Cost of Broadheads
Equipment
I'm sure this subject has been brought up here before, but the cost of broadheads continues to rise.....to the point of ridiculousl, IMO. I was on the Lancaster website today where I found about 10 pages of broadheads of every description....fixed, mechanical, hybrid. Prices ranged from $29.99 to $49.99 for a 3-pack! Plus shipping! You could easily wind up with over $18 in one broadhead! With the cost of premium hunting arrow shafts, fletching, nock (lighted?), and maybe a wrap, a bowhunter could have over $40 invested in each of his arrows. Point is, the broadhead costs about half the total cost of a hunting arrow. I don't know much the manufacturing process of broadheads, but I would think they are spit out in great volume by a "screw machine", with some production type machining/grinding. At over $50 retail for 3, the profit margins must be pretty good! Don't get me wrong, I'm a firm believer in healthy profits for entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, but at some point folks will seek alternatives. Which, I believe, is why Ebay is loaded with knockoff broadheads and other arrow components. .....cheap!
I'm still using the same 6 broad-heads and a dozen shafts I bought 6 years ago, so I don't worry about their price much.
Matt
Was in a Walmart yesterday and all the broadheads where 50 % off. Muzzy, NAP,Rage, and a bunch of others.........
LMAO $50 for 3 broadheads is no where near the most expensive. Try $100+ dollars a 3 pack, and plenty of guys here are on board with them.
Killed 7 deer with the same zwicky 125gr Eskimo before one of the bleeder blades broke. Around 30 dollars a 6 pack.
I'm as tight as anyone, but as far as bowhunting goes, there's 3 things that I don't scrimp on as far as $$$ goes.......BOOTS, OPTICS, and BROADHEADS.
Think about it....as far as your archery hunting gear goes, what ONE item is the most crucial? It would be the item that ALL the other ones (clothing, boots, bow) are dependent on performing flawlessly so that the full effect of your the other gear can be realized.....the "tip of the spear", or in the case the arrow.
After all the money and time you spend to get that bow shot, why is the cost of that most crucial item even a consideration? I want the best, most dependable and most indestructible broadhead I can shoot the best regardless of cost.
I use Iron Will broadheads, $100/3. I bought nine of them several years ago. I’ve shot one of them 100s of times into targets. The other eight have taken about eight animals from elk to brown bear. The target broadhead needs sharpening before being use to hunt. The other eight are sharpened and ready to kill, again. These broadheads have performed exceptionally well, and in the long run may be more cost effective as many other broadheads that are one and done.
There are plenty of affordable options in pretty much every aspect of Bowhunting. You don’t like $50 for 3 broadheads don’t buy them. I just don’t get all the price bashing on every single item. There are lots of choices at all price points in the world today.
I’m betting if any of us were invested in these companies and the CEO comes and says “our market research shows can get $50 for 3 of our heads, but we are gonna sell them for $30 but you aren’t gonna a get a dividend any more” every single one of us would flip out. Unless you are Bernie I guess...
—Jim
Yup, I just plain quit shoot'en at squirrels with my hunting arrows now that I'm on a pension.
I shoot VPA solids - about 50 for 3. Pull them out of the dirt, wash the blood/dirt off, sharpen and back in quiver. Last a loooong time!
Lee
They are expensive. Materials to make them in a world wide market are expensive. Add in high markups and big companies are doing well. Small time makers are trying to pay for the investment in material and machinery. Plus make a good living. So you don't get any breaks there either. Plain and simple the days of buying a dozen heads and arrows, and shooting squirrels when you get bored are OVER.
There are ways around launching a $30 plus arrow though. Capable arrows are very affordable. Beman ICS shafts are very nice, shoot well, and serve the purpose nicely. At a very reduced costs versus Easton or other brands. I bought three dozen off fleabay, cut to length, inserts installed, and fletched, for less then $55 a dozen to my door. These were the Hunter Classics. I give up paying for .001 shaft straightness when Easton discontinued the XX78' Aluminum's. It hasn't hurt my kill/shot percentage either.
