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Mission Craze...?! Does it live up to the hype ?

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18K views 35 replies 24 participants last post by  jpotter  
#1 ·
Hey,

Due to only starting archery a few months ago I haven't really found a legitimate reason to throw a tonne of money on a bow. This goes hand in hand with the reality of bows being blo*dy expensive here in New Zealand (about two times as much as what they are in the states in some cases).

Anyway, so after doing a lot of recurve shooting lately, I'm just wondering if a Mission Craze would be a good first compound which I could take on hunting trips (Deer,pig and goats) and shoot at my local 3D club ? Here in NZ, a new Mission Craze fully set-up with entry level accessories will cost equivalent to $820.00 USD ($1000.000 NZD), so you can kinda see why I can't go for a Hoyt Carbon Element at this stage. :cool:

I tried A Craze out earlier this week at the Pro Shop, and it felt nice. Light weight, lot's of adjustment capabilities, a life time warranty...etc. The Pro Shop staff shoot Carbon Elements yet they seemed to be happy with the Craze and highly recommended it.

I'm 17 and quite a short guy (about 5 3") with a 25" draw length, though I'm quite strong and can pull a fair bit of weight.

I've read a lot of reviews regarding the Mission Craze, but it seems the only favourable reviews are coming from young shooters and their proud parents. How does this bow compare to higher end bows ?
I'd be wanting to take it out into the rough New Zealand bush...will it hold up well ?

Putting aside the features which makes this an ideal kid bow, what's the bow like in the opinions of you seasoned shooters ? Would you hunt with it, or is it more of a entry level toy which you'd want to upgrade in a years time ? What's it like at long range ? What's the balance like on the bow ? Will I probably come to like it more as I shoot it or will it be the other way around ? Are the Zebra strings prone to frustrating twisting ?

I'm wanting to get honest opinions, because as I said, things don't come cheaply over here. There's not a lot of 'a new high tech Hoyt every year' behaviour. :D

Thanks in advance. :) Any feedback would be much appreciated in helping me make the right decision for a first compound.
AJ
 
#2 ·
My son has one. I like it. Quality bow. My only beef really is the grip makes it extremely torque prone.

I would say don't get it though, solely for the reason that you have such a short draw and that the bow is not really all that fast. You would be better served buying a faster bow IMO.

However, the Craze is a handy little lightweight bow.
 
#4 ·
The bow is a very versitale bow for anyone. At a 25 inch Draw length its gonna be tough to get any bow that is going to be super fast. The bow is one of the best bows for the money you can buy in my opinion. I have two of them for my kids. My 13 yoa son has a 25 inch dl and shoots 45 lbs and it works very well for him. Good luck with your purchase.
 
#5 ·
It's a shooter of a bow for a cheap bow. Took my daughter to the LBS, who had never really shot much of anything other than a few pulls of her brothers bow and within 10 minutes she was putting arrows in a circle the size of a chew can at 15 yards. Ended up buying her the Mission Endeavor, which they stopped making this year. Mission makes great bows for the money. Personally I'd spend another hundred and get a Riot but the Craze is a pretty good bow for 300.
 
#6 ·
Cheers Pure Archer and FR ! :) I kinda like the bow and am considering purchasing one, but I'd like to be well informed. The replies so far have been great. $300.00 USD is really cheap !! You don't know how lucky you are over there. :D

Feel free to chime in if you have any experience with one. Also, if anyone has hunted with a Craze it would be very useful to me if you could describe it's performance in the field.
 
#7 ·
Never shot one but zebra strings are very nice... The best factory strings I have shot. I have over 1000 shots in mine and no real stretch and no twisting what so ever

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2
 
#8 ·
I started with a Craze (in July) and now I have moved up to an Elite Tour. I am 65 and didn't really know what my drawl length would be, or draw weight. I have been shooting my Tour for about 6 weeks and last week went to my Craze just for some fun. That bow was very accurate and as you know it's versatile. I have a custom grip on my Tour, but the grip on the Craze worked well for me. I know there are other bows that are as good, but from what i have read the Craze is popular, and seems to hold it's value as well. I don't think you can go wrong unless you want more weight or longer ATA.
 
#9 ·
Thanks Ault. That's good to know about the strings. ;)

And seafaris...awesome ! Hope your Tour is going well for you. :) It seems the Craze is a good bow, but then the bad reviews just push me towards square one again. The thing with compound bows (due to my relative newness to the sport) is that it seems to be all about the technology. And it's all about having the best and the latest, and there are so many biased reviews and you don't know if you can trust your Pro Shop staff...etc...etc !! It's absolutely crazy. A Craze is about $820.00 USD in NZ. That's as much as most of you would have spent on your really good bows. So a Hoyt here...you can imagine how much it will be bare bow.

