Getting a three-axis is something I've been thinking about off and on too, so here's where my own thought process is at....
The amusingly-named Thruster T600N "Sprint" wot I used to fly was quite a lot of plane for the money if you're happy with a Jabiru engine. Covers the ground (a very little bit) quicker than an X'air and easier to get in and out of, but quite similar in most other ways. A fair few of them about, and prices seem to be coming down now the trend for factory-built ships is towards the likes of the C42.
There's a reason 200-something Skyrangers are on the UK register. They do everything - strip flying, touring - reasonably well, particularly at the price, the design is clever in terms of maintainability and the support from Flylight is legendary. I'd probably buy one, except for the crucial problem that I just don't find them very exciting
Same goes for C42s. Very competent little planes, more refined than a Skyranger but again the sparkle factor is missing for me.
I asked on here about Jabirus a while ago. A bit less common, and a lot of people seemingly don't rate the handling. Except for a couple of chaps I've since spoken to who claim they wouldn't part with theirs. So I guess they suit some people. I've never flown one so I don't know. They do sound like a quick plane in a straight line for little money, but maybe not as easy off strips as other microlights.
I've had one flight in a Eurostar and it was lovely. The handling was wonderful, even by microlight standards (and most microlights are no slouches on the handling front compared to what I remember of Cessnas and Pipers). Only downside was a hot and thermic day that threw me around and vaguely cooked me under the big glasshouse canopy
What I'd
really like is a Sherwood Ranger. What I'd probably get because it's still brilliant fun but a touch more useful for things other than local bimbles is a Eurostar. But what I'd actually probably end up with is a Skyranger because it's very hard to look past the economics and practicality, if such things could ever be said to apply to microlighting. Nice C42s and Eurostars are Serious Money, at least by microlight standards.