I've researched the last year non stop on ebikes. Was going to go that route this year, but imo cheap ebikes aren't worth it and the one I want I still need some saving up to do and went a cheaper route with a standard mtn bike.
First you gotta figure out what you can spend, and how much motor you need. If you're hunting flatland and standard bike works fine. Some slight rolling hills and hub drive works great.
I hunt steep Mtns so a mid drive will be my only option.
I would stay away from all the "hunting" bike brands. Rambo, Quietkat and Bakcou are all insanely overpriced bikes with low to mid range components marked up crazy high. They don't innovate or engineer anything. They go to the Chinese market, pick the parts they need, cobble it together, slap their name on it and mark it up. They boast of their 160 NM torque engine, but never mention how that engine mutilates standard bike drivetrains.
Trek, Yeti, Giant etc these companies have been making bikes 30+ years. They engineer, design, and patent bikes so they know their stuff. There is a reason none of those companies make a super powerful motor over 80-90 NM of torque. They know any higher than that and drivetrain wear is beyond ridiculous. I'm talking cassettes frequently ruined and destroyed in less than a couple hundred miles. Excessive chain stretch, broken chains, frequently broken derailers are all that comes with a super powerful engine.
The only company that has innovated and engineered there way out of it is Biktrix. They created a new model called the XD that uses a motorcycle chain connected to a beefy rear sprocket along with a 2300 Watt motor. It's more powerful than any bafang motor. And the drivetrain should last a long, long time. It could tackle any hill along with heavy cargo with ease. And it's cheaper than many of the hunting bikes
