CBE Bow Sights and Stabilizers

What CBE makes for bowhunters

CBE makes two things in the listings this page draws on: bow sights and stabilizers. Around them sit the parts that make them work on your bow: stabilizer weights, quick disconnects, a side bar mount, a Picatinny adapter and the Flare sight light.

The sights are almost all hunting sights for compound bows. Pin layouts run from classic multi-pin housings (three or five pins) to the newer vertical-pin Trek sights, where the aiming points sit on one or two slim upright pins. Pin diameters come in .010 and .019 inch on most models.

The stabilizers are carbon rods: short hunting bars, long target bars, and slim "micro" bars sold alone or in front-and-back kits.

CBE's own site also sells arrow rests, quivers, Scott releases and Altra arrows. Those aren't in the Amazon listings here, so the grid sticks to sights, stabilizers and parts.

CBE bow sight lines, from simplest to most adjustable

Quick vocabulary first. A multi-pin sight has several fixed pins, one per distance. A single-pin slider has one pin that you move to the exact yardage. A hybrid has fixed pins plus a "floating" pin you can move. goHUNT's comparison puts the trade plainly: fixed pins mean less movement at full draw, and a slider gives exact yardage but asks you to adjust before the shot. CBE's lineup has a bit of everything.

Tactic: the plain multi-pin sights

The Tactic family is CBE's simplest. The maker lists the Tactic as a 3-pin housing at 7.1 ounces, and the Tactic Micro as a 5-pin housing at 8.1 ounces, both with .019-inch blade pins only. Both are designed to flip for left-handed archers.

What separates them, per the maker's comparison table: the Tactic Micro adds micro windage adjustment and an enclosed rheostat light (a sliding cover that dims the pins). The plain Tactic has neither. Neither takes a lens, and neither has 3rd-axis leveling.

Both use CBE's Smart Mount, a bracket with several mounting holes for a good starting height.

Tactic Hybrid: fixed pins plus a floater

The Tactic Hybrid takes the same family and adds a floating pin with a rapid stop. The maker offers it with a 1-pin, 3-pin or 2V housing, .019 pins, sight scales included, and lists it at 9.8 ounces. The 2V version ships with a dual indicator installed.

Engage Micro: dovetail and 3rd axis

The Engage Micro is in the Amazon grid in .010 and .019 versions. CBE's comparison table lists it with a dovetail mount, fully machined aluminum construction, micro windage, an enclosed rheostat light and both 2nd and 3rd-axis leveling. CBE's FAQ adds two practical notes: its pins are mounted inside the housing and can't be removed, and the housing isn't sold separately.

CX5: carbon bar, five pins

The CX5 is a five-pin hunting sight with a carbon extension bar on a dovetail mount. The maker lists it at 9 ounces, with five .019 blade pins, 12 inches of fiber per pin, a rheostat light, four peep alignment rings, and 2nd and 3rd-axis adjustment. It ships set up for a right-handed archer and converts to left-handed.

Trek and Trek Pro: the full-adjustment sights

The Trek family is where most of the adjustment lives. Both the Trek and Trek Pro come with 1, 3 or 5-pin housings, .010 or .019 pins, separate right-hand and left-hand versions, 1st, 2nd and 3rd-axis adjustment, a rapid drive for fast elevation changes with a dead stop for the top pin, and laser-engraved sight tapes.

The maker lists the Trek between 8.6 and 9.1 ounces depending on pin count, and the Trek Pro between 10.3 and 11.4 ounces with its mount. What the Pro adds, per CBE: a carbon dovetail extension bar, the sliding rheostat cover, and a housing that accepts a 41mm lens.

Here's what actually changes in practice: the Trek is a hybrid. You can set up to two floating pins with indicator pointers, sight in at 30 and 60 yards, then pick one of 14 laser-engraved tapes for every distance in between.

Trek vertical: 2V, Pro 2V and Pro Micro 3V

The newest CBE sights move the aiming points onto upright pins. The Trek 2V and Trek Pro 2V use one slim pin with two fiber dots at a fixed gap. The maker's three-pin vertical model is the Trek Pro Micro 3V, with a fixed middle pin and micro-adjustable top and bottom pins.

CBE lists the Trek 2V at 8.2 ounces, the Pro 2V at 9.5 and the Pro Micro 3V at 9.9. The two Pro models accept a 41mm lens or sunshade and add the rheostat cover. All three come in .010 or .019 and in right or left hand, and the maker says they can be fitted to CBE's Picatinny or Bridge Lock adapters.

The pitch for vertical pins, in CBE's words, is more space to aim with fewer distractions in the sight picture. (Uncle Walt looked at a 2V and asked where the rest of the pins went. I told him they're all there, just standing up straight. He said he's heard that before.)

How to choose a CBE bow sight

Pin layout first

Decide how you want to aim before you look at anything else. If deer show up at changing distances and you don't want to touch the sight at full draw, a fixed multi-pin housing (Tactic, CX5, Trek 3 or 5-pin) is the plain answer. If you like setting one pin to the exact yardage, the hybrid Treks and the Tactic Hybrid give you a floater. Vertical pins are a third option for people who find a stack of round pins cluttered. Background on all three is on the bow sight page.

