If you’re picking out a compound bow for your child as a first in hopes of sparking an interest in the sport, the good news is that there’s such a great variety of the best beginner compound bows to choose from. However, with such a wide range of choices, it’s going to be hard to choose just one—which is why we’re here to help.
To make this guide, we’ve checked out over 42 different compound bows on the market and taken our favorites. Although the XGeek Compound Bow is our Editor’s Choice and favorite, because of its lightweight 3.3 lb weight, and its 1-year limited warranty, among other things.
To help you decide which beginner compound bow is best for not only you but possibly a young archer that is about to find their passion for the sport, we’ve made this guide to help. From the highlight of various important features that you should consider before you buy, to the comparison table with the best products side-by-side, we’ve also let you know why you should buy each. We have in-detail reviews of each product, as well as a buying guide to help you choose which beginner compound bow will be best for you—or a loved one.
More features: CNC aluminum milling cam, hunting package, 3.3 lb weight, 320 fps speed, 7’’ brace height
The XGeek Compound Bow is one of the best compound bows for hunters. If you‘re looking for a durable bow, this product not only is high-quality, it also comes with an included package—with an aluminum riser, CNC milling, and durable limbs.
You can also expect it to come with an arrow quiver, 24-inch by 30-inch carbon mix arrows, a one-braided bowstring, and a rubber stabilizer.
The XGeek Compound Bow has a draw weight between 15 and 70 pounds which is quite a large range of weight—this means its compatible for various users of different sizes and ages. The bow itself is quite lightweight, weighing only 3.85 lb.
This size is adjustable and the high-quality compound bow is designed with durable material. This is a highly-accurate bow.
Not only do you get a compound bow, but you also get a high-quality kit for the beginner or experienced archer. This kit is included with a variety of different accessories.
With a highly adjustable nature, the XGeek Compound Bow is a highly adjustable make.
The entire compound bow is very light, smooth, solidly built, and easy to set up.
More features: 7’’ brace height, 3.2 lb weight, 310 fps speed, 74.7 ft lb kinetic energy, integral stabilizer
The Diamond Archery Infinite Edge Pro is the perfect compound bow for adults who have a bit of experience.
The compound bow is not only designed with high-quality materials, but it is also a feature-packed bow. The Diamond Archery Infinite Edge Pro is a great compound bow that can be the perfect fit for adults.
The Diamond Archery Infinite Edge Pro is the brand’s best-selling bows on the market. You can take the compound bow out hunting with you. The beginner compound bow can stretch out to around 31 inches, making it perfect to string out hunting shots.
The bow comes with a recreated cam make-up and a strong back wall. The Diamond Archery Infinite Edge Pro can be used not only in any field but also any terrain or condition. The Diamond Archery Infinite Edge Pro is a quality, elongated draw length—perfect for people who are draw archers.
You’ll also get a 3-Pin tundra sight, Deadlock lite octane quiver, tube peep sight, Hostage XL arrow rest, Infinite Edge Pro Bow, the comfort wrist sling, and a five inches extra-lite octane stabilizer.
More features: 6061-T6 aluminum riser, 2 lb weight, composite limbs, 6.1’’ brace height
The Genesis Mini Kit is a great pick for beginner hunters and young archers. Since it‘s so lightweight, this mini beginner compound bow makes it possible to draw and aim without causing too much fatigue.
This easy draw makes it simple to use—regardless of age and strength. The entire compound bow weighs only two lb, which is great for young ages and small sizes.
What makes this compound bow different is that the bow has zero let-off, which makes it much easier to shoot.
Not only is the weight light enough for archers of all sizes, but it is also configured with a small size for smaller hands.
The Genesis Mini Kit compound bow package includes a machined 6061-T6 aluminum riser, aluminum cam and idler wheel, sturdy composite limbs and high-strength bowstrings, as well as bow, belt tube quiver, adjustable arm guard, five aluminum arrows, a hex wrench, and an Owner’s Manual.
What also sets it apart from other marketable compound bows is that it comes in various colors. Perfect for first-timers and archers of all physical abilities, the Genesis Mini Kit is a great compound bow for an introduction to the sport of archery.
More features: 7’’ brace height, 320 fps speed, CNC machines riser, 3.85 lb weight, aluminum stabilizer included
The SAS Destroyer is rated as one of the best beginner compound bows for adults. With the draw weight between 19 and 55 lb, this compound bow has a great price.
The SAS Destroyer can give off the best performance that comes for a very affordable price. You can buy it for under $500.
It also comes with the complete package—making it not only a great bow for hunting and shooting but also perfect for someone who wants it all in one place. As an easy-to-shoot compound bow, it can reach speeds up to and over 320 fps.
