Is it wrong that I shot a Diamond and liked it?

OK guys, I need an honest opinion. I’m a total archery noob, never owned a compound bow, never shot a compound bow, hadn’t even shot a bow since cub scout camp in 1979. So yeah, relatively inexperienced then…

So I’ve been shooting bows here and there, everybody’s advice seems to be shoot a lot of bows and see what you like. That’s what I’m doing.

On Friday I found myself at a loose end with the kids being at a friend’s house, so I went to Cabelas and shot some bows. One of the ones I shot was a Diamond Provider. Which I really liked! I was shooting it head to head against two Bear bows that are more expensive than the Diamond, but the Diamond felt really good and it was noticeably lighter and just felt better.

I’ve shot Bear, Mission, and PSE so far, and the Diamond seems to have the best feel to me of any that I’ve shot.

OK, so now the “So why didn’t you buy it?” part. I then made the mistake of looking for reviews on the internet. Ummmm, Diamond seems to get a lot of “don’t bother” reviews with most suggesting that it’s a beginner brand that has to be upgraded as soon as the training wheels come off. Most common them seems to be “wish I’d just bought a brand X first” type of thing.

Is Diamond just something I should just pass on? I’m not going to shell out the coin for the top end brands, mainly I just want to shoot with the kids.

Any reasons to really avoid Diamond?

Grouse

Their is nothing wrong with getting a package setup to get into archery. I don’t know many people that go out and spend 1500$ on their very first bow. Unfortunately you tend to have a few more issues with the low end bows compared to the upper end models.

Bow companies will often make a sub brand like diamond for this very reason. Diamond is made by bowtech if i’m not mistaken. IMO, These brands like Diamond or mission by Mathews are meant for people that are looking to get into a bow on a budget or for guys that are looking to get their first bow.

As far as Diamond goes, they are a good bow. Their really isn’t much to go wrong on them. You could have a freak deal happen, but it’s pretty unlikely. If you like the bow and you can shoot it well, I wouldn’t be afraid to pull the trigger.

In reply to the, “Most common them seems to be “wish I’d just bought a brand X first” type of thing.”

Guys will often buy a budget bow like the diamond and really get into archery. They will then shoot their buddies bow who has a top of the line Hoyt, Bowtech, PSE, Mathews etc. and say WOW that bow is so much nicer! Then they go back to shooting their low end bow and it’s never the same.

To sum it all up, If you want a bow that you can hunt with 5-10 days a year, but don’t really enjoy the sport of just shooting targets one of these bows will suit you perfectly. It’s not that they aren’t as capable of killing an animal as a high end bow. You will just enjoy shooting a higher end bow much more if you shoot a lot.

P.S I shot a friends Mission Hype DT the other weekend and I was very impressed with it for a $400 bow.

Appreciate the reply, Pat.

I’ve shot the Hype DT as well and I liked that one too. I have not shot the Hype vs the Diamond head to head. That’s another quirk of archery, it seems like the Bowtech dealers don’t often carry the Diamond brand and vise versa.

When I shot the Hype the shop was busy and it was straight off the rack. I didn’t have it set up for me in any way. I think I’m going to go back and have the Hype set up for me and try it again.

I did like the Hype’s ability to be adjusted widely as I’m going to bowfish with whatever I end up buying as well as target shoot and maybe bowhunt eventually.

BTW, the Bear bows both shot well, they were just clearly heavier than the Diamond and by a noticeable amount. The just didn’t feel as good to me, but not sure how much stock I should put in “feel” vs “shoot”.

Grouse

Very well put Pat. The lower end bows are good beginner bows for the money, but when you get into it more and start shooting more you will notice the the higher end bows will perform better. Much like driving a Chevy cruz or a Cadillac. I would not hesitate to get a Diamond as your first bow.

If you decide you really like archery and want to get more into you can always upgrade. I am sure the first gun you bought wasn’t a Kimber, but you may have upgraded to one by now.

I have been bow hunting for close to 40 years. The first 5 years I had 3 different bows. Before my last upgrade I had that bow for 19 years. I didn’t break the bank on my latest bow either, but I did get a better quality bow and you can feel the difference and see it in the accuracy.

It’s been a long time since i’ve shot a Bear bow. Weight is an interesting topic. If it’s balanced well, the heavier the bow the more steady it typically is in your hand. It also gets to a point where they are just to fatiguing to carry around. For me, if it’s much more than about 4.5lbs it’s just getting too heavy. I noticed that the Diamond Provider is just over 3.0lbs. Holding one up next to a bow that weighs 4.0lbs might give you a false sense of desire.

I shoot a bow that is 4.16lbs. it’s definitely not super light by any means, but i’m more accurate with it than all the bows I have had in the past minus a target bow that I shot for sport for a few years. (weighed 4.4lbs) Mind you I don’t do any elk hunts so my longest walk is probably less than a mile and then my bow sits on a bow hanger in a tree. (weight isn’t all that important to me as long as it’s between 3.8-4.2) That’s kind of my sweet spot.

