Forks from RockShox and Manitou seem to vary in performance alot..One person may have a great experience with a Black, and the next person may not..Same with Rockshox..That's what I've noticed anyway.

No bones about it, the Axel is lame-o for anybody on/past a certain level of riding.

The Manitou's I've tried(Axel, Six, Black, X-vert) seem to be on the plush, side..The Axel and the Six having little or no dampening adjustments..

Rockshox I've tried (TT, Jett, Duke) tend to be a little stiffer, spring rate wise. The TT, the Jett, are stiff, and have no dampening adjustments, so they are like pogo sticks. I hate them.
The Duke I tried was awesome, I would get one if I was looking for a new fork.

I've also tried a Fox..It was the best I've ever tried, but it was the most expensive too. If I could only have one fork for the rest of my life, I'd probably grab the Fox..It was sweeet.

No 'sperience with Zokes..But they seem to be the standard which most forks are judged by. I really like the sound of the ECC lockout feature.