Brand name means absolutely nothing. Almost every manufacturer make bows for all budgets.

Shoot as many as you can within your budget and see what you like.

Things to look for would be .....

Brace height... This is the distance from the throat of the grip to the string. The shorter the BH the more critical to form the bow becomes. You should look for a bow that has at least 7 inches of brace height. 7.5 - 8 would be better.

Axel to axel length... Look for a bow with at least a 35 inch ATA length. The more weight you have at the ends the more stable the bow is inyour hand.

Speed... Do not get caught up in the speed issue. Speed does not kill. Arrow placement does kill.

Cams... Draw and shoot many bows and you will notice a differance in smoothness and shootability from one to the other. Look for a smooth even draw with no "bumps" in the draw cycle.

Grip. A good feeling grip is perhaps the most important factor insthe shootability of a bow. Look for a nice and narrow grip. This will promote a torque free bow when in your hand. The more the grip comes into contact with your hand the more influance your hand will have on the bow.

Noise, vibration and jump... The quieter the better. Same goes with vibration. You want the bow to be as vibration free as possible. Also you want the bow to not jump foward much at the shot. The more it jumps foward in your hand the less forgiving the bow will be to shoot.