I've heard bad things about the Craze's limb pockets ?? And the riser...it's extruded or something like that. Can anyone fill me in ?

Thanks for the help, it's much appreciated.
 
#15 ·
Why not just buy a used one for cheap from the States and have it shipped there? Unless there is some type of crazy fees you have to pay, I wouldn't imagine it would be hard to talk someone into it, and it would save you a ton of money. I ship worldwide all the time, it's really not that big of a deal.
 
#10 ·
The Craze from what I fell is a bow designed more for youth. I checked it out for one of my boys about a year and half ago. Did not like the weight or grip. Although it has adjustability it seemed to bulky and short. Almost to compaq which affected the balance and feel. I have a couple friends who their kids have them and like you said they are fine with them, although my two boys who shoot a lot (age 11 and 13) neither one liked the bow. They thought it was to heavy and did not like the balance. A few adults I know who have bought them did so as a fishing bow. (I live in the middle of Mathews country, the factory is 60 miles from my house and have friends who work there, that why I know more than a couple of people who have them).

As for shooting it, I found it to jumpy and hard to keep stable..
Would I hunt with it? No, I prefer more stability, more of an entry level bow and would outgrow it fast as an adult
Long range? I did not shoot it past 20 yards, but the stability issues would only increase problems with shot groups the longer the distance gets
Balance: Top heavy
Like it more the more you shoot it?: I would be apt to thing the more you shoot it you would outgrow it and want something that offers you more. especially if you shot a different bow that offered more....Buyers remorse kind of thing......
Zebra Strings: I am not a fan. Twist and fray.

I do like Mission and Mathews bows, I have owned 4 different Mission bows and 4 different Mathews bows, just not a big fan of the Craze, or their Zebra strings. If you can buy used and want a Mission, I would suggest the Maniac with 70lb limbs. More of a bow that will go from youth into adult and adjustable from 22" to 30" draw. Also sounds like you have a dealer there also for assistance if needed. Best of luck to you and if you have any questions, shoot me a PM and I would be happy to help you out. Good Luck!
 
#11 ·
Keep in mind a lot of the crap you'll hear or read on the net about a bow is 1 guy, a single person has a problem with a bow and then all of the sudden dozens upon dozens of people have personally witnessed it. It's B.S., they haven't. If you really get to know a specific bow you can many times weed out the B.S. just by asking them questions and you'll know they didn't see it or witness it, they just read in on the net and jumped on the bandwagon. Yes, there may be a few bows (Craze's) that had some limb pocket issues but every bow mfg. under the sun has had some issue or another. The craze is not the best of the Mission bow line but it's a good little bow and if you are not a daily shooter, it will probably last you longer than you imagine.
 
#12 ·
That's very useful info Hilgy. Thanks ! I'd like to do some wallaby hunting (small kangaroos), and it's normal to take them from quite a distance away. So if the bow is unstable...hmmm.
So we've got one member saying the zebra's are great and another saying they are prone to fraying ! Arghghghghg. :D

I see what you mean FR about the rumours. Trying a bow out is the best way it seems, but I'm afraid that I'm going to spend a lot on a Craze and then it turns out kind of sour in the long term. I'm looking to purchase a bow which will last me a good two years (until I'm 19) for 3D shooting/competitions and occasional hunting trips.

I don't know. The next bow up the line which the Pro Staff had in stock was the Hoyt Rampage XT which with the accessories will cost me around $1500.00 USD. The price of bows does go up very steeply in NZ.
 
#13 ·
I know what you mean. Are you certain a 25" draw is dead on? I ask because for 200 more U.S. dollars, you can get the new Ballistic and it's a sweet bow for 500 bucks that will last you for a long time if you take care of it. It's adjustable from 26-30" so that's why I asked on the 25" length. http://www.missionarchery.com/product/ballistic/

I'm not a salesman for Mission but I don't have much experience with other companies other than Martin and they make a really good bow for a lower budget as well. You will hear this eventually but, "Buy once, cry once." If you are pretty sure you are going to want to upgrade then get a cheap used bow till you know you are really gonna like bow hunting and save your money and buy what you know you want and be done with it.

It's tough, I know.....you want to get out there now and don't want to keep waiting and saving money. Hard decision to make brother.
 
