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Best Broadheads Reviewed & Rated for Quality
Standout Picks
Criteria Used for Evaluation
Effectiveness
Ultimately, everything else on this list doesn’t really matter, if the arrow can’t even pierce half a roll of toilet paper. Penetration is the name of the game when it comes to any kind of arrow, not just broadheads, but they, in particular, rely on it.
Penetration concerns a lot of different factors acting in tandem all at once; from the width of the arrow’s body to the sharpness of the arrowhead, to the width of the arrowhead itself, and so much more. But all of that adds up into penetration, the single most important thing that any good broadhead arrow needs to get right in order to be a worthwhile product.
Whether it’s getting stuck in bow targets, or going all the way through in one brutal, but clean stroke, penetration can make all the difference in whether or not your target goes down in that first arrow fly. And considering how much a single 3 pack of broadheads cost these days, that is definitely important.
Durability
But penetration is only one side of the coin when it comes to making a really good broadhead arrow. The other half is making sure that it’s nice and durable. Because if it isn’t, then they're both isn’t anything stopping the target from deflecting the arrow, and there’s also nothing stopping the arrow from bursting upon impact.
Which would either send shards throughout the animal you’re hunting (which is both ineffective hunting, and also just flat out cruel) or just burst away ineffectively, except in alerting the animal that there’s someone after them, and that’s an entire morning and half an afternoon’s worth of waiting down the drain because the cheap ones are useless. Good bow hunting is the one-part good aim and careful precision, one part penetration factor on the arrow’s part, and one part durability, also on the arrow’s part. Making sure that you have all three of those things down pat is essential to a good broadhead arrow.
Accessories
This refers to the other blades on the arrow, that are situated around, usually attached to, the main arrow tip. These blades have one job and one job only: to convince whoever is unfortunate enough to have these things stuck in them that leaving it there is in their best interest. By now, it’s no secret that this is the, well, secret of arrows: it’s just easier to push the things the rest of the way out than risk pulling them out the way they came.
And it’s all thanks to the outer blades of the arrow. It also keeps the arrow in one place, while not the most stable thing in the world, it does keep the thing moving through the straight line you aimed it down, even through flesh and bone. Outer blades can come in any shape, size, and the number that they please, with the maximum number we’ve managed to find for this list, is 4.
Accuracy
This is obvious. The whole point of an arrow in the first place is to hit a target that is really far away that you are either unwilling or unable to hit close up. As such, the range was going to be on this list in some way shape or form eventually. After all, if the arrow you’re aiming doesn’t even reach out that far, it isn’t much of an arrow, now is it? The range is achieved through a large number of different factors, but chief among them is a lack of resistance from the arrow in question.
The smaller and thinner that arrow is, the less wind is going to be pushing against it after you let it fly. There are other factors that play into it, of course, but that’s the one chief among them all. The longer the range on an arrow is, the further down the field you have at your disposal when firing. Which is definitely something you want to have in your arrows.
Features
Of course, this was going to get on the list eventually. Sharpness is one of the most vital criteria to discuss whenever you talk about any item that is bladed, and for obvious reason. Just like with range and penetration, if your arrow isn’t very sharp, then you’ve just brought a particularly aerodynamic stick on this hunting trip, and the thing is useless.
Sharpness is determined by one thing, and one thing only: the blades and the tip at the end of the arrow. This is where sharpening comes into play. Make sure that your arrows are sharpened after every use of them, and if you can’t sharpen them anymore, then throw them away because that arrow is done.
Best Broadheads
1. Muzzy 3-Blade
Kicking off our list, we have the Muzzy 3-Blade Fixed Blade Broadheads. This hollow ground, hardened steel arrow is renown, even among the already famous lineup offered by the venerable arrow company Muzzy. What makes it so renown? Let’s find out.
TroCar Tip
The best thing about this arrow is its TroCar Tip. This hardened steel tip not only makes for maximum penetration, even through bone, but it also enhances the flight stability of the arrow’s flight. This makes the arrow fly straighter, more stable, and thus more likely to hit your target straight on, and less likely to be deterred by whatever is waiting for them beneath the skin of its target.
Easy blade system
The blade system of an arrow refers to how easily you can switch from a practice blade on a bow to a hunting one. It’s important to remember the difference between these two since it’s basically the difference between staying safe and putting an arrow in your uncle’s knee. Fortunately, as long as you remember the difference, this blade system will help you switch out within seconds.
Cost and Value
Of course, you don’t buy arrows individually, you buy them in packs, usually packs of six, give or take a few. And the price for a six-pack of these arrows is pretty standard, given the quality thereof.
2. Thunderhead Fixed Blade
Coming in second place, we have the ThunderHead Fixed Blade Broadheads. Thunderhead is another name that is instantly recognizable to any hunting aficionado. Mostly because they’ve proven time and again to be not only capable of quality products, but consistently quality products, which counts for a lot more. So, with that said, let’s see what this arrow offers.