You just gotta look around and be a 365 day/year shopper to get deals that drop the price of your equipment to a more acceptable level.
I never thought I'd see the day you could buy a high powered rifle with ammo and scope for half the price of a decent bow set up. When I started hunting, I had a $60 Browning compound and used $2 Walmart arrows and $10 broadheads.
Compared to what I spend on Non Resident points, tags, gas and everything else associated with hunting - broadhead cost is the least of my concern.
Lee X2^^. Being able to resharpen/reuse them over and over, was a big reason that I switched from Wasp Bosses several years ago. Got tired of buying replacement blades and having to change them out after one shot.
I put a call in to Bernie’s camp about this unfair situation just tonight, Jim!
Your $1,500 flagship bow, will be obsolete and worthless in a few years. Spend $1,500 on a rifle, and you can pass it down for generations and it will be admired by others and not laughed at.
Shot my DXT for several years and sold it to a youngster getting into bowhunting. Gave him a great deal. Not sure why the flagship bow will be worthless in a few years?? But that's not on topic. Expensive broad heads that can be sharpened and reused end up being a great deal. I also agree that the broadhead is not the spot to go cheap.
you can always make some out of flint, pretty cheap method.
I waited till Walmart put the Carbon Express Quad Pros on sale after Christmas. $5.00 for a 3 pack. I have shot the same 3 broadheads for practice for the last 5 years. I now have 6 36-pack of Blazers vanes, 5 dollars. Lumanocks for 10.00.
I have used resharpenable broadheads for years, yes they are expensive but reusable. Took 3 deer this year with 1 broadhead. Quality is through the roof !
Right now Camofire.com has 15 different broadheads on sale. The most expensive pack was $31.00/ 3 and cheapest is $9.00.
Deals are out there, you just have to look.
Good Luck!
What do you think it takes to make a broadhead?
I make them and am far from making a living out of it. I have to buy the steel, press the blades out in a press, load them in trays to heat treat, knock the scale of them in a tumbler, then temper them twice in clamps to make sure the hardness is where i want as well as making sure they are straight. Load them into jigs to then go on my big surface grinder and sharpen. Get the ferrules made on a CNC Swiss lathe(i have just bought one to make them myself) Weight the blades to make sure they are good to go. Assemble the blades and the ferrules, spin test every single one then finally package them. Plus a couple of small steps i've skipped. So they go through my hands about a dozen times before the customer gets them.
As for a 1 piece CNC machined head, buy the equipment, the steel, program the machine, check dimensions etc, heat treat, sharpen, package and send out.
Or as most are these days, including some of the 'big names' , get them made in China to your specs, hope they don't screw you on steel quality, pack them and ship. This is probably the most cost effective way, you can buy a lot of 'name' brands direct from the Chinese manufacturer.
Still think they're expensive?
Personally I favor deciding what level of quality I prefer and then cost is not an issue. What could be more important than the broad head to a bow hunter?
I do feel the price of all bow hunting gear is too much for many young folks trying to get into our passion. I’ll pass along gear to others as I see a need.
PS: Many times I can guess a posters age by their broad head choice:)
Plenty of vintage broadheads on Ebay for about 5.00 each. Why pay for the new ones, which of course are marked way up to cover their expensive marketing campaigns? A lot of low cost and effective alternatives. Many hunters today have been duped by marketing claims.
Whining about the cost of a 15 dollar broadhead....SMH...
I also sharpen blades and buy replacement blades when needed. It’s not a cheap sport anyway you look at it. As Charlie said, it’s tough for guys getting started. On the other hand, my son has his three boys in hockey. Very expensive equipment!
If I worried about how much I spend on things that allow me to do the things I love, I’d have died from a coronary year’s ago.
You can still do it for reasonable. Easton Gamegetters, Zwickey/Muzzy/Thunderhead broadheads. As deadly as anything out there honestly.
