The crew at Elite Archery continues to keep shootability at the foundation of everything they do when it comes to building bows each year. You’ll see it throughout their lineup of bows for adults, but you’ll also see it in their impressive bows built for young and growing archers.
We first saw it in their Ember bow several years ago while attending the ATA show. Now, the all-new Elite Basin takes things to the next level when it comes to solid shooting bows for young shooters, or anyone looking for a value-priced bow that’s loaded with great features.
Specs on the Elite Basin
As mentioned above, the Basin was built with tons of versatility for a wide range of shooters. It’s a great bow that a child can grow with throughout their archery journey. Here’s a look at the specs…
Axle to Axle – 32″
Speed – 315 FPS
Draw Length – 16 – 30″
Draw Weight – 20 – 70 lbs
Brace Height – 6.6″
Mass Weight – 3.9 lbs
Let-off – Up to 80%
Finish Options – Ninja Black, Sienna Brown, Mountain Tan, Outdoor Green
Right Hand Only
Price – $599.99
First Impressions
Out of the box, we found a slick looking bow with an OD green finish. The company calls it their Outdoor Green finish option. It looks sharp and feels even better. The bow draws super smooth from start to finish and feels great in the hand. The Basin has a nice slim, block riser grip that sits nicely in the hand, without shifting, slipping, or sliding as you draw the bow.
The bow is well balanced, whether you’re holding it at your side, or holding it at full draw. It seems to be a nice blend of weight and balance that most any child, or adult shooter, can easily handle on the range, or on the hunt.
Caged Aluminum Riser
The Basin features a caged riser design that delivers greater balance by reinforcing the areas of the riser that are prone to flexing. How do they do it?
It’s built to be a stiffer design thanks to the wider cross-section of the cage placed in key transition areas. However, in addition to stiffening the riser, it also helps eliminate vibration at the shot. From top to bottom, stiffness, rigidity, stability, and balance are what you’ll find in this bow.
A Better Built Bow
A lot of bows built to grow with young archers are made with cheap parts. You’ll find a lot of plastic in places on the bow that certainly deserve better. Elite didn’t cut corners here. The Basin features all-aluminum cams, mods, and pockets.
In fact, you won’t find plastic anywhere on the Basin. They took the steps to make sure that, despite the value price found on the price tag, this bow is built with plenty of quality from top to bottom. As a dad of 3 boys, all of which are brutal on equipment, it’s good to see better built equipment, particularly the bows we spend so much time with throughout the year.
Adjustable Draw Module
As mentioned above, the sweet stuff built into this bow is its versatility for a wide range of shooters. I can set it up to my specs and shoot it in the yard, or on a hunt. At the same time, it’s perfectly suited for the youngest shooters.
The bow features an adjustable draw module that can easily be changed to fit draw lengths from 16″ to 30″ and has an integrated limb stop option that delivers a solid back wall.
Out of the box, the bow was set to the adult settings in draw length and weight. However, we quickly made adjustments and had the bow dialed in for my son. It’s a quick and easy process, without the need for a bow press.
Performance on the Range
We took things outside to get a better feel for how the Basin would perform on the range. There was no doubt the bow would be plenty lethal at my adult settings, but I wanted to see what we could expect when set up for a youth hunter.
I shot the bow at 65 pounds with a 392 grain arrow and consistently got speeds of 257 feet per second through the chrono. I then made the quick mod adjustments and got the bow set up for my son. We pulled it back on the Last Chance Archery scale and it rang up at 42 pounds of draw weight. He shot a 363 grain arrow and consistently got arrow speeds of 180 feet per second.
The bow will be more than enough for my son to efficiently deer hunt with this fall, should he decide to tote the Basin to the woods.
The Basin wears a $599 price tag, with a Ready to Shoot (RTS) package available at $699. Check it out at your local Elite dealer, or see more online at www.elitearchery.com.
You can also buy the Basin now at Lancaster Archery Supply at the link below.
