broadheads from China
Equipment
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Just ran across this guy on E Bay Arrow Maker 2013. Its Full of Broadheads madein china looks like Rage, and Mangus have some cheep copys out there. Buyer Beware.
Yes, there a lot of broadheads and arrows on e-bay, listed made in china, or somewhere else in southeast asia.
At the same time, I wonder how many americian companies are having some/all their parts made over there and ASSEMBLED in USA?
As mentioned above, you get what you pay for, with very few exceptions.
I would bet it all that everyone of those BH's are made there in China and these are ones that get siphoned out the back door of the plant to be solid online. I lived in Korea for 4 years and watched this happen all the time.
As many as I see listed on e-bay, that back door must be big enough for a semi trailer to go through.
Just got a good deal on some that look like a no-limit grave digger, will compare them when they arrive.
If I can remember that long and can find this thread again. I'll post the comparison.
No doubt made from that special chicom steel discovered in ancient cave from the Ubentum dynasty!
I bought a dozen Magnus Stinger look-a-likes. The price was $10 as I remember for a dozen. Figured I could not go wrong for that price. They were machined good. I had to do a little bit of shuffling to get them all weighing the same when mounted on the shaft (mix and match). The majority spun great, a couple had a little wobble. With a little work, I was able to make them all spin true. The edge stayed well. Bottom line, I would do it again. As long as you hit the boiler room with the shot, you are gonna down the critter with any sharp broached.
Tell me, what is the long term benefits of buying cheap copycat broadheads from China, I already know what the downsides are.
We are all guilty of buying Chinese which is "almost as good" as the American made counterpart and relatively cheaper. WTF, we all go to Walmart, don't we! Well, don't complain when you or someone in your family is downsized as a result. My biggest complaint is I can't buy quality stuff as I could twenty years ago...those companies are either out of business or moved production to China with resultant loss of quality. If you don't see that you're living in denial.
Heck, I'm on a roll and my second glass of wine...I'll give you an example. I went to the hardware store recently for a twist drill...drill bit for the layman but I'm a tradesman. Anyhow, they had them for wood and soft metal, soft steel, or hard metals. WTF, years ago there was no such thing...there was only one "grade", good for anything you wanted to drill. So, I guess we all got what we asked for and support. If I can buy quality American made I'll do it...the increased price I pay isn't going to break me.
Made in China does not necessarily mean junk. Some good stuff is made there from companies we think make their product here. There is a lot of stuff that I wouldn't buy now matter how low the cost. Generally if you want good stuff you must pay a fair price no matter where it is made.
I just bought an ax last week that snapped off about a 2 inch piece of steel on the 3rd or 4th swing.
Since when does ax steel just snap?
All of our magnus broadheads are made in the usa in great bend Kansas. I can assure you bow dude that the steel is not the same and the ferrules are not made out of the same material. There is a definite difference.
Every year some company sends me a catalog containing Chinese made look-a-likes. They have broadheads that are nearly identical to dang near every brand. ( G5, Muzzy, rage, interlock, etc.). They also have rests lidsntical in looks to ripcord, qad, trophy taker and some others. This company has just about every archery accessory you can buy. The prices are about half that of the real ones. Beware when purchasing. Had a couple customers who got accessories "cheap" from eBay. They were junk. We eventually found they were fakes made in China. The fakes are out there...
Just last night my daughter was wearing a cheap chinese knock off watch her friend gave her from her recent China trip... the whole mechanism fell out on the table at dinner.
If you want the blades of your BH to stay sharp through the animal...you don't use this crap.
Y'all amaze me. I am aware that the steel may or may not be the same. Mike, I have a couple of dozen of the buzz cuts and stingers. You are correct, they are not the same. Yes, I got what I paid for.. I figured that when I ordered them. I went into the deal with my eyes wide open, knowing what I was doing and actually did better than I expected. When I purchased them, they were up front with what they were, who manufactured them, etc. Just because things don't say "made in America" does not mean it is junk. The Japanese make some of the best lenses in the world. The Germans are known world wide for their engineering feats as well as their lenses. The list goes on and on. A lot of junk is made and sold in America by Americans. That is the great thing about free enterprise... it is free to the consumer as well as manufacturers. Good thing Columbus and others decided to expand their trading business and there was a market who was interested. We as a people need to quit being so narrow minded.