"Expensive broad heads that can be sharpened and reused end up being a great deal"
There are plenty of less expensive broad heads that are of quality, can be resharpened and used again. Many of us enjoy sharpening broadheads. Why does a broadhead have to be "expensive" to be good? I think $15 is ok and does the job well, $30+ is too much and does not do the job any better, IMO. You guys spend what you want.
Thank you for your permission.
JB, Every year the new bows are faster, quieter, smoother, deader in hand, game changers that make all previous bows and bows from other manufacturers obsolete. You and I know better. IMO, a bow should not cost more than a good rifle, and the rifle will hold it's value better, and usually be admired as it ages. Bows, not so much, as far as compounds go. I'm still shooting a 2007 Diamond, and have no plans to drop $1,500 to replace it. I think archery gear being overpriced is on topic, and comparing it to other hunting gear to put some perspective on it is fine.
The large number of broadhead manufacturers and marketers,fancy packaging and advertising.......all are indicators that profit margins are extremely high. And that's fine. But at some point the majority of hunters will seek out alternatives.
Some folks believe the more they pay for something, the better it is. It costs a lot so it must be really good.....right?
Right on PECO. New bows are way overpriced also, imo.
I'm fortunate enough to have my neighbor and good friend as the owner of Tuffhead Broadheads. I can walk across the road and watch what goes into the process of them being built. I can 100% guarantee you that there is a ton of work and hands on work and testing that go into making those broadheads. He is about the most honest, hard working guy anyone would ever want to meet and he is very, very passionate about bow hunting and the product he puts out. Needless to say, Tuffheads will be the only broadhead I'll ever shoot no matter what the cost may be.
Anyone who thinks BOWhunting is cost effective is sadly mistaken...
I don't expect bowhunting , nor any other "hobby", to be cost effective. But the cost of broadheads is too high, imo.
...........Or you can buy the three packs for $400 from Bishop archery the bad news is they are sold out. The good news is they will be back on the shelves come spring 2020 so you can use your tax refund on a three pack or maybe part of a three pack.
Wait until Bernie or Liz is elected and gas jumps to $5 a gallon, plus a mileage tax. Nobody will be bitching about the cost of broadheads anymore.
I don't expect bowhunting , nor any other "hobby", to be cost effective. But the cost of broadheads is too high, imo.
What do you base that opinion on? Your knowledge of the actual costs of designing, engineering, manufacturing, marketing, advertising, and distribution of the broad-heads? Or, just your budget?
Matt
Oh no JTV has hacked Lou's account!!
We have a winner ^^^^^^^^ Jaquomo!
I asked Bishop several times what proprietary 41L40 and S7 tool steels are. It's either 41L40 or S7, or it's not. You can ask for melts to have alloying elements on the plus or minus of the nominal range, but once you get outside the alloying amount of say, manganese, molybdenum, chromium, or others it ceases to be the referenced tool steel. And all the "L" designation is, is for added lead to increase machinability.
So while it looks cool in the ads.....it's marketing bravo sierra.
I've been very very lucky.. My favorite broadheads were only 19.95 the last I bought them and I bought a lot. Ed
My daughter is a swimmer for her club and high school teams. We spend WAY more $$$ on her sport than I ever will on mine!
You know what one of those hi-tech speed suits costs like they wear in the Olympics? We look all over the internet for closeouts and year end models and are lucky if we can find one in her size for under $400! And you are lucky if you get a(one) whole season out of one! When you add up the cost of admission to the meet, meet entries, hotel room(when out of town), gas to drive there, swim gear like goggles and caps and gear bags etc...……………………………. the cost of my broadheads and new gear doesn't even come close!
We just hope all of this $$$ on swimming is an investment and that one day we get a return on that investment in the form of a scholarship! ;-)
"We just hope all of this $$$ on swimming is an investment and that one day we get a return on that investment in the form of a scholarship! ;-)"
I invested in my daughter's softball talent. [Alum bats $600-$700 each] She got scholarships all thru college, didnt cost me much at all. You either pay upfront [sports investment]or later [college tuition]. Cost is about the same when all said and done.
