Last Updated on May 28, 2021
As with any product, you may have noticed that there are those who proclaim themselves as the official ‘best brand’; the cream of the crop, the best of the best, the god among men – okay that was a little too much. But anyway, I’ll share with you some of the brands that I think are the best from my experience in using recurve bows. I may not have owned bows from each and every one of these brands, but so many opportunities have presented themselves which allowed me to relish the feeling of superior quality recurve bows. Some of you may even say that the only brands presented here are the ‘overpriced’ ones; as the saying goes “if you’re good at doing something, never do it for free” and thus the price.
Great Plains Traditional Bow Co.
This company has been around for about twenty five years now and that’s saying a lot. They offer recurve bows like SR Swift Take Down Recurve, SR Swift One Piece Recurve, B-Model Take Down Recurve, and other bows aside from the recurve. What makes this company stand out from the others is the amount of hands-on work they put into each carefully-crafted bow. Workers hand fit the limbs, buff the finished products by hand, test and shoot each bow individually before they ship them off. The thing I love most with bows made by Great Plains is the smoothness; the craftsmanship is a big bonus. They’re well-known and were even featured in a magazine bow test, which was considered unusual. So yes, the price may make you cry at first sight but if you really want a high class bow then save up!
Hoyt Archery
Hoyt Archery is a company by archers for archers. Making and selling bows since 1931, they produce top-of-the-line recurves which are divided into two categories: traditional recurves and target archery recurves. Their traditional recurves are available in camo or the natural finishes; these two styles best work for the traditional style hunters. Other than recurve bows, they also produce compounds and even accessories that go with the bows and arrows.
Other than the obvious amazing quality of each and every bow, what I love about Hoyt Archery is that they also provide custom color accessories. Sure, accessories are also offered at other shops but the accessories at Hoyt Archery are also made of high quality materials. Their most popular recurve bows are The Buffalo and GameMaster II.
Predator Archery
What’s interesting about Predator Archery is that they don’t just produce and sell bows and accessories; they even provide lessons on archery! Initially, they just focused on replacement parts for bows, but now they have made it to the top lists of high quality bow makers. Out of all their bows, the most famous is the high quality take-down recurve bows.
I once purchased a bow from Predator’s Archery and it came with five free lessons. Not only that, but the staff are friendly and the customer service is beyond compare. Since I lived a few hours from their shop they said that I can book my appointment online. Imagine all the hassle I would have otherwise needed to go through if I went there and all the staff were busy. So yeah, quality bows alongside quality service.
Bear Archery
Another veteran bow manufacturing company is Bear Archery; they have been around for a solid eighty years. Sure they maybe a bit pricey, but you pay for the quality – and their quality is worth every penny. The jewel in their crown is the Bear Grizzly, the best recurve bows that money can buy. The Bear Grizzly literally does last a lifetime; you can even pass it on to your great-grandchild’s grandchildren and the quality will be the same as the day it was made.
The Bear Grizzly recurve bow is so accurate and smooth that the limbs never twist. You won’t ever need those stabilizers or any accessory for that matter; almost no hand shock and with only minimal vibrations. Beginners even say that the bow was comfortable and stable; that’s a big thing since their hands are not as used to bow handling as the experts. This brand makes some good hunting bows.
Martin Archery
From a family comprised of passionate archers, the Martin Family introduced a new innovative brand of bow into the world of archery. Now, they make some of the top reasonably-priced bows in the world. Their flagship bows are the Martin Jaguar and Martin Saber, which can be handled by any archer no matter their level of experience.
Both of the flagship bows are great for hunting, especially for those who are new to the game. Accurate, strong and smooth and all for reasonable prices; those are what keep the customers loyal. Not to mention that one of the co-founders, Gail Martin, can be found among the Hall of Fame of Archery. In short, they really know their equipment!
To see a full in-depth reviews of some of the best recurve bows on the market click here.
