BHM’s Top 5 Bows of 2014

The 2014 hunting season is quickly approaching and we are starting to get geared up for it.  That being said, this  is our yearly top 5 bows for this year.  They are as always in no particular order as we view all five of the below bows as great choices if your in the market for a new bow this season.  We have included our opinion and reasons each bow made our top 5 this year, along with some specs and features of each bow.

1. Bowtech  Archery - Carbon Overdrive

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Bowtech seems to be doing something right, they make a good product and they are always getting good reviews.  Well like others they have made our top five and this year is the exception.  The Carbon Overdrive is a new offering from Bowtech this year and we like what we see.  The bow offers 50, 60, 70 lb draw weight, is just 3.3 lbs, draw length options from 25" - 30".  The bow is 31.5 inches axle to axle , and has an IBO speed of 342 fps.  The bow is small, light weight, fast, has a few options in terms of colors/camo patterns it is available in.  Overall, we really like this style bow and Bowtech makes a great product, with an MSRP of $999 it is also priced just in line with the other bows it is competing with.  We think it's best features are it's speed and weight. Overall, it looks a nice addition to their product line and one we suggest looking at if your in the market for a new bow this year.

2. Matthews Archery - Creed XS

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Matthews is one of the leading bow manufactures and some would argue the best.  Well we sure cannot find a lot to argue that, but everything is a matter of personal preference.   This year Matthews made our top five with their latest offering the Creed XS.  This bow offers a compact design and has their new SimPlex single-cam technology.   The Creed XS is offered in 50,60,70 lb draw weights and draw lengths from 26" to 30", the bow is super short at 28" axle to axle and lightweight at just 3.80 lbs.  This little bow still packs pretty good speed with an IBO speed of 321 fps.  All and all, another great product from Matthews that will last you forever.  With an average selling price of between $899 - $1,049.  This is a great all around bow, with some awesome new features which make it better than last years Creed, and yet it is still priced right around it's competition.  Another bow that would be on our must look at if your in the market.

3. Bear Archery - Agenda 7

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Bear Archery's offering this year with the Agenda 7 has kept them on our top five list this year.  The Agenda 7 is right in the pack with draw weight options of 50,60,70 lbs and draw length options from 26.5" to 30", an axle to axle length of 32", an IBO speed of 340 fps and weighs in at 4 lbs respectively.  An all around good bow with a slightly lower price tag  that it's competitors with an MSRP of $899, a great choice for those looking for good bow with many years of proven quality behind. Only downfall we see is it is only offered with 75% let off whereas most all other bows are now 80% let off.

4. Martin Archery - Alien Nitro

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Martin has been around for some time and has made our light a couple times, this year they have surprised us and with their new Alien Nitro they may finally have a bow that competes in the ranks of a high end bow.  We traditional have them listed in a middle class bows which offer a lower price tag with excellent quality, this year they kept the excellent quality, made some upgrades and made a great product priced competitively with their competition.  The Alien Nitro has draw weight options of 50,60,70 lbs, draw length options from 25.5" to 30.5", is 32" axle to axle, weights just 3.5 lbs, has an adjustable let off up to 80%, and has an MSRP of$934.99.  All around seems like they have really made a good bow this year and certainly worth a couple shots when testing new bows before buying them.

5. Diamond Archery - Carbon Cure

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Finally, Diamond Archery made our list again this year with their Carbon Cure, new for 2014  this bow seems to be great competition for the bows above with a considerably less price tag.  The Carbon Cure is offered with a   50, 60,7o lb draw weight options, 27" to 30.5" draw length, it is 32" axle to axle, has an IBO speed of 325 fps, and weighs in at just 3.3 lbs.  With a an MSRP of $699 it is considerably lower than other bows in it's class.   Overall, we found it to be a nice shooting bow and for the price it would have to be something we would look at before making a  final purchase.  You always have to look at quality versus price, and in this case we think they are offering high quality and low price.  This also is a must look at before your next bow purchase and you can decide if this is a super good deal!

That's our 2014 top bow list, again in no real order.  We really like all of these bows and they would be in the list to look at if we were purchasing a new bow this year.  It never hurts to look, and since these 5 bows are in the same class and mostly around the same price range it makes it even easier to say you should look at them all before making a final purchase.

Is anyone in the market for a new bow this year?  Did any of our top 5 make your list to look at before purchasing your new bow?
Do you own any of these 5 bows? We would love to hear your thoughts and reviews of them to help our other readers make an informed choice when they decide what bow to look at before purchasing!

1 Response

  1. Joe Snyder
    I'm going back to compounds after shooting traditional bows for the past 25 years - bad back, can't draw my recurves and longbows. I'm pretty sure my next bow will be from Bowtech - either the Diamond Infinity or the Core. I'm reading lots of reviews, and they all seem to be split down the middle as to whichever bow is better, but since they have a price point so close together it's not enough to say "Can't afford that mone, move on" - or the higher the price the better the gear (in general). Anyone with experience with these two bows - the Bowtech Edge and Core? Thanks!

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