But you cant put a price tag on when they are the College Region Player/Hitter of the Year with .552 batting average. :)
Just my opinion, Matt.....as I plainly said.
And a little common sense.
Wow cnelk! She must have really been cntheball!
Ace standard for recurve/longbow
Slicktrick/Vipertrick for compound
Dead animals and lunch money to spare
Our broadheads are priced reasonably by dealers all over the united states and we have a no hassle lifetime replacement guarantee, email us a picture of the damaged broadhead with your name and address and we replace for life. Thanks and good hunting
Sundowner, your opinion, yes. Common sense, no.
In my career, I spent 2 years as CFO of a turn-key manufacturing company that designed, built, and sold equipment and parts for newspaper printing presses. When I came on board, I was surprised by how costly some of the small parts were to produce. The design, engineering, tooling set-up, and manufacturing labor costs were far more than I would have ever believed. It was a constant battle to stay competitive price-wise with other manufactures. In general, manufacturing companies work on lower profit margins than any other industry in the US. I doubt broadhead manufacturing is any different.
Matt
cnelk- that's impressive- Congrats! ANd you're right...……………………..you CAN'T put a price tag on stuff like that!
cnelk, that is awesome about your daughter, congrats! However I doubt it was the $700 bat that got her there. I bet she would have done it with a $300 bat. I'm saying the same thing about broadheads. Would everyone that killed an animal with a $30 broadhead, not have killed that animal with a good $15 broadhead? I think not.
You have to realize that their are a lot of broadhead companies out that with a market that isn’t huge compared to other markets and add that to the fact that hunting season is not all year long. I’m surprised a lot of these companies are still in business for those prices!
"In general, manufacturing companies work on lower profit margins than any other industry in the US. I doubt broadhead manufacturing is any different."
Matt, If broadhead manufacturers are in such dire straits and struggling with low profit margins, why are there so many of them?
(That's the common sense part.)
Sundowner, why are you so concerned about what somebody else pays for broadheads?
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey."
John Ruskin
"Matt, If broadhead manufacturers are in such dire straits and struggling with low profit margins, why are there so many of them?"
First, I didn't say they were in "dire straights". I said manufacturers work on less profit margins than any other industry in the US. Which is fact. Supply and demand dictates costs in any industry in free markets, including broadhead manufacturing.
I'm sorry your budgets can't keep pace with the broadhead market, but don't blame the manufactures. They are keeping prices as low as possible to stay competitive in the market, while working for less than any other industry.
Matt
Peco - I am still a bit confused about what makes a bow obsolete after a few years. Is my 2014 Elite Energy 35 obsolete already? Tell that to the 2 fat does that are in my freezer. Its all about personal preference. Some guys drive new vehicles all the time. Some buy use. Some buy new bows. Some buy used. I don't question other people's choices because its there money and their decision. I am not going to tell them they paid too much because they may have a lot more cash than I do. Good for them. Last time I checked, you can't take it with you.
Yes you can sharpen cheaper broadheads the same as some that are more expensive. So what? Not sure why someone would get worked up about how I spend my money?? I buy used bows, but have a tendency to buy "top end" broadheads. My personal choice.
$30 dollar Magnus Stingers guaranteed for life, all you’ll ever need.
Exactly, your bow is fine, and so are my $15 broadheads. The industry will tell you otherwise.
Man - if i listened to what every industry tells me, I wouldn't have half as much fun as I do. And I won't argue that your $15 broadheads are fine. For you.
Yep, I also have a fat young doe in the freezer, from a $15 broadhead, on a CX arrow from camofire, shot from a 2007 Daimond Black Ice bow. I'm sure the doe would have died quicker, been deader, and I would have had a 30 yard recovery rather than the 60 yard recovery had I been using a $30 head.
She might have, but who cares?
Second the Magnus Broadheads! Great Company & Broadheads!
I'm happy there is still a strong enough broadhead market in the US to keep multiple companies competing for the demand. I'll start to worry when the prices begin to drop, and options dwindle.
