This is a good category to upgrade to versus going all the way to flagship because of the the features that you get now in this category. Um it's also great if you just want a backup bow, right? You're somebody that wants two bows, you want a fairly newer backup bow. It's a great um category to buy a backup bow in because it is the bows are so good, you can tune them and set them up well. So I don't think in this price point category, like the entry uh level, you outgrow entry level. Most people outgrow entry level if they stick with archery long enough. It's just gonna happen. I say nowadays with the mid-price point category, a lot of people aren't gonna outgrow these bows, right? They're just good. The technology is there, the performance is there, the feel is there. They're awesome bows. So it's it's gonna be excellent. When we talk about performance, when we talk about tuning capability, we talk about durability and just overall value. This is a value category. This is a value price point. The value I think exceeds the price point for a lot of these bows in this price point. So the major cons, though, with it is it's not a flagship bow. I will always own and shoot a flagship bow. I live and breathe archery. Flagship for me is uh that's it. There I there is, I will not own or shoot a mid-price point bow because I, like I said, love archery. That's what I do a majority of my time. I can justify it. It's it's my main hobby, right? And I firmly believe in investing in your hobby. So if you are somebody that's in this thing and you love archery and you want the latest, you want the greatest, that's when it's time to pull the trigger on flagship. Flagship is top of the line, best performance, latest technology, latest features. It is the end all be all. It is the cream of the crop, top of the line, the best for the money, right? This is the Ferraris of Archery. And the flagship category or price point is basically made up of two price points, kind of. You've got aluminum, which is like 12 to 14, 1500, and then you've got your carbon, which is $2,000. So those are your two price points within um. Flagship. Right? It's just the material that the bows are made with that separates those price points. The technology and the features the same. If it's you're looking at one brand, for example, Hoyt, right? If you look at their line aluminum bows versus their carbon bows, same features, same technology, same cams, all that. It's just the actual design of the riser, the material it's made out of. And there's pros and cons to each. I like aluminum bows, I like carbon bows. Um, excuse me. Currently I shoot a carbon or carbon bows, but um I've always enjoyed shooting aluminum bows. But stepping up into that flagship category, like I said, you're paying for premium features, maximum performance, the latest engineering. And when we talk about the risers, we talk about the actual just the little features that people tend to overlook, the machining of the riser. That's one of the big um costs of archery, right? Is the way the actual riser is machined. So when I talk to one of the manufacturers, a cast aluminum riser is gonna be is gonna end up in your mid-price point category. It's cheaper to make, but it ends up being a little bit heavier, but the cost is less to make it. A machine riser is always gonna cost more. And that's one of that's one of the big differences between going from mid-price point to flagship is the machining of the riser. That's why that cost is increased, right? Cast aluminum risers, typically heavier, a little bit clunkier. Um, still good, but they're not a machine riser. A machine riser in your flagship category is gonna be typically lighter. There's more cutouts, the design is just better. Um and again, it's lighter. So that's one of the big things going to that flagship. You get a just a superior piece of equipment. The shot always feels better. Typically, the your bows in your flagship um category are gonna be lighter. Even the aluminum bows now, we got like 3.9 pound aluminum bows, which is crazy. Um, and then all the materials on it. So some of you, even some of your flagship bows, like I'll give you a prime example, like Expedition, like the the value you get with an expedition bow is crazy because not only do you get a flagship bow with magnet material, a very light um material when it comes to building a riser, but they've got ABB strings that come on it. That's a $200 value at like a $1,500, $1,600 price point bow. So your flagship bows come with all of your premium everything. The thing about your flagship bows is flagship bows are bare bow, right? Like your mid-price point, your entry level, you can get in ready-to-hunt packages. Your flagship bows, when you go in and buy a new flagship bow, it's just the bow. So you're paying $1,300 to $1,500, $2,000 for just a bow. And then you've got to go pick out your accessories. So again, flagship bow is not necessarily the right answer for somebody that's just getting into it, that doesn't want to have to overwhelm themselves with all the accessories that come along with it. Because you got to build, you got to custom build that bow out to your liking. And if you don't know what to look for, it can be overwhelming. That's why a good shop can walk you through it. If you are that guy that says, I want top of the line because in three years, I'm heading out west. I'm gonna go hunt elk. I'm gonna go chase whatever. I I just when I get into hobbies, I get into it. That's when you know you're a flagship guy. And that's where a shop really comes in and can help guide you through that process, even though you may have never invested in a bow before. Uh, the big thing with flagship bows is the cam systems on them. Typically, you get the most performance out of them. You get the most speeds, you get um the best tuning capability is is, I would say, the biggest takeaway from flagship bows, right? When we look at