Over the past decade or so mechanical broadheads have become the preferred arrowhead for serious hunters. They offer excellent aerodynamic characteristics in flight while still being large and powerful enough to take down significant game animals. Today we’ll be reviewing some of the best mechanical broadheads on the market to help you find the best ones for your hunting style.
Contents
Best Mechanical Broadheads
- New Archery Products Mechanical Broadhead
- Rage Hypodermic Trypan Titanium Broadhead
- TRUGLO Titanium X Mechanical Broadhead
- Grim Reaper Razortip Mechanical Broadhead
- Rage X-Treme Chisel Tip Mechanical Broadhead
- Rage Crossbow X Blade Mechanical Broadhead
- Excalibur X-Act 3-Blade Mechanical Broadhead
- Swhacker 2 Inch Cut Broadheads
The mechanical broadhead market is filled with a lot of very similar products that each offers small differences. For the most part you’ll find excellent broadheads with great performance, but it’s always possible to tweak your chosen mechanical broadhead to find the best one for the game you’re hunting.
We went through the field and picked out some of the best and most effective mechanical broadheads across the range of price, style, material, and design.
New Archery Products Killzone Best Mechanical Broadheads
The New Archery Products Killzone is a two blade mechanical broadhead. It’s a rear deploying broadhead with a cut on contact tip that comes in a pack of three.
It’s available in both 100-grain and 125-grain weight and offers a 2” cutting diameter. It uses NAP’s signature spring clip deployment system to ensure it deploys reliably but stays closed in flight and in your quiver.
The NAP Killzone is a quality dual blade mechanical broadhead. It’s reliable, safe to use and store, and offers an excellent cutting diameter.
Rage Hypodermic Trypan Titanium Broadhead
The Rage Hypodermic Trypan is a dual blade titanium broadhead. It uses a rear deployment design based on a polymer shock collar. This helps keep the blades razor sharp during storage.
It’s a 100-grain broadhead with a 2” cutting diameter and .039” blade thickness. This gives it excellent stopping power and durability. The aerodynamic ferrule has a chisel tip design for punching through bone and sinew and is made from lightweight yet highly durable titanium.
One thing to keep in mind is that the polymer shock collars are single use. They need to be replaced after each shot.
The Rage Hypodermic Trypan is a lightweight and high quality mechanical broadhead. It offers excellent performance and a significant cutting diameter for taking down medium to large game.
TRUGLO Titanium X
The TRUGLO Titanium X is a dual blade mechanical broadhead with a cut on contact design. It has a machined titanium ferrule made to slice through hide and muscle on impact.
It uses a rear deployment design and a 2.19” cutting diameter. The design allows it to fly like a field point yet provide the stopping power of a large broadhead.
The Titanium X is a 100-grain broadhead with .031” thick blades. It comes in a pack of three and includes a spare set of replacement blades for each broadhead.
Grim Reaper Razortip
The Grim Reaper Razortip is a three blade mechanical broadhead with an aluminum ferrule. It’s built to provide excellent penetration and a significant exit wound.
It uses a front deploying design with tips that dig into the target and deploy the blades automatically. This gives you excellent reliability and takes away the need for o-rings and other deployment aids.
It’s available in a variety of weights, with the 100-grain model offering a 2” cutting diameter. The three blade design creates a much larger wound than a standard dual blade broadhead, making that 2” cutting diameter really closer to 3”.
The Razortip is a high quality broadhead with a bulletproof design. It’s reliable and capable of providing excellent pass-through shots.
Rage X-Treme Chisel Tip
The Rage X-Treme Chisel Tip is a dual blade mechanical broadhead. It has an anodized aluminum ferrule with a chisel tip and uses a rear deployment design.
It’s a 100-grain broadhead with a 2.3” cutting diameter. The blades rest on one of Rage’s Extreme Series shock collars. This ensures that the blades stay securely in place during transport and flight, then deploy reliably on impact.
The blades have a sweeping angle to help maintain kinetic energy more effectively upon impact. This helps increase pass through of larger game.
