If you could have the PERFECT broadhead for Traditional equipment, what would be the absolute must have functions, angles, cutting diameter.

Perfect broadhead would find the hart on every shot every time and produce huge blood trails every time. JF

The perfect broadhead would be the end-all design satisfying every bowhunter. The American Broadhead Collectors Club has created a "Master List" of broadheads which has identified over 4,000 different models produced in the last 150 years. One might think the perfect broadhead would reside amongst these designs. It does not, and it never will. Any discussion of the perfect broadhead is conjecture at best. But I do think this thread will be an interesting one. I hope guys respond to it. We'll hear a lot of opinions about this 'n that and we'll all learn something. But you know, we've got some pretty good broadheads on the market now and I don't know that we can improve the designs much. They have served bowhunters well and continue to do so. Can we improve them, are we trying to re-invent the wheel? What say you?

Simmons is the most impressive broadhead I have ever used!!

I’m not into mythology.

I've come around to the idea that anything that you can sharpen properly will close the deal if you do your part.... and there is not a head in the world that will save you if you screw the pooch.

When it comes to broadhead performance any broadhead will work great and any broadhead will perform poorly. There is an infinite number of variables, all of which affect performance, bow weight, # of cutting edges, weight of arrow & bhd, angle of shot, what part of animal hit, what was animal doing when shot, straightness of flight of shaft of arrow, how sharp is the broadhead edge, etc., etc., etc.,..... The point is, they all will work and they all will fail. The best broadhead for you is the one you have used in the past and have had success with. It is the one that you believe in and instills confidence in your ability to put the animal down. You need to believe in the tackle you are using to have the utmost confidence in your hunting ability. Then you will do the best in the field. If you are a beginner and do not have a treasure trove of past experiences to rely on, pick out a select few trusted friends whose opinions you believe in and ask their advice. After hearing what they say, temper your ideas with their wisdom and make a choice. Your field experiences will guide your choice from then on. From a bowhunter in WI

Bear greenies , zwickey anything hard to beat cheap and effective.

Zwickey, Ace & Greenies come to mind. Perfect?, maybe not but how many years of successful performance is needed? It's like asking what is the perfect bow.

Simmons I’ve been using them for over 10 + years now

Never had an ACE standard not work

It don't exist.

But, if I can make it work for me, it's good enough. :-)

In all my years of bow hunting, I've only had one type/brand of broadhead fail on me, and had several of those fail. I will never use them again, although lots of trad folk like them.

Rick

Yeah, pretty much no such thing. Trade offs on everything.

I like 1 1/16" cut and 2 1/2" long. I would like a two blade like a STOS that had replaceable bleeders maybe 1/2" behind the point with about 1/2" cut. The bleeders should be very sharp and tuff so that they did not move or break. !65 grains or so.

pdk x 2

Odd question from a veritable stranger here. And as an outfitter, makes me wonder what agenda you might harbor. Just be upfront and honest.

"If you could have the PERFECT broadhead for Traditional equipment, what would be the absolute must have functions, angles, cutting diameter."

The Zwickey Eskimo is about it in my mind. I suppose if you were hunting large dangerous game, you might want something larger and heavier.

I am surprised Zwickey never offered a slightly larger and heavier version of the Eskimo, say 165 or 190 grains.

My $.02.

A guy named Cliff beat me to it 86 years ago

Jeff, I agree. I have seen this pattern before.

Steve Ward is a sponsor, so he has every right to boast his product here.

He is an outfitter, but also has his own line of broadheads on the market. I'm sure he'll share about them fairly soon in this topic.

Rick

Ace, Bear 'Greenies', Zwicky, or any other 2-4 blade 'journeyman' type convex head.

As Mr. G. Stout has stated on many occasions, past performance is a good indicator of future expectations (or something like that). A Zwickey Eskimo, Ace standard and Bear Razorhead have a very impressive resume. However, Dr. Ashby studies on broadheads is outstanding. (IMHO)

Where did he boast a product? I don't see it. Is that where this game leads? So this is a commercial? An Annie Oakley decoader ring? Be sure to drink your Ovaltine. Lol

None for me thanks.

WHAT? No photos of pride and joy?

3" long 1" wide 3 blade, under 50$ for pack of 6.

Come on Steve Ward pics or it didn't happen!

I have it, called the woodsman, Has never failed me .

Woodsman's or Simmons Sharks seem to be the best of the best.

The Perfect Broadhead is the one that's scary sharp.

I really like the head I used last season, to bad it has not been produced in a few years. I am shooting the three blade Barrie Rocky Mountain Supreme. It's a three blade with a total of 1.5" cutting surface. The blood trails have been more than sufficient but the shot placement has also been good. Currently I am shooting about 60LBs at my draw. That broadhead may be a little to much cut for a lesser poundage bow, say 45#lbs or less. With that, the Zwickey Eskimo and Bear Greenies are about as solid of a head as anyone could ask for. The few deer and Turkey I have shot with them has left plenty to follow and two holes is hard to argue with.