I wasn't saying everything made in China is crap. Just saying a copy or knock off of these products are no where near as well made as the real ones. The steel is bad and the broadheads won't sharpen. (Had someone bring them to me to try). Also there is no warranty. For when it fails. For archery equipment as important as broadheads or arrow rests, I just wouldn't touch this stuff. The amount of money saved would not be worth it for me.
bow_dude...perhaps you are too young to remember when "Japanese made" meant the exact same as "Chinese made" these days...it was for the most part low quality and inexpensive junk. The Japanese finally figured that higher quality, and resultant higher prices, was more desirable for consumers. I expect the same to occur with the Chinese over time. My only complaint isn't price but the fact that we, as consumers, have put out of business too many manufacturers of good, high quality products. If you or anyone else doesn't see this you're not very observant. From an economic standpoint take a look at the USA decreased GNP over the last several years and what will be the result. Not very bright for your kids and grand kids.
"From an economic standpoint take a look at the USA decreased GNP over the last several years and what will be the result."
http://www.forecast-chart.com/graph-us-gnp.html
Except for 2009 GNP has been going up.
Trust me when I say China has a terrible time with producing quality. I have spent some time there and they are masters at being copy cats. But nothing reproduced is any good no matter what it is. Stick with American made for sure.
just don't seem right not buying American for bowhunting equipment?
None of you guys that buy Chinese knock-offs have any problems with buying products that are obviously flouting patent protections?
One thing that always bothers me in these arguments is we often lose the main issue. Quality is generally more expensive than Junk. We can make junk here and we can make quality here. I drive a 16 year old car, I hunt with a 50 year old rifle and my hunting boots are over twenty years old. The car and the rifle were made here and the boot made in Canada. All have had some maintenance. I am sure I could have paid less and got a much shorter life span. That is how things work.
A razor sharp Broadhead is arguably my most important piece of hunting equipment. I will not short change myself or an animal.
bow dude the only thing I disagree with you on is counterfeiters are illegal, they are not making their own product, they are copying ours and other manufacturers products, they are violating our patents and they are violating our trademarks. we are going after them its just a long process. thanks
I hate to say it BUT I have seen and had some made in the USA a few years back that were too hard and the manufacturer gave me a hard time about replacing them when I had a business...took a while to get it straight but just remember a business is just that. Good can be found a lot of places so can bad!
No disrespect to anyone but I just don't see a big enough savings to take the risk. I wanna know I have the best possible chance of quickly killing the animal
"No disrespect to anyone but I just don't see a big enough savings to take the risk. I wanna know I have the best possible chance of quickly killing the animal"
X2, wouldn't use them even if they were given to me! Why chance it?
Years back I bought a North Face jacket that was goretex with a removable fleece liner jacket. Price was like $50. Looked the ad all over and everything said USA or California. When the package arrived, it was all Chinese except for my address!
The jacket looked quality but fit more snug that I thought a Large should and when used (hiking the Adirondack High Peaks), it did not move moisture like I thought good fleece & goretex shell should. Friends who were also hikers and owned lots of North Face said it looked genuine to them and would not be able to detect any difference...
Go figure... Of course, this has nothing to do with broadheads...
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This year I helped a new bowhunter who I had met in the woods near one of my stands. He wasn't seeing many deer and I told him to come with me and hunt my stand. Don't you know, this kid hits a buck that very night out of my stand. I meet him an hour after dark and take up the bloodtrail. I knew right away this wasn't a good hit and when I found his arrow, it confirmed it. The broadhead broke apart and the ferrule was cracked in half and two blades were missing. I wish I took a pic right there and showed you guys cause it was a complete failure. When I asked him where he got the heads, he said Basspro and they were their own brand. I looked these heads up and yeuup you guessed it... knock off heads from China.
Why risk it for a few $$, just makes no sense to me that any hunter would scrimp on one of the most important components.