Overall the Rage X-Treme Chisel Tip is an effective dual blade mechanical broadhead. It has a large cutting diameter and good aerodynamics.
Rage Crossbow X Blade
The Rage Crossbow X Blade is a crossbow specific dual blade mechanical broadhead. It uses a read deploying design with a SlipCam system for fast and smooth blade deployment.
It’s available in 100-grain and 125-grain and uses a cut on contact blade tip. The body of the arrowhead is built from high strength aluminum and specially designed for aerodynamics and initial penetration.
The Crossbow X Blade offers a 2” inch cutting diameter with a Shock collar style blade retention system. It comes in a pack of three and can be refurbished with new blades and o-rings as needed.
The Rage Crossbow X Blade is a good choice for crossbow hunters. It’s specially designed for quarrels rather than arrows and provides excellent flight and pass through penetration.
Excalibur X-Act 3-Blade Mechanical Broadhead
The Excalibur X-ACT 100 Grain is a three blade mechanical broadhead designed for serious hunters. Each broadhead weighs 100-grains and uses a rear deployment system.
They have a cutting diameter of 1 7/16th inches and rely on a Clip Loc blade control system. This keeps the blades safely stowed during transport and flight but reliably deploys them upon impact.
It also eliminates the need for finicky o-rings that you have to replace after every shot. The overall design of the X-ACT 100 gives it field point levels of accuracy yet substantial takedown power.
Swhacker 2 Inch Cut Broadheads
The Swhacker Two Inch Cut Broadheads are two blade mechanical broadheads. They use a rear deployment design and weigh 100-grains.
The ferrule of these broadheads is made from anodized aluminum and tipped with a carbon steel tip honed to a razors edge. It uses a wing blade deployment design that offers maximum penetration and damage to vitals.
The outer wing blades help cut through the hide, sinew, and outer layer of flesh before deploying the internal blades with a cutting diameter of 2”. This protects these blades and keeps them razor sharp for when they encounter the internal organs.
Best Mechanical Broadheads Comparison Table
| Image | Title | Price | Prime | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Top Top | NAP Killzone Mechancial Broadhead 100 Grain Two Blade 2" Cutting Diameter Trophy Tip 3 Pack | PrimeEligible | Buy on Amazon | |
 Top | RAGE Hypodermic Trypan Broadhead 100gr 3pk. Silver (35100) | PrimeEligible | Buy on Amazon | |
 Top | TRUGLO Titanium X 100-Grain Crossbow Broadheads - 3-Pack, 4-Blade Mechanical | PrimeEligible | Buy on Amazon | |
 Top | Grim Reaper Razortip Broadhead Whitetail Special 100gr 2in 3pk | PrimeEligible | Buy on Amazon | |
 Top | Rage Xtreme Chisel Tip 2 Blade Broadhead, 100 Grain with Shock Collar Technology - 3 Pack, red, Model:55100 | PrimeEligible | Buy on Amazon | |
 Top | RAGE Crossbow X, 2-Blade Archery Arrow Broadhead, 100 or 125 Grain with Shock Collar Technology (3-Pack) | PrimeEligible | Buy on Amazon | |
 Top | Excalibur X-Act 100 Grain 3-Blade Mechanical Broadhead (Pack of 3) | PrimeEligible | Buy on Amazon | |
 Top | Swhacker SWH00207 #207 2 Inch Cut Broadheads Set of 3-100 Grain, Green, 2" | Prime | Buy on Amazon |
Buyers Guide to Buying the Best Mechanical Broadheads
For something so simple on paper, there are a lot of factors that go into picking the best mechanical broadhead. You need to consider what type of game you’re hunting, your own level of skill, and the type and draw weight of bow or crossbow you’re using.
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Price of the Best Mechanical Broadheads
The price of mechanical broadheads is pretty consistent across the board. The majority of broadheads come in a multi pack, usually 3-5, and are priced at right around $40. You definitely can spend more than that on some mechanical broadheads, but you don’t get a whole lot better performance for your money.
