this post was submitted on 16 Apr 2024
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Archery
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As someone who bought a kit like that for their own kid once, and saw what it could do, I say the following.
It depends on what you want to shoot. If you just want to ship some arrows down range in your backyard, then sure. If you want to shoot olympic recurve in a club with trainers, and not have to invest in a new bow again soon, then buy something used instead. You can't get a kit for that price that will satisfy more than the utmost rudimentary recurve/barebow archery.
I'm not trying to be a snob, and I'm sorry if I come off that way. All my kid still uses from that kit is the finger taps, everything else got shot with 5 times, and never in the club, the loaners were simply better. And next Christmas we got our kid the proper gear.
In the club we have a bunch of loaners, which are just Sanlida risers and various <20# limbs. But if you want to get your own gear, then the recommended setup is Sebastian flute evo riser which is rumored to be the cheapest riser that won't warp, arc systeme sx10 sights, which is the cheapest sighting system that won't start rattling immediately, and avalon tyro arrows. I don't know what that will run you, but the riser alone is probably more than 300 usd new, the sights are probably 150 and arrows will be another 50.
If you need to invest 500 for the proper setup from new, then spending 300 for a backyard kit is not advisable. Go on your local second hand sites and facebook marketplace, there's plenty of gear to be had for a remarkable discount, especially in the beginner segment.
I mean, with this takedown bow from the kit, can't I upgrade the components to make it better in the future? I feel like it should be decent to get into archery right? Because I feel like the investment of like $500 is a bit steep
Probably not, the cheap wood risers in these kits usually don't fit the standard limb fittings, called ILF. So upgrading the draw weight is going to be an issue. Another weird aspect about this kit is the overall bow length and draw weight, 55lbs on a 62" bow?!? That bow is way too short for anything but a child, and the draw weight is way too high.
It absolutely is steep. That's why my advice is not to do it, but to get the high-end entry-level gear used. Just checking out the main danish facebook group for used archery gear for 30sec I found a 290USD lot, with a samick riser (I can't tell which model), fivics front stab, 30lbs SF Axiom limbs (TBH that's a bit much for a newb), avalon tec one sights, a dozen easton inspire arrows that haven't been shortened, and an avalon classic backpack with the arrow tube. Pictured below. It's not the best entry level setup BUT it's definitely way better than the kit you linked.
Don't get me wrong, if you already bought the kit, and you're happy with it, then by all means be happy. But my experience with a similar kit was that the money was mostly wasted. Better get the 500USD gear @ 40 or 50% off used instead.