Matt
Fortunately, like probably everyone here I can afford to buy any broadhead I choose. That doesn't change the fact that they cost too much. New bows do too.
"That doesn't change the fact that they cost too much. New bows do too."
Apparently they don't. Broadheads and bows are priced exactly where the MARKET has decided they should be. THAT is a fact. And fact is not synonymous with opinion.
BTW, in a previous life I managed an automation design/build group along with a fairly extensive machine shop. GG's statement "The design, engineering, tooling set-up, and manufacturing labor costs were far more than I would have ever believed. " is spot on. Doesn't matter if you "think" they cost too much.
Everything costs "too much" now. My parents paid $22,000 for the little house I grew up in. No way it should cost $500K today.
Except thats what it sold for, with multiple bidders. The statement that anything costs too much is just plain foolish. If something costs too much, the company will quickly go out of business.
Bowbender, That`s true. It also doesn't matter that you apparently think broadheads are reasonably priced.
I see the old CF isn't dead and gone after all. Some people will use any subject matter, any at all, to try to belittle and denigrate another for simply expressing an opinion.....on a matter that has absolutely no impact on humanity as a whole. I guess it somehow gives them a much needed feeling of superiority.
Oh well. Bowsite is just that way I reckon.
I always like Lou's common sense.
Either embrace capitalism or communism. Your choice.
Matt
A better statement would be - that’s not a good value to me.
To stay in business some customer has a different opinion and it is a good value to them - for whatever reason...
When a $30 broadhead isn't good enough, because the industry says so, and the most of you set the market. Think about it. When the least expensive broadhead costs $100. ea, because most of you don't care and will pay whatever it cost and are not satisfied with an excellent broadhead that does the job for $15.
"I see the old CF isn't dead and gone after all. Some people will use any subject matter, any at all, to try to belittle and denigrate another for simply expressing an opinion"
Simply expressing an opinion? I thought it was a fact.
"That doesn't change the FACT that they cost too much. "
Your words not mine. And words, well, they mean things. Again, fact and opinion are not interexchangeable. Nobody denigrated anybody. You espoused a position, an opinion actually, and failed to back it up with supporting data. Feelings of superiority? Hardly. Not our fault you didn't like the responses.
"....on a matter that has absolutely no impact on humanity as a whole."
Pretty much defines ANY topic on the Bowsite.
Companies respond to what the public is willing to pay. For example Rage. I find they are expensive for what you get. In most case they are a one shot deal. But obliviously others do not as they fly off the shelves. Why would Rage price them any cheaper? People stop buying them and the prices would drop. Goes for any BH or anything in life. It's all basic economics 101. Something is only worth what somebody is willing to pay for it.
Also seems we are ok to dog on and make fun of Rage here, but can't say anything negative about a broadhead that cost twice as much. Peoples panties get all bunched up.
Honestly the price of Zwickey Deltas hasn't kept pace with inflation over the last 25 years
Its funny that a guy that gets all worked up would accuse others of getting their panties bunched up. Mine are sitting quite comfortable, but that may be because I paid too much for them. Based on a lot of the responses above, people are giving their opinion on the price that they paid for their choice of broadhead. You can think we paid too much. That's your opinion and you are entitled to it.
Please feel free to resurrect this thread when the least expensive broadhead costs $100.00. At that point, you can say I told you so.
Speaking of Rage, it seems the price of broadheads escalated when they came out. They started it.
My opinion is that I'm glad there is a range of different broadheads available. I'm glad there are choices and we can all make up our own mind what we want and what we want to spend on it.
I have some Helix I'll sell you. Only 1 has been shot..
I bought a pack of 3 blade Muzzy broadheads on clearance at Wally WOrld for $10. Went back and got a second pack the next day. I can get replacement blades for all 6 of them for $18 (full price). That's less than $40 for 12 shots...………………………...