Cutting Diameter of the Blades
The cutting diameter of the blades is the most important metric to look at when comparing mechanical broadheads. Put simply, it refers to the area of the arrowhead that will actually cut when it’s fully deployed.
For mechanical broadheads this ranges from a low of about 1.5 inches all the way up to nearly 3 inches for really large ones. The reason it’s important relates to taking down game.
The larger the cutting diameter of the blades the larger the exit wound on your prey. Not only does this more effectively take them down upon impact, it makes it a whole lot easier to track them.
A large exit wound from a big cutting diameter will leave a much more noticeable blood trail to track. Larger cutting diameter broadheads are more forgiving for novices and those with less than perfect accuracy.
In general, the larger the cutting diameter the better.
Number of Blades and Blade Thickness
Blades on mechanical broadheads are a lot like blades on razors, the manufacturers always seem to be adding more of them. When mechanical broadheads first came out they generally came with two blades.
Now three is the standard, and four bladed broadheads are beginning to appear on the market. The thickness hasn’t changed quite as much but is still important to keep in mind. Thicker blades are more likely to penetrate an animals hide and less likely to be bent as it passes through muscle, flesh, and organs.
For newer hunters more and thicker blades are the way to go. They make it much more likely that you’ll get solid contact with your prey.
Veteran hunters and true sharpshooters can get away with shooting two bladed broadheads. They may even find them less affected by the wind.
Tip Type
There are two major tip types on mechanical broadheads today. These are cut on contact and chisel style.
Cut On Contact Tips – Cut on contact broadheads have a razor sharp tip going all the way down the length of the arrowhead. These are designed to slice through muscle and vitals as soon as they strike your prey.
If you’re shooting a traditional recurve style bow or similar lower draw weight bow cut on contact broadheads are a great choice. They’re great at cutting through flesh but can easily be blocked or misdirected by bone.
Chisel Tips – Chisel tip broadheads have an extremely sharp point at the tip of the arrowhead with razors behind it. They’re fully capable of punching through muscle, sinew, vitals, and even bone.
It’s this last characteristic that makes them so useful. They’re very forgiving if you’re not 100% certain about your ability to achieve pinpoint accuracy. Even if you miss the perfect vital zone a chisel tip can punch through bone to hit other areas.
One thing to keep in mind though is that chisel tips require a lot of power behind them. You should generally only use them on bows with a higher draw weight.
Front or Rear Deploying Broadhead
There are two ways the blades can deploy from a mechanical broadhead. Rear deploying broadheads look a lot more like what people expect an arrow head to look like.
When the broadhead impacts the prey the force of the impact depresses wings along the sides. This pushes blades out and causes them to slice through. They deploy from the rear but then move near the front of the broadhead.
Front deploying broadheads fold out from the front but actually drag behind the broadhead.
They fold out from the tip of the arrow a lot like a flower blooming. The blades in a front deploying broadhead are located on the outside of the arrowhead itself.
Choosing between one really comes down to preference, with different hunters swearing by one or the other. There are a few things you should keep in mind though.
Rear deploying broadheads aren’t quite as finicky as front deploying ones. They’ll deploy on pretty much any impact. For low poundage bows though you should go with a front deploying broadhead.
They’ll still deploy even with only partial penetration.
Weight in Grains
All broadheads are measured in grains, a unit that represents 1/7000th of a pound. Some broadhead weighs you’ll see include 75-grain, 100-grain, 150-grain, with 100-grain by far being the most common.
That really comes down to the fact that the vast majority of arrows are made to use 100-grain arrowheads. 100-grain broadheads will do just fine for basically all small to medium sized game, including things like deer, turkey, and black bears.
The only time you’ll need something heavier than 100-grain is if you’re hunting large game like moose, elk, caribou, or buffalo.
Material
The vast majority of broadheads are made from stainless steel, with aircraft grade aluminum coming in a close second. If you’re willing to spend a little more you can find mechanical broadheads with more exotic, though expensive, materials.