the tuning capability of all the flagships, you can really micro-tune these cams. You can shim the cams. Excuse me. So that's where you know the the great thing about flagship bows is you can really, as a as an archer, as a shooter, you can really customize the fit and feel to you based off the holding weight of the bow, the um, the tune of the bow, all of these things. You get the most capability within that platform. And then these bows, like I said, the performance is typically greater. Your speeds are greater. You know, we got bows averaging, you know, IBO of 335 to the fastest bows, 357 feet per second IBO rating. Um it's the they're just machines, right? Microadjustable tuning, and then you get the latest integrations accessories designed specifically for these bows, right? For for example, a Matthews bow. Matthews makes, in my opinion, has the best like accessory ecosystem for a bow. Their bridge lock um, their bridge lock stabilizers, bridge lock sights, those systems all integrate into the riser. They're specifically designed for that flagship bow, Matthews flagship bows. It's like a proprietary system that just works in sync with that bow. Is it a premium? Absolutely. You're paying top of the line for those things. But those guys who are in it get it. They're willing to invest in their hobbies. There's nothing wrong with it. You can't judge somebody or hate on somebody who has the money and capability and wants to spend that money. That's cool. There's nothing wrong with it. Um, you know, I think it's crazy that people spend five to six hundred dollars on a PlayStation. It is what it is, man. We've all got our hobbies. Invest accordingly. Uh you live once, man. You got to enjoy it a little bit. Flagship bows, examples, brands, right? Matthews, Hoyt, Prime, PSE, Botech, Um, Elite, all of these, Expedition, all of these different bows. They're their premium bows are their flagship bows. That's what a flagship bow is. It is a top of the line, the latest technology, the latest features within that manufacturer's year. So a lot of good options out there. And I would say across these categories, you have more options in a flagship category, in the flagship price point than you do in mid-price point and entry level when it comes to quality, right? Entry level, there's a handful of good entry-level bows that I mentioned. There's a there's a couple of them. Mid-price point bows, there's a handful of them, right? The ones I mentioned. Flagship, you have a ton of options, different ATA lengths, different um tuning systems, different color combinations, customization when it comes to color, colors, and strings and all that. You have a lot more option in the flagship realm. You just get a lot more at that. Does not mean it's for everybody, though, right? It's best suited for your die hard bow hunters, your guys who get after it, who invest in um expensive hunting trips or who just hunt really hard, who really enjoy archery and want the best of the best. The flagship is the right choice for you. Competitive archers, when we talk about the target lines, if you want to be competitive when it comes to target archery, flagship is where it's gonna be. Um flagship bows are not necessarily by any means, though. They um they definitely offer the most and have, in my opinion, the best shooting experiences. I mean, you're paying for that. The engineering and these things is unbelievable. These things are machines, man. So that's your three pro that's your that's your three price tiers. Right? So you got to determine which price tier is correct for you. No one can define it for you. Again, entry level. If you're unsure of getting into this, you want to dabble, you want to maybe hunt a couple times a year. You're not a bow guy, you might want to try being a bow guy. Entry level is where it's at, right? You're a kid getting into this and you need a bow that grows with you. Entry level is a really good spot to start. Mid-price point is going to be the guys that are a little bit more serious, want better technology, want more performance, um, but are still budget conscious, but still want a bow that's plenty capable and enjoy shooting a bow, I would say, quite a bit. That's where the mid-price point bow starts to shine. There is a massive upgrade from entry level to mid-price point. It's a bigger upgrade from mid-price point to or from entry level to mid-price point than from mid-price point to flagship. There is a huge difference between entry level and mid-price point, in my opinion. That's where the biggest jump is as far as technology, shootability, performance, overall feel. That's a big difference. And then when we look at flagship again, that's top line. You're in it, you love Archery, you live and breathe it, you want the best of the best, go flagship. No questions. You're a buy once, cry once, dude. That's me. Go flagship. And then, like I just said, the mid-price point to the flagship, while the while the improvements are smaller, it's just a refined machine, right? It's the latest technology. You have more options. Um, the performance is better. The tuning is well, it's not really much better with some of these. We've really blurred the line between mid-price point and flagship, in my opinion. So, you know, those are your options. Um just be. I would think through this. Don't get obligated, don't get for, don't feel pushed into one price point or the other. There's no need to be. You need to take the time with it and just and and really assess yourself and how much you you want to spend. Don't overspend on this thing, man. I say it all the time. I'm the worst salesman within within our company because I always tell people, you know, you probably don't need that. Unless you want it, though, right? You need to see where you are in your archery journey and where you want to go. Kind of forecast, like, I know I'm gonna be in this thing because all my other hobbies I get