It’s also highly versatile and can be used in hunting, 3D and target shooting. The SAS Destroyer is equipped with a twin-cam system that can produce tight grouping for optimal performance—even for beginners.
The material of the bow is high-quality—which makes it great even for those for multiple shootings.
This budget-friendly compound bow comes with a great package for the beginner. You will have access to a destroyer bow, a manual, a 3-pin Bow Sight, a QAD Ultra Drop Away Hunter Arrow Rest, a Quick Detach Quiver, a tube peep sight, a D-loop, and a premium Neoprene Wrist Sling as well as an 8-inch Aluminum Stabilizer.
More features: 191 fps speed, 1.9 lb weight, aluminum riser, carbon glass limbs, 6’’ brace height
The Diamond Archery Atomic Breakup Country is one of the best compound bows on the market for youth and youngsters who are just getting started with archery or hunting.
With features that put it at the top of its class, the Diamond Archery Atomic Breakup Country comes with machined aluminum riser and cams and also rotating modules for draw length adjustment. This makes it easy to adjust and change as needed—and as the young user grows and also changes.
The bow also comes included with everything you need to get started as well as various finish options. The full package includes not only matching string and cables, but also various accessories.
In the purchase package, you’ll get a capture arrow rest, hip quiver, tube peep sight, black nock, and three arrows. You can also benefit from the two rotating modules of the bow.
The design of the Diamond Archery Atomic Breakup Country is highly sought-out, with quality components made out of real aluminum. The limbs of the bow and arrow are also designed with strong and flexible carbon glass.
The bow is middle range when it comes to weight, as it weighs a pretty sturdy 9.5 lbs—which is comfortable to hold and carry—and can reach up to speeds of 191 fps, which makes it good for power hunting or target shooting. With 9.5 lbs of weight, it is capable of shooting at 191 fps speed.
More features: 296 fps speed, 7’’ brace height, 3.3 lb weight, fiberglass split limbs, aluminum riser, sight and arrows included
Backed by an affordable price, the XGear Outdoors Compound Bow is our budget pick if you’re just starting out with archery and still aren’t sure about the whole sport.
With an adjustable draw weight of a range between 30 to 55 pounds, you can change up the pressure and strength to whatever the user prefers (or can handle). Normally, most other compound bows in this range are only adjustable within a ten pound-range, making the XGear Outdoors Compound Bow top of its class (despite its low price tag).
The XGear Outdoors Compound Bow is also not shorted out on accessories. With a complete package included, you can use the drop away arrow rest, release aid, wax, D string loop, and two 30″ aluminum arrows, as well as a fiber-optic sight, and peep sight.
To first start out on hunting, it’s a good size for young hunters, women, and men—at least for beginners, that is!
The Right-Handed Compound Bow has a 70 percent let-off, which is also quite average when it comes to the rest of the compound bows on the market. The bow also reaches a speed of 296 fps—which is relatively fast and good for hunting!
The best part about it? It also is quite lightweight, making it perfect to accompany you through a trek in the woods weighing only 3.3 lb.
More features: fiber optic sight included, 3.3 lb weight, 296 fps speed, 7’’ brace height
Not only is the XGEAR Compound Bow extremely lightweight to carry while you’re tracking your prey at 3.3 lbs, but it also is highly adjustable for those who haven’t quite figured out their draw weight yet—ranging from 30 to 55 lb.
With a right-hand orientation, the XGEAR Compound Bow also has a measured let-off of 70 percent and a draw length of an adjustable range between 19 and 29 inches.
If those features haven’t won you over yet, you can also marvel at the fact that it can reach speeds of up to 296 FPS. The XGEAR Compound Bow also has an aluminum riser that can adjust the draw weight and draw length of your bow. It also includes n Allen Wrench.
The package also includes a few sought-out accessories, like 12 carbon arrows, 12 paper targets, a bow bag, a quiver, one optic sight, one drop away arrow rest, one whisker biscuit arrow rest, one bow release, one arm guard, a paracord wrist sling, a stabilizer, an arrow puller, a limb dampener, a bow stand, and two rubber tube peep sights.
The XGEAR Compound Bow also is backed by a 1-year warranty.
More features: 3.2 lb weight, 290 fps speed, sight and stabilizer included, Endurafiber ™ limbs
The Bear Archery Cruzer Lite is one of the best beginner compound bows for women. The bow is a great addition to the Bear Archery Lineup. For its release, this compound bow is a high-quality bow, which is great for hunting. The Bear Archery Cruzer Lite is extremely fast—reaching up to 290 fps speed.
