New Bear "Supreme Series"

[Jeremy]

Has anyone seen any of the Bear "Supreme" Series bows??  The takedown is a sharp looking recurve!  Nice to see them putting in exotic woods again.  Bear Supreme Series

[Dustin Waters]

Yeah they are charging you for it too....

[Ray Hammond]

well, Will Primos has to pay off those bank loans he got to buy the company with, doesn't he??      

[jeff w]

I agree, they are very nice looking bows, though I currently don't own any of the Supreme Series.   I have shot plenty of Bear bows, and have always liked the way the Bear TD, Super Kodiak and Montana longbow shot, so I liked the ones they chose to dress-up.   I have often wondered if they would ever consider bringing back some of the older design configurations of their bows;  different colors of futurewood depending on model, white overlays on the grip, and angled 'stripes' into the risers.  Still my favorite bows.

[Gordy]

Will Primos bought Bear lock stock and barrel ?  Wow.

[Cutty47]

Personally I'm glad Will Primo bought the company.  Maybe we'll see more Trad stuff on TV...

...and the new Bear Compound he's using is supposed to be a good value...

...but that Supreme series is overpriced by a couple hundred bucks in my book...at least.

It is a looker though, for a factory bow...

[George D. Stout]

You mean a factory bow like Black Widow?   The Super Kodiak Supreme can be had for just over $700.00;  a good bit below BW's entry bow.  Both are good bows, both factory bows.

[JC]

Good lookin bows, but I'm with those thinking they are a bit high priced. I wish Mr Primos the best in his endeavor...and also hope that his purchase will get tradgear some more positive TV exposure.

[non-typical]

Yeah and with any luck we'll be able to see trad hunters on tv decked out in sponsorflage aka nascar-ish "pro" bass fisherman.

[flinch]

When did Primos buy Bear Archery?   I had not heard of this.  I wish Bear Archery and Mr. Primos well.

[whitebuffalo]

I'm hanging with George and 4nolz for sure,, I shoot bear exclusivly and have shot and owned other custom bows that were all great but for my Michigan blood it feels better in my hand and my heart carries it better when afeild in the fall for sure. I can't explain it but it almost feels lucky.. if that make any sense,,LOL,, I wish Will good luck with the company and I too hope to see more recurves and longbows on the tube doing what their made to do best,,shoot and hunt,,JB

P.S. I would love a shrew favorite,,awsome bow,,makes me melt thinkin about one in my lineup.. Tim Fishell,, ya better keep a close eye on her buddy<

[dad]

I just bought a 2007 production Kodiak Mag. and just love it. I never thought I would say this but its better that a custom bow that I bought!

[Cutty47]

George...for $700?  I can name a whole lot of custom bows that are lights out shooters and easy on the eyes for less than $600...

Turkey Creek, Sapphire, Yellowstone, Toelke, Liberty, Kabekona, Kohanna, Acadia, Checkmate, Thunderhorn, Thunderstick...do I need continue?

Just in case, what about Rose Oak...a sponser here, as are more than a few others on the list...

Heck for $700 you could own a BLACK SWAN CLASSIC, or Border GL GRIFFON...

There's loyalty...and well...

[JL]

Nice looking bows. Has anyone shot one? Do they perform above their standard bows?

JL

[vermonster13]

Performance is the same as the standard models, just a whole lot better looking. It's only money and if a Bear is what makes you happy, then by all means that's what you should get.

[Jeremy]

Well, this took a direction I wasn't expecting!  

I agree they're pricey, but George and 4nolz have very valid points.  

Cutty, you're right too: there are some very reasonably priced bows out there today, but for every one that's reasonable, there are two that are out of my price range with no reason for the difference.

These are out of my range too, but it sure was a nice surprise to see Bear making a nice looking bow again.  I wish Primos the best of luck.

[insttech1]

Wow this thread can go a bunch of different ways...

Black Widows as "factory bows"...that's funny (and I've never owned a widow...)  Bob Morrison owns a CNC too....

I hope the overall quality of the Bear product comes back in line with its history, as there was a rash of complaints over the last year of broken t/d latches, bows replaced 2 or 3 times with the same problem, multiple delaminations...and those were on the BRAND NEW ones...(not the new clear glass series, though...)

Is that $700 MSRP, or real-world pricing in the stores?  If it's real-world, it really is too much...sorry, but it just is, for a mass-produced product.  The Hatfield's and Martins have gone up in price in a manner that is grossly not in proportion with the market over the last two years, which means that their prices went up roughly 20%...how many of you guys had a 20% raise total over the last 1.5 years??

You can get a Morrison for just a bit over $800 if you choose some reasonable woods...

As far as shootability, yeah, the Bear products will shoot, and are comparable with many customs, but will not shoot with "all" of them...

I paid $700 for a new Border (now $900+ due to the currency situation...), and I'm sorry, but it's a better bow.  Don't like the overseas factor?  Then how 'bout a Robertson?  Bob Lee? Morrison?  

Don't get me wrong...Bear has good bows, good history, and good products...but there are better customs out there for a comparable price.

Oh yeah--and in the spirit of the thread, it's about bloody time that Bear started using clear glass...but let's hope they don't price themselves out of it straight out of the chute...

Take Care,
Marc

[LBR]

I haven't seen them yet, so I don't have an opinion.  I do like the old Bears, and IMO it's the monkey behind the bow that makes the difference in where the arrow goes.  

I have to disagree that wood choices are the only difference in custom bows vs. production bows. Grips, tiller, built for a particular draw length, how deep the shelf is cut,  different lengths in the same bow style/design, etc. are some of the things many custom bowyers offer.  These may be minor to some, but they are still things that you can't get in an "over the counter" bow.  They require time and add a personal touch.

Hope the Primos gang can do as well with bows as they have their other products.  Seem to be a good bunch of folks.

Chad

[6 POINT]

My B/W take downs cost considerably less than what Bear wants for theirs. I'll stick with a custom bow.

[jeff w]

Why is a Bear Surpreme, made with clear glass and exotic wood not worth as much as a  __________(you can fill in the blank)?    Must be 'designer-lable'  thing.    

Couple things about Bear- you are not waiting months or a year to get a bow, and they stand behind their warranty.

Better, best, overpriced..........all that is subjective to the person buying/shooting the bow.   If you like them, I think thats great.   If you don't, that's ok too.    I just won't try to tell you your bow is somehow inferior because I may not like it.   Sorry, that's just how it is..........