Difference between Snuffers and Woodsmans

[Hevi-5]

I was just curious about the differences between the two.  They look alot alike, but I know there are differences.  Is one easier to sharpen than the other, more durable, easier to tune, etc.  Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Billy

[Swamp Yankee]

Woodsman has a 3:1 length to width ratio; Sniffers are less than that.  In theory, the Woodsman will penetrate better, the Snuffer will cut a bigger hole.

[Bill Carlsen]

Both heads were based on an already known two blade. The Snuffer was first made out of dismantled Pearson Deadheads and made into 3 blade heads by Roger Rothhaarr. Over time they evolved into the style we are currently familiar with.

The Woodsman was designed by the Wensels and Biggie Hoffman and maybe others...but those guys I know were involved. The head was based on the two blade Hunter's Head than John Schultz designed. The idea of a 3 blade head with a relative 3:1 ratio was to improve penetration, which the Hunters Head had along with a multiple blade head for better blood trails.

[Tajue17]

snuffers just look wicked on that arrow.

[jonsimoneau]

Both are excellent heads.  You will do well to use either of them on whitetails.  I cannot comment on other species, since I have only used them on whitetails.  I darn near used woodsmans in Africa, and I'm sure it would have been fine, but since I shoot bows in the 50 something pound range, I chose to use two blade heads on the big animals over there.

[Jack Shanks]

Friends and I bought the Wensels when they first came out. What we found different in the two heads is the Snuffers with screw in adapter all spun true right out of the package and half of the Wensels wobbled. I have heard that the problem with the Wensels has been corrected over the last few years but I have never bought any others to find out for myself.

[Bobby Urban]

I have shot both for years and will continue to do so.  I just like a hole vs. slit but that is just my choice.  I get more pass throughs with WW but the 160 Snuffs are so wicked it is hard not using them.  If I had only one head for the rest of my hunting it would be WW.  They just have given me everything I could ask for.  Never had trouble with them wobbling.  

If you go with the Snuffs get the big ones as I understand the 125's are a little weak.  They are the same head as the 160's with a lot of steel removed.  

They both sharpen very easily and using the same technique.  Lots of posts describing how to get them sharp can be found here using the search.

[Tajue17]

Originally posted by Jack Shanks:
Friends and I bought the Wensels when they first came out. What we found different in the two heads is the Snuffers with screw in adapter all spun true right out of the package and half of the Wensels wobbled. I have heard that the problem with the Wensels has been corrected over the last few years but I have never bought any others to find out for myself.

I have to agree with Jack, I bought 12 and I  still have 6 from that set and they all wobbled and they all where glued together with what looked like epoxy so i couldn't just heat them and re-set em. it wasn't based on the quality of the head itself but that was the last day I bought a woodsman AND i'm sure like jack said everything was fixed,, i just have to move forward instead of reverse sometimes.

[Friend]

Shoot both...like both

Since my focus and set-ups are based on excellent penetration for larger wound channels, I tpically I go with the larger cut.

If penetration is of the least amount of concern, I choose the woodsman.

If penetration with woodsmans is of the least amount of concern, I choose a two blade.

[Tom Leemans]

I shoot Snuffer 160's (big hole!)but I've used the 125's before. Both work just fine and leave blood trails you can follow by listening to the blood dripping off leaves. Can't speak to the Woodsmans but they seem to have evolved into a good BH.

[buckeyebowhunter]

I could never get either one of them hair shaving sharp    so i use bear two blade heads now.

[Rik]

I have some large bald spots on my forearms right now from testing the hair-cutting sharpness of a batch of Snuffers I sharpened up last weekend in preparation for an upcoming hunt.

Using a large Mill Bastard file and a large diamond steel, I got each head shaving sharp in less than three minutes. Probably closer to two minutes. Very little effort required.

They are mounted on some heavy ash shafts, and with a total arrow weight of 750 grains, they should penetrate well out of my 75-pound bow.

After 30 years of bowhunting, I am going to use them to try to kill my fist whitetail buck. Seems long overdue, but I was having too much fun chasing mule deer and elk for all those years. But the time has finally come------nnow, if I can just get a whitetail to pose for me at about 20 yards. . .

[Easykeeper]

I used but was not very impressed with the precision of the first Woodsmans.  The last ones I've bought though, the Woodsman Elites, are very nicely machined.  Seem to take an edge better than the originals too but it could be my imagination since they don't need the filing that the originals needed to have straight edges.  A little work on progressively finer stones and the Elites are very sharp.  The Woodsman Elite is also a great flying head, evidenced by the fact I use them out of both my recurve and my much faster compound.

[Blueridge]

used the Woodsman Elite for the first time this season and have taken an 8 point buck which ran about 30 yds. and a Bear that made it maybe 40 yds.  I am very impressed with this head. used both the 125 and 150 grain .  I sharpened both heads with a file.

[SELFBOW19953]

I was using Snuffers before WW came out-and I bought a slue of them, so haven't even tried WW.  Snuffers (and from what I've seen/read, WW) leave a big hole the leaves awesome bloodtrails.

[Hevi-5]

Thanks for all the replies.  I have some Snuffers on the way.  I recently got my first longbow kill and shot the deer with a 2 blade Zwickey eskimo on a cedar arrow.  I got penetration to the nock on a quartering away shot, with about 16 inches or so sticking out the exit side.  The deer only went about 150 yards, but I wasn't overly impressed with the blood trail.  I think the jelly-like blood and lung material plugged the exit wound, so I am wanting to try a 3-blade head to see if i can get a better bloodtrail.

Thanks again,
Billy

[PaPa Ron]

I use the Woodsman Elite 175 grain and it does a great job for me.

[huntnmuleys]

im using the woodsman elite 175 grain as well, and have had great success with em.  havent shot anything bigger than an elk with em yet though.