I agree with some above posts. There are lot of choices for broadheads. $50+ choices and and $30 choices and then there is $20 choices. My rocket steel heads cost me 19.95 a pack for 3 the last I bought them. I've killed everything from elk down to turkey with them.. I'm pretty sure the animals I've killed with my 6.50 head are as dead as the the ones killed with 15.00+ dollars. I remember when high end bows were $350.00 and broadheads came mostly in 6 packs. Now high end bows are 1300.00
ED
Ya.... I remember when high end bows cost $350. I was making $13K a year.
Bowbender how old were you then?
I was more thinking of 1988 when I worked a bow shop. If you look at today and 19 years old it would come to around 48k. Not bad for a 19 year old.
Bought a PSE something or other in 1982 wood riser....was $150. Middle of the line bow. PSE Jet Flite in '87 for $225.
My son graduates in next year with his degree in electrical technology. The placement rate is 95% with an average pay of $30 an hour to start. He'll be just shy of 22.
I would consider that copycatters seem to have no problems making a profit at less than $1 per head with shipping. Sure the quality control or materials may be less, but it shows the setup and machinery isn't that big of an obstacle with large volume. Obviously this does nothing to take into account all the other overhead of running a legit business and rewarding an entrepreneur for their ideas.
Good thing an effective hunting cartridge only runs a couple of bucks.
Now that is value.
I quit worrying about the cost of things I want and want to do along time ago. My wife now, that’s a whole other story
I bought several packages of Rocky Mtn. Legend/Rocky Mtn. Fast flites in the early 90's and am still shooting them today. As long as you don't hit a hard surface and dull the point on the head I just replace the blades after another kill. Replacement blades can still be found online. An animal doesn't care how much you paid for your broadhead if you hit them where you are suppose to.
Was talking to a guy today who was debating to start hunting at the age of 34. He asked if it was expensive. I kinda laughed deciding how to answer. Told him you could definitely hunt on a budget or spend thousands on a diy single hunt. Think the most important thing is being a ethical hunter and the animal wont know if it was a $12 or $35 head that just took his last breath. I personally shoot exodus, they fit my budget/performance expectations. That being said I wouldn't mind dropping $ on Iron Wills since my kuiu pants alone cost more. How much more important is the broadhead than my fancy camo pants. A LOT.
Barrera, many might disagree. I bet there are some guys out there wearing $300 Sitka underpanties who hunt with $8 broadheads. :-)
^^^ "....$300 Sitka underpanties....."
If those are available, Kota has brief and boxer styles in all the camo patterns and may do a review if asked.
"If those are available, Kota has brief and boxer styles in all the camo patterns and may do a review if asked."
Please - and I mean please God, please - make that review picture free.
What upsets me more is that the Optifade thong uses 77% less fabric than the boxer-briefs, yet still costs almost the same. Ripoff? You be the judge. I care not what Kota pays for his hunting sack-hammocks. :-)
I'm still waiting for Lou to start making and selling his deer ears hats. I'd gladly pay more for one of those than I do for broadheads.
;-)
Matt
If paying $25, $40, or even $100 a head for the most important part of your hunting gear bothers you, then DO NOT shoot sporting clays! Yes, you can find discount 12 ga. target loads for $10 to $12 a box, but for a full sporting clays round you'll shoot 4 BOXES!
A broadhead, even an expensive one, can be shot MANY, MANY times.
I've even heard some guys complain about how the price of 3D shoots are going up (when you can find one!). Dollar for dollar, a 3D shoot is the CHEAPEST form of entertainment on the face of the earth!!! We pay about $12.00 per 30 target round, and if I don't lose any arrows, then the most expensive item is the breakfast I'll buy for my self and my buddy if we use his truck to get there.
Try playing golf if you want expen$ive!
I’m a cheapskate for the most part when it comes to gear..... but the cost of broadheads doesn’t bother me a bit. After reading this... I might buy some Iron Will broadheads........
Buy heads that you can resharpen if the price bothers you.......
Anyone here remembers when sport activities were fun before being monetized and advertised?
Weird. I feel like they've never been cheaper.