Three blade design
You probably already know this, but the way things used to be was that an arrow would only have two blades, like a particularly aerodynamic pointed stick. However, later manufacturers found that the blade would have a lot more penetration and would stop a lot less if it had three blades instead of two. Which of course, leads us to this arrow here.
O-ring retention washers
But that isn’t the dirty little secret to the power of these arrows. The real secret is the O-ring retention washers located just beneath the blades. What do these washers do? Simply put, they cushion the impact. Now we know how paradoxical that sounds, but we assure you, the best way to ensure that your arrow gets through the target it’s aimed at is to make sure there is actually as little impact as possible. The blade is sharp enough to get through, but like someone falling into water from high up, a tough enough impact will negate that fact. Which is where the washers come in, cushioning the blow and making it easier to punch through.
Cost and Value
For the most part, these actually come in sets of five instead of six, as is standard. Unfortunately, this makes the otherwise average price of the arrows not as worth it as they otherwise would have been.
3. Magnus Stinger Fixed Blade
Finishing up our top three segment, we have the Magnus Stinger Fixed Blade Broadheads. We know we said that manufacturers tried to move onto three-blade arrowheads a while ago, but as you can see, there are quite a few holdouts remaining. And as we will now show you, for a very good reason.
Diamond tip
If you want something dead and we mean dead, then there’s only one type of arrowhead you go with: diamond-tipped. Diamond is the stronger, the densest stone on the planet, and when filed down to a sharpened point, nothing has the penetration power it can pull off. Not many arrows on the commercial hunting market have diamond-tipped blades, so it’s always a treat to find one that does.
Durable ferrule
A good arrow is only really as good as the ferrule placed at the base of the blade, which makes it doubly good that the ferrule for this blade is made from aircraft-grade aluminum, making it much more durable than the kinds of ferrules you usually see with these types of arrows.
Cost and Value
Once more we have a very average price for these arrows, but considering everything that these arrows give you in exchange, it becomes a much better deal. Even if you only get three per pack.
4. Magnus Stinger Buzzcut
Coming in at #4 on our list, we stick with Magnus for a bit longer with the Magnus Stinger Buzzcut Fixed Blade Broadhead Arrow. This is considered a step further up from the previous entry, which we’ll remind you, featured aircraft-grade aluminum and diamond-tipped arrowheads. And this is the one considered taking your hunting to the next level. So, let’s see what “next level” means to a company like Magnus.
Serrated main blade
Like before, this one has an ultra-strong, reinforced diamond tip for its arrows. The difference here is in the main part of the blade, which is serrated, to make it easier to slice through flesh, and impossible to remove without doing extensive further damage. Perfect for when you need to get an arrow in a deer and keep it there.
Four bladed design
Four bladed designs always perplexed designers for arrows for years before they figured out how to pull it off. The problem has always been that adding more equally sized blades has always, ironically, made penetration harder when paired with the impact. So, the solution became clear, make two of those blades smaller. So, the main blades make the initial incisions upon impact, and the final two blades bring it all home.
Cost and Value
The big problem with this set of arrows, once again, is the price. And once again, not even the fact that it’s too pricey compared to the others, in fact, all of the prices so far have been completely uniform. The problem is that it also comes in only 3 pieces per set, which hurts how worth it the price is.
5. Wasp Jak-Hammer SST
For our #5 spot, we chose the Wasp Jak-Hammer SST Broadhead. This is one of the most different designs for a broadhead arrow on this entire list. But not an unheard-of design either, thankfully, just different. So what benefits does this design bring with it? Let’s find out.
Never comes out
The idea behind an arrow as a basic concept is to not only stick itself into a creature’s body but to then stay there no matter what, causing irreparable damage if pulled out. And this arrow is pretty much the embodiment of that. Because of the way its outer blades are angled, along with their serrated edges, this is easily one of the most stubborn arrows on the entire market.
Continuous cutting path
Because of the way that this arrow’s blades are aligned with the edges of the cutting tip, this arrow not only never comes out the way it came in, in many cases, it’ll just go right through because it has the ability to cut a continuous cutting path through its target. The kind that naught but the toughest, thickest resistance can stop.
Cost and Value
Another three-pack, but thankfully this time, the price isn’t quite so punishing. Sure, it’s still close to the average, but it’s still far down enough that it isn’t so bad.
6. Blackout Gator Expandable
Coming in at #6, we have the Blackout Gator Expandable Broadheads. If you’re looking for an efficient confidence booster in your arrow, as well as some of the most efficient stopping power in the entire market, then you look to the Blackout Gator.
Free floating, deploying blades
The most innovative thing about this arrow is the blades. At first, this arrow will look like just a long, pointed stick, with a pair of teeth at the end. But upon impact is when this broadhead shows its hand, by deploying a pair of hook blades that keep the arrow lodged in the target. While also staying concealed for added speed and range.