into, I stick with them for three to 10 years and I get deep in them. Dude, it's a hobby, man. Invest in it. Buy once, cry once. You live once, you gotta enjoy the journey. So if that's you, you know, buy accordingly. Um, when we look at though, when we look at out the door price for these categories, like entry level, right? A lot of them are the ready-to-hunt packages. The only thing you got to buy from there after is your arrows and your release. So the your out-the-door price is only a hundred to a hundred and fifty dollars more than that because you've got everything you need. The mid-price point category, a lot of those bows, you can get in ready-to-hunt packages as well now, right? So you're at you have there's a little bit more expense whenever um you have to buy your arrows and your release. That's it. But the the big difference, like when we talk about flagship, if you're if you have a budget of you're like, oh, I I've got a $1,200 budget out the door, that means you don't have a $1,200 budget for them for the top of the line mid-price point bows most of the time. Or flagship, excuse me. I'm sorry. If you have a, you know, because we talk about mid-price or flagship being a twelve hundred dollar price point, that's just the bow. You have to buy your arrow rest, you have to buy your sight, your quiver, your arrows, your release, your stabilizer. So keep that into consideration. Out the door price for a flagship bow is typically between $1,800, uh I would say $1,700 and $2,500 on average flagship. Mid-price point bow. Again, you can get them ready to hunt packages. So you're pretty close to that price point. Um, but if you buy the bear bow, just be prepared to spend more money. Right. So ask yourself these questions. How serious are you about it? How often do you plan to shoot your bow? Are you shooting year-round? Are you competing? Are you going to out-of-state hunts? That's going to really determine the price point that you're in. Um, and then your long-term commitment, I think, is the big thing. To really, it's easy to get over excited about this. Trust me. I've been there, I've done that uh with a lot of things and overspend. Don't do that. Slow down, think through it. Um, don't do the panic buy or the fear of missing out a thing. Assess how how long you you plan to be in this thing. And I know it can be hard at times, but kind of look at who you are and you know how you've been in the past, and that'll kind of guide you in the direction. But as far as the best value, in my opinion, for a lot of people, it's that mid-price point bow, especially with these new ones that came out the PSE Force, the Ascend, the Alaskan Pros. They're dude, just awesome. Awesome, awesome, awesome. So that's it, guys. That's what I wanted to talk about. I know it's confusing when it comes to buying a bow because there's so many different options out there. And that's what we want to be able to do is we want to be able to help you guys kind of make those informed decisions and see what fits you. And that's one of the things that we do when we go through the buying process and we assess people is we ask them those questions. What's your budget? How and how involved in this do you think you're gonna be? How often do you shoot or have you shot or do you plan to shoot? And what's your goals? And that helps kind of form the decision in which tier is best for you. Because again, the last thing you want to do is underspend, right? You buy an entry-level bow and you're a dude that just gets in it and you got to buy twice, right? You got to buy an entry-level bow and six months to a year later, you're like, I want to upgrade already. So kind of think ahead, right? Pre-plan this thing and then come into it a little bit, I would say well informed, so that you can make that good decision when it comes to my buying a bow. The bow is not what kills the animal, it's the individual behind the bow. The thing that matters is you buy a bow that's of good enough quality that can be set up and tuned to you, built to you. You practice with the bow, take the bow, and then become successful with it. And you can do that with the entry-level category, you can do that with the mid-price point category, and you can absolutely do that with the flagship category. The individual behind the bow is what makes that bow lethal. So just remember that. Take your time with it. Come in. When it comes to buying a new bow, I highly encourage you always try before you buy. Get in the shop, test all the bows within your budget, see what feels best for you, ask questions, and then commit to the purchase. And when you determine what your budget is, stick with your budget. Don't get swayed to buy more unless it's justifiable and it makes sense because you know you're going to be the guy that's in this thing. So, as always, I appreciate you guys following along. Um, drop some comments, give some feedback, and let me know what your thoughts are as far as price points. You know, how do you feel about the entry level versus the mid price point versus the flagship? Where are you in your buying journey? Is the mid-price point bow offer enough for you that you can't justify a flagship bow? Drop some comments and uh let us know. And then let me know your favorite bow currently that's out. And um, you know, who you think's got the best bow of the year? I'm curious to hear from you guys. So, as always, appreciate you guys. If you need anything, head over to extremeoutfitters.com. I mean, we've got everything you could ever need. And we can also answer any questions that you've got if you're unsure of anything. We got techs on staff that are more than happy to help you out and walk you through your buying process, tuning questions, anything you got, man, that's what we're here for. Uh, we just appreciate you guys and all the support. That's it. That's another episode of the Archery Project, guys. We'll see you guys next week.