Bear Redeem

What does the Redeem actually weigh bare, given that Bear doesn't publish mass weight anywhere?

Bear doesn't publish a mass weight — which is why our CareScore excludes that spec for this bow rather than guessing. Community measurements put it around 4.6–4.9 lb bare, heavy for a 30″ ATA hunting bow; the owners' counterpoint is that the mass settles the hold.

How do the new limb-pocket rocker adjustments work — is it just a set screw, and can you really tune without a press?

Four set-screw ‘rocker’ adjusters in the limb pockets tilt the limbs to steer cam alignment — genuine press-free tuning. The community verdict skews positive: robust, wide adjustment range, combinable with traditional shimming; the skeptics' point is that similar systems existed first elsewhere.

Why would anyone pay flagship money for the Redeem instead of a Darton, Hoyt, Mathews, or Elite?

The value math: at $1,300 the Redeem undercuts the Mathews ARC 30 by about $60 and carbon flagships by $800+, with press-free tuning the big names charge more for. The community's pushback is brand prestige and resale — Bear flagships depreciate harder than Mathews or Hoyt. Our spec-driven CareScore lands it mid-pack (52.4, #6 of 8), dinged mainly by unpublished specs and mid-pack speed — so the strongest case for it is price-per-feature, not the scoreboard.

Is Bear's pivoting roller cable guard genuinely the smoothest in the industry, or a moving part you don't want on a bow?

Owners of Bear's pivoting roller guard (shared with the Execute) describe a buttery draw, less torque and a steadier hold; the skeptics' case is philosophical — a moving part is one more thing to fail. The one failure reported in the threads (a roller-guide screw) was replaced free by Bear customer service.

How well does the Redeem balance and hold at full draw — does the extra mass at least translate into stability without stabilizers?

Owner reports say yes — the extra mass translates into a dead-steady hold at full draw, with some skipping stabilizers entirely. The trade is carrying that weight on your shoulder all season.

Does easy-tuning tech even matter when most buyers never adjust their own cam spacing?

If you tune your own bows, the rocker system is a genuine time-and-money saver — no press visits to chase cam lean. If your shop does everything, you're paying for capability you may never touch; the counterpoint from the threads is that easy tuning also means faster broadhead tuning and easier resale setup.

The dominant complaint: posters call the Redeem strikingly heavy for a 30-inch ATA bow (figures of 4.6–4.9 lb circulate, with Bear not publishing a number), comparing its mass to much longer bows and joking that "she's THICC." A minority counter that balance matters more than curb weight for a hunting bow, and one notes Mathews sold heavy bows for years without complaint.

The four-rocker press-free tuning system is the headline feature: fans note Bear beat Hoyt to easy-tuning tech and one owner calls it arguably the best micro-tune setup on the market (robust, wide adjustment range, combinable with shimming). Skeptics say it resembles Darton's and old PSE systems, adds parts and weight, and — per a dealer — ease of tuning has never actually sold bows and mostly lets customers wreck their own setups.

Repeated refrain that flagship money for a Bear is a hard sell: posters predict brutal resale depreciation, say it would move at $899 but not at near-Mathews-Lift pricing, and a dealer reports selling zero Bear flagships in three years while the mid-tier Resurgence/Alaskan fly off shelves. The value counterpoint: Bear deeply discounts previous-season flagships direct (a $1,199 Execute 32 shipped for $699), which other brands don't do.

Owners of the system (shared with the Execute and carried onto the Redeem) describe a buttery draw, reduced torque, and a steadier hold, with one noting Bear customer service replaced a failed roller-guide screw free of charge. Detractors argue a moving cable guard is a liability not a feature, that Elite/Bowtech do it better, that it dates back decades (APA, Jennings Buckmaster), and that it's marketing rather than performance.

A running meta-debate: many shooters simply won't put Hoyt/Mathews/Elite money on a Bear, associating the brand with big-box ready-to-hunt packages, while defenders (including a dealer) insist the flagships are as good as anything on the market and the bias is snobbery. Several cite reviewer MFJJ scoring the Redeem the highest of any Bear bow he's tested as reason to give it a fair look.

Detail-level gripes from one thread: the new EKO2 cam drops the old EKO's four let-off options (75/80/85/90%) down to just 80/85%, and the Picatinny sight mount is a bolt-on rather than machined into the riser — seen as cost-cutting that also adds screws and weight. Speed and the 25–30 inch draw range otherwise drew little complaint.