The Bear Archery Cruzer Lite has a lot of hand shock for a 6-inch brace height. Even though it’s an affordable model, it features quite impressive details like its tunability, making it highly-adjustable for your preference and skill.
This compound bow is a great starter choice since the user will be able to draw from it without straining up to 45 pounds—which can help give a decrease in weight for you to develop the proper form you need to continue. With an adjustable draw weight from 5 lb. up to a serious 45 lb, this is a great choice for someone who is starting to use and wanting to grow.
It can also be adjusted from 12 to 27 inches in draw length. Without complicated usage, the compound bow can be adjusted using an Allen wrench—and not a bow press.
No matter if the user has smaller hands, the slim grip design is extremely comfortable.
In our buying guide, we’re going to help you choose the right product for you, your age, your skill level, and other features that can help you decide on the perfect bow. This buying guide was designed to go through each individual feature and explain their importance when choosing the right bow.
From the price to the draw length and weight, each feature may carry a different weight for you when you’re making your decision. So, to help you choose, we’ve covered them all.
When you’re just starting out with a compound bow, it’s important that you first identify a purpose as to why you’re buying or investing in a compound bow. This can help you then decide on which type and which size—as well as which brand!
There are various of different purposes when it comes to the use of compound bows. For example, you can get a very specific compound bow that is used for fishing, hunting or archery.
Your bow can also differ depending on your age and your height. Getting a proper-sized bow is extremely important in helping it work properly. You even might want to consider your own personal strength or how strong your child is, as this can affect if they can draw it back efficiently (and let it fly!).
The question of priceEspecially since you’re looking to invest in a beginner bow, that probably means you (or whoever you’re buying it for) isn’t 100 hundred percent passionate about or even sure that they like the sport.
Which is why the question of price comes into play. You don’t want to be spending a fortune if you’re not even sure if you want to keep on going with the sport!
There are budget options, like the XGear Outdoors Compound Bow, which come with most, if not all, of the features that make it a good compound bow at a budgeted price. This can help you get a taste of a compound bow without having to worry about breaking the bank!
If you do decide that you have a passion for archery (or other sports involving compound bows), you can decide to upgrade and dish out a bit more cash for advanced features.
Although you may think this has a lot to do with height—it actually has more to do with your hands and your arms.
To help you figure out which draw length and weight is a good size for you to invest in a compound bow, here’s how you do it:
First, if you measure with inches, start by measuring your wingspan in general—which is the length of the tip of your middle finger in one hand all the way to your other hand.
Take this number and divide it by 2.5. This is your average draw length. It might change about an inch or two depending on your preference, but that’s the range number you should be looking for.
For the draw weight: typically, if you’re between the ages of 18 and 21, you’ll most likely want a draw weight of somewhere between 15-30 lb. You might have to try it out to see where you feel comfortable and base it off of that.
If you’re above the age of 22 (and you’re a woman), you’ll want to keep the draw weight ranged in the 20-35 lb range. Men, on the other hand, can bump that number to 40 lb.
Especially if you’re a beginner at using a compound bow, you might not be familiar with certain skills, like which eye is your most dominant.
If that’s you, there’s a fortunately easy enough way to be able to see which eye is the one you use the most.
You can either hold your thumb out with one hand or you can even make a triangle or circle with your hands. The whole important part here is that you should be focusing on a particular point or object in the distance. Once you got that object in your line of sight, close one eye.
As you close one eye after the other (without adjusting your hand at all), you’ll notice that one of your eyes gives you a more exact line of sight than your other eye.
Whichever eye is in your line of sight (the target object doesn’t move at all), that is your dominant eye.
Once you have your dominant eye determined, you can then choose a bow based on it. If you’re left eye dominant, you’ll most likely be comfortable with a left-handed bow (and visa-versa).
If you do notice that you might be left-eye dominant but right-handed, this means that you’re “cross dominant”—and is actually a lot more common than you think.
If this describes who you are, you’ll have to try it out and simply decide which dominant hand to use based on your comfort level. Especially if you’ve never shot a compound bow before, you might want to try it out before you buy to see which one you feel better with.
Before you make a final decision by closing your eyes and picking a compound bow on the list blindly, there are a few features that might be important to you that you should consider.
In this guide, we’re going to go through features like draw weight and length as well as limbs, types of cams, shooting speed, and string quality.
Bow length and weightWhen you’re choosing a proper compound bow, you’ll want to make sure that you’re choosing one with the right bow length and weight for your size, height, and age.
To help you judge which ones are the best for you, please read on!
As we mentioned before, the draw weight will generally change depending on your age and your strength.
