That's kind of a tough one to answer. Should a $700 dollar bows cost that much, hell no. But neither should jewlrey, or stereo equipment. The markup it rediculously high. I would assume bows are the same way. And the small time dealers are getting just as screwed as we are. They don't make that much off bows from what I understand. I have looked at expensive bows and compared them to bows around 300 to 350 dollars, which is about half the price. It sure doesn't look like it cost twice as much to make them. They are made out of pretty much the same materials and made with simular equipment. The quality on all the newer bows is outstanding, but the more expensive ones are a little better, as they should be.

You can argue that some of the money goes into research and devopment, and I have. Us humans always want what is at the edge of cutting technology, and that tends to cost more. But there are companies that do a lot of R&D and still don't charge an arm and a leg for their product. Darton comes to mind obviously. That brings you to the next step, Advertising. Who has some of the most expensive bows you can throw money at. Mathews, Hoyt, and PSE. All of which have very aggressive and impressive marketing campaigns, This costs money. Where do you think they are going to get it from. But in defense of Hoyt and PSE they have a very extensive line up with price ranges to fit everyone that would want a bow. And Hoyt offers enough options to make you dizzy trying to make a decision. Then on the other hand mathews cheapest bow is 400 bucks( not including the genisis). I guess we can see the crowed they are catering to. Don't get me wrong, I like mathews and think they make an excellent product, but they are also marketing geniuses.

Are the more expensive bows better. Sure they are, to a point. When I go to look at bows I like to take my darton with me so I can compare them side by side. I have looked at some bows that I really liked on their own. But when I got my bow out and looked at them side by side and shot them, all of a sudden I was not that impressed. I know I shoot my bow every day and it feels comfortable in my hands like an old pair of gloves, and I am sort of biased becuase of it. But I try to be objectional when trying to make comparisons and look at facts instead of how something feels. I will be honest, I love the way Mathews bows feel in my hand, especially the Mq32. I have deffenitley shot bows this summer that had better qualities than my bow. Some were much lighter, not always a good thing though. My bow is actually fairly light if I take all the crap off of it too. Some were deffenitely smoother to shoot and quieter, Mathews in general. But they were slower also. The only bow I shot that was considerably faster was the ultra 2. But other than that it felt alot like my darton, actually it had more kick. So again, do I think they are better, yes I do, but not twice as better as the price would suggest.

With all that said, I will most likely end up with one any way! I really like some of the mathews and parkers and would probably spend the money if I had it. Not so much becuase they are better, just because I want one. And as long as there are people like me, there will be expensive bows. It's sad, but true.

Paul