Like was previously stated, talk to LBR about the history of the company. I do know that Marc is their bowyer. I do know that you can buy one over the counter from the few dealers that carry them. I do know that you can custom order one of them through a dealer, which I did when I bought my CM Hunter II takedown. I do know that there is no compromise in quality either way and Marc builds a beautifully crafted weapon.

As far as a comparison between production bows like Martin or Bear and Chek-Mate, in my biased opinion after shooting 50 or so different bows and owning both Martin and Bear bows in the past 12 years that I've been shooting traditional equipment, there is no comparison. Price, quality, shootability and craftsmanship all go to Chek-Mate. Even when compared to many custom bows costing a couple or more times what I paid for my hunter II, the Chek-Mate shines. But then, I'm biased, like I said before.<img src=icon_smile_cool.gif border=0 align=middle>

Make em sharp and shoot em straight, or leave em home.