Relative to cost of living it must be cheaper. I can buy rocket steelheads at less $ per 3 pack today than when I started bowhunting 18 years ago. They still work. What are the cost of Muzzy's? Thunderheads? My guess is you are paying the same IF NOT LESS (especially relative to cost of living) for the same technology you had back to whenever you are comparing them costing less.
Yes, there are more expensive options today, but those options as far as technology and quality didn't even exist in years prior, so you can not compare them. You can't say "Man a set of 6 glue on Zwickey used to be $20 and now a set of 3 Iron Wills is $100!" That's not a valid comparison. There was no Iron Will equivalent 20 years ago, or Silver Flames or whatever. Same for same, my money is on you've got a better deal today. And don't even get me started on value. That's an essay ;)
SixLomax, when was that? I'm 66 and don't remember when sports activities were ever not monetized and advertised. Even playing T-ball back in in '62, our team tshirts had the name of our sponsor on the back.
Now, if you're talking about outfitting and the business of selling wildlife, that's a different issue.
I just bought a 1957 Blackhawk Hornet recurve that should be arriving at my house tomorrow. I paid $85 for it. I plan on refinishing it and hunting with it this coming season. I'll have more $ in the wood arrows I'll build for it and the Tuffhead broadheads I'll be tipping those arrows with than the cost of the bow. It's all good.
When I first started bow hunting if I couldn’t buy new bh’s I would take what ever my brothers had left over. I might have a Zwickey, a Bear, a Rothaar all in the same quiver and killed deer every year. If someone asked what Broadheads I used I’d have to look.
Paying $30-40 for each broadhead is insane. Put a good Magnus or Muzzy WHERE IT'S SUPPOSE TO GO and those fancy ones won't kill them any deader.
TMBB
Fellows, stop fretting over the price of broadheads. Bernie says that if he is elected President we will not only get free health care and free college tuition but free broadheads as well. LOl.
I've killed a boat load of deer with $40/4 slick tricks but have Iron will solids and wide cut inbound. Always looking for ways to improve my fighting position.
Have a look at some f the Australian broadhead companies. With a very favourable exchange rate you might get a pretty good deal. Look up Northern Broadheads and Ozcut. Plenty of options there for excellent products.
“ Whining about the cost of a 15 dollar broadhead....SMH...”
I guess a guy can only counter that with....
“Being dumb enough to be willing to shell out $15 each for Broadheads.... SMH”
For me, shelling out $15/head is insanity. I can buy Aces for about $6 apiece, sharpen them up myself, and there is absolutely NOTHING that I could ask of a head that they won’t do.
But then, I don’t expect a head to drive through heavy leg bones on animals over 1,000 pounds.
There’s an old joke about the Optimist, who sees the glass half-full; the Pessimist, who sees it as half empty; and the Engineer, who sees the glass as simply twice as big as it needs to be.
If you are buying broadheads that are sturdy enough to destroy your arrow, well, that’s kind of pointless, isn’t it? You can argue the economics of replacing shafts vs. heads, but if either component should fail on an animal, you’ve lost it regardless, haven’t you?
And what good does it do you to shatter a leg-bone if that stops your arrow short of the chest cavity? You think you’re fast enough to run down a 3-legged deer or Elk?
The difference between a $30 digital watch and a Rolex is that the digital has more functionality and probably keeps better time... while the Rolex... is a Rolex. There are plenty of reasons to buy a Rolex instead of a rubber watch, but real- world time-keeping has nothing to do with it. At All. There’s a reason that stuff like that is sold in a JEWELRY store.
I’m not saying a Rolex isn’t a Fine Piece of Work, but it’s also very definitely a Statement. Same with high-dollar broadheads. Where’s the line between practical necessity and Statement? Not my problem.
I WILL say this much, though: if I find myself passing up shots at small game or varmints just because my arrows are too expensive to risk a shot, well HOW STOOPID IS THAT???
Just seems to me that having some fine equipment should only ADD TO my enjoyment of hunting, not cut me off from it.
I think broadheads are cheaper now than they were when I started hunting in 1988. You can buy Muzzy 4 blade 125s on eBay for $29.94 shipped. I don't remember Muzzy heads ever being as cheap as $13+tax.....which is the cost of these heads now in 1988 dollars.
