PSE Decree FDS

PSE calls the Sicario the fastest carbon bow ever built, and the numbers back the swagger: 357 fps IBO, and in Outdoor Life's standardized 2026 test it chrono'd 305 fps — about 20 fps clear of every other flagship. One ArcheryTalk tester ran 353 fps with a 350-grain arrow at 70 lb/30.25". The surprise is how civilized it is. The FDS cam's geometry gives an effective 6.5" brace from a nominal 5.25", and the community consensus is a draw that's stiff but linear and smooth — 'speeds that don't make sense' for the cycle — with a decent valley and very little vibration from the Dead Frequency Carbon riser at just 3.9 lb. Now the honest part: Outdoor Life scored its features 2/5 because, unlike every rival here, real tuning still means a bow press (the EZ.220 spacer system helps but doesn't replace one), its draw cycle scored lowest in the test, and accuracy trailed at 4.04" average groups — a short-brace speed bow still punishes sloppy form. At $1,999 street it's priced against the RX-10 with fewer convenience features but a huge speed edge.

The Stinger has been PSE's budget workhorse for over 15 years, and the current ATK generation - refreshed with the wide-range 'Grow With You' SS Cam - keeps it the default recommendation for a first serious hunting rig. The price shown is the ready-to-shoot package (Sierra Lite sight, TruGlo EZ rest, Hunter Lite quiver, FX4 stabilizer, peep and loop) that typically runs $450-500; the bare SS Cam bow is $449 at Lancaster, and discounters have blown packages out in the high $300s. The ATK riser is noticeably more rigid than the old Stinger Max platform, the 32-inch axle-to-axle and 6-5/8-inch brace make it forgiving, and the SS Cam covers 21.5-30 inches of draw with no bow press. ArcheryTalk owners routinely call it the best bow in its price range - quiet, low-vibration, with multiple 'killed deer with it both years' testimonials. The trade-offs are honest ones: 312 fps is slow next to the 335 fps Alaskan XT and Amplify, 4.0 lb mass is porky for the class, the package accessories are bare-bones, and grip and finish feel a tier below the Elite Ember. As a durable, tunable do-everything platform, it is hard to beat at the price.

The Uprising is PSE's answer to the Edge and Cruzer, and it undercuts both on price: the Ready-to-Shoot package (3-pin sight, whisker-style rest, 5-arrow quiver, 6-inch stabilizer with sling) sells around $300 street, with sale prices dipping into the $260s. Adjustment range is legitimate - 14 to 30 inches of draw and 15 to 70 pounds, all module-based with no press - and at 310 fps ATA it out-runs the Edge XT on paper. Sportsman's Warehouse buyers rate it 4.8/5, and Women's Outdoor News praised how it grows with a shooter. The honest knocks: 70 percent let-off is the lowest in this class, so you hold roughly 18-21 pounds at full draw on a 65-70 lb setting - noticeably more than the 75-80 percent competition, which matters to new hunters waiting on a deer. The cam has a firmer hump toward the end of the cycle than the buttery Diamonds, and Amazon reviewers specifically call out the included rest as frustrating for beginners. Arrows and a release are not included. As pure bow-per-dollar, though, nothing name-brand beats it at $300, and PSE's lifetime warranty travels with a real dealer network.

The Varos is Outdoor Life's 2026 Bow of the Year, and it won on the metric that matters: accuracy. The three-shooter test team averaged 2.79" groups at 50 yards — best of the field — and in the 30-arrow shoot-off its groups ran 0.6" smaller than the Mathews ARC 34 and Hoyt AX-3 33. It also took a perfect 5/5 for post-shot behavior (dead quiet, dead still) and 5/5 for features, thanks to the new Micro Splitters that adjust cam timing with a screw turn — no press — on top of Elite's S.E.T. limb-pocket tuning. The SP2 cam runs up to 90% letoff with a meaty 7.8-lb holding weight that helps it pin on target. Owners on Elite's site (18 reviews, all 5-star) echo the 'bullet holes out of the box' story. Real knocks: at 4.75 lb it's the heaviest bow here, the transition into the valley is abrupt enough that OL scored the draw cycle just 3/5, the grip is slick (testers added tape), and 285.8 fps in standardized testing means it's no speed bow. At $1,299 it's the cheapest flagship in this group — the value is genuinely absurd.

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.

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.