Draw Weight of Your Bow
One really important thing to keep in mind is whether or not your bow is suited for mechanical broadheads. The general consensus is that you should have a minimum draw weight of 55 lbs to use mechanical broadheads.
Anything less than that and it’s unlikely you’ll be able to get a clean pass through shot with a mechanical broadhead. As a general rule we don’t recommend hunting anything larger than a rabbit or turkey with a bow less than 55 lbs.
Top Mechanical Broadhead Video
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) – Best Mechanical Broadheads
Welcome to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section of our comprehensive guide on the best mechanical broadheads. In this section, we aim to address common queries and provide helpful answers to assist you in making informed decisions about these essential hunting tools. Whether you are a seasoned hunter or new to the sport, we’ve compiled a list of questions that frequently arise when considering mechanical broadheads. From understanding their functionality and effectiveness to maintenance tips and legal considerations, we’ve got you covered. So, let’s delve into the world of mechanical broadheads and discover the answers to your burning questions.
What are mechanical broadheads?
Mechanical broadheads are arrow tips used in hunting that have expandable blades. They are designed to open upon impact, increasing the cutting diameter and creating larger wound channels.
How do mechanical broadheads differ from fixed-blade broadheads?
Unlike fixed-blade broadheads, mechanical broadheads have blades that are concealed during flight, reducing wind resistance. Upon impact, the blades expand, maximizing the cutting diameter for improved penetration and tissue damage.
Are mechanical broadheads more effective than fixed-blade broadheads?
Both types of broadheads have their advantages. Mechanical broadheads offer larger cutting diameters and potentially deeper penetration due to their design. However, they also have more moving parts, which can occasionally lead to mechanical failure. Fixed-blade broadheads are typically more reliable but have smaller cutting diameters.
Are mechanical broadheads suitable for all types of game animals?
Mechanical broadheads can be effective for various game animals, including deer, elk, and wild boar. However, for larger animals like bear or moose, some hunters prefer fixed-blade broadheads for their deeper penetration capabilities.
What are some key factors to consider when choosing mechanical broadheads?
When selecting mechanical broadheads, consider factors such as blade quality, cutting diameter, penetration capability, reliability, and flight accuracy. It’s also essential to choose broadheads specifically designed for your bow’s draw weight and the game you intend to hunt.
How should I maintain and sharpen mechanical broadheads?
To maintain mechanical broadheads, carefully inspect them after each use for any damage or blade dullness. Replace damaged or dull blades as needed. When sharpening, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Many mechanical broadheads have replaceable blades, making maintenance easier.
Can mechanical broadheads be reused?
It depends on the specific broadhead and the condition after impact. Some mechanical broadheads are designed for single-use only, while others can be reassembled and reused if they remain in good condition. Always check the manufacturer’s recommendations for reuse.
Are mechanical broadheads legal for hunting?
The legality of mechanical broadheads for hunting may vary based on your location. Check your local hunting regulations and consult with local authorities or game wardens to ensure you are using broadheads that comply with the applicable laws.
Are mechanical broadheads suitable for crossbows as well as compound bows?
Yes, mechanical broadheads can be used with both crossbows and compound bows. However, it’s crucial to choose broadheads specifically designed for the type of bow you are using to ensure compatibility and optimal performance.
Can mechanical broadheads cause arrow flight inconsistencies?
Mechanical broadheads, if not properly tuned or matched to your equipment, can potentially cause arrow flight inconsistencies. It is recommended to tune your bow and broadheads together to ensure accurate and consistent flight performance.
Remember, it’s important to read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for any mechanical broadheads you choose to use, as specific details and guidelines may vary.
Final Thoughts on the Best Mechanical Broadheads
With mechanical broadheads there are numerous minor differences and tweaks you have to consider before making your decision.
What it really comes down to though is what you intend to hunt and the type of bow you intend to hunt it with.
As long as you’re clear on those two things picking out the best mechanical broadhead is easy.
