Hey guys and gals,

What the worst broad head you ever used? And why would you call it the worst?

Thanks

SK

Honestly -- and I know it is one of the best, I do not doubt it,

but

it was the Zwicky. I just felt it was a cheap piece of tin, and that I could do better. I know I know . But I am jus being honest. I like a little more precision. Myles Keller used them big time. But I threw the whole pack in the garbage can. I did not even want to give them away.

Today I use Thunder Valley Snuffers 150g, and 125g Hellrazors on the " other " bows.

That was in the Late 80's. I then used Bear Lites 110g. Liked them much better. some deer continued eating and fell over.

Hilbres. They hit ANYTHING and they curled like a wet noodle.

But then again, at least they "opened"!

2nd woods walker, and if they didn't curl the blade stayed in the "unintended" target.

In the mid-60s I acquired a head for which I do not remember the name, but it very closely resembled a pair of scissors with two large blades that opened on impact for a cutting area of about 3 inches if not more. The blades were black, and i'm pretty sure the ferrule was plastic. At the time my game was rabbits and squirrels, and I figured this head would stop them in their tracks, possibly behead them or cut them in half. Never got to shoot it at game, as my first test shot into dirt broke the head. I went back to my trusty Bodkins, which bagged a lot of rabbits and squirrels. I'm hoping my description of the 'scissors' head was enough for one of you with a better memory than mine to remember the actual name of it.

Early 80's Made by Kolpin and the blades were at an angle to the screw in ferrule. They were so junky I only shot them a couple times and they started to come apart so I trashed the whole bunch.

Back in the 50s I bought several broadhead tipped arrows to attempt to deer hunt off the ground with my Paul Bunyan bow, I was about 12 years old.

The blades on these broadheads were swept back like a hill head, the ferrules were cheap plastic. Fortunately I never launched one at a deer, I didn't know one had to "sharpen" a broadhead at the time.

Muskrat,think you are talking about the Mohawk broadhead. They look nasty, but I heard that in freezing weather the plastic would shatter.

Yeah, the Mohawk swivel action

I still have some of the Hilbres that an old-timer gave me. Never hunted with them. I also remember the Savoras. The aluminum ferrules were real soft aluminum.

another vote for kolpin

The worst heads I've ever used were probably those Hilbre's. The worst heads I've ever killed deer with were the Satellites and Savoras back in the 80s. Every time you hit something one or more of the blades would come out or break.

never really shot a bad head....was never sucked in by the "hype" and marketing ploys.........have always shot either Magnus, Zwickies or Bear razor heads

A good friend shot a buck this year with an expandable head and lost it. We found it days later. The shot was through the liver, stomach and probably edge of a lung. We think the head never opened. Almost no blood. I know they cut a huge hole and can work good when they work, but... Not a fan!!

Expandables are all junk. Unless you're a wheelie fan. Then they're the holy grail of heads.

One of those heads with the helix fixed blades maybe called satellite heads or something I think Browning had them. was given some and never tried them,looked like only a very heavy poundage bow could push that through a deer.

Savora had a locking ring that the blades seated under. I used them a couple years when we had our shop in the 70's and had no issues. I killed two deer with them but then went back to a more cut on contact head. I believe I also hunted with Rocky Mountain Razors back in the day and they worked just fine. Mostly it was the thought of having to always buy replacement blades rather than bad quality.

I made an effort not to use badly designed broadheads since we already had good ones in the mid 60's. I started out on Hi- Precision 3 blades....a great head in my opinion but I couldn't get them sharp enough to suit me.

I have some Woodsmans that were sold to me as "seconds". I have tried files, stones, belt sanders etc., but cannot get anything close to an edge on them that is sharp. I have no idea why this is---I hear nothing but great things about the Woodsman heads and how easy they are to sharpen, so I wonder if there is something about the batch that I have that precludes getting them sharp. I have no trouble sharpening other broadheads...

Bridger and I have been on 22 Rage blood trails. He found 5 of them. That's a pretty poor ratio to say the least.

I don't think compounders think they're the holy grail of BH's, when they take quartering shot. They won't work.

I saw a 350 pound bear shot with one at 20ish yards, probably closer. Broadside and got about 8 inches of penetration. The bear ran 200ish yards into a clear cut and died in sight because of the clear cut. NO BLOOD TRAIL.

My first thoughts when we go to the bear was, 'I'll bet that guy will be up grading his equipment next year.' Nope - he thought he had the (non) holey grail.

I'd put the Rage somewhere near the top. I'd put they're advertising campaign AT the top.

Bowmania

I "early on" bought a cheap set of Allen broadheads to shoot small game with. After the first one tore apart in a foam block I did not trust them on any game.It was a piece together 3 blade and when it hit the pressed foam target one blade was left on the top layer, the tip of the ferule was knocked out and never recovered the third blade.

