i always loved alums. i went from woods to srt-x eastons back in 1961 - they were the cat's meow for arrow shafting, even though they'd bend and dent if ya looked at 'em too hard. then on to the much better xx75's, and finally those killer x7's. back then, there was zero competition with easton shafts, and with very good reason.
however, even the best of alum shafts aren't as durable as most any carbon shafting. for me, now carbons are the cat's meow. but i still love building woodies.