Again it's all subjective. I want to use the biggest, best penetrating head I can with whatever equipment I use. So the "Perfect" broadhead would have to change based on the available energy of the bow I am shooting.

-Bones

For me, the perfect broad head would be a toss up between the Zwicky two blade delta, and the woodsman.

Rick, if he is here to boast about a broadhead so be it. Just come out and say it. If he is looking to develop a broadhead for trad archers, once again, just come out and say it. No harm in that. I am sure that he knows, as well as the rest of us, that there is no such thing as the perfect broadhead.

Interesting how quickly a post that is not quite “ straight forward “ in it’s purest intent will go sideways…..

Uh oh. This won't end well.

Pic of three mentioned for James AKA BATMAN. :-)

-Bones

Here's the point of this post !!! Since some think i'm just trying to sell our line of Vortex Broadheads. That isn't the case what so ever. I recently began my journey as a traditional bowhunter last year. We have designed a broadhead that works very good from my traditional equipment and I have killed two deer with them. But with that said i want to design a new broadhead and wanted the opinions of all of you as to what makes the best broadhead in your opinion. I know it also depends on the size of game, # of bow, length of draw and total arrow weight. Im asking in your opinion. 1.Best all around cutting Diameter 2.Best broadhead weight. Angle of Blade from front to back. 4. Blade sharpened angle. 5. All steel or a mixture of aluminum and steel. I do have some ideas and some prototypes but I can't share them at this time.

I am all for entrepreneurship and new ideas but at this point anything new would not be new. There are so many choices today that creating a unique broadhead seems impossible.

There are many time-tested broad heads and many newer ones to the point that a new design that would work as well as existing designs doesn’t seem likely. Sure it could be 1/8” longer or have a 1/32” larger cutting diameter, it could be vented or solid, single or double bevel… but it’s a saturated market now and another newcomer could face a tough time making money.

There you go. You will probably get better information now that people understand that you are soliciting information on what characteristics people want in their broadheads so you can use that information on your planned design.

3:1 ratio 3-blade with a 1-1/4" cutting diameter.

Aluminum T6 6061 ferrule. Designed to have a built in adjustable weight system, that will take it from say 150 grains to 250 grains in 25 grain increments, and offered in both screw in and glue on.

Just off the top of my head.

Rick

X2 What Mike E said. Arguably Ace, Bear Greenies & Zwickey are the Top three 2 blade broad heads ever made. And they still have a big following;)

Just off the top of your head, lol, Rick.

Anything done to improve on the better broadheads made today would just make them too expensive for the majority to shoot. There are several that are probably better than what I use now but I won't buy them. >>>----> Ken

I agree with Phil. Same with bows. It has been done before. Get a cheap bow and broached and hunt. Nothing else is needed.

If you're trying to design a new broadhead, and asking about the "best" design to hopefully sell a few, here's something to consider..

The guys here are too cheap to pay up for anything that may be "improved".

If you want it to sell well, even if it's the same old same old or subpar, just etch

"BEAR ARCHERY" on it and you'll sell plenty.

I think you're going to have a hard time coming up with much new in a traditional broadhead. It's all been done, and most of it that's far outside the box has failed due to expense or being overlooked for an old proven standby.

Carbon steel, long and lean profile, solid construction, and around 200grains would be a good place to start on whatever you want to do.

what phil said.

i look at my gear choice this way. when i am leaving the woods or mountains with an unfilled tag, is it because my arrows were tipped with a zwickey eskimo. the answer is of course no.

i tend to focus on the things that are more likely to affect my success. my proficiency with the bow or gun, whether i am in good physical condition, my clothing including footwear, time off from work, the abundance of game, hunting pressure, etc.

investing time and money into bringing another broadhead to the market would be at the bottom of my list. to each their own, and best of luck.

Staying with the Grizzlies..To many successes to change.

Abowyer gets my vote, nothing comes close to being as sharp right out of the package

This year it is one of these 4.

I always thought Rambo was on to something with these.

If someone could come up with something similar to the original Silver Flames from Germany at a reasonable cost - I would be in for sure. They were made out of top materials with expert machining, cryogenic treated... and were wicked sharp out of the package. Blood trails were easy to follow. But they were very pricey. Alaskan Bowhunter Supply offers broadheads that come from the lineage of the original Silver Flames.

Strickland HELIX 2 blade right bevel.

The "best" is under construction on my bench. Problem is I can't seem to find it! But eventually only six will ever be made! In 50 years they will be legendary even though most have never laid eyes on them.

Ok, seriously, all of the current legendary head makers made a variety of styles all embraced by some. Just make a high quality imitation. Many new and innovative designs have been market failures due to cost or poorly accepted design features. No point going down a dead end road.

the perfect broadhead: 3.14159 inch length. Cause that is pi and I like Pi, especially custard pi. 1.374 inch width. Cause 1.25 is too small and 1.5 is too big. 1.09 inch bleeder blade. Serrated, cause that just looks cool. 180 grain weight. Cause that's me in pounds, neked after I pee. L6 steel. Cause I have a knife from an old saw blade and it is tough.

(or the old Magnus 1 four blade, which is the one I mostly use.)

