Lets talk broadhead design...

[snowplow]

Hey guys, I have broadheads on the brain.

I can think of advantages to a straight (grizzly style) broadhead. (ease of sharpening)

I can think of advantages to a concave (Simmons/Cantaur style) broadhead (less profile to catch wind, will 'turn in' on a glancing cut)

But I cant for the life of me (and I would like to) find an advantage to a convex broadhead (like the Ace Standard)

Are there any advantages to this type of head or is it just an icon of the 50's?

[Biathlonman]

I believe the common thought is that the convex shape adds strength.  For some reason I find them just as easy to sharpen as straight if not more so.

[ChuckC]

Be careful on that "turn in" idea.  That works both ways and it also doesn't work as you may think.  

If the edge of a concave catches first on a severe angle hit, the blade may indeed try to "turn in" but that will throw the entire arrow off its course and you will dump and lose nearly all of its penetration power. The other scenario is that it travels straight on and creates a long rip in the skin of the critter, maybe only skin deep.

Conversely, if a very convex blade makes the same hit, it may very well do the same ripping as the concave, or simply bounce away from the critter.  I have seen this in action myself.

That is something to consider when choosing such heads, that it may limit the shot angle you should take.

Both convex and concave designs ( as well as straight heads) can make wonderful, deadly broadheads.
ChuckC

[NY Yankee]

Easier to add weight without more length? Gets wider quicker than straight? I shoot Ace Standards and like them a lot. I think your thought about the concave edge are a bit off, particularly the wind plane. I believe what guys see as "wind plane" is the result of either poorly mounted heads or a spine issue, release problem or some other mechanical problem with the arrow. I think "wind plane" Is pretty much a myth. Ive shot very wide 2 blade heads and had them shoot like my field points.
I think some guys make the mistake of trying to shoot b heads with straight fletching too. I do use a big feather and helical twist. JMO

I would bet nothing flies better in the wind than a 140 grain Hill, but the head that I recommend most often is the Zwickey Eskimo. Now if there was broadhead the shape of a Hill and designed like the Zwickey with that triple layered tip, it would be my favorite.  In reality any head that has been a mainstay as long as Zwickey it is not a fluke, they work. My only issue is weight, out of shear stubbornness I like how I can shoot a notch up in spine with wood arrows with 160 grain heads.

[killinstuff]

First and foremost, a broadhead design needs to do one thing, catch your eye. A guy looking at broadheads to buy is going to pick the one that looks like it's the most deadly of the bunch. There are no magic broadheads. 95% of the heads made will do exactly the same thing of deer,hog and bear size game.  Your can't made dead more dead.

[Kris]

 

"Are there any advantages to this type of head or is it just an icon of the 50's? "

It has been answered mostly, I believe it is that a convex head design has more materiel near the tip for added strength.

Some would ague that within an animal, a convex head rolls/deflects around bone much like a digging shovel glancing off a stone in a hole.  The late Jim Brackenbury made this claim and rounded his Zwickey 4 blade Eskimo tips even more.  

It could be too, that this design just emulated what existed in stone heads for thousands of years and was simply the image of what a broadhead "should" look like to most.  Stone arrowheads heads probably evolved this way because of material limits Re: broken tips.  There are concave stone heads as well, beautiful in every regard but I would imagine the convex heads are more robust and durable.  Ask any caveman...

           

Kris

[NY Yankee]

I think the Ace heads have been around since the 30's or so. I know the design is quite old.