In this broadheads review, I tested the Excalibur Bolt Cutter. It’s a broadhead that’s marketed for Excalibur crossbows, (originally made by Innerloc) but can also be used for vertical bows.
Bolt Cutter Broadheads Up Close
So, let’s check out some of the design features and specifications of the Bolt Cutter broadheads.
Here’s a good look at the Bolt Cutter close up. Now, the Bolt Cutter heads are designed for maximum flight and penetration and specifically marketed for crossbows, but can also be be used for vertical bows.
The Bolt Cutters are originally made by Innerloc and have a stainless steel tip.
The blades are stainless steel. The ferrule is aluminum and the blades have a cutting diameter of one and one-sixteenth inches. So a little bit smaller than most three-blade heads on the market.
The blades are also pretty thin. By my measurements, they’re 0.024 inches thick. So, these are some of the thinnest blades that I’ve ever tested, honestly. I’m interested to see how they perform.
The head unscrews and then you slide the blades out. So, it’s a really secure way of retaining the blades.
They have a cool flare to the back like that as well. So, I was eager to put these heads to the test and see how they perform.
For the following tests, I used my Bowtech SR6, set at 72 pounds, 27-inch draw. I used Bishop FOC King arrows for most of the shots and then for the really hard impact ones, I used the Bishop Fad Eliminators.
I shot the Bolt Cutters through a .22 gauge steel plate to see how they would hold up, and you can see it’s basically the round hole with three slits coming out of that style rather than a triangular punch, like some heads have.
And here it is after the three shots through the MDF and the two, three of the steel plate and you can see with the steel plate the tip got a little bit blunted and the blades got pretty nicked up there but otherwise held together fine and here are the holes in the steel plate.
Here’s the Bolt Cutter after going through the MDF and the steel plate and then embedding into the concrete block that I shot it into. It stuck really deeply into the concrete. I think that’s the deepest that any broadhead has ever stuck into it.
It remained very much intact and the tip was still really pointy. The blades got a bit banged up with the steel but not that bad. But man, it did extremely well through the concrete.
In this review, I tested a classic broadhead that has been around forever… the Vortex.
I had been hearing about it for a long time and it’s been a staple in the market from the very beginning of mechanical broadheads.
For this test, I used my Bowtech SR6 set at 72 pounds and Bishop FOC King Arrows. I also used the Bishop FAD Eliminator, for the concrete test because they are just so durable. So let’s check out the Vortex 125 grain…
At the end of the review, I will post the score sheet, and give it an overall Lusk grade, so you can see how it did in each of the test and compare it to other broadheads.
The Vortex 125-Grain Broadhead
Let’s take a look at the Vortex 125-grain broadhead closeup…
As you can see it’s just this classic mechanical, over-the-top deploying head. I really like the looks of it.
The blades in the closed position have 7/8″ cutting diameter. And, you can see they have the sharp edges going forward, so you’re going to get that cut initially. Plus, the chisel tip is going to put you at over an inch of cut. So, even if the blades didn’t open, you’d at least get that much cut.
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The O-ring on the Vortex head is really stout. It rolls back and is reusable.
When the O-ring rolls back, the blades of the Vortex open up, expanding to a full 2-3/4″ of cut, which is one of the widest cuts on the market. Pretty cool!
It has an aluminum ferrule as well as a really stout, strong-looking, steel chisel tip. The blades are 0.032″ thick and are made out of a spring steel to aid in their durability.
I was eager to put this head to the test and see how it performed.
I shot the Vortex into layered cardboard to see how many layers it would penetrate.
The Vortex broadhead penetrated through 39 layers of cardboard. And, just like some other long mechanicals, a lot of that penetration was the tip and not the blades. But, that’s how I count it, nonetheless.
Here’s the Vortex head after going through the MDF 5 times. Now, I want to point out, you notice all the scratching on the ferrule itself… that’s not for the MDF. That’s from me trying to get it out of the MDF because on the fifth shot, it got like super lodged in there and I had to use a power saw to get it out. But, I was really careful to not bend the blades or the ferrule while I was getting it out, and that’s why I had to get so close like that. I’ve actually never had that problem, with it being so difficult to get out.