-Bones

Worst I ever used was the satellites. I shot at game one time with one and missed and hit a quakie. The carbon tip opened the aluminum ferrule like flower petals and the blades...? Never found them.

Second worse was Hoyt Bow Bullets.

Serpentine, they would core an apple nicely though!

Browning Serpentine, Hilbre and Dougherty's 003... Bodkin.

Razorback 4 and 5. They had 4 and 5 blades respectively. The blades were mounted to the body in a way that the blades could spin. The theory was the blade would not affect the arrows flight . The blades were very thin and damaged easily. They also included a practice head with plastic blades.

Isn't it nice that we DO have some great heads to choose from?

Years ago I went to a broadhead shoot and had 6 satellite broadheads. After 25 targets, shooting into the hard ground, I had one arrow with one blade intact. These were the red ones with 4 blade. I switched to the MA3 and never had a problem at these shoots. Some years ago we wanted to revive the old broadhead shoots but our club insurance wouldn't allow it.

James

Back in the late 50' I shot my first deer with a recurve, my arrows were tipped with Hilbre's. I hit the deer on the run and it went down in about 30 yards. I was hunting in the Neceeda Wildlife Refuge. I still have two of them for sentimental sake.

Another plastic ferrule Head was the “bowlo” . Bent easy and tended to curl if you hit anything hard. But guys used to swear by them especially for Javalina hunting. I swore at one, trying to put it on arrow shaft. Ran the blade into the palm of my hand. Those old Satellites that used razor blades for inserts. Not very sturdy but I heard about a hunter who was shot by one in the guts. Supposed to have been half a day sewing him back up!

They all work and they all don't work.

I was wondering if anybody rememberes the razor backs...lol.

I killed a lot of deer in the day with the Rocky Mountain Razor, they were pretty solid for a replaceable blade head.

But, the old junk Satellites with the .010" carbon blades were pure garbage!

If I were to shoot replaceables today, it would be Muzzy 3 blade.

The old green body Wasp heads that used the injector style razor blades. They had split rings that rotated so you could change out the blades and those rings would bend and let the blades blow out, plus the blades were so thin they would fold in a good wind. Total junk.

I hunted with two guys who used the early Wasp heads. They wounded so many deer with these things that I quit hunting with them because they refused to give them up...From what I saw of these heads when they hit bone the bone sheared the blades off so you virtually had nothing left but a field point passing through a deer..Satellites were just as bad..The Mighty big and small Goshawk were my choice for years..Now nothing but old bears and Simmons Sharks..Are on the ends of my arrows..

The serpentines were really bad, but there was an arrow/head assembly that was worse.

Back in the late 70's early 80's there was an aluminum arrow that had a large hollow ferrule, with the broadhead mounted to it that left the end of the shaft open, then the shaft was scored at one inch intervals. Their idea was that the arrow would penetrate partially into the deer/critter and when it ran the shaft would break off, supposedly allowing blood to drain through the arrow.

I know, but I'm not making this up. I actually managed to kill a small 6 point with one of them. None of it worked as advertised. The deers hair plugged up the shaft, and it didn't snap off and it had lousy penetration.

Those were shear advantage arrows and heads, had one myself back then just as a conversation piece, never even shot it, still have it somewhere in storage

Juspassin, the head/arrow combination you are thinking of is the "Shear Advantage". The idea was that with an open ferrule and open shaft, it would speed up the bleeding out through an open hole. Think they came in 20/64", 21/64" & 22/64". Also had a choice of convex or straight blade. Can not imagine how effective the arrow was, being scored every inch so it could break off?

Rage broadhead. I never used them but my son did. Put one clean through a deer and it never opened.

Trail Eze from the 60's was the worst I've seen. They were supposed to cut a round hole which of coarse they didn't. They would clog up with hair and not penetrate

Hi-precision made right here in this town. You could either use a file or just bite the edges to sharpen them. Every one is a bit different. Still lots of guys killed deer with them around here back when the plant was still operating. The owner handed them out like candy. I still use old free ones for pheasants.

I had some many years ago that you couldn’t sharpen no matter what you did but I can’t think of the name of em. Montec g5 also falls into this category. Thunderheads have killed a pile of critters but I can’t make myself shoot a head that I need 4 hands and 20 fingers to assemble.

The original Wasp head had to be the weakest head ever built. Of course, let us not for get the original Savoras, That aluminum tip could blunt and pop all of the blades free on any kind of a bone hit.

The worst ones were Woodsman for me! To trail lousy and it sharpens keeps itself not long!

Well, there you go. The Wensel Woodsman head is one of my favorites. When I do my part, they have never let me down.

