Contents
Bow Package Contents
Before we start I would suggest that all of you parents that have no idea about compounds yet, please read my beginners guide to get a quick overview here => Beginner’s Guide To Compound Bows.
The Diamond Atomic youth comes fully strung in a right-handed version that is recommended to be shot by children (4 – 11 years old), not tweens or teens and by no means by adults. It was made to get your kiddos into archery in the first place. But Bowtech is not known for its high quality products for nothing, so this one is not comparable to the cheap sets you get for 20 bucks at Walmart. Just saying.
If you are looking for a model for your child’s school program you might have to ask if your kid could use the Diamond Atomic compound for it. Usually they have bows they use for those. The NASP program, for example, has the Genesis as their official model.
Along with the Diamond Atomic comes a high quality 3-pin fiber optic sight. This means you don’t have to get a better one, like with a lot of the cheaper sets out there. What you could do is to get a simple 1-pin sight (slider style), so your kid only needs to concentrate on one pin while starting out. Apart from that it makes adjusting a lot easier every time you change the draw length or poundage. When everything’s settled you could put the better one on again. For sighting the sight in, please read this guide => How To Sight In A Compound Bow.
You also will get a capture style arrow rest, that looks a bit like a Whisker Biscuit. Although this one is good for starting out as well, I would get a real Whisker Biscuit, as this might increase your kid‘s accuracy even more.
The mounted two piece quiver can contain up to three arrows. As such a quiver usually is used only for hunting or 3d courses, you could take it off as well as it adds some extra weight to the Diamond Atomic youth compound. Especially for smaller children that is not necessary, as their focus should be on having fun, not carrying around all this extra weight.
With three carbon arrows included, this set has already better arrows than most of the others available. Nonetheless I would get better arrows as soon as possible. As arrows tend to get lost rather quickly, don’t expect those three to last for too long. Maybe look at the Easton Genesis 2. If your kid is already older (11 – 12 years) you may have to determine his or her draw length for choosing the right arrows. If you want to learn how to measure it, please read my guide here => How To Determine Your Draw Length. If you want to know more about arrows in general, feel free to read my article here => Choosing The Right Arrows For A Compound Bow.
If your kid has a draw length bigger than the maximum setting of the Atomic youth (24″), you would need to buy a different model for him or her.
The Diamond Atomic youth comes with a matte black riser and blue or pink limbs (whichever you choose). The blue and pink is barely noticeable, though, so for me they all look just black. If color does not matter, just choose the cheaper one.
There is also a non-transferable lifetime warranty to the original owner (so keep your invoice!) given by Bowtech. You have to register your Diamond Atomic youth within 30 days after the purchase to get it, so don’t forget that. This warranty gets voided if you abuse, misuse or if you modify it in any way. That means drilling holes to the riser is not a good idea 🙂 .
You also should tell your kids to never ever dry fire it! Dry firing is one the most common causes for destroying it or injuring yourself. If you want to know more about dry firing, I would encourage you to read my article about it here => Dry Firing A Compound Bow.
Excluded from the warranty of the Diamond Atomic are string, cables, accessories and most of all other moving parts. To prolong the life of string and cables you should wax them regularly and often. Bowtech recommends CYML 6 synthetic string wax or an equivalent product for doing so. Don’t know how to do it? Apply the wax liberally to the entire length of the string. Rub it in briskly with your fingers until the string appears slick, then remove all excess wax with a clean cloth.
There is no peep sight or D-loop installed. As Bowtech recommends shooting their compounds with a release aid, it would make sense to serve a peep sight in, install a D-loop and to get a release aid. The peep sight acts as a rear sight which you have to line up with the front sight for aiming. The D-loop needs to be installed where the arrow is to be nocked in every time while shooting. It acts as a reference point, which is important to develop consistency and therefore accuracy. With the release aid the whole shooting process will be much more accurate, as you take the fingers – that tend to twist the string while releasing the arrow, resulting in bad shots- out of it.
As serving in a peep sight and installing a D-loop is not that easy, it would be a good idea to go to a professional shop for having them set up alltogether.
You also can add a stabilizer as there is a pre-drilled hole for one on the riser. A stabilizer will take out vibrations while shooting (which makes the whole process more quiet) and it will balance this model overall.
Another good idea is to get a case for storage and transport. It will protect the bow from extreme temperatures (think hot car, attic) or dampness, which could damage it irreversibly. And that’s just not worth it with a model in this price range.
Noise Level / Hand Shock Of The Diamond Atomic Youth Compound Bow
Due to the parallel limb design there is no hand shock at all. If you want to quiet it down get a stabilizer and some string silencers, if needed. But overall it does not seem to be significantly loud.
Bow Specifics / Limbs / Riser / Grip / String
The Diamond Atomic looks and feels like a full sized model. No doubt about that. It also can take all the accessories that daddies could put on their compounds, which is just cool! Imagine you and your son roaming the field with almost the same gear 🙂 .
