Robin,
Where are you at first of all? Second, like the guys said trying them is always a big plus, however, I understand what you said about them being hard to find in shops. Some just simply don't carry/sell them and that could be the case in your area. I would focus on the new sport hunter Xtremes from B Stinger personally. You have 3 lengths to pick from 6, 8, 10" all come with 3 1oz weights on them and you can buy additional weights depending on what you want/need for your setup. If you aren't sure on length I always say the 8" is a good way to go. I have personally hunted with as long as a 16" front stabilizer so even a 10" does bother me one bit but it does to some. I ran an 8" Prohunter w/ an 8 oz weight on my Alpha and that was a little over kill in my opinion. Its a heavy bow to begin with it doesn't NEED a whole lot. I would go an 8" Sport Hunter Xtreme and buy an additional 4 oz stack of matte black weights. That will allow you to go from 1-7 oz of front weight in 1 oz increments to find what works and holds best.