Pin diameter: buy for your light, not your longest shot

My one opinion on this page: pick pin size for the light you hunt in. goHUNT's pin diameter piece lays out why. A larger pin carries more light and stays visible at dawn and dusk, while a .010 pin "almost completely disappears in low light." A smaller pin covers less of the target at long range. The same piece points out that game moves most in those dim hours, so the light usually wins the argument.

Quick math: a .019 pin is almost twice the diameter of a .010. That's the difference between a pencil lead and a toothpick tip, which sounds tiny until it's 6:40 a.m. in November.

Then the adjustments you'll actually use

Every CBE hunting sight has 2nd-axis leveling (the bubble level square to the bow). The Tactic family stops there. The Engage, CX5 and Trek families add 3rd-axis leveling and finer micro adjustments. More knobs mean more ways to set the sight exactly, and more screws to check before the season. Decide which of those you'd rather have.

Then the weight

The maker's weights run from about 7 ounces (Tactic) to a bit over 11 (Trek Pro 5-pin). That's the price of a carbon bar, a machined housing and more knobs.

CBE stabilizers by family

A stabilizer is a weighted rod that screws into the front of your bow (and sometimes a side bar off the back). goHUNT's back bar piece describes the job: weight and balance reduce torque at full draw, and a back bar helps the bow settle level. CBE's stabilizers come in four families.

TorX Hunting: two short lengths

The TorX Hunting stabilizer comes in 7.5 and 11-inch lengths, per the maker, with a TorX Stealth dampener and 2 ounces of black nitride stainless weights on each bar. The TorX Hunting kit pairs one of each with a single bow mount, so you get a front bar and a back bar in one box.

TorX Target and TorX Spyder: the long bars

Both come in 10, 12, 15, 27, 30 and 33-inch lengths with 3 ounces of weight included on each, per CBE. The Spyder's listed difference is its .600-inch micro diameter. The long lengths are target bars; nobody carries a 33-inch rod through a laurel thicket twice. (A 33-inch bar is longer than my first fishing rod. It also casts about as well in the wind.)

Torx Carbon Micro: slim bars and kits

The Torx Carbon Micro comes in 8, 10 and 15-inch lengths with 2 ounces of black stainless weight built in. CBE sells it alone or in two kits, 8 and 10 inch or 10 and 15 inch. The maker says the kits use a tapered fit so the bars don't move once set, plus a quick disconnect for travel.

Affect: the compact one

The Affect is a 6-inch carbon hunting stabilizer with two 1-ounce steel weights, per the maker. It's the shortest bar in the lineup.

Weights, mounts and quick disconnects

The parts are where CBE setups get built:

• TorX weights: black nitride stainless, in a 1-ounce 3-pack, 4 ounces and 8 ounces, mounting stud included
• Quick disconnect: standard and 10-degree versions, compatible with a V-bar or side bar, for pulling the bar off for travel
• TorX stabilizer mount: a taper-lock side bar mount with built-in quick disconnect, infinite angle adjustment with laser-engraved marks, front or back of the riser
• Picatinny mount adapter: lets compatible sights mount to a front Picatinny rail; CBE says the Engage models lose their 3rd-axis adjustment on it

The mount's instruction sheet is clear on order of work: set the top knuckle with the laser marks, lock it, set the bottom knuckle, then attach the bar. Loosen one knuckle at a time when you adjust. More about bar length and weight is on the bow stabilizer page.

Sight lights and accessories

The Flare is a USB-rechargeable sight light with four brightness settings. The maker lists an aluminum body, a 1-hour full charge, run time over 4 hours, and two threaded adapters for fit. CBE says it's waterproof and lists it as compatible with its Tactic, Trek, Engage and CX5 sights, among others.

One rule to know before you screw a light onto any sight: battery-powered sight lights aren't legal for hunting everywhere. goHUNT notes they're prohibited in most Western states. Check your state wildlife agency before the season.

Setup and care notes from CBE's instructions

The Trek instruction sheet walks through sighting in with the tape system:

1. Run the elevation knob up to the top hard stop
2. Set your top pin for 20 yards using the gang and Delrin adjustments, not the drive
3. Sight in at 30 and 60 yards and mark the scale
4. Use CBE's sight scale gauge to pick the matching numbered tape and install it
5. Set the indicator pointer to 20 yards for the top floater

It's a Saturday-at-the-range job, not a night-before-the-opener job. Bring the hex keys the sheet lists.

CBE's FAQ answers a few service questions worth knowing before you buy. Tactic sights come pre-assembled, so replacement pins or housings go through a repair. Engage pins can't be removed. Replacement sight tapes are sold separately.

Who's behind CBE, and the warranty

CBE stands for Custom Bow Equipment. Its site carries the copyright of The Outdoor Group, LLC, and the CBE instruction sheets list The Outdoor Group at West Henrietta, New York. I couldn't verify a founding year or where the sights are machined, so I've left those out.

CBE's service page says all CBE products come with a limited lifetime warranty. Its warranty policy adds the process: submit an RMA request with a photo, wait for the RMA number before you ship, and CBE decides on repair, replacement or refund after inspection. Items not covered get a repair quote. The policy page doesn't say whether coverage is limited to the original owner, so keep your receipt either way.

Other sight and stabilizer brands on this site include Spot Hogg and Trophy Ridge. For the rest of the setup, see the peep sight page and archery accessories.

Layout, pin size, adjustments, weight. Write the sight model and tape number on a sticker inside the bow case, because you will not remember "tape 7" next October.