Hilbre broadheads with a nylon or plastic ferrule. They would come apart in the animal

Robert, i do have to agree with you that the Rage heads are the worst. Of course they throw a ton of money at the high fence hunters on tv to use them--- after the shot which often ends up in the hindquarters--" just a little far back", those boneheads always recover the deer-- of course the rifle shot is done off camera. I once shot a nice buck with a Rage and it penetrated about 4". I was very lucky to be hunting with my buddy who can track low flying birds, and we recovered that deer.

You be so wrong tradmt. I couldn't have gone broke buying the mechanical heads. There weren't any left after you and your compound buddies bought all of these heads.

Browning Serpentine was another worthless broadhead

does anyone remember Misslespikes? or the original Viper expandable developed from the Satallite broadhead.

The 1st expandable head called a Punchcutter.No punch,no cut!

John Houch's head, I think is called the Blood Trail and had the nic name "bird's beak". I have several but they are home and I am not at the moment.

My vote is for the expandable type, I cringe every time I see a video with a compound guy/girl sticking a deer and getting FIVE inches of penetration!!!

a friend wanted me to try the thunder heads, bad mistake.

How about the Borehead? they were available in 2, 3,or 4 blade, right hand or left. Blade was attached at the front and blades curved either left or right.

Browning made the best bows and worst broadhead. The Serpentine is # 1 on my list of badddddddddddd. #2 is the hilbre #3. Savoras . All horrible heads. I got to say that the Hill head never impressed me either because basically un sharpenable. God bless, Steve

1956 Mohawk closed and opened up.

"a friend wanted me to try the thunder heads, bad mistake."

I've used the 125 grains and the 100's with a traditional setup. If you can not kill game with either head, then it's not the broad head's fault.

Every set up is different, chisel points take a little more energy to penetrate then cut on contact. Thunderheads are the 30-30 of bow hunting. Probably more deer have falling to that head then the next three combined.

More animals have fallen to zwickey, or bear than thunderheads will ever put down.

There was also a company that made a cheaper version of the hilbre. Blackhawk sold them on their arrows.

My two brothers and I killed a bunch of deer with the old satellites and the old orange wasp 3 blade. We killed them, but looking back those broadheads were junk. Broke the blades most times.

I am up to 3 deer with the same Zwickey Eskimo broadhead. I made it to 7 or 8 with the one before until I drove it into a tree and bent it trying to retrieve it. Two packs of Eskimos will last your whole life.

One of the 1st expandable heads I think is called "bloodtrailer" had a pushbutton tip to push the little blades out. I never used them,but heard a lot of horror stories about them.

Curious as to what incidents would make one think the thunderheads are junk. I know several hunters who have shot them exclusively for 20 plus years. I shot them for several in my compound days. Hundreds of deer, some turkeys and quite a few missed dirt shots. One known failure on game. Solid bone hit broke one blade. A few bent ferrules hitting rocks. Most the guys I know sharpen the blades and use them over and over.You do have to make sure the blades are seated properly and you have the little o ring on the ferrule.

I have been using the woodsman for 2 years. 3 originals and 3 elites. 6 deer killed. All had exit wounds. All broadheads have been shoot able after fact.

Shot the NAP spitfires for several years with the compound and they were good. Need a good amount of energy but with that they were deadly.

Hilbre and Hi Precision the worst I ever used.

I grant that the Mohawk is a poorly designed head but years ago in the early 60's a friend of mine killed a deer with one. The hit was in the neck and it looked like it had been hit with an axe

I want to find one where they keep feeding and fall over dead lol.

Thunderheads have stood the test of time also. Been around for close to 40 years.

Thunderheads are some of the best heads ever made, there used to be a guy on here and Tradgang that was all he used out of his recurves he killed a ton of big deer.. I've killed a bunch of deer w/Thunderheads and a compound but never used them from my recurves though I have shot them and they shoot good.. Woodsmans are one of my favorite heads besides Snuffer, Ace and Simmons heads.. if you know how to sharpen them they will get as sharp as any other head, they did have a couple bad batches that made it out that couldn't be sharpened worth a darn.

I was given 4 razorback 4's when they were first coming out for production, the first one I killed a Pope and Young moose and the second one a mountain caribou. I didn't recover either head so I can't say if they were sturdy or not but they did work!

Razorbak's... That's what Rambo used in the movie (with the protective covers on them} as an explosive arrow tip. It made some terrific explosions... including the one that just left his enemy's boots on the boulder!! hahahahaha No blood trail needed!!!

JHP, don't know how old zwickey is, but started using them in 1954. They will still be here when most other heads are gone.

I found a Thunderhead one day, west of Inwood Iowa. It was on a 2419 with plastic vanes, two plastic vanes. The head was covered with dry deer hair. Under the dry hair was matted hair that completely cover the head, under that was a sharp head.. I saw no blood. Later that day I found a doe. It had been punch hit through the lungs. Stuck in the entrance would was a plastic vane folded in half, the missing vane from the arrow I found. Some broadheads need to be flying perfectly straight to function properly. In those cases a normally good head will not have any cutting angle that it needs to do much cutting. Back in the 70 a local archer had a Pearson 150 Deadhead go in on the right side and come out on the right side. Later in the season, another hunter shot that deer. The Deadhead went in at the last rib and came out before it got to the shoulder blade, apparently never making to the lung.

