Broadheads - How sharp out of the box?

[StanM]

Hey all, I need your help with our new broadhead. When I get them from the Teflon coaters they are completely coated, body, blade and edge. My plan was to put an initial edge on them, sharp, but not scary sharp, because I've always shot my heads before I've hunted with them, then gotten them hunting sharp. This will save me some time over getting them scary sharp before sending them out.

My understanding now is that quite a few people prefer getting their heads hunting sharp right out of the box. Because my wife and my daughters tell me my time is worth something to them, if I go get them really sharp out of the box, I'd have to charge a little more.

So the question is, would you prefer to get your broadheads less expensive and in need of sharpening, or ready to go despite a higher cost?

Thanks for the help.

BTW, here's pics of the heads.

whoops, gotta resize all posted images no wider than 640, please

  http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v215/missstanna/Phoenix%20Broadhead/Phoenix150.jpg
 
  http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v215/missstanna/Phoenix%20Broadhead/Phoenix100.jpg

[[email protected]]

My preference...I don't really care.  To confuse things you could, I suppose offer them both ways.

BUT what really chaps my hide is when they are advertised as "hunting sharp" out of the box, and they are not.  Frankly I think it discredits the maker/retailer.

FWIW...

Sure is a good looking head.

Bob

[screamin]

I would prefer them the way your doing them now, sharp but not scary hunting sharp. I prefer to make em scary sharp to my standards, but its nice to have something to work with.

[calgarychef]

When you buy a quality knife does it come sharp?  Do you have to pay more to have it properly sharpened?  When I buy qualty wood chisels they come sharp, saw blades don't have to be sharpened fishooks are sharp, drill bits are sharp, my cooking knives come sharp.  I think it's always been bogus that broadheads need to be sharpened befor use.  It's just something that ought to be done, it's the right thing to do.

That's my opinion.

[Rob DiStefano]

personally, and maybe this is just me, but i don't trust the sharpness of any brandy new just-outta-the-package broadhead, no matter what the labeling sez about its readiness for hunting.  

i typically get a dozen heads at a time, and one or two heads might be used strictly for testing/practice and will never get sharpened, the rest all go through the "scary sharp" ritual with a kme knife sharpener.

what i would like to see with ALL broadheads, is that the bevels are well cut, and right to the edge and not left blunt - that just means extra file work on my part to get the edges trued up before starting the actual sharpening process.  i just went through this with a 12 pack of tusker concorde single left bevels and it was more file work than i cared to do so i used a bench grinder to true up the bevels before putting each head on the kme knife sharpener.

so my vote would be to just grind in the edge bevels completely (don't leave any blunted areas!) and i'll take care of the real sharpening.

ymmv.

btw - no matter how sharp a broadhead or knife is after leaving the factory, a good sharpening system will show you how really sharp that blade can be.    heck, blades just hanging around and not protected with a goodly oil/wax coating get dull just by oxidation!

[James Wrenn]

I prefer broadheads,knives or anything with a cutting edge to come sharp.Sure I usually have to sharpen them some more but it is a lot easier to touch up an already sharp edge than spend more time getting them ready to sharpen.jmo

[J-dog]

Drives me batty (short trip, yes) to see a BH advetised as "hunting sharp" and none really are. I have some Ashby heads and they come SHARP - course they will all be shot before use in the field and touched up on a paper wheel. But taking something that is already sharp is easier than something totally dull.

J

[Possum Head]

Typically,"hunting sharp"is as ludicrous as "vine ripe".Like Rob,a few will be selected for practice.Heads dull in and out of quivers so I'm constantly on the stone.With that said,if I purchase a good flying,durable head I wont fuss over semi-sharp.However there's always the nimrods who give no reguard to the edge and they go straight from package to arrow the night before the hunt.Ship 'em out with the mind set that a 50 yd.blood trail is long enough.

[J-dog]

What is the deal with single beveled three blades? and when will they be to market!    

[StanM]

Thanks for resizing the pictures, Mike, I thought I'd done that in Photobucket before I posted them   :(  

The glue-on heads are 2 1/2" long with a 1 1/8" cutting diameter at 150 grains.  The screw-ins are 1 1/4" long with a 1 1/8" cutting diameter and 100 grains.

 

Originally posted by J-dog:
What is the deal with single beveled three blades? and when will they be to market!      

J-dog, sharpness is really the reason I wanted to make these heads.  Most double beveled three blades are sharpened two blades at a time by laying them on a file or a stone.  This produces 60 degree bevels.

Ours are 34 degrees, which we can do because they are single bevel.  34 degrees is a sharper angle than 60 degrees.

Initial testing is that they also produce a spiral wound chanel and penetrate bone well.  Much more testing is needed    :D    They fly very well.

I'm hoping to have them available for purchase in a week or two.  Need shore a couple of things up.

[Ragnarok Forge]

Nice job on the single bevel on the three blade.  If you plan to make a 200 grain in the future let me know and I will be happy to buy a bunch from you.  What is the ballpark price on the 150 grain head?  They would work for my wifes hunting arrows.

[J-dog]

That is cool - youll have to be sure to get us notified when they are ready - QUICK!

Seriously good lookin head there - like the 150; long and lean.

[Goke]

I prefer them sharp. I can always touch them up but prefer them sharp out of the box.

[SteveB]

Don't rate as quality unless produced sharp.

[bowbenderman]

Don't know if I missed it, but what type steel do you use?

[steadman]

Like we talked Stan. Get them ground, like most other heads, then let us touch them up, most guys do anyways. Talk to you soon.

[robtattoo]

Just grind the bevels. Don't worry about getting them razor sharp. In my opinion most folks will buy an affordable head over a razorshrp head. The folks who want to pay extra for sharpening, well, good luck to 'em. If thay want to pay $30 for a head that they can shoot once & then have to sharpen anyway, more power to 'em. Most folks have more sense than money.
If you think about it, a razor sharp head will cost probably $3-$5 more, per head. Cool. You shoot it once, you've just lost the $3-$5 advantage & you still need to learn to sharpen the head! Why not learn to start with & save a buttload of cash?

[Butch Speer]

Rob's right about the Tusker Concordes. Takes a bit to get the ready. That's okay. I'll be sure to sharpen them right before hunting.

I don't understand anybody wanting hunting sharp broadheads out of the pack. I would have thought everybody would check how an arrow & BH shoots before hunting with them. Then for sure they need to be sharpened.

[TxAg]

I'd prefer to receive them as sharp as possible...straight out of the box.

[Chester Thompson]

How do you suggest sharpening the one that I am going to win on the auction?