# Bear Brave 2 Youth Compound bow



## newq (Apr 9, 2009)

Advertised Specifications:

30% smaller than a full-sized model 
Molded system-type riser 
E-Z Draw arrow rest 
This youth set is 100% Fred Bear quality, but 30% smaller than a full-sized model. It's loaded with big-bow features, such as a molded system-type riser, adjustable recurve limbs and a below-grip cable guard. An E-Z Draw arrow rest eliminates frustration by keeping the arrow secured on the rest during draw. Available in right-handed model only. Set includes bow, quiver, sight, arrow rest and two Brave arrows.
Length: 30"
Weight: 1-3/4 lbs.
Draw length: 20"-22"
Draw weight: 17-22 lbs.
Let-off: 65% 
Color: Black 

Home from the store:

For a youth starter bow it looks really cool which is almost a necessity as anyone knows kids give not a hoot about what is better but more about what looks cooler to them and their friends. The bow is completely composite plastic. The riser and limbs are molded plastic and are well finished with excess trims cut away for smooth markless molding (Undetecable molding seems) and the bow seems generally sturdy and the strings and cable all conist of vinyl covered steel. The weight is adjustable and to me personally I feel the draw weight is adjustable under the manufacturers listed specs even while maintaining their recommended limits on how far the limbs can be backed out. Unfortunately the draw length on the bow is unadjustable leaving some youngsters a bit long or short possibly. The "safety Glass" fiber glass arrows come pre-fletched knocked and with a rounded glued on steel sleeve style field point. The vanes on the arrows had been zip tied to the string for storage and showcasing although this method left the vanes a little bent over and required a blow dryer and some re-straightening. I got the bow home set the bow square up in the rubber capture style rest , set two nocking points for the arrow to be nestled. I then had to add a small amount of serving string between the nocks as the arrow nocks were too wide for the string and would fall off helplessly. Had I been aware prior i would have set the string inside the nock to ensure it would not come unwound. I then assembled the quiver on the bow with the supplied hardware. I test drawed an arrow or two and noticed some squeaking coming from the upper cam. I grabbed some graphite lubricant and lubed both cams and wiped them clean and redrawed many times to ensure the graphite had made its way into the axles. 

After a day of shooting I have had the chance to form a well educated opinion on the bow and its strength and it's apparent weaknesses.

Pros: The bow shot pretty well and had no problem zipping arrows into a small lightweight foam target. The draw was smooth due to it's round cams. The Arrow rest did very well at holding the arrows in place as to have one less issue to contend with while drawing the bow. The quiver while unecessary and only adding more weight does give the appearance of a "just like dads" appeal.The draw weight adjustment is great! To my estimation the draw weight on my sons bow is about 12 now and exceeded my expectations of being flexible in that regauard. It did come with a pin sight although we opted to install it we never sighted the bow in as we were attempting to get the basics of nocking arrows, stance , draw, aim release down.

Cons: The bow draw length is absurdly unadjustable. It does have 2-3 inches of over draw with let-off at full draw, however my son was drawing to his ear at full draw without a release. (he is 44" tall). The quiver has a foam insert which holds the arrow points and it is held in place by the foams exspansive nature. If you insist on using this, plan on placing the foam back in every other arrow or otherwise gluing the foam in place.
The sight pin is just about as basic and cheap as you can get. The pin itself is plastic while the parts surrounding it are metal. The pin does not have a fiber optic glow or anything of the sort but the tip is painted orange. The arrow rest..... well this is a point of controversy . The arrow rest did hold the arrows well in place HOWEVER .... The arrows have an extreme amount of contact with the rest and it's base which, CANNOT be corrected. The arrow rest had so much contact in fact that within 100 shots the flexible c-clamp style rest had already broken and needed to be hot glued back on to continue shooting. To make matters worse the arrow rest does severly interfere with this bows ability to produce accurate repeatable shooting.

Conclusion: This bow was modestly priced at $55.oo USD. It is a great gateway for my son to get into archery. At it's price if my son never picks it up again I will feel that the 6 hrs of shooting he did , it will have paid for itself. That being said this bow is hardly flexible in draw adjustment and it will not promote good form habits or even the luxury of accuracy at greater distances beyond 15 yards. It's ease of use is great but does come at the cost of decreased perfornance and adding aftermarket accesories to correct deficiencies will not be as easy as if they accesories provided used industry standard mounting. 

All said I feel the end product was reflective of it's price and truely not a bad beginner bow. It does have several drawbacks but if you are handy with bows and are able to cope with a bit of hiccups along the way it will surely prove worth the money spent. I would not recommend this bow as a graduate bow for beginners looking to transition into a bow as a means for greater accuracy control and form.. This bow is better designed for a gateway to prove interest comfort and a bit of recreation.


I hope this helps the rest of you out there make informed decisions about this particular youth bow and if you have further questions or additions please feel free to pm me!


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## NotThere (Dec 24, 2012)

I got this bow for my 9 year old son for Christmas 2012 mostly for the "looks like dad's" appeal. All the points newq mentioned above are accurate. I think they have made some updates, the model I have has a whisker biscuit instead of the rubber arrow rest - Big improvement. The single sight pin isn't very helpful as a sight but puts something there for a reference point. The string has been thickened to securely hold both the included arrows and some Academy $4 fiberglass practice arrows with the same features, it also has two rubber nock points that are more adjustable than the crimp-ons, but bulky. Did have to drill some holes in the foam quiver insert and and hot glue it in as he mentioned. Other than that it's been out to shoot every couple weeks for going on 4 months now without any issues. Boy is learning well and is getting as consistent as I would expect a noob at the 10-15 yard range (keeps then in a hula-hoop sized area). I am sure he will outgrow it soon, but at $50 it was worth the gamble on weather he'd get into archery instead of spending at least triple that on a real beginners bow.


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