The ferrule held together fairly well. There was a little bit of wobble, which is not bad for such a long aluminum ferrule that had 5 impacts of the MDF. And, the tip obviously held together in excellent shape.
As for the blades… the extended part of the blades on either side broke off on then second shot into the MDF. However, I kept going because I still had well over 2″ of cut, which is significant. And, even if at the very end, after the fifth shot, as much as these blades had bent backwards and lost those end tips, there was still 2″ of cut.
So, it’s really significant that it still cut a lot of tissue, even with the bent blades, because the blades are so long. They got a bit bent and after those two broke off on the second shot, then they got a little bit more bent up on the third shot and on the fourth shot. And, then of course, the fifth shot.
So, the good side is, you still have 2″ of cut after 5 shots in the MDF. The bad side is, they did lose those ends to the blades and they did get a bit bent up there.
I shot the Vortex into a concrete block, which is extreme, but it helps show durability on extremely hard impact shots. Here’s the 125-grain after impact in the concrete.
As you can see, the ferrule got pretty jacked up and bent. One of the blades also got bent. They both impacted the concrete a bit and one of them got bent back, while the other one didn’t. The tip really buried deeply in the concrete. It might be the deepest-penetrating tip that I’ve tested. I couldn’t get it out. And it broke off on impact. It broke off at the threading where it goes into the ferrule.
I know you won’t be shooting this head into concrete and you’re not expecting maximum durability. But, in this test, It actually performed a bit better than I expected it to.
But, it actually exceeded my expectations in durability. Of course, you have the damage from the cinder block test and the damage in the center block and yeah, you see the damage in the MDF but that’s what a whooping big cut.
So if you got a really powerful setup or you’re going after a bit of a smaller animal like a turkey, a smaller deer, a hog, man, this is something really worth checking out because it’s going to put a whoop on whatever it hits.
The Crimson Talon lineup features the G2, the G2 Hyperspeed and the Outlaw.
The G2 Broadhead Specs
First we have the G2. It has a camouflage ferrule that they refer to as “ferruleflage.”
What initially stands out about the G2 is that it has six total blades – three main blades and three bleeders.
The main blade’s diameter is 1.25 inches, which is a big cutting diameter for a 3-blade head.
The G2 broadhead has curved blades as well as a camo ferrule they call “ferruleflage.”
The cutting diameter of the smaller bleeder blades is 1/2 an inch. So, although they are shorter, they help with the cut.
The total cut of this head is 2.6 inches!
The bleeders are also offset at a 60-degree angle, so that allows them to create an even better wound channel and do damage that is difficult to close up.
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But the biggest differentiating factor on the G2 broadhead is that the main blades are curved. This apparently creates two advantages…
The other advantage of the curved blades is that once they hit the animal, they continue to rotate, causing a spiral wound channel. Combine that with the 1.25 inches of cutting diameter and 2.6 inches of blade cutting, and that creates a wound channel that is very difficult to close up.
Crimson Talon calls this curved blade feature their “spintite” airfoil technology. As the arrow flies, the curved blades function as vanes or fletchings would, creating quick rotation of the shaft, which results in more accurate flight. This is supposed to prevent arrow planing.
The tip is made out of A2 tool steel, so a really tough, beefy chisel tip of a very high quality steel. The ferrule is 7075 aluminum, which is a very stout, durable aluminum, stronger than some steels.
The blades of the G2 broadhead are 420 G2 stainless steel. The main blades were 0.028 inches thick, which is relatively thick compared to some other blades. But, with so much blade cutting action going on, that probably isn’t going to be an issue.
We’ll see how it does in the durability test below.
One of the cool things about all of the Crimson Talon broadheads is that they have 100% lifetime warranty for any breakage, for any reason, with no expiration and no limitations. So, if any of these heads break, you just send them in and you get a replacement. That’s pretty nice especially at the price point that they are sold at.
The