I have not shot very many different shafts out of my trad bows, because I tried the gold tip trads. I have been very pleased with their performance and durability, and the price is pretty good. A note of clarification: the blems are not damaged arrows. They are perfectly good shafts that have blemishes in the finish, or they do not meet the very exacting tolerances of the manufacturer. I have had good luck with them in the past, and would not hesitate to buy them again. If you recieved a damaged shaft, I would contact the distributor or the manufacturer. I used to work for carbon impact (very good products by the way), and any damaged shafts got destroyed and disposed of, not put in the bargain bin.