Welcome to AT from northern Illinois. There are quite a few good bows out there. Personally, I am use Elite. But, what I like another does not. The only way to find out what you like is to go to an archery shop or two and try what they have. Other great bows are Mathews, Hoyt, PSE, BowTech, Prime. Good luck.

 

The best advise is to go to your local proshop and shoot every bow in your price range and specs.

 

Welcome to AT. Are there any archery shops near you? That's the first place I would start.

 

Save up and buy a flagship. Buy the best and never be disappointed.
Go thru a local dealer for expert set-up and support after the sale.
This is a good time of year to go to a pro shop as they won't be as busy, and they will have more time to spend with you.
Any of the top brands will serve you well. My personal preference would be Hoyt or Mathews.

 

I would try to find a last years model flagship for a discounted deal, might be able to get a rest and sight on it as well for close to 1200.

 

I did stop at a shop today to see what they thought of the strings on my kids bow...He said they were good and in great shape. just to put wax on them. Talked a bit about some bows & he showed me some. Claimed he had new never used 1 and 2 year old bows that had not sold.....that he was discounting......$50 off. I kinda laughed and said for $50 i wouldnt bother with them I'd want a new model & if it wasnt a new model I'd just has soon buy a used bow of that year for 1/2 price not $50 less. IDK....maybe that was a bit unreasonable on my part......But I thought $50 off on a $1100-$1200 bow that was over 1-2 yrs old wasnt much of a discount.

 

I agree with what has been said above. Shoot the many different bows in your price range to see what fits your needs. Don't just jump on the popular band wagon.

 

All of them, none of them, the one that works for you! Your answer isn't going to be on here. like others said go to your local pro shops(not box stores) or several see what will work for you. Also do NOT buy a used bow on line, you have no experience to know what your looking at.

 

I bought used for my first 'real' or nice compound, but I bought it local so I could shoot it and see it before purchase. I wouldn't buy online for a first bow, like the above already said. Too many variables when you don't know what you want.

 

Question for you, have a friend that shoots bows as well? If so it may be prudent for 2 things in my mind. Talk to them and have them go with you. 2 - Ask here for known good archery shops around you say in a 2 hr radius from Town / City X. Im thinking that would help / aid you in making a better informed decision as to even what shop to go to. FYI - do not do big box stores 😇 unless you want your new bow ruinied by someone who just started in that archery department and as always.... YMMV

 

First off, you won't be "trading in" your 13-14 year old Diamond compound bow. Depreciation for compounds is unfortunately very steep and even a flagship bow a few years old fetches half or less of its original retail cost. Yours is worth little in the resale market and pretty worthless to a shop. Not trying to be harsh, but realistic.

If you shot that Diamond some, you should have an idea of your draw length and capacity for draw weight. Many current bows have rotating draw length modules and a 10# draw weight range, so the owner can adjust as needed. However, you still need to know what is suitable to you.

Nothing is going to substitute for you taking the initiative in shooting a variety of bows. What feels good to me likely isn't the preference of the next AT member to comment, so all you are getting is personal choices. Like going to a pickup truck forum and asking the best brand and model. Would you expect the Ford and Chevy diehards to be unbiased? Same here....only change the names to Mathews, Hoyt or Bowtech. Include PSE, Prime and Athens into your test group and see what 'turns your crank'.

 

I talked to the archery shop sounded like he would look at the shape and do a trade in. I total get its not worth much....but if he gices me much of anhthing for it.....well its better then nothing.

draw length is 29 in. been shooting 30-31in arrows. bow was 55lbs. want to move up to 60-65lbs

Could care less about brand....just want something new that has the latest and greatest that I can shoot for the next 5-10years.

 

go to a archery shop & shoot as may bows as you can if none of them feel like a extension of your arm, go to another shop and keep shooting till you fine the one the feels good to you
no one can tell you the best bow for you . you have to choose the one that feels good to you
Good luck with your new bow
Gregg

 

Go shot them & see what seems to work BEST for YOU! What we like doesn't mean a thing.

 

Welcome from Pennsylvania!
If you're patient, after you meet the two weeks, 20 post requirements, you can find a very nice bow for that budget on marketplace here.
They're all good bows today at this point, some a little better then others depending on what you're doing with it IMHO
The trick is finding the one that you shoot the best and feels comfortable. Knowing what ATA you like/need. Tree and blind hunters tend to go a little shorter than target shooters. If there's shops near by that let you try their bows, do that. The next step up from your Diamond would be a Bowtech. But any brand bow that feels good and shoots nice for you is the one.
Good luck!

 

For the money, a Bear Alaskan is hard to beat

 

I would add Bear flagship bows and Darton to your list to try too.

 

I'd also chime in with Bear. Alaskan XT RTH or the Whitetail Maxx RTH are hard deals to beat. Plus the money saved could go towards some extra gear. However, as most have said, definitely go to some local shops and see what you like before making a final decision.

 

Lots of good advice here.

One important piece of information you haven't given us is what your draw length is. That will be a big factor that will influence exactly which bow may suit you better than others, but if you go to a pro shop they will be able to measure you up properly and sort you out in that department.

 

Draw length is about 28.5-29 inches. I've been shooting 30-31in arrows with the bow I have set at 55lb draw. want to go a bit heavier.

 

No worries. Your draw length is about average, which means you don't need a bow to suit someone at either extreme of the spectrum, and you should be able to shoow many bows that represent the 'middle' of things like axle to axle length and draw length fairly comfortably.

It's common that your arrows will be cut shorter than your draw length. For example, I draw 28in but my arrows are cut to 26.5 inches (carbon to carbon - the length goes up a bit after putting on inserts and collar).

 

I'm not sure if the USA is different but in Aus it's common to see three year old flagship bows in shops being sold for at least $200 off. I don't think it's unreasonable on your part, and definitely an issue with the shop or maybe the industry in general. I'm not sure how much mark up is on the bows? In general, the changes from year to year with flagship bows (at least over the last few years, but with some exceptions as well) aren't that big, but most changes are desirable. Why would someone buy a VTM when they could get an Alpha now?


In any case, you may find a great deal in some shops. If you could find a Hoyt Ventum Pro 33 for example for a great price, that'd be great buying. Still a great bow, despite the VTM and Alpha being newer.

 

Buying last years or even the year before model is gonna save you a ton. Not to mention its gonna be a noticeable difference from what your shooting now. You will prolly be able to build your whole rig for that budget price.

 

Save a ton? Maybe, maybe not. Buying used "could" cost him more than something new to setup, fix and adjust to him than a new bow.
Remember he has NO experience to know what he is looking at or needs to be done to it to make it work.

 

Ending up trading in the PSE minni burner, a diamond youth bow, and my Diamond rock.....He gave me $400.....I paid $650 for all of them used 3yrs ago.....so thought that was a pretty good deal.

I shot a couple bows. A new PSE, matthews lift a d a couple others.......Not sure if I got taken or not....I ended up buying a Matthews V3X that was new. I had it completly set up with stabilizer bars, stand, sight, arrow drop system and the extras and everything all the peps everything done.....total was $1840 and had $400 credit off so paid $1440 when said and done. Out the door....figured even if a paid a little more then the big box store at least it was going to a local guy to feed his family. Set this bow up at 60# and the kids martain at 50# should be good to go. 😊

 

You'll have a fantastic time with that bow, mate.

 

Could care less about brand....just want something new that has the latest and greatest that I can shoot for the next 5-10years[/QUOTE]

There's no such thing - so stick with what you have - the bow doesn't make the archer....