#14 ·
I know what you mean. Are you certain a 25" draw is dead on? I ask because for 200 more U.S. dollars, you can get the new Ballistic and it's a sweet bow for 500 bucks that will last you for a long time if you take care of it. It's adjustable from 26-30" so that's why I asked on the 25" length. http://www.missionarchery.com/product/ballistic/

I'm not a salesman for Mission but I don't have much experience with other companies other than Martin and they make a really good bow for a lower budget as well. You will hear this eventually but, "Buy once, cry once." If you are pretty sure you are going to want to upgrade then get a cheap used bow till you know you are really gonna like bow hunting and save your money and buy what you know you want and be done with it.

It's tough, I know.....you want to get out there now and don't want to keep waiting and saving money. Hard decision to make brother.
It IS hard. I'm envious of you lot who have very nice equipment and can just sit there and keep tweaking them and perfecting them. Yeah, I'm definitely 25". They measured me at the Pro Shop. :)
 
#16 ·
We sell mission at the shop I work at.. the menace and craze are more like youth bows to grow into.. they both have a wide range of draw length adjustment and poundage adjustment.. Personally if I was to get one, id either go for the Riot or the maniac. The maniac looks a little like a mathews monster and boast speed rating up to 330 range. the only thing is dl on the ballistic goes from 26 to 30 and if your 25 its going to be an inch long.. the riot may be a better fit even if it sacrafices a little more in the speed department.
Diamond just released the infinate edge to replace the razor's edge line of bows.. the drawlenght is adjustable from 13 to 30 inches, and from 5 to 70 lbs on the draw weight.. that may be worth checking out too as far as cheaper bows are concerned.
 
#17 ·
I bought a CRAZE in 2011. The bow is (MARKETED) as a youth bow.But thats the only thing that keeps people from trying them. This bow will suite your needs just as well as a 1200.00 bow. I know-because i have both. Ive have took deer and hogs with the craze,with no problems. I have it site in out too 45yds,and does well. but i limit my deer shots to 30yds-just my preference. I have found that it shoots better for me anyways,with my 8inch stabilizer. This is quite common with short ata bows.My draw lenghth is 26,pulling 62 pds. Id say if you like the craze-then go for it,as you will not be dissappointed.Good luck to you.:eek:
 
#20 ·
IMHO the Craze is under rated and under priced for what it does. It's just not a youth growth bow, anyone can shoot it and shoot it well. It has a huge adjustment range not only in draw but poundage. Look also at the Riot it is the same exact adjustments only in a longer axle to axle bow for $100 more. I wouldn't worry about the construction they are built excellent and if maintained they will give you years and years of service.
Just a foot note if you have a problem torquing with the grip on that bow you actually need some lessons on how to correctly hold the bow.
 
#21 ·
I bought one for my grandson last year, found the bow to be extremely acurate and the most quiet bow that I have never heard! I would not hesitate to buy one for a backup bow if funds were short. With the oversized cams the bow seems like a longer ATA bow. Little bit on the heavy side, a guy of your age it should not be an issue. Good luck with whatever you choose .
 
#23 ·
Craze is darn fine youth bow. It something that was really needed for the growing youth
DB
 
#26 ·
Thanx 4 the replies people. :)

I bit the bullet and got a Mission Craze (camo) this morning from Advanced Archery NZ. Happy with it so far...set at 50# at a 25" draw. It should keep me shooting straight while letting me look forward to something nice in the future...a Mathews McPherson...mmmmmmm.

Cheers,
Andrew
 
#27 ·
Cool...what arrows did you decide on and what is their finished weight? I ask because I got my girl a mission craze and I got her some Easton flatliner 500's. They're super nice and light and really help her get some quality speed out of her 42lb draw weight. I believe they're finished around 280 grains and she's got to be knocking on the door of 225fps.

Great little bow...perfect for youth, perfect for women, and also an excellent choice for anyone with it's mind boggling range of adjustibility! 19-30"!? 20-70lbs without changing limbs!?!? That's super badass.

I did see you said you are pretty strong and can pull a good bit of weight...I would get the draw weight up to 60lbs if you can comfortably shoot it.

GL brotha
 
#28 ·
I say go into your local shop and shoot it for yourself. I also agree that if you have problems with the grip you just need some lessons on how to hold it correctly. I have a Craze and I really like it. The let off at 80% is Awesome too! Can hold it all day if needed.
 
#29 ·
Craze is tree stand bush bow.its short and unforgiving. i stabilize mine with longer stab and weight an add side stab. its by no means kids bow. its 70# deer slayer. will you shoot tight group or not depends on you, and you alone.
over and out