I shoot a Vixen, it is my first crossbow and my first piece of archery equipment. It was very simple to set up and easy to maintain. I got the Vixen for 2 reasons; a back and neck injury prevents me from using a traditional vert bow and the Vixen has the lowest draw weight, also it was the most inexpensive of the Excaliburs, so if I didn't like bowhunting, the financial hit would be minimal. Now that I have the Vixen, I don't think I want a faster bow. It's size and weight make it easy to carry and shoot, and the low draw weight make it easy to shoot for longer periods of practice. The only drawback is that it comes in brown only, while all the others come in camo. I recommend getting the right stuff package with the vari-zone scope if you get the excal.