There's LOTS of great bows on the market these days. My advice would be the same as Bob's--if at all possible, get to a shoot and check them out in person. If you can't do that, do as much research as possible. Don't get caught up in hype or the flavor of the month. Don't get hung up on prices--just because a bow costs $2,000 doesn't mean it's a $2,000 bow. What works great for one person may not be so great for another. I've shot and owned a LOT of bows, some in the $1,000 price range, but my favorites cost much, much less. Some of the more expensive ones were, to me, pretty lousy--and some were great.

Of the ones I've shot/owned, here is a short list of the one's I'd give a whirl.

Chek-Mate (of course)
Navajo
Marriah

That's just my opinion, based on the one's I've shot/owned.Quite a few I've read rave reviews about just didn't impress me that much.

Talk to the bowyer or dealer. See what kind of service you get. Ask LOTS of questions and see what kind of response you get.

If you are looking strictly at recurves, I'll leave you with something Ken Beck of Black Widow said to me a few weeks ago. "There's not a nickle's worth of difference in performance among the better bows."

Chad