It is well made and very durable to take all of the beating that young archers can come up with for years. The overall design is well thought out and sturdy.
The machined black aluminum riser has a comfortable bare grip, the parallel designed solid limbs are held in place by a reliable anti-backout system.
Its axle to axle length (ATA) is 24″, which makes it a very compact model, specifically designed to be used by young children. The net weight of 1.9 lbs makes it rather lightweight to be carried around by younger archers for hours without a problem.
The cams of the dual cam system are machined from aluminum as well, which matches the overall sturdiness of the whole model.
Draw Cycle / Shootability
Due to the dual cam system the Diamond Atomic youth is simple and very smooth to draw. It seems to be well balanced and after serving a peep sight in and getting a D-loop and a release aid, it is a very accurate little shooter, even at 20 yards and more.
The draw weight range is 6 – 29 lbs and easily adjustable. For doing so you need a 3/16 inch hex wrench for loosening or tightening the limb bolts that connect the limbs to the riser. The bolts have markings that reflect approximately 8% of the original peak weight. Caution: the limb bolts should never be backed out beyond the limb bolt reference hole on the riser while shooting!
For general adjustment, make sure that each bolt is turned the same amount of full turns. Do one full turn per bolt. If you turn one bolt, go to the second and make one there, then go back to the first one etc. As a compound bow is under a lot of tension all the time it is better to do it this way.
The draw length range is 12″ – 24″. This one comes set to 19″, so you might have to adjust it for your kid’s needs. For adjusting there is no press needed. You only have to rotate the cam clockwise or counter-clockwise to adjust the draw length in 1/2 inch increments, thanks to the Rotating MOD System. You will need a 7/64 inch hex wrench for the two screws on each cam.
I have no idea why Bowtech does not give a number for the let-off, but I found a site that stated 75%, which would make sense. This is not an official number, though. Maybe it was not possible for Bowtech to give us a definite number because of the wide adjustability this one has. Who knows.
There is also an infinity setting, which results in zero let-off. This is good if several kiddos with different draw lengths are shooting (think camp!), so you don’t have to mess around with draw length settings all the time, because with this setting activated, it always holds its peak weight.
The brace height is 6″, which is quite normal.
Shooting Speed Of The Diamond Atomic Youth Compound Bow
The given 191 fps were measured with 145 grain arrows, 29 lbs draw weight and a draw length of 24″. This speed is quite impressive for a youth model, if you ask me.
Suitable For Hunting / Kinetic Energy (KE)
With a maximum poundage of 29 lbs this model is definitely not suited for hunting anything. It won’t meet the minimum requirements for bowhunting in any state and it is just not powerful enough to kill even small game. With an arrow of 145 grains and a speed of 191 fps you would achieve 11.73 ft-lbs of kinetic energy – and now take a look at Easton’s Field Chart.
It would not be possible to hunt in a humane way at all with this model, so better stick with target practicing. Kids at that age should better be having fun and learning how to deal with a compound in a responsible way. When they have outgrown this model they should be strong and old enough to go bowhunting with their dads.
If you would want to know more about kinetic energy, I have an article for you here => Kinetic Energy For Bowhunting.
Suitable For Bowfishing
You could attach a bowfishing reel and the infinity setting would be a very good option for bowfishing as well. Problem is, that 29 lbs might be too weak to penetrate the water and hit the fish well. But this is just an assumption as I have not tried it myself. So yes, you can bowfish with this model.
Pricing
With a price of around 180 bucks the Diamond Atomic youth compound bow is clearly a bit higher priced than many of the other youth models available. But in the end, you get what you pay for. The accessories that come with it are all of a high quality, so you do not need to switch out anything against something better for getting good results when starting out. The compound itself is as sturdy and well made as you could wish for, for a youth model. All these things definitely push the Diamond Atomic clearly over to the premium side – which was intended by Bowtech anyway and which is well deserved, in my opinion.
Pros & Cons
Pros
– wide adjustability
– superior quality
Cons
– price is a bit higher
Summary
So all in all I think that the Diamond Atomic youth compound bow is one of the best youth models available for kids that are 4 to 11 years old at the moment. Because of its wide adjustability, it can literally grow along with your children for years, provided you buy it when they are still young enough. It is sturdy and well made and will take a lot of strain from your kiddos. Like I wrote before, this model really is more like a downsized version of Bowtech’s full sized models, delivering supreme quality and performance.
Of course, a four year old kid does not know for sure if it will stay with archery for years to come – even if his or her dad hopes so. And yes, the price is higher than that of most of the other available youth models out there. The question is though, will your kid like shooting a cheaper, but maybe more inaccurate compound for too long? At the end of the day, you have to decide for yourself, of course. I would take the risk, though, knowing that I get my kids away from the TV, computer or videogames when all goes well 🙂 .
Thanks for reading and shoot straight!
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