I bought my first one last year, an Excalibur. Spent more on the total package: bow & upgraded scope, errors, broadheads, crank, stringer, etc, than almost any rifle I ever bought. The attraction for me of Excalibur was the simplicity, reliability, and that I can do the little maintenance it requires myself; no trips to the dealer. Trade-offs to get that are size and a bit of noise, plus maybe some lack of cool-factor. Took me a few minutes to assemble, a few more to sight in, then two shots, two deer. I'm good to 50 yards, but both deer were taken at about 35.
Some of the compound models are very cool, compact, and a bit faster, but some aren't legal here because of restrictions on bow width and arrow length. My Matrix Bulldog 380, according to the scope setting, is shooting my hunting bolts at 330fps. It's a hammer.
Unless you're in pretty good shape, get a crank. I can cock my 260 pounder with the cord, and carry that for field reloads, but for practice a crank will keep you from straining something.