I know a few guys that require a lighter bow because they have shoulder problems. When their arm is fully extended in the shooting position it hurts their shoulder so a lighter bow makes it more enjoyable to shoot.

They are giving you some great advice here. Pat is correct, Diamond is made by Bowtech. If all those reviews are accurate, that its a “don’t bother you’ll have to upgrade right away” you shouldn’t have a problem finding a used one for a better deal?

If your comfortable shooting the bow and don’t want to spend the money for a top of the line bow, I would say go for it. Everybody has to start somewhere.

Buying used makes me nervous. As a beginner, I don’t know how to evaluate if a bow has been abused or possibly dry fired and with an entry-level bow I’d be on edge that the seller knew even less than I did and I’d buy a hot mess.

At what I’m willing to spend I just figured it’d be better to buy new, from a good shop, have them set it up and then I know I’m starting off right.

Grouse

I think you are absolutely right grouse

I think for a first setup your best bet is buying from a good shop and having them take the time to get it set up right for you. They might not be as willing to sit down with you and take the extra time to get it right if you bring in a “hot mess” and ask them to deal with it!

Call up to Average Joe’s in coon rapids they carry both now Bowtech and Diamond. They were great getting me setup with a bow when I bought my first one last year. I spent most of a evening shooting deferent bows before deciding on one.
Buying new from a archery shop is the way to go with them setting it up for you and getting it paper tuned and helping you sight it in. The Gf bought hers at Cabela’s last summer because her diamond infinite edge was priced lower then everywhere else. In the end we spent a extra 40 having Joe’s set her bow up properly and another set of arrows since the guy at Cabela’s sold her to stiff of spine arrows and cut them a inch shorter then they should of been.

Grouse, what are your plans for the bow? Just hunting? Leagues? If just for hunting I say go for it. Bows today are so much better and more advanced than 30 years ago. A decent comparison is in rifle scopes. Today u can’t expect to sell complete junk. The Internet precludes it, word of junk gets out fast. The other edge of the Internet is snobbish rubbish hypes. Is a Mossberg 500 a bad shotgun? No! But it’s not a Benelli Vinci or SBE2. It’s not a BPS, etc. U might have found a “Diamond in the Rough”.

I shot a reflex for 7 years, basically a dumbed down hoyt. Had 3 friends all shooting various model mathews bows and I could pretty consistently out shoot them with my ‘cheap’ bow. It’s 90% comfort and confidence with what you are shooting than the actual “what” you are shooting. You stated the diamond felt good, that goes a long ways, more than the extra fancy gadgets.

That being said, for the last 8 years I have been shooting a mathews DXT. I was looking to upgrade and it was so comfortable for me to shoot it was a no brainer (I also had 10+ years of bow hunting experience at that point to know what I wanted too). I should say I have no intention of changing anytime soon either, even if it is ‘ancient’ by modern standards. As far as accuracy, I could hit the bullseye just as well with the reflex, but it seems that this bow ‘forgives’ me more when form isn’t perfect, and gets a significantly heavier arrow to the target a lot faster.

So I kind of talked out of both sides of my mouth there, but point being if your not going ‘all in'(even if you are), the ‘cheaper’ bow will do just fine. Really it may help, if you get good at shooting a lower end one, you’ll shoot a high end one that much better if you make that jump someday. Just like a rifle (if not moreso) it all boils down to the guy doing the shooting, all the gadgets and money spent won’t overcome poor fundamentals.

I’m a Matthews guy. And i understand not wanting to spend the money on one right now. So I would go with a mission. Made by Matthews and they do Cary some of the same features. And still hold a great warranty.
Good luck on your search and be careful it’s addicting. Lol

Bows tent to multiply like rods and reels, watch out. I’ve owned bows from many different brands, none of them were truly ‘junk’. I tend to be partial to Mathews, but I also really like Elites and Hoyt’s. My first bow was an 80’s Hoyt and I literally shot the strings clear off it, I loved it. Don’t be afraid to buy an intro bow to get the feel for things.

One thing I learned right away was to buy one already setup with cheap accessories. Get a feel for the sight, stabilizer, grip and release. You may find that you do not like a 1-pin sight, or a 5-pin and want to change…Also keep an eye out on AT forum, their marketplace is outstanding for used accessories.

Diamond was my first bow when I got into hunting a few years ago. Bought it from my brother. Bow was 10-11 years old when I traded it in for my new one this year. Thing still shot great and what a way to retire a bow with a nice 9 pointer hanging on the wall. Love my new mathews halon, but wouldn’t be scared to go back to diamond. Hope this helps.

diamonds are really nice, easy shooting bows. they used to be the single cam line for bowtech. single cams are typically easier to shoot and a little more forgiving. they compare to the Matthew’s solo cams, much better quality than the mission from the missions I’ve shot.

I went through the same thing 20 some years ago. Knew nothing about bow hunting and want to start. I was looking at three different brands and couldn’t decide. Finally I bought a 45 lb. recurve to shoot until I could make up my mind. From there, I went to a longbow and never looked back. What ever YOU enjoy shooting the most is the one you should buy.