Well, BW has one of the most recognized and controversial names in the bussiness. Some people love them just because they are a BW, some hate them just because they are a BW, and some people really like/dislike them because they work/don' t work for them--confused yet?[X(]

As far as the recurves go, they are well made bows, although as I understand it the narrower limbs may twist a little easier than some others. Speed is very respectable, but not the fastest bow on the market. Very heavy, solid, tough risers--the thick lam of fiberglass in the riser is good insurance against breakage. Most of the ones I have shot were noisy, but could probably been helped some with some tinkering. They have a good reputation for resale value, but comparitively I think you tend to loose as much on them as most any other--buy a Martin for $400, sell it for $200, you lost 50%. Buy a BW for $900, sell it for $450, you still lost 50%--of course there are exceptions.

I don' t care for the longbows--' nuff said there. The recurves shot ok for me, but they were not outstanding in my hands--fit, finish, performance, etc. can be matched for a lot less money--but it won' t have that cool web logo on it.

I do have a gripe with the sales tactics--in my opinion there is at least one segment on the video (the older one with Bill Bohnner--haven' t seen one since he left) and part in the catalog that is misleading. The part in the video where Mr. Bohnner is " trying to destroy" a limb is pure hype, as is the part in the catalog where it says something like " some people say the BW longbow is smoother and faster than most recurves, and far superior to any longbow" . Well, that may be true (somebody said it), but you can find pretty much anyone to say anything--just rubs me wrong. They do not require outrageous spines either--bare shafting any bow cut past center will show that it needs way heavy spine (just last night talked with a fellow shooting a Habu " Death Adder" longbow, cut past center, that was 60@28 and only got good bare shaft flight with arrows well over 100# spine--115#, I believe). This is also misleading--if they shot that " hard" , you would see some amazing speed to go with it.

Overall though, if you can get it at a reasonable price, you will have a good bow that will do the trick, get you into some circles, and thrown out of others . Might fit you, might not, but should be able to sell it easy enough if you don' t like it.

Chad