Your choice will depend on what type of terrain you'll be on most. If you like climbing a lot go for a hardtail with front shock. For lots of downhill, really rocky, drop-off stuff a full suspension is best. If you go for the full suspension look for an adjustment lever or knob to stiffen up the rear shock for climbing.
Full suspension makes for a comfy, spongy downhill ride on rough stuff. I'm riding a Specialized Enduro SL Comp I bought in July '08 it was $3,200 retail so you can compare prices. If you want to compare specs go to the Specialized website. My bike is White/orange/black paint job. It rocks!!! Took it to the Downieville Downhill trails in Calif. no problem! Don't know what your looking at but I asked about Ellsworth on this site and it got really poor reviews about warranty stuff. Jamis is a really good brand too. Hope all this helps.
