I really agree with what "The Rev" said. If you've got a $ limit, then figure it out and pick out as many bows and pro shops at you can in your area. It's important to me to have a bow that I like the looks of. Maybe silly, but that's what I choose first. Then after picking as many as I like that way, I narrow them down by which ones feel and fit me good. How they hold and then how they shoot and feel at the shot. What the draw feels like and the valley and backwall. I pay a lot of attention to the people that are helping me in the bow shop and how they handle other customers in the shop. If they act like know-it-alls, or just plain a__Holes, I skip that shop and don't go back. If they happened to have the bow I liked the best or had a bow that was close to the best for me, I will then find a shop that carries the same bow or bows, and see if I like that shop and people better. If it takes a few weeks to iron it out as to which bow or bows I end up with, so be it. I know in the end I'll be happy with the choice I made. I don't care about the brand or what my friends are shooting. I want the bow that fits me like a glove and I can shoot very well and all day if that's what I want. Good luck to you and hope you have a great time! That's what it's all about!