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Broadheads from China

41K views 187 replies 57 participants last post by  godogz  
#1 ·
What is the verdict on these heads? I see lots of slipcam (oring retention on back) and swhacker heads listed for sale in bulk. Anyone with experience using these heads chime in. Just curious.
 
#3 ·
When it comes to broadheads I figure you get what you pay for. JMO........
 
#4 ·
I know I will get flamed, and forced to ride sitting backwards on a horse through the town square, but I still say we are paying extremely high prices for most of our broadheads.

There I said it, start throwing the rotten tomatoes, and horse apples at me!!!
 
#6 ·
I just bough 24 Chinese 100 grain Hypodermics for $24 and there is no difference in the ones I bought for $45 a three pack from Rage other than they used a different screw holding the blades which I like anyway.
Took one yesterday and shot it three times using the same shock collar into a pretty hard broadhead target and it is still perfect and a few licks with my sharpener and it will shave.
I hate buying from China but the original Rage heads are made there too and at $1 vs. $15 each it is hard to pass on.
 
#80 ·
Okay but don't forget part of the reason the originals are $10-15 is because the company actually created and brought to market a product from scratch. All these chinese companies have done is steal a design and piggyback on another company's work.

If I put months into writing a book, get it edited, etc. and then I pay a printer in china $.50 to print it and sell it on Amazon for $10, am I ripping you off? If the printer changes the cover and prints the same book and sells it for $1, are they selling it at a fair price or am I? These chinese companies have stolen intellectual property, it's that simple.

Get them if you like but don't pretend there is any sort of morality that is being corrected by paying them a "fair" price because the US company is ripping you off.
 
#7 ·
I got a dozen Swacker clones for $1 each just find out. The blades are dull, rattle in the heads, and two bands don't hold them closed. Yes they could be sharpened, triple banded and used. I complained that they were junk and was issued a refund immediately and told to trash them. I guess it's hit or miss but I hate to pay the outrageous prices companies are charging...whatever the market will bear.
 
#64 ·
I also got some of the 125gr Chinadermic Xtremes....I shot 1 head into my Rhinehart 18-1 target over 10x now and it still looks like new other than the blades are duller. ...but the blades didn't bend at all. My only complaint about these knock-off Rage Hypo's are that the blades are duller than the authentic Rages....a quick sharpening and they are just as good at a true fraction of the cost. I don't mind paying for quality stuff, but $45 for 3 broadheads is kinda nuts.
 
#9 ·
Dull blades can be sharpened. Blade rattle can be remedied. Retention banding can be solved. I hope the ones I ordered are decent. The savings of $14 per head is hard to pass up.

I will see what happens when they arrive. Bought both Swhackers and Hypodermics. 36 heads for $40.98, 30 day money back guarantee.

I have been using Slick Trick Mags for 10 years, but they won't shoot out of my Mission without longer shafts, which I don't have, so.....I'll try these broadheads. If they don't meet my expectations, I can return them or will surely be good enough for vermin.

As is, I spent about what it would have cost for a package of 3 Blister wrapped broadheads at my local shop. And....there is no guarantee that they would perform any better.
 
#11 ·
Robert, looks like a broadsword went through your target.

I have always had huge entry and exist wounds with regular 2" Rage. :) That 3 inch cut is nasty!
 
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#20 ·
I bought some of the Knockoff Swhacker heads just to test. They were about $1.50 each if I remember right.A good bit of slop where the blades fit in the furule but not too bad.Here's my test.They are the 1.75"cut.I used a piece of thin vinyl and a box to get them to open before hitting the plywood.I also used heat shrink tubing to keep it closed like the real Swhackers do.These came with rubber dental bands.
 
#27 ·
Viewed your test of the knockoff Swhackers.

Question is, would you use this broadhead to hunt deer? Blades sharpened of course, and not the bent ferrule you tested but a new one with heat shrink tube retainer.

I would expect any aluminum ferrule head to bend going through plywood.

Let us know.
 
#21 ·
the broadhead is your business end of your arrow. IMO China does a lot of copy cat stuff (stolen patents). American businesses test their product over & over before they release there actual product to the public. China has no clue what hunting equipment is or how it should perform. I wouldn't give China one thin dime for the reasons above.
 
#22 ·
I just shot 9 shots with a China made 125 grain Hypodermic 2.3" cut into a Morrell Yellow Jacket broadhead target at 40 yards. Same POI on all 10 shots and the broadhead could still be sharpened and used if necessary. For a $1.00 broadhead I think I got my moneys worth. Great practice head and hard to tell from an original Rage head except it has a larger cut.
 
