Elite Varos

With the Varos taking over as Elite's 2026 flagship, the Artus slots in as the brand's second hunting bow — the previous-generation compact flagship that stays in the line at $1,299. Its pitch is pure shootability: a huge 6.875-inch brace height, up to 90 percent let-off, and Elite's S.E.T. system that tunes left/right impact by pivoting the limb pockets with an Allen key — no press, no shims. The result is a 30-inch bow that owners on ArcheryTalk swear "holds like a 33–35-inch bow," and the 13 customer reviews on Elite's site run a perfect 5.0. With VX performance mods it rates 340 fps IBO, though standard mods give up speed, and real-world numbers land in the mid-280s with hunting arrows. The community's one loud complaint is mass: 4.7 pounds bare gets called "absurdly heavy for a short bow," with critics saying Elite risers need a half-pound diet to keep pace with Mathews. It is also an awkward buy new — the newer Varos costs the same — but as a forgiving, dead-in-hand whitetail bow with the biggest brace height in its class, the Artus still earns its spot.

The Ember is Elite's do-everything adjustable bow, and unlike most sub-$700 packages it comes from a brand better known for $1,200 flagships like the Era and Artus. The $679.99 price is for the RTS package (sold that way by Elite direct and Scheels), which bundles a CBE Tactic 3-pin sight, Arrow Mane capture rest, stabilizer, quiver and Winner's Choice strings - meaningfully nicer package parts than the Trophy Ridge or Octane kits rivals bolt on. With 10-60 lb of draw weight and 15-29 inches of draw length, it fits nearly anyone, which is why ArcheryTalk regulars call it one of the best grow-with-you buys; several report it out-holds and out-feels the Bear Legit and PSE Stinger head-to-head, with a limb-stop back wall that is unusually solid for the class. Real knocks: 310 fps IBO is modest and short-draw speeds are pedestrian; the dual-cam-with-yokes system needs occasional re-syncing where binary-cam rivals (Amplify, Deploy SB) hold tune longer; and a minority find the light 3.6 lb bare bow slightly nervous at full draw. Versus Elite's own flagships you give up SET tuning, speed and shot quietness - but not fit and finish.

The Redeem replaces the Persist 33 as Bear's 2026 flagship, and it is the brand's most serious run yet at the Mathews/Hoyt tier: a 30-inch, 340 fps IBO platform with the EKO2 cam, a diagonally pivoting roller cable guide that ArcheryTalk owners credit for a genuinely buttery draw, and QPC quad-pocket rockers that micro-adjust limb loading for tuning. Reviewers at Grand View Outdoors and Bowhunter Planet found it exceptionally stable for a 30-inch bow, holding well even in wind. The honest problems: at a measured 4.89 pounds bare it is the heaviest bow in its class — nearly a full pound over an ARC 30 — Grand View noted buzz in the grip and string twang out of the box, and the recurring ArcheryTalk gripe is that at $1,299 Bear priced it "almost as much as a Lift" when the brand's traditional edge was value. Draw weight comes in adjustable 45–60 and 55–70 lb ranges rather than discrete peak weights, which suits shooters who de-tune or build up more than 80-pound speed chasers. It is USA-made, with Bear's typically excellent factory grip.