Here we go again. Yer gonna get both opinions on this one. Some say carbon is the best, some say aluminum is the best. And they are both right. Aluminum has been around a while, so we know it works. But apparently with the carbon craze, so do they.

In most cases, the tolerances on aluminum are tighter than on carbon. The spine is more consistent. My biggest problem with aluminum is they get kinked and bend easily. That's not to say carbon doesn't break, they do. You can shoot the spine out of a carbon and render it useless, even though to look at it, everything appears fine. Carbons are generally smaller diameter assisting in penetration. Aluminum does tend to weigh more, but they make some pretty heavy carbons nowadays too.

Back in the day, you needed the heavier arrow. But with todays bows, you generate so much speed and KE anyway that it doesn't matter as much. I say "as much" because it still matters, but chances are good you'll get a passthrough with either coming off of todays bows.

As you can tell, there are pros and cons to each. Now, if you just can't make up your mind, get both and shoot A/C/C..