#26 ·
I got a dozen Swacker clones for $1 each just find out. The blades are dull, rattle in the heads, and two bands don't hold them closed. Yes they could be sharpened, triple banded and used. I complained that they were junk and was issued a refund immediately and told to trash them. I guess it's hit or miss but I hate to pay the outrageous prices companies are charging...whatever the market will bear.
Yup! The red ones I ordered arrived yesterday. Same exact issues that you stated with the black ones you received.
Blades dull (sharpened inconsistently), loose in ferrule, etc.

I'm going to request a refund/return on these also. Very disappointed.
 
#28 ·
If they had a larger cut I probably would.The blades are fairly sharp to start with.I was surprised by the toughness of the blades.They could also be noisy.Because of the larger slot for the blades.I didn't hear anything though.I shot 2 more at 30 yards into a target and they grouped well.The last real Rage (orange) xbow 1.75"cut head I shot both blades broke off in 1 shot in my 18-1 Rhinehart.So I would hunt with these before them.I'm not sure if all of these knock offs are the same.Some may be better or worse.But I believe these would do the job.I just prefer a larger 2" cut.
 
#30 ·
I also received my chinadermics. They came with black shock collars as expected. I measured the blade thickness, mic'ed .035", same as original. Mine came with a Phillips head screw rather than an allen head screw. Blades are not bad, but a touch up would never hurt.

I weighed 4 of them with collars, 98.6, 98.6, 97.9, 98.2 grs respectively. I don't have an original to weigh but I understand from other reviews that they weigh closer to 102 grs.

I shot them through my paper test stand at 5 yds to see if the blades would stay closed. First used a Parker Cyclone with 420 gr arrow shooting 364 fps. The blades did not open leaving the bow (in flight).

Second bow, the one I WANT them to work with is a Mission MXB 400. Before I even shot the 421 gr arrow at 392 fps through paper, I was near certain they would open with the black collar. This bow has harsh cams and maxed out is 200 lbs.
After shooting, I was right. Blades opened leaving the bow (in flight).

Then I tried a piece of shrink tubing cut the same thickness as the collar placed over a brand new collar and shot again. I was really hoping this mod would work, but alas, blades still opened leaving the bow. I have found some red shock collars and will have them to try on Monday of next week.

I really hope the red collars do the trick with the MXB 400.

Question for those of you shooting hypos and Swhackers. Are you orienting the blades any specific way or are you just screwing them on and shooting?
 
#32 ·
I also received my chinadermics. They came with black shock collars as expected. I measured the blade thickness, mic'ed .035", same as original. Mine came with a Phillips head screw rather than an allen head screw. Blades are not bad, but a touch up would never hurt.

I weighed 4 of them with collars, 98.6, 98.6, 97.9, 98.2 grs respectively. I don't have an original to weigh but I understand from other reviews that they weigh closer to 102 grs.

I shot them through my paper test stand at 5 yds to see if the blades would stay closed. First used a Parker Cyclone with 420 gr arrow shooting 364 fps. The blades did not open leaving the bow (in flight).

Second bow, the one I WANT them to work with is a Mission MXB 400. Before I even shot the 421 gr arrow at 392 fps through paper, I was near certain they would open with the black collar. This bow has harsh cams and maxed out is 200 lbs.
After shooting, I was right. Blades opened leaving the bow (in flight).

Then I tried a piece of shrink tubing cut the same thickness as the collar placed over a brand new collar and shot again. I was really hoping this mod would work, but alas, blades still opened leaving the bow. I have found some red shock collars and will have them to try on Monday of next week.

I really hope the red collars do the trick with the MXB 400.

Question for those of you shooting hypos and Swhackers. Are you orienting the blades any specific way or are you just screwing them on and shooting?
I just screw them on and shoot.I tried indexing with O-rings and it made no difference.
 
#31 ·
I am just screwing them on. Does not make any difference in POI that I have seen.
I had a brand new Chinadermic in 125 grain 2.3" cut open on me in flight this morning. But it was my fault as I had screwed it down as tight as it would go and noticed that I had partially opened one of the tabs holding the blades and I gambled that it would hold like an idiot. Hit a few inches above my target slightly left and into a tree. :(
I lost the head but the arrow is fine. :)
And I learned a lesson. :p