Nice CB! Im sure you are really going to enjoy it. I myself have the Excal Vortex. Just put on a dacron Excalibur Superstring #2097 I believe. I think it made the bow quieter and gave me a little more speed. I also just ordered some Gold Tip LaserII arrows with the 110gr brass inserts, aluminum flat nocks, and Vanetech vanes. Cant wait to get the arrows. I hear they are pretty much best arrow combination for the Vortex and shoot great out of the other Excal models. Also use the Varizone scope that came with the bow and really like that as well although it is a little heavy. I hear the Hawke scopes are really nice as well though I can't see replacing the VariZone when it works great for my needs. Enjoy your bow.... you made a good choice there! Excals in my opinion are the best when everything is taken into consideration. Quality, Accuracy, Construction, Warranty / Customer Service, and owning a recurve makes for easy maintenance and very few parts to wear out.