Sammick Sage One Piece vs Bear Grizzly (Review)

[bagada]

So I just got a used bear grizzly(gainsville newer model with red dymonwood) for around 200 shipped.

 

After shooting it around 50 shots I can honestly say that the Sammick Sage One Piece is a better bow in general.  This opinion is coming from a new archer but even still...I noticed the differences. The Sammick is faster (although it does have a FF string so that is a factor). The Sammick is lighter by a lot. Feels great to hold for long periods.

weights...
Grizzly -2lbs 1.25 oz
sage- 1 lb 9.9 oz
Even at about 7 oz lighter, the Sage shoots with less hand shock even at a low brace( mines is at 6 3/4in) due to the FF string.

The Sage's bigger grip not only fits my hand better, but it has a more "repeatable" feel, due to the sharper edges  . My hand feels more locked in like joining 2 pieces of wood. You are probably thinking that its a hand size issue, but I also have a kodiak magnum that has an even smaller grip and it feels more like the Sage than the Grizzly. I prefer both the Kodiak and Sage grip to the Grizz.
 
 
 

The limbs on the Sammick are thicker and harder to bend side to side which I think makes the bow more forgiving. Probably due to the double wood lamination vs single in the grizzly.
 

The Sammick tips accept FF strings
 

As for looks, I think they both look great but my preference goes to the Sage. I like the stacks of different wood and the sharp edge on the riser gives it a slight masculine touch.
 

I think both bows are great and the Bear might even be a little smoother to pull. But at the price point for the Sage you can't go wrong. Even IF the sage costed more than the Grizzly I would still buy the Sage. 180$ for the Sage and I think 380-480$ for the Grizzly.
 

Im not meaning to spew hate on the Bear Grizzly. Im simply marveled at how Sammick was able to make a bow this cheap and still outperform a much more costly bow. Obviously this is all just an opinion but I much prefer the Sammick sage to the Grizzly. In the future I may change my preference but for 180...the sage is a great bow to have. Take it hunting and beat it up, buy another one and still spend less. Amazing.

[Petrichor]

We agree to disagree but a good write up none the less. You may have already but play with your grizzly brace height. Mine is at 8" and there is absolutely no hand shock. Two the price difference well the grizzly is made in the us and the sage is definitely not. The has a lot of hand finishing Not sure about the sage. The sage is a great bow, but I don't personally think it compares.
Good review and glad you found a bow you like. Since it's just gonna sit there you can send grizzly to me lol.

[CRM_95]

I've never shot a Grizzly but I love my Samick. Eventually I want to get a Grizzly or Kodiak, just wish I could find one 62'' or longer. I'm afraid a 58'' or 60'' would stack a little since I draw a shade over 29''.

[bagada]

I draw 30-31 and both the Grizzly at 58in and the Sage at 60in.  I have no trouble. The grizzly feels smoother/easier to overdraw and no stacking. The Sage feels whippy, light, and fast.  Seems to stack at 32 in, throws the arrow fast,  and is harder to draw. I guess its a tradeoff. They are both great bows. I would say the heavier riser in the grizzly should help with hand shock but I cant tell. It just feels heavier not better. The Grizzly feels easier to shoot, yet harder to aim. The Sage feels harder/stiffer to draw, but is more consistent with accuracy and has a flatter trajectory.

[Fattony77]

Are you sure that the Grizzly can't handle a FF string? The reinforced tips in the pic looks like they it can, and I know that most of Bear's modern offerings will. Just a thought.

Good write-up.

[Bearded Bowhunter]

Different strokes for different folks. My first trad bow was a Samick...and I loved it, until I got my Grizzly. It was much smoother to draw and I shot much better groups with it. I liked the grip better on the grizzly by a long shot, and it has zero hand shock. Who knows...I might have had a bum Samick and a great example of the grizzly, and you may have gotten a great samick and a bum bear. Or, our tastes are just that different.

Either way, good job on the write up.

[txcookie]

My sage has stunned me. It's worth waaaay more than what it cost.

[Petrichor]

Grizzly cannot take ff string.  It and the cub are pretty much the only ones.  It is one of the older offerings still available and only has wood reinforced tips no extra fiberglass.

[bagada]

All this being said...I cant wait to try a thunderchild

[sheepdogreno]

Good write up but I can only compare Grizzlys to a take down sage.My take down sage is a good shooter but sure does stack and is kind of brutal to shoot. I've had two dymondwood grizzs just like yours both were fine shooters. But I tell you what I have a new super grizzly and it is a real shooter. I sold my other Grizzlys bc we didn't click. But this super grizz is smoother than my 700$ striker and It shoots very very well. The quality is amazing for a production bow it does everything well. A little more weight in the riser like the grizzly is nice for me as well. To each their own thanks for the write up though I'm very interested in trying a one piece sage

[M60gunner]

Interesting you like sharp edges. I do not and have modified grips to be smoother. Just shota BearPaw the other day, a 3 piece LB. Yes it shot well but I did not care for sharpe edges.
To each his own, what makes bows come up for sale.

[Red Beastmaster]

I agree with bagada 100%.

I actually sold my early 70's Grizzly so I could buy a one piece Sage. Much better bow in all ways, especially with a FF string.

I don't know much about new Grizzlies except the grips suck. The throat of the grip is way too low. The Sage grip lays the arrow right down next to your knuckle where it should be.

My custom bows are going to hang on the rack this Fall. I'm taking the Sage hunting!

[forestdweller]

Nice review. Samick makes one hell of a bow. I wish they would make a 64" one piece recurve and a hybrid as well.

The only thing that I have to comment on is that in my opinion the Bear bow looks better. I love the dark red finish but the Sage is still a beautiful bow so it's personal preference.

I have a Sage and it shoots 10gpp arrows very fast, they seem to like mid weight to heavier weight arrows and become loud without gaining much speed going below about 10gpp.

With the right silencers and padded limbs or padded string loops they are extremely quiet as well with a 10gpp or better arrow.

[Petrichor]

Originally posted by Red Beastmaster:


I don't know much about new Grizzlies except the grips suck. The throat of the grip is way too low.

Grizzly design has not changed since 1964 and they are using the same template from the 70's  However the final shaping is done by hand so there is quite a bit of variance in the grip.

[Captain*Kirk]

My Sage is a decent bow, possibly better than my Grizzly in construction, but the Griz is 40 years old! And light as a feather compared to my Sage.
The Griz is a classic and not hard to see why, IMO.
Excellent write up, BTW!

[damascusdave]

Please remember to let us know what you think about those 2 bows 5 years from now when your member number has some whiskers on it

DDave

[frank bullitt]

Not sure what age has to do with having an opinion?

I know nothing about the Sage bows, but am curios to look or shoot one, if given the opportunity!

As for the Grizzly, I love my Grayling bows! If mine,  I would try a high performance string,  properly made!

Thanks for sharing, good shooting to ya!