SAS 30-35lbs 22-29" Robinhood Recurve Bow

For a starter bow, this one is pretty remarkable. The build quality is simple yet solid. It doesn't have the cheap plastic feel of other starter bows. The arrows are not great but that's a different matter described below. I have put over 800 arrows through this bow in the last 30 days, and the bow has held up well with almost no visible signs of wear. The only real wear that I can tell is that the handle has started to loosen ever so slightly. The string it came with is also quite decent for beginners, however I did replace it due to a small issue I'll describe below. The draw weight is 30-35 lbs, which doesn't seem like much but if you are like me and start with minimal upper body strength, it can still be quite the challenge to hold at the 28" draw to aim. I practiced drawing for almost a week before I felt comfortable shooting an arrow, and still missed my first couple shots at 10 yards. A month later I feel quite comfortable with the weight and I am eager to move up to a 40-45 traditional bow that I have already ordered.As I mentioned, the arrows that came with this were not great. They are a standard fiberglass 28" training arrow with a permanently crimped on rounded target tip. The fletching is a standard rubbery "feather" that warped and rippled after a couple dozen shots. One of the nocks snapped after firing it maybe 30-40 times but the other is still intact. Overall they will suffice at the start to get a feel for the bow, but you'll want to upgrade to aluminum or carbon arrows once you get comfortable firing the bow a few times. I would also recommend getting real feathers instead of rubber, as the feathers are more forgiving when resting an arrow directly on the bow, when compared to a high tech rest typical to compound bows, or more modern target recurve bows.One tip that I gained from another archer on the range is to replace the string with one 2 inches shorter. This pulls the limbs together and extends the distance between the rest and the string, known as the brace height. The main reason this helps is this: When you release the arrow, the string pushes the arrow forward, and the string continues pushing at least an inch or two forward past the string's resting position. The string that comes with the bow gives it a brace height of approximately 4 inches. As you loose an arrow, the string pushes it forward 2 inches or so, forcing the fletching directly into the rest, and when combined with the stiff rubber fletching, can cause more deflection in your aim than you'd expect. A string 2 inches shorter turns the brace height into approximately 7 inches, giving plenty of room for the arrow to clear the rest and flex normally. The string I purchased was the B-50 Dacron Replacement Recurve Bow String, 58" AMO length. Be sure to look for AMO vs. Actual length, or you'll need to research which actual length string you'd need.The bow does come pre-strung. However, if you plan to change the string, or un-string for storage, I would strongly recommend a bow stringer. I purchased the Neet Traditional Long Bow Stringer from amazon and it is perfect for this bow.I will state that I have zero experience with the forearm guard that came with the bow as I already had one I preferred to use, though it seemed to be of decent quality that should be functional enough. While writing this review I notice that it also came with an actual rest point that screws into the bow. I had gotten so comfortable shooting the arrow from the rest point molded into the handle that it became second nature. I will be giving the other rest a try and see how that affects my shooting. This may also change my opinion on the shorter string as the fletching may not bump into this style of rest, and I'll be sure to test that as well.One point of note, the package claimed to come with a finger/shooting tab, but mine did not have one. I was not concerned because I prefer the Neet Suede Shooting Glove, but it's worth noting due to the missing item.Overall, I would strongly recommend this bow for any beginner, though I would recommend not much younger than 10-12 (with parental supervision of course!). Don't let the 30-35 lb draw weight concern you, as that is measured at 28" and few children would be able to draw that long. At 24" draw length of a 5' child, the pull would only be around 20 lbs. At the cost of (at the time of writing) $80, you get quite a lot for your money. The arm guard would be around $8-10 and the rest bolt would be $5, each arrow would be $2-3, which leaves around $60 for the bow itself. Compare to the next cheapest recurve at $100-120 for just the bow and you can see this is quite the bargain for a starter bow to find out how interested you are in the sport like I did.