Diamond SB-1 bow – Is this crazy?

More or less against my better judgement, I’ve been bow shopping for a while now. I’m a total noob and at 45 it is probably proof–if more were needed–that I’m nuts, but I thought it would be fun to take up archery. Maybe I work up to hunting, maybe not, but my kids both love to shoot so it’d just be a fun thing to do together.

So I totally get the standard advice, go to a great shop, buy there, take advantage of their expertise. So I’ve shot PSE, Mission, Bowtech, and (gulp) per a previous thread, I even shot a Diamond Provider and actually liked it.

Well, the whole applecart got upset today. Diamond came out with the new SB-1 and it’s on sale at Gander as a RTH combo with bow, spiffy soft case, quiver, stabilizer, and sight for $359.

So add some arrows and a reasonable release. Can a guy get much better of a deal for an entry level outfit?

Somebody talk me out of this. Is it crazy to buy a bow from Gander? Is it even crazier to buy a Diamond bow from Gander?

I have NOT shot the SB-1 and would love to hear from anyone who has. Tell me if this is an epic bad idea, because if I go in and shoot this thing and I like it, it’ll be really hard not to succumb to the siren song of the Bad Idea Fairy and buy this package.

If it makes any difference, I’d be using the Gander Mtn in Woodbury. Go for it deal, or epic bad idea that’s penny wise/pound foolish?

Grouse

I own a dimond bow and love it ,they are nice bows,I would not hesitate to buy another.

Any old bow that’s tuned will kill a deer, with practice.Service after is the key for me, if gander has guys that know their stuff I say yes. If not go to Bawanna or
A1. And buy a good used bow. Jmop. DK.

Think about it just like a rifle. They are like the savage axis of bows, it’s not the most expensive or sexiest but it will shoot well. You can a go out and buy a flagship bow and spend $1000 for relatively little gain. It’s more about the indian than the arrow. I bet Levi Morgan could out shoot the **** out of me with a $300 bow, doesn’t matter if I’m shooting a 2,000,000,000 dollar bow.

I’d highly suggest taking a look at the Mission line of bows too.

Diamond is made by Bowtech, great company, it’s just their lower end models that are sold at big box stores. You can take it to any archery shop if you are not satisfied with Ganders service.

I shoot a Diamond Bow and would have no problem buying one again. The difference is I went to Average Joe’s archery in Coon rapids to buy mine as Gander had the same thing same price but the people there didn’t know enough to make me buy it there. It’s been a great bow, the accessories are alright for the package. One thing I would like is a new sight but I’ve been saying that since I bought it 3 years ago.

I would compare prices at a archery shop and go there and shoot it before deciding. Any archery shop I have been in will help tune your bow and set it up correctly for you before you leave. Average Joe’s and a few others will include 4-8 free shooting after your purchase. If you bring in your Gander mountain bow that was setup wrong it will cost you around $40 to have them setup and paper tune it. The Gf learned that cabelas price was not better after having to pay a extra 40 after Cabela’s set it up wrong including cutting her arrows 2″ short.

She also shoots a Diamond infinite edge. Great bow for the money.

I take it you don’t want spend a arm and a leg.
There a lot of high end bow set ups out there. Some people always want the next great thing.
Go to some shops and look around.
Case in point I have
Matthew’s monster 7 paid over a grand, set up ,now it’s most likely worth 500.00 at the most ,and it’s a top bow. A lot of shops warrantee there good stuff.
I would do this before going to a real low end outfit. The money spent would most likely be equal. DK.

For a beginner and just the occasionally shooting they are a great bang for your buck. I got the wife a Diamond Edge. They are a great deal to start with.

What alot of people dont realize is that diamond was once one the most high-end bows available, when they were on thier own and based out of Louisiana.First all carbon riser and claimed, quietest on the market.
The comments comparing it to a savage axis and Levi Morgan couldnt be more spot on!The RTH accessories are usually lower end accessories but they get you in the field now! And they can always be upgraded piece by piece, once you figure out what you like!

Ben Brettingen wrote:

Think about it just like a rifle. They are like the savage axis of bows, it’s not the most expensive or sexiest but it will shoot well. You can a go out and buy a flagship bow and spend $1000 for relatively little gain. It’s more about the indian than the arrow. I bet Levi Morgan could out shoot the **** out of me with a $300 bow, doesn’t matter if I’m shooting a 2,000,000,000 dollar bow.

I’d highly suggest taking a look at the Mission line of bows too.

I’d also recommend looking at a Mission in a pro shop. They are very reasonably priced and have a good reputation. Missions parent company is Mathews and the Mission bows have the same awesome warranty that any Mathews bow has. I have a Mission Eliminator that I purchased 6 years ago and it’s still going strong with thousands of arrows shot though it every year between 3-D shoots and practice.

Like Ben said, it’s the practice and repetition that makes a good shooter. I’ve upset a few guys with a $1,000+ bare bones bows (no accessories) at 3-D shoots with my Mission.

Update: I couldn’t stop myself. Bought the SB-1 today, but it has to be shipped as they were out of stock in RH. Bow, rest, sight, quiver, stabilizer, and case for $359 on sale.

I’ve shot other brands including Mission, but a RTH package for mission generally crosses the $450 line out the door, which is just a little more than I’m willing to spend on a “see if I like it” deal.

Also, I have 2 sons, so with the diamond’s adjustability from 7-70 pounds and a wide draw length range to match, if I want to upgrade, this bow would be gladly take over as a hand-me-down. Seemed to be an easy decision as somebody will be shooting this for a long time.

Get some arrows and a release and we’ll see if I can hit anything. I’ll probably join the kids for winter lessons.

Grouse

Good for you Grouse, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. When I bought mine Cabelas had a dozen carbon arrows for $80 so that’s what I went with. I believe they are made by Gold Tip but could be wrong.

Let us know when you get a chance to shoot it and post some pictures.

realtreeap10 wrote:

Good for you Grouse, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. When I bought mine Cabelas had a dozen carbon arrows for $80 so that’s what I went with. I believe they are made by Gold Tip but could be wrong.

I kind of figured at that price point, with the accessories, and the case thrown in to boot, it was a deal where I couldn’t really go wrong. Even if I upgrade, Grouselet 1.0 is 8 now, so he’ll be taking it over in a couple of years for sure.

I gotta get some arrows and a release. Have no idea what to go for as far as grain weight or a release type. I suspect I’m going to be shooting this thing at somewhere around 40-50 pounds until I get built up to use it.

Grouse

If you aren’t sure what arrows to buy check with an archery shop. My friend just went and bought arrows had them cut and they were 3″ to short for his draw length plus the wrong size/weight for his bow. I know a little but am no expert compared to others. I’m sure grouselet would enjoy it when the time comes.

Well, I finally got back into town and the SB-1 was waiting for me in a box in my shop.

Diamond sends a guide with links to videos for each step of the setup process. Using these as guides, I squared the rest, adjusted the draw length, and set the draw weight.

I took it out last night and shot it and what do you know even using my son’s rather chunky Easton alum arrows the SB-1 zips them into the bale stack just fine.

I’m going to go in tonight and get a release and some arrows and then we’ll see how it does in a real practice session.

Grouse