all the opinions yer gonna get about any bows are just that - other people's opinions that have little to do with your personal reality. there are no shortcuts for choosing any bow, and the rubber meets the road after you've shot one for awhile - which is why there are lots of bows for sale at various online forums. you will save dollars going the used route, unless you have very specific bow requirements, and lefties are obviously harder to find.
for t/d's, 3 pieces will take up less carrying space than 2 pieces, but the latter will look and feel more like a 1 piece. 3 piece longbows look more like t/d recurves, imo.
3 piece systems are obvious - a riser with a pair of bolt-on limbs. 2 piece systems employ sleeves, latches, screw-bolts and hinges (for the most popular styles of t/d attachmets). having used just about all 2 piece t/d systems quite a bit, i vastly prefer the hinge style because it's positive, fool proof, durable, fast. there are fit and use issues with the other 2 piece systems.
my longbow of choice is the mohawk t/d, which uses the connexion hinge. mohawks have mild r/d limbs that form a classic 'D' braced shape. i can't say enuf good things about a mohawk - but as mentioned earlier, hand's-on is the best way to buy a bow and anything less is a crap shoot of sorts.
good luck!
ciao,
rob.
vince @ mohawk bows *might* have a lefty demo loaner for try-b4-buy testing, you might wanna check that out - if so, tell him rob sent ya.
www.mohawkbows.com
