To me, longbows vary more in design and feel than recurves. I shoot a longbow 99% of the time (bowfish with a recurve), and I'm picky about mine--however, the bow I love may not be that great to you.

First thing I notice, other than the general appearance (woods, finish, etc.) is the grip. If the grip isn't comfortable, I already don't care for it, regardless of how it shoot. I want a grip with no sharp edges that feels good in my hand and doesn't require any adjustment when I grip it--pick it up and it falls into place every time.

Second is a smooth draw--I have a long draw, and with so many great bows on the market there's no reason to deal with a bow that stacks.

Then there's hand shock--something longbows used to be famous for. Some folks seem to be immune to it, I'm not one of them. My elbow will not tolerate much shock--the next day it will be so sore I can't shoot. This can be helped with tuning, heavy arrows, grip, etc. but again--there's lots of great bows on the market that don't require making umpteem adjustments to deal with them.

I also like a fast bow, but it must be forgiving as well. In my experience, it's a trade-off--the absolute fastest designs are usually not that forgiving, at least in my hands. The Martin Vision for instance--fast bow, but feels, shoots, and sounds like a recurve, and the ones I've shot were not forgiving IMO.

Finally, I want a bow that will handle FF type materials, I want a good warranty, and I want to know the bowyer/company will stand behind that warranty if needed, and I want to be able to talk to someone if I have questions or need help.

I enjoy and appreciate the "romance" of Howard Hill, and expecially what he did for the sport, but the bows bearing his name and others of a similar design just don't fit me. On the other hand, I don't care for radical hybrids that look like a recurve when unstrung (like I said, I'm picky). A mild to moderate deflex/reflex with a good grip, a longbow that still looks and feels like a longbow but with better speed and less shock that the "traditional" design, is what I like.

I found mine about 10 years ago, after shooting and owning a lot of different bows. I have been fortunate to have a lot of great bows in my hand, but my #1 pick is the Chek-Mate Crusader.

Others, in no particular order, are Ric Anderson, Roy Hall, Mike Treadaway, and Bob Morrison. That's a few of the better ones I can think of off the top of my head.

My advise would be shoot as many as you can, spend some time researching the bows and the bowyer (find out about customer service, warranty, how long they have been in business, which bow and length is recommended for yourdraw length,etc.), and don't get hung up on a name or price tag.

Chad