If you’re younger, between the ages of 18 and 21, you might benefit from a smaller draw weight, like the Bear Archery Cruzer Lite. For something a bit more aggressive—and if you’re older, you can handle a heavier draw weight, like the XGeek Compound Bow.
If you’re going to be hunting with your compound bow (which is generally the case), you’ll want to go for a shorter compound bow, like the Diamond Archery Atomic Breakup Country or the XGEAR Compound Bow.
When it’s shorter, you’ll be able to hold it and navigate through the woods and brush much easier—without making too much noise that can scare off your game.
A longer bow is generally more recommended for those who want to take up long-distance archery and target practice.
Depending on your goal of shooting with a compound bow, your desire shooting speed will change.
For example, if you are going to be hunting, you’ll obviously want a faster shooting speed so you can accurately hit your target. This can help you get to your goal and hunt for sport as well as population control. The XGeek Compound Bow, for example, reaches 320 fps and is rated on our guide as one of the best compound bows for hunting.
However, if you’re looking to invest in a compound bow for archery or target practice, speed isn’t necessarily a priority and shouldn’t be that important of a feature to lookup.
The let-off can also manipulate your decision as to which bow is your most preferred.
Since the way your compound bow works is that it uses cams and cables to store up that energy that is then propelled forward, this process can help reduce the holding weight.
The amount of reduction of the weight while you’re holding your shot is called “let-off”. So, when you see the percentage number, that means you’ll be holding that percent of the full draw weight.
For example, for the SAS Destroyer, it has a draw weight of between 19-55 lb. However, it’s let-off is about 80 percent. This means that even though the draw weight can reach up to 55 lb, what you’re holding at the peak of your shot will be up to 80 percent of 55 lb, which is around only 11 lb.
Brace heightTo make a simple term sound complicated, the brace height is just the distance between the pivot point in your bow and its string.
This can also be explained by being where your grip the compound bow and where the arrow shaft comes in contact with it when it is completely drawn out.
A compound bow has a unique set of limbs.
Normally, with a longbow or a recurve bow, the limbs will be set to actually bend in the direction of the same one where you’re pulling on the bow.
In a compound bow, the limbs are instead pulled in toward each other—this is done through the specific use of the cables.
Some of the compounds seen on this guide will have limbs that are measured in a more horizontal angle than diagonal.
Type of camsThe cams are another important feature on your bow.
The type of cams can change depending on which bow you invest in. There are four various cam systems found generally on compound bows. This system will dictate how the wheels of the bow will work in a united fashion.
Although a beginner compound will be generally found with a single cam system, you can either choose from hybrid cams, a single cam, binary cams or twin cams.
There are so many different accessories that you can add to your compound bow to make the experience more fun or even easier (especially if you’re a beginner).
You can invest in arrow rests, bow sights, bow releases, a wrist or caliper release, a bow quiver, silencers (particularly helpful when you’re hunting) or stabilizers, among many others.
The bowstring of your compound bow is one of the most important parts of the actual bow itself. Generally, most purchases come included with the bowstring. However, if you have to replace it, you’ll want to find a string that has high quality because it can affect the entire shot. Features like vibration and noise levels of the bowstrings can make all the difference.
Whether it’s your first time shooting a compound bow or you just need a bit of help with your form, here are a few tips in an easy-to-watch video form:
To help you choose the right compound bow for you, you might have some questions—especially as a beginner. Here are the answers to a few frequently-asked questions you may have:
The recurve bow, on the other hand, takes anywhere from 10–12 hours to as long as 6 weeks to be able to shoot proficiently.
You might have to try out a few bows to figure out which you feel most comfortable with. If your long-term goal is to enter in a competition, however, you’ll want to start learning on a bow that is legally allowed in competition.
If you plan on practicing every day, you don’t want to shoot a lot, which can dilute the quality of your shooting. This might cause you to lose your focus, too.
If you’ve decided to skip over the entire guide, no problem! Here is our final verdict of the best three beginner compound bows on the market and on our guide:
The XGeek Compound Bow is our Editor’s Choice of the best beginner compound bows. If you‘re looking for a durable bow, this product not only is high-quality, but it also comes with an included package—with an aluminum riser, CNC milling, and durable limbs.
The Diamond Archery Infinite Edge Pro is our Runner’s Up and Best for Adults. Functioning with an adjustable draw setting, this compound bow not only is highly versatile but also gives off great sight.
The Genesis Mini Kit is a great pick for beginner hunters and young archers. Since it‘s so lightweight, this mini beginner compound bow makes it possible to draw and aim without causing too much fatigue.
We hope that this guide has helped you pick out the best beginner compound bow on the market.
