My thoughts...

Cheap carbons really aren't worth buying. They have many issues with spine and weight consistency and straightness. To get carbons that equal the straightness and consistency of aluminum, you have to spend at least twice the price. If they last twice as long, then they're well worth it. But I've found that carbon is just as easy to lose as aluminum arrows are.

I've been pretty darned impressed by the carbon/glass composite arrows, specifically Carbon Express Terminator Selects. Good weight without having to fiddle around with weight tubes, brass inserts or other weighting systems. Straight within .003" for the full length of the raw shaft - something I've NEVER seen with all-carbon arrows. Consistent in spine and weight. VERY durable. The Select version isn't cheap, but it's price is pretty consistent with Easton's XX78 aluminum arrows.

I like wood arrows. I shot wood for 25 years before buying my first set of aluminums. I always have at least a few wood arrows on hand. I can't say they're no good for a beginner, because wood is what I began with! I'm not sure I agree with Chad that wood isn't as straight or consistent as aluminum. It takes a good bit of effort to get a matched set of straight wood arrows, but it can be done. So, I think it's more appropriate to say it's far easier to get a matched set of arrows with aluminum or carbon or carbon composite.

If you simply want to walk into a store, anywhere in the country, and buy a matched set of arrows... that are an exact match for the arrows you've been using... then aluminum is your arrow. There are so many carbon arrow mfr's these days that you never know from one shop to the next what they're going to have on hand. The shop that carried Brand X last week is liable to be carrying only Brand Z this week, and Brand Y the week after. You walk into a shop and buy a half dozen Easton XX75 2018's. You can walk into any other shop anywhere in the country and buy another half dozen that will be an exact match. That's called consistency and availability. You KNOW what you're getting, time after time after time. IMO, that's aluminum's biggest advantage.

Yes, aluminum does bend. The good thing about it is aluminum can usually be straightened. On the other hand, carbon cracks. Carbon can't be glued back together.