Go to as many shoots as you can and try out as many different bows as you can--woods, weights, styles, etc. In my opinion, you can get lots of different bows that are as good or better than BW (quality, performance, etc.) for less--sometimes a lot less. However, if your heart is set on one particular bow, you may not be satisfied with anything else.

Arthur, I' m not sure what you consider " custom" (I know different folks have different definitions), but you can have your grip made to order, several wood options, draw length/weight to order, etc., or you can buy " off the shelf" Marc (the bowyer at Chek-Mate) doesn' t consider them custom--but to him " custom" would mean a bow designed and built for a particular individual, which nobody does (very few people could afford that anyway). He calls them " production bows with options" --lol.

Anyhow, figure out what you want in a bow, and look for the one that gives that to you.

Chad