gdc,
I have owned 2 thunderchilds. I liked the 2 piece a LOT more than the 1 piece! This is my comparison between it and my current centaur.
Draw cycle: The centaur won, but imo it is because of how much longer the centaur was. The TC was 56" and the Centaur is 60".
Speed: Hands down the centaur.
Hand shock: They both had little to none, but I think the TC had slightly less because of the extra weight in the handle.
Noise: The TC is the quietest longbow I have ever shot, period! Light arrow, heavy arrow, still super quiet!
With my draw being on the longer side(29.5"), I felt the 56" was not the best bow for me, but it was super nice, still!
In regard to the classifieds not being fee, they were around 3 years ago. We have had some instances where people were scammed with traffic just by trusting others, etc. I think $30 is a very nominal fee for what you get out of this site. The knowledge and resources here are well worth $30, but they did it to help with the classifieds problems, which it did do. When you have to "pay to play", you tend to be more invested and are not as likely to scam someone. Though $30 is nothing if you are wanting to scam someone, it has helped.
Be patient are you will find you a TC. I happened to find 2. Loved them, just wanted a little longer bow.