I invested years ago in a lifetime supply of Magnus I, 4 blade heads (actually more than a lifetime supply) of them. I have shot since these heads since they came onto the market. Told the Mike at Magnus that if he ever sold the product line, retired or was planning to stop making them to let me know. One day he calls me to tell me he was selling off that product line, so I asked him how many heads he had in stock (60+ packs, 30 + dozen) so I told him to put them in a box and send them to me. Around $1000.00 investment if I remember correctly but I never have to worry about not being able to get them.
Here you go:
If you're buying broadheads that are so stout they make sure the arrow fails before they do that's absolutely the point. It means you've eliminated the broadhead as the weakpoint of the system. Then you can move on to improving your arrow.
I'd much rather shatter a leg bone and have a chance at the chest cavity then to have my broadhead bend over and have 0% chance. As to the three legged comment I actually was with a friend who recovered a 3 legged elk that was not mortally wounded. One leg however, was broken after the shot and he now has a 300" elk on his wall. So yes, we both ran down that 3-legged elk, which wasn't even difficult.
A Rolex and a broadhead serve 2 completely different functions, but you also can't take a Walmart watch, put it in a drawer and sell it for thousands more than you paid for it 30 years later. No one will care about your $30 digital rubber watch.
If you are the kind of person that wants to shoot at varmints and doesn't want to lose a high value broadhead I would hope you could think ahead and carry more than one arrow? Maybe even a quiver of 5 or 6? Then you could carry one or two arrows with "expendable" broadheads. Not being able to plan ahead like this would be pretty stoooopid.
If you can't get enjoyment from fine equipment, don't buy it. Also, I hope others buying it doesn't hamper your enjoyment of life.
I won't care about your Rolex, or your $30 broadhead, 30 years from now either. I don't care about them now.
I have to agree with GF.
I remember a thread on tents. I posted a post about a tent I got from a company out of Colorado that I got for only $89 bucks. Now I'm a life time backpacker and back country hunter. I've had a lot of backpack tents over the years. Almost all high dollar tents. This tent I got for $89 bucks so far has been equal to my high dollar tents. A few guys come on here, that always always post in support of the hunting industry no matter what, said that you get what you pay for if you didn't buy the high dollar tents.
I'm sure there is poor cheap heads out there, buy there is also cheap good heads. I also wanted to post here about a head my friend uses that he pays something like $20 bucks for 10 and has been using for years with 100% success. I posted a while ago on a thread about ebay heads that he uses. I went back a few days later and my post was gone or maybe just maybe I forgot to hit the submit button.. Ed
Man!!!!!!! I've made the joke about three dozen times concerning the Pauls brothers running stuff down and killing it. Nothing is safe!!
“Do Ace heads have screw in? I don't want glue ons..”
They sell brass and aluminum inserts; you glue the head onto the insert that gives you the correct all-up weight, spin-test and screw them in. Presto!
So now I’m really interested to know who is making investment-grade broadheads.... LOL
The thing is....
My shotgun is a double. Most of my fishing gear is for throwing flies - from 22s up to 2-aught. My bows are all (but one!) one-piece stick bows, and the exception is a 3-piece TD recurve. My muzzle-loader is a .54 cap-lock with a roundball rate of twist. These things all are less “efficient” than alternatives which often are less expensive to acquire. But within their very modest limitations? Without exception, they are well beyond capable for their intended purposes, and I cheerfully paid a bit more than strictly necessary because these things are a joy to use.
Broadheads are in a different category entirely.
JMO, ‘‘tis a damnable Fool who buys broadheads for reasons of visual aesthetics. “Classic” or “Modern”, they have just ONE purpose; one task. They’re up to it or they aren’t. We call the pointy part of the arrow The Business End for good reason, don’t we?
If a head is as strong as it needs to be, flies true, and is as sharp as it needs to be, you can pay whatever fits into your budget... but you can’t kill anything deader than dead.