RAGE in the Cage!!! Oopps, sorry, wrong forum.

Good Information guys!!! Keep it coming

One that wouldn’t ever dull or bend would be the perfect one

Thats an easy one...

the cheap 2 blade GJ heads- among others- work great.

A tapered 2 blade head cuts effortlessly...and many critters barely know they have been hit if I do my part and not get made

The taper makes it so they slip in without much pressure on the edge- so no need for super steel. these cheapies have held their razor sharpness through just about every critter.

2 blades are the easiest to maintain- a couple swipes with a diamond stone and Re-use

I would suggest talking with Cody Greenwood from trad lab. He has done extensive testing with traditional style broadheads.

I can’t really point to a specific broadhead. I agree with the earlier post that Phil M. posted. There are so many that simply work. Put simply-you can’t re-invent dead. The broadhead market is well saturated to the point of nothing new and leaps and bounds better is going to come about. Also-to the point of durability. Im of the mindset that if and when my game animal is recovered-if the blades are bent, etc.-I say the head did it’s job. If I can’t reuse it-no big deal.

This one is as close to perfect as I have found Three blade VPA 160 grain glue on. I font have much desire to use anything else but I will admit to being intrigued by yours.. I have said this before when you introduced your tribute mechanical. Make it heavier. Alot of guys are using heavy heads. I dont want to add weights I want the strength in the head ... And I also think a hybrid would be a good idea. I might consider using it if it had a leading cut on contact two blade followed by the mechanical.....I have often wondered if 60 and 70 lb recurves would have enough horsepower.... I like pass throughs.... Good luck to ya....

Howard Hill head with solid blades

I say replicate the original snuffers.. or at least razor caps. There's a big following for seeking out either of those no longer produced heads in our community..

A modified hill, heads with a bleeder blade

Threads like this are interesting in that, we all have a slight inclination to use one type of head or another. The head I use currently, the Rocky Mountain three blade, is a replaceable blade head (or was while it was being made) just like the Thunderhead, and LOTS of folks used them in both compound and traditional bows. However, in this thread that is the only mention to a broadhead with replaceable blades. It appears most of this group is wanting something they can resharpen and reuse. I like that mentality and one of the reasons I like the older Bear Razorheads and Zwickeys. Beeman, have you sharpened the VPA? just curious if you liked the results after shooting it some and then putting the edge back on that broadhead? These things could matter if the OP does want to produce a head that people will buy.

-Bones

Kinda agree with Dan

a VPA machiened Hill head would be very nice

I wouldn’t be building a new broadhead, I would be building a new broadhead machine that could produce good inexpensive broadheads like Bear did, only better.

Three one ratio according to Ashby. Never tried them, but for all the dangerous animals he has killed, and experimenting you almost have to believe him.

I would love a solid 3-blade glue on that's 125 grains. A repro of the old Bodkin made from harder steel and with more precise construction would be awesome. The Woodsman works great but makes noise and sometimes buckles.

Your idea of perfect and my idea of the perfect broad head my be miles apart. LOL

3:1 ratio, or close to it. Valkarie is my favoritej by far, just out of my price range, unless I was going on a hunt of a lifetime.

I think that blades that have a concave profile would be ideal, solid construction, and able to resharpen.

Thanks for asking this question, I like hearing honest feedback.

I’d have to side with AndyMan. Ace Standards are hard to beat.

https://edgetac.com/product/775-grain- single-bevel-broadheads-matching-field- points/

775 grn made broadheads for the kin of Goliath n the Nephilim who still in some regions walk this earth .

Dry bones yup I have sharpened them. Very easy to do. My forearm has a big bald spot form August to December...They are tough I have bounced em off rocks ,dug em out of trees and shot em through moose and other critters. Clean sharpen and stick em back in the quiver... At the end of the day its my favorite Cuz its what im used to... They all work when they go through the right spot...The most intriguing thing about a mechanical for me is on marginal hits... Thats about the only reason for me...

The Simmons Great White is the perfect broadhead to me if your shooting enough weight.

Drawing and Design is Complete. Prototypes will be available in Approximately six weeks. I will post pictures as soon as I receive them. I think you guys will like these.

Zwickey Delta or Simmons Shark and of course the Bear razor!

Hope to see some photos? Also comments why this BROADHEAD will be the CREME DE LA CREME?? GOOD HUNTING & BLESSED BE! Batman

CREME DE LA CREME , lol

100% all steel design 175 grains

I will say because i'm a Mechanical guy it does have a moving part! but one that benefits all archers

Bill, great response, the best broadhead IMHO has to be wicked sharp.

I am looking forward to seeing some pics of the protoytype. Not a fan of mechanical with our trad equipment, but very in terested in seeing what you have come up with. Keep us updated.

-Bones

Awesome, thanks for taking the time to do this!

The perfect broadhead? There are many great options out there. So for me it comes down to cost. I will not pay 2 or 3 times the cost for brand "X" when brand "Y" gets the job done just as well. I also don't care about lifetime warranty, I will lose it before I break it.

Summons

Screw in Magnus Stingers Glue on Ace Standards

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