awshucks

You can re-string the Excal in a matter of minutes anywhere. Also, if you use the same type of string set to the same brace height your poi won't change. a lot of the Excal crowd carry a pre-stretched string and stringing aid in their hunting pack. the pre-stretched strings are usually carried w/ end loops tied together w/ twistie tie [bread wrapper type] to prevent twists from being lost or changed. Very few if any compounds offer this. The only one I'm aware of is the Stryker.

That being said, it's also relatively rare to need to change a string in the field or at camp. About the only scenario I can invision is if you nick your string w/ a bhead. Don't do that, lol.

I live in the sticks and don't have ready access to a bow monkey, so the recurve's are my answer.

Any piece of machinery that has less moving parts than another is always going to be 'more reliable'.

Both companies you mentioned have good reputations. I shoot Excals because I can't offhand compound xbows. I shot the Parkers awhile back at a show in Ms. The Cyclone had a problem w/ hooks on cocking rope rolling over at the receiver. The Buck Buster impressed me. Have fun!