Do You Really Need High-End Archery Equipment?

June 5, 2025 by Leigh Hauck

It’s tempting to think that better gear automatically makes you a better archer, but the truth is: today’s archery technology is so good across the board that even entry-level bows with entry level accessories can shoot lights-out if you put in the work – mostly. There are some exceptions to this, and some areas where a few extra dollars spent might make a big difference. Let’s break it down, piece by piece.

Bows: It's About Tuneability

A high-end bow isn’t going to make you more accurate. What it does give you is the ability to take every last bit of precision into your own hands. More expensive bows are generally more adjustable or ‘tuneable’, and tend to be easier to work on.

For example, many lower-end bows don’t have a way for you move your string or cams left or right at all – an essential part of a bow’s setup and your fixed blade broadhead flight.

If you are trying to get a big, unforgiving fixed blade to fly out of your lower end bow, you may have issues as you are now forced to make any left/right adjustments with only your arrow rest. There is nothing wrong with your bow, you just need to be aware of its limitations. Think of it like taking an F-150 to a NASCAR race. There is nothing wrong with your F-150, it’s just in an environment that is way outside of what it was designed to perform in.

At the end of the day, a budget bow is still fully capable of stacking arrows if you set it up properly and shoot it well. It’s like comparing a Honda Civic and a Ferrari. Both will get you to work. One just has heated seats and a better stereo.

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Arrows: Build Quality Beats Price Tag

Lower end arrows are generally totally fine, a great place to save money in archery. A .003” or .005” straightness spec is more than good enough for 99% of people. What matters more is how well you build them. If your inserts are square, your fletching is consistent, and your spine match is solid, those arrows are going to fly just as well as a premium .001 shaft. Your arrow quality is ultimately going to come from your hands, not your wallet.

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Sights and Rests: Where Spending Makes Sense

This is where you should actually consider spending a bit more.

Cheaper sights and rests tend to be made mostly of plastic, have very limited adjustment options, have a cheaper in-hand feel and quality. High-end options are usually CNC-machined aluminum, offer precise micro-adjustments, and will not move around on you. They are often easier to setup, adjust, and hold their setup better.

While it may hurt a bit to bite that bullet on an expensive rest or sight, my experience is that a high-end rest or sight will last you many years. I have taken my best sight with me on every bow I’ve had for the last 5 or 6 years, and it’s as good as the day I got it.

A cheap rest or sight on the other hand, will likely drive you nuts from day one and drop your overall confidence in your gear. Confidence is everything – if you feel good about your gear, you are likely to shoot better with it.

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Releases: You Will Feel the Quality Instantly

This is another spot where quality becomes obvious immediately. A good release will feel crisp,  highly adjustable, and extremely consistent. You can dial in trigger position and the “heat” (how much pressure it takes to fire), and the trigger breaks with zero travel. That level of control builds consistency and is essential to making the transition from intermediate to an advanced archer.

Cheaper releases often have inconsistent straps, lots of trigger creep, and internal components that wear out fast. I run high-end releases and usually get about five years out of them with an extremely high shot volume. So yeah, for something that’s your literal connection to the shot, I think it’s worth spending on.

The Bottom Line

You don’t need high-end gear to shoot well. Even with a lower end rest, sight, and release, you can be a well above average archer if you put the work in.  What you need is to understand your equipment, work within its limits, and put the time in to a) set it up to its highest potential, and b) become the absolute best and most consistent archer than you can be.

A budget bow with a solid build and perfect form will always outperform a $3,000 setup with sloppy arrows and a shooter who expects their gear to do the work for them. Jimi Hendrix would still sound like Jimi Hendrix with a $150 guitar!

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If you have any questions or would like to discuss the topic further, please feel free to reach out to us at sales@toothofthearrowbroadheads.com

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