It seems there is a trend right now for the exotics in bows that are eye candy.
The good lookers usaly have good performance also and higher prices.
Would you rather save up and get eye candy type bow or spend less money for a bow with less exotic stuff that is a good performer.

There are a lot of nice combos with black or brown glass

It is really about bow design and how they shoot for you I have a favorite recurve design that is quiet as a longbow that I'm shooting

Fancy woods are an up charge however won't perform any differently

I'd rather go for smooth quiet and quick over all else

 

I will pay extra to get a grip that really fits me good.  To me thats one of the most important things to look for.  Much less interested in exotic woods etc....

Performance trumps everything. Give me stability, quickness and quiet every time.

I could go either way, but only if I can get the eye candy for a good price.

My audi TT is no faster than a subaru WRX at alot less money, but I never think about that when I sit in it.

Likewise, theres something to be said for a bow that looks as nice as it shoots.

I should mention I payed subaru money for that audi and my most costly bow was $175 .... I'm just saying ... it's not entirely meaningless if it looks nice.

I'm glad someone is buyign them so I can look at them.

keep the eye candy...I want performance every time.
Looks sell....performance kills. There is nothing wrong with a person wanting fancy but usually for half the price, you get the same performance from the same bow.

I have bought some pretty bows, but that is way down on the list of desired features.  It has to be the right weight but equally important is the grip. Then length.

I guess it is easier to sell a pretty bow tho, if you have think you might have to.

Performance. My eyes don't eat candy.

Performance. I don't take them off the wall if they look too good and I don't need to be worrying about scratches.

Good preforming bows with good old North American woods are beautiful too!! Expensive ,exotic woods make me itch.     Bob

I go by how they feel to me when shooting...I am staying away from performance as I dont chase speed and FPS...or use extreme FOC arrow shafts...or super skinny strings.  I am going for the entire package.  I prefer Dicks Purist and Primal Styk longbows that were fairly plain over anything he did with Pierce Points...same for his recurves.  I like my plain Habu Bushmaster from 1999 before Chris started using exotic woods...yeah they are beautiful but not for the extra cost.  The Mohawk Sparrowhawk I just got has a fairly simple riser wood setup with dirty bamboo limbs that are not pretty or shiny...but perfect for hunting and my tastes.
I think my prettiest bow ever was a Robertson Fatal Styk with a myrtle/cocobola riser and juniper limbs....not by design...it just happened to be the right weight at the right price and the beauty was a bonus.

That is how I prefer my bows to be truthful.  The only bow I have contemplated buying purely on beauty and performance is the waiting list I got on last year for a Vintage Works 59 Hybrid....that will be my first true Eye Candy bow...if I dont chicken out and give up my slot on the list to someone else to get another plain Robertson Longbow or another set of limbs for my old Habu.  

The only thing that matters to me is can I consistently hit what I'm aiming at. I now know the attributes of a bow that work best for me as far as accuracy and when I'm looking at bows I look for these attributes. For my style of hunting/shooting mass weight is a tremendous help. Give me a big heavy riser. Im not a bowyer or anything but i have my thoughts on why heavy mass weight helps. Simply put it takes more effort to move a heavy riser as compared to a light one. If i flinch a little just before release my bow arm will move less with a heavy riser than it will with a light one. Grip is extremely important. I want a grip that is repeatable. I dont want to have to think about it when a game animal is approaching my position. I like a very slim grip that is medium to low wrist. All of the other attributes to a good bow are just icing on the cake after that!

The number one for me is the FEEL    of the bow grip, some bows just fit/feel better when you shoot    them.  I need to get the same repeatable feel/grip everytime I pickup the bow ( I had a high Performance bow that was fast, But I never could get     a constant repeatable grip, my grip was a little differant every time I shot it. so I traded it away).

The grip is most important to me. I want a bow that is well built and stable. I think a bow can be beautiful without being exotic. Function speaks the loudest to me. I think a good quality finish is most attractive in a bow. I don't own one right now, but I think Ron King puts as good a finish as you're going to find on a bow. His red elm or osage limbs (not veneers) under clear glass are the best looking limbs I've ever seen.

performance and if its ugly as dirt i don't care... Than I know it won't become a rack queen and I won't baby it.

Jon

My first concern is the grip. next is how well the bow shoots a heavy arrow. For my shooting a heavy arrow helps me like a heavy riser may help others. If the grip is right and the bow casts my arrows well I can usually hit what I am looking at.

Less candy, more performance.  I beat the crap out of my gear, and when I'm done doing that I want it to shoot where I'm looking with ease and be quiet doing it.  

The Simpler the better.

I have a bunch of bows and some real good lookers....most likely way to many.....all my go to hunting bows are plain Jane's with black glass and very "Non" eye candy wood. Why are they my go to bows....they perform!!

Again I hear the , I love plain Jane guys. However I sell perhaps two Plain Jane bows a year. I have offered really great rear mounted bows with black or brown glass and boo cores for prices in the 500 area and sold so few I quit building them. I would say that 99 percent of my customers start off saying its not important and immediately say I want this , I want that , ect ect and on and on . We be kind of like kids in a candy jar.

Honestly. I do like plain bows with good design and performance. However I build precious few of them. I like bows with black glass but I don't even stock it.
God bless you all, Steve

Most if not all will look at or go for the eye candy first, it's what draws us. Then I think performance, feel and how the bow shoots for you.

It has to work for you and only you, that's all that matters. In the end only you know what you like.