Bear Cruzer Opinion

[pgrundle]

I was looking at purchasing a Bear Archery Cruzer as my entry level bow into archery, link below:

http://www.beararchery.com/bows/compound/cruzer-rth

It seems like a good value for the prices I have seen.

Can anyone lend me an opinion.

Cheers!

[Wild one]

I tell everyone the same thing the best way to choose a bow is to see how it feels in your hand and how it feel when you draw it back

Archery is all about form and when your comfortable it is easier to have consistent form. Don't get caught up in the speed game either

All the main brands make bows worth starting with and you will find fanboys of all the brands

[caddisguy]

I got a great deal on one recently at a clearance sale. It's my first compound bow so I don't have much to compare it to, but I did a lot of research and read tons of reviews. I concluded it was one of the better RTS/RTH packages. I don't think you will find better value for that price range.

Bear customer service is amazing too. I stripped one of the draw length module screws trying to get away with an undersized key (since bought a proper hex set that has the exact sizes of everything on the Bear Cruzer) ... anyway I called them up to ask where I could find a new screw and they answered right away, super friendly and knows their bows very well... said they'll just send me a bunch of screws no charge lol ... from what I read they do the same thing with pretty much any part. Their service reminds me of the good old days, back when service was a thing.

I spent several hours shooting it over the last couple days. No real issues from what I can tell. I had the quiver mounted and noticed that the mount coming out and in need of tightening. One of the screws for the mount is hard to get at.

Also the sight that comes with the Cruzer package has a light that turns on by turning the same cap that screws in the batteries. You have to loosen it to make sure it's wont turn on (I think anyway, I didn't spend any time looking for a switch as the light would rarely be necessary) but that means it can work itself off. There is no happy medium. In my case the cap came off twice and dumped out the 3 little batteries. If you are going to keep the stock sight, just take out those batteries, put them in a little baggy and screw the cap back on properly. You can put them back in if you really need them first/last light (I doubt you will) or for night time target practice.

Draw length and weight is easily adjustmable. It has a wide range for both. I'm a small guy so I set mine to 26 (it comes with extra modules if you are between inches) and weight is around 43lbs now so I can practice all day without getting too sloppy from muscle fatigue and so I won't need to change much to whack a deer. I just have to get some new arrows and broad heads and tune the sights accordingly and I'll be ready for bow season.

We made a bunch of videos shooting is this weekend so I might post that up here when I have some time. I'm brand new to bows, after some tuning my groupings at 20 yards ended up about 2-3 inches in diameter. 30 yards things are usually ok but go wrong more often. Anyway that's my issue (I'm a novice and my arrows are 29.5 which is probably too long) not the bows issue lol ... hoping to be perfect at 30 before the season but if not I'll just need to get a bit closer

Nothing beats going into a specialty shop and getting a bunch of gurus to outfit you with the best gear for you. That comes with a price though (probably $1500 by the time you are shooting) ... I was going to go that route, then found the Cruzer on clearance for $269 regular $469 and couldn't resist. I might end up buying a different bow if I get really serious about it, but that will be years away before my proficiency will notice the difference.

[pgrundle]

Thank you so much for the valuable input.

Will the videos you mentioned br posted here or on YouTube? Very interested in viewing them.

Cheers!

[caddisguy]

I'll upload on Youtube and link them up here in the next day or two if I get to them (also working on a backlog of 700+ trailcam vids lol) ... bow ones shouldn't take too much effort so maybe I will do them first. It might not be too exciting... just some novices flinging some arrows with the Cruzer. Nothing technical about sight adjustments (easy though, you can move the sight up/down/left/right and individual pins up/down. Arrow rest can move too, but should be good in stock placement (I moved mine trying to figure how "how I could in theory" adjust it and spent time trying to get it back to how it should be lol)

[steveo]

I think it has good value for an entry level bow, I was ready to buy the bear cruzer but went with a PSE stinger for $70 more because I could get out of the whisker biscuit and get into a fall away rest. I think the sights on the PSE had one more pin but like I said I think the cruzer is a good bow.

[caddisguy]

Four pins on the Cruzer. I'm not sure the yardage for the pins on the stock configuration, but I have my first two pins set to 20 and 30. I never did get to take a crack at sighting a third pin. I can see how more pins the better. 10 yards can really make a difference. If I ever get good enough to shoot long distances I'd swap the factory sight in favor of more pins. I'll need a range finder first though

[Wild one]

From a guy who has been bow hunting for over 20years for a hunting bow you should be good with a 4 pin sight

most of my animals have been taken at 30yards or less longest shot 55yards. Yes there is guys who take animals out to 80yards but not many. Plus in BC with the amount of timber close shots are common

[steveo]

From a guy who has been bow hunting for over 20years for a hunting bow you should be good with a 4 pin sight

most of my animals have been taken at 30yards or less longest shot 55yards. Yes there is guys who take animals out to 80yards but not many. Plus in BC with the amount of timber close shots are common

Totally agree, my experience with harvesting deer more or less parallels yours. An extra pin was by no means a factor in going to a different bow but with that said, I would rather have a 60 yard pin and not need it than need one and not have it. The other reason I have had an extra pin or even two on my sights that I knew I would not really need at those yardages was in case I damaged a pin or two in the yardages I used all the time.

[Wild one]

Nothing wrong with extra pins. Even though I don't plan on taking an animal at long range I have a pin sighted in for 70yards.