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When I was 14, I made a red oak board bow in my parent’s garage. The bow cost about $10 to make, and it had jarring handshock. Even though that cheap bow wasn’t a great shooter, it got me in the door and I wouldn’t have been able to learn the basics or take my first steps in archery hunting without it. I’ve since made better selfbows and owned many of the best custom bows. But I’ve returned to my humble roots to test the best budget trad bows on the market.
All of the bows proved to be nice shooters and absolutely capable of killing game ethically. Here’s what I found from testing these budget trad bows and comparing them to my custom Wengerd Ibex which costs north of $2,500.
Bows Tested
- Galaxy Sage Elite II ($200)
- Bear Archery Grizzly G62 ($600)
- Galaxy Grey Dawn Longbow ($240)
- Southwest Archery Ghost Longbow ($180)
- Traditional Only Mesa Longbow ($380)
The Best Budget Trad Bows
Galaxy Sage Elite II ($200)
Key Features
- Speed: 161 fps (520 grain arrow, 47#@30″)
- Length: 62 inches
- Three-piece recurve
- Draw weights from 20 to 55 lbs
- Price: $200
I’ve been shooting the Sage Elite II for a few weeks now and it’s been just as impressive as the original Samick Sage, with a few key upgrades. It now has limbs that truly bolt down, an improved limb pocket, and a better grip. My Sage Elite II also shot a few fps faster than my original Sage in the same draw weight.
The bow has an even draw to about 28 inches. After that point you can feel it stacking and, at my 30-inch draw, it feels like you’re pulling into a wall. Based on my shooting, this 62-inch model is ideal for people with a 26- to 28-inch draw length. After the shot, you’ll feel some residual vibration, but it’s not uncomfortable to shoot, either.
I’d describe the Sage Elite II as an honest shooter. It’s not going to punish you unfairly for a bad shot and it’ll reward your good shots. It’s not exceptionally forgiving and it’s far from being as enjoyable to shoot as my custom bows, but it’s the best bow I’ve in its price bracket. It’s ideally suited for new archers because you can buy it with low-draw weight limbs and steadily increase in draw weight by buying new limbs for a reasonable price.
There are a ton of bows that are very similar looking to the Galaxy Sage because this design was so ubiquitous for many years. Some of those other options are less expensive too. But I would caution anyone against buying a Sage clone off Amazon because I’ve seen those companies pop up and then disappear. One example is the Tachyon recurve that I reviewed two years ago. Today that bow is now longer available on Amazon and I can’t find a website for the company. Spending an extra $30 to $50 is worth it for the customer service you get when you buy from a known company that’s based in the U.S. If you need support or you need a replacement down the road, they’ll still be there to help out.
Bear Archery Grizzly G62 ($600)
Key Features
- Speed: 162 fps (45@30, 520-grain arrow)
- One-piece 50s recurve
- Length: 62 inches
- Draw weights from 35 to 60 pounds
- Price: $600
The Grizzly G62 is a 50s-style recurve with long working limbs and undeniable cool factor. The long limbs make it smooth to my 30-inch draw length and the short riser keeps this bow lightweight. I throughly enjoyed shooting it throughout testing. It’s an easy bow to recommend for archers who are looking to step up from a Sage but aren’t ready to drop more $1,000-plus on a new custom bow. The entire Bear Archery line of recurves are worth considering as they’re all time-tested designs and the bow you choose ultimately will depend on your personal preferences.
Galaxy Grey Dawn Longbow ($240)
Key Features
- Speed: 148 fps (40@30, 520-grain arrow)
- One-piece longbow
- Length: 68 inches
- Draw weights from 30 to 60 pounds
- Price: $240
The Grey Dawn was a real surprise in this test. The cheap longbows I’ve shot in the past were plagued with uncomfortable grips and horrible hand shock. But the Grey Dawn is an exceptionally pleasant bow to shoot. The draw is smooth to my draw length, it feels very stable at full draw, and I shot excellent groups with it during accuracy testing. The only change I would make is to take a rasp to the grip to flatten it — a personal preference thing. This bow would be a great choice for indoor competitions, 3D archery, and hunting. I like it so much that I’m considering hunting with it this year.
Southwest Archery Ghost Longbow ($180)
Key Features
- Speed: 151 fps (39@30, 488-grain arrow)
- Three-piece longbow
- Length: 64 inches
- Draw weights from 20 to 50 pounds
- Price: $180
Like the Sage, the Ghost is an “honest shooting bow.” If I lost my focus, it let me know about it with an errant shot. It didn’t give me much help for a mediocre execution, but my good shots stacked together. The Southwest Ghost didn’t need string silencers to be quiet enough for hunting and it had very little handshock — just some residual buzz. The Ghost’s draw starts off easy and it has noticeable stack as it gets to my long draw length. If you’re around a 28-inch draw, however, it’ll likely be very smooth.
Traditional Only Mesa Longbow ($380)
Key Features
- Speed: 152 fps (39@30, 488-grain arrow)
- One-piece longbow
- Length: 60 or 64 inches
- Draw weights from 29 to 60 pounds
- Price: $380
In accuracy testing, the Mesa was very consistent and it was easy to shoot accurately. One downside of this bow is that it’s easy to push shots left or right due to its low-mass weight. If I were going to hunt with the Mesa, I’d put a bow quiver on it to weigh it down.
The Mesa has very little vibration and felt stable at full draw. It has an excellent draw cycle for a longbow and it felt comparable to custom longbows I’ve owned in the past. It’s another great bow at a relatively affordable price.
Budget Bows vs Custom Recurves
If you spend 10 times the price of a Galaxy Sage Elite II, do you get a better bow? Yes — definitely yes. That’s like asking if a $100 Vortex Triumph binocular is better than a $1,700 Zeiss SFL. It’s not a fair fight. The real question is, how much better is the performance for the price?
My Wengerd Ibex is about 10 fps faster, significantly smoother, more accurate, and overall more pleasant to shoot than budget alternatives. Custom bows offer more than just performance benefits. You get to work with a craftsman to choose a bow’s length, woods, limb materials, and a specified draw weight at your draw length. The hand-made aspect and the materials is why custom bows cost more.
But I wouldn’t recommend that a new archer buy a custom bow. It’s much better to learn proper form and develop your taste in bows — with the options I tested above — before committing. They won’t hold you back in terms of accuracy for the time being, and I’d persoanlly be completely comfortable taking all of them in the woods this fall. When you’re ready to step up, take a look at used custom bows. A used bow is typically 50 percent the cost of a new custom bow, and it’s a great way to try before you buy.