I would say to not have any thoughts of what bow you want till you try them out. A bow is like a pair of shoes they all fit everyone different. When I bought my last bow I had my mind made up I wanted a PSE bow madness. I got to the shop and tried about 5-6 different bows. Turns out I didn't like the PSE at all, and ended up with a Bear. That wasn't even close to being on my list. And releases are the same. I tries 4 different ones before I found the one I really like. But you don't have to spend a lot. My $350 Bear bow shoots just as good as my buddies $800 G5.