Ballistic characteristics
The reason that this arrow is so aerodynamic is that it’s been specially modified to exhibit ballistic characteristics near that of a field point. What this means is that this arrow flies like a bullet, far and fast, and hitting its mark dead on.
Cost and Value
The best part about this arrow set is the price. This is the price you’re more likely to find with sets of three, not too cheap, but not quite the average set by 5 or 6 sets either.
7. G5 Outdoors Montec
For the #7 spot, we chose the G5 Outdoors Montec Fixed Blade Broadheads. We’re back to more traditional broadhead designs for this entry, and thankfully, we’re starting back with easily one of the finest examples of that design, the G5 Montec. So why are we so crazy about this arrow? Let’s find out.
No need to replace
Replaceable blades definitely have earned their place. But there is something to be said for blades that don’t need to be replaced because they’re already the best possible choice. With that said, the blades for these arrows are made from solid stainless steel, that never needs to be replaced at all.
Diamond cut
There’s a big difference between diamond tip and diamond cut blades. To be diamond cut is to be filed and sharpened down to a point by sharpeners made from diamond. This results in a finer, sharper edge that you just can’t get from other sharpeners. So, if you want the absolute best possible performance from a nondiamond arrow, then you need to go after a diamond-cut broadhead arrow.
Cost and Value
Once again, the problem here is that the price being asked for does not reflect the quantity of the arrows in the pack.
8. Grim Reaper Razortip
Kicking off our final three entries, we have the Grim Reaper Razortip Mechanical Broadheads. If you know your way around an arrow, then one look at this one will be enough to tell you that it is not an exaggeration to call this arrow the grim reaper.
Locknotch blade retention system
With these kinds of arrows, the key factor that separates the good from the great is the blade retention system. This is what keeps the outer blades restrained until the last possible moment when the arrow impacts the target. And this arrow has one of the best on the entire market, the Locknotch blade retention system.
No deflection design
We’ve all seen those Kung Fu movies where the main character, surrounded on all sides by enemies wielding bows and arrows, manages to walk away unscathed. Movie magic, right? Well, believe it or not, there actually are ways to deflect arrows, since they’re so much slower than bullets. Unless, of course, the arrows in question are designed like the Grim Reaper, which is specially designed to hit its target, with no hope of deflecting it away.
Cost and Value
An average price for a pack of arrows of this high quality. The fact that they’re just a pack of threes doesn’t really matter when you look at everything we’ve listed and then use it out in the field. Then you realize, three is all you need.
9. Rage Crossbow X Broadheads
For our second to the final entry, we have the Rage Crossbow X Broadheads. As the name implies, you can either shoot this from a bow like a normal hunter, or you can go extra and choose to load it into a crossbow and fire it that way. Whichever way you choose, you’re guaranteed sheer power.
Flies like a field tip
If you want aerodynamics and range in your arrow, then you need to go with a field tip arrow. They’re specifically designed to outclass everyone else in terms of speed and range. Until today, as this arrow takes a few pages out of a field tip arrow’s book, to give itself excellent range and speed that one would normally only find in a field tip arrow.
Shock collar
Sadly no, this doesn’t mean that this arrow will shock your target to death upon hitting them, as awesome as that would be. No, instead, what it means is that this arrow’s collar is cushioned in a way that takes off the shock of impact from the arrowhead, so it can do its thing more effectively.
Cost and Value
The best part about this entry is the price. You only get three arrows, but you end up paying a price that actually reflects that amount you get out of it. So, if you want three of the best arrows on the market right now, then look no further.
10. Rage Hypodermic
For our final entry for this list, we have the Rage Hypodermic Broadheads. Much like the previous entry in terms of design, but with two mechanical blades instead of three, this arrow has a lot more going on under the hood other than the number of blades it has. What do we mean by this? Let’s find out.
Superior penetration
With any arrow, there are two names to the game: penetration and durability. Both of which this arrow has down, but let’s focus on penetration. This arrow has more penetration than most of the entries on this entire list, Owing to the diamond cut tips, the razor-sharp .035” stainless steel blades, and the aerodynamic 1-piece steel ferrule.
Shock collar
Like the previous entry, this one has a specialized shock collar that helps absorb the shock of impact away from the tip of the blade. This keeps the blade from ricocheting off of the bones of the animal you’re hunting, allowing it to focus squarely on pure penetrative power. Making this one of the most sought after broadheads on the entire market.
Cost and Value
The reason this broadhead is sitting at rock bottom is its price. We’ve gone on and on about high prices for not much in return, but three of these blades’ costs at least twice what the previous entries on this list costed.
Sources
- , Broadhead Buyer's Guide, Webpage
- , Types of Broadheads, Webpage
- , Which Broadheads Should you Use and Why, Webpage