Ron; that's interesting! I always wondered how many deer were killed or wounded using them.

It was said above to the effect that even the worst broadheads sometimes perform well.

I watched a shot taken with a hilbre on a doe that was facing head on. She dropped on the spot. We went forward to the deer and about 10 feet in front of her was the arrow intact without so much as a drop off blood on it except the blade was missing from the ferrule.

We found the blade embedded in the spinal column of the neck with a long slash down the neck that completely opened the windpipe and the artery behind. The arrow had bounced back leaving the blade behind.

I'm not calling this good broadhead performance but it did accomplish the mission. I still have some of those but never used them again.

Worst I ever had was a 3 blade replaceable called Tri-Loc. Dull as a butter knife and could not be sharpened.

As for mechanicals, I don't have to smell every skunks butt to know I don't like it.

I second the missle spike, talk about flimsy, could never get them to spin straight. After one shot they would be out of alignment, or just plain broken.

Bowlo broad heads. You did not need to glue them on wood arrows, as they were threaded inside the ferrule. When I was a teen, in the 60s a local hunter swore by them and at those locally made Hi Precisions. He gave me three, they were very difficult to get on straight. I killed a deer with one lost one with a miss at a fox, I would have missed the fox by more, but the arrow turned a wide spiral and curved towards the fox. I found the arrow back, but the bowlo was gone.

Cliff Zwickey introduced his first broadhead design in the late 1930s. His son John carries on the manufacturing tradition, still in Minnesota. The Zwickey design was the first to come out with a tapered ferrule, the first to use a laminated blade construction design, and the first broadhead design with four cutting edges. To say it was innovative is a great understatement!

I don't need experience. Just the basic design of a mechanical shows they're junk.

Mohawk was the head I was speaking of, sure wish mine hadn't broken before I got to try it on a rabbit. Very delicate head.

Kind of surprised that nobody has nominated those 1-dollar wonder plastic heads, but JMO, the worst of the worst have been the wide-diameter mechanicals designer for massive ENTRY wounds; they’re the Archery equivalent of hunting big game with a varmint load. Sure, you get spectacular results.... when things go right according to script.

And all of those heads designed to take a core sample? How the HELL are you supposed to sharpen a round blade? The manufacturers certainly never figured it out!

Thunderheads: OK; the chisel points are a little slow to penetrate, but they open up a bigger hole on the back side. Factory edges? Scary sharp. If I were ever to go back to a modular head, that’d be the one.

Just amazes ne how many crappy ideas have been promoted and how gullible consumers can be, but all I can think is that there an awful lot of bowhunters out there who secretly don’t think this can really be done. Well, that and guys who get a power trip going over the fearsomeness of their weapons.

Lord help us all!

A trip on ebay revealed some junk broadheads just this morning

The American Broadhead Collector's Club has a list of all the different broadheads which have been discovered and identified by collectors. The list was first started in the 1970s and the first list contained approximately 400 (plus) broadheads. The current list contains the names of and descriptive nomenclature for over 4,000 broadheads. Of these broadheads approximately 90% of them represent a product failure. They were discontinued and taken off the market because they failed and had serious shortcomings, or in some cases, they were never seriously manufactured and marketed. The broadheads that are well designed, advertised, manufactured, and marketed are the ones that we bowhunters keep using and keep purchasing year after year. We vote on their quality and effectiveness with our wallets.

Psychiatrist: I there any history of mental illness in you family?

Patient: I have a brother who once shot expandable broadheads.

Bowmania

4nolz, I've seen one deer, and one hog, actually do that, hit with Zwickey Eskimo

Satellites from the early 70's. Always came apart inside of a deer. I became paranoid about cleaning a deer shot with them not wanting to cut my fingers. Blades were sharp but junk.

The Browning Serpentine, never used one, but intuitively you KNOW that broadhead is all about unrecoverable game.... just a terrible idea...

I have never used any terrible broadheads.... I had a few Zwickey Eskimos fail with the ferrule coming apart from the blades in early 90s....and reason I switched to one piece Ribteks. I think I was just being rough on the broadheads with deer season, small game, nutria, targets in ground and rocks or something broke the spot welds...but happened enough I stopped.

I also was not a fan of the Snuffers after Roger Rothhaar sold company the first time...I got inconsistent heat treating on the blades...so stopped using them.

Now I use Ribteks (160 and 190), Grizzly Kodiaks and Grizzly Instincts. No regrets....

keep em sharp,

ron herman

Wasp

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