Excal unless you like trips to the Dealer fer cam timin issues needin a press. I always wanted a compound style til i saw all the on-goin up keep wid'em. I have 3 Excals n love'em
I thought the same thing about a recurve crossbow so I bought one and hunted with it for 2 seasons. I just could never get used to the weight and width of the bow. This spring I bought an SZ380 and just love the size and feel of it. Then again I am only 5'6".
Own an excalibur and its not in the running to a telson 130 . This thing is as almost as quiet as my hoyt. The telson is smooth and built like a tank only thing its a little heavy Before i did anything look at one of these xbows