I shoot carbons out of my compounds, aluminums and cedar from trad bows.As a longtime fanboy of aluminums, I say go with carbons. alum's are going away slowly but surely. Writing is on the wall. Lots of pro's with aluminums. With alums, you can heat to remove inserts, alum's are much more consistent with spine, alum's are heavier (this is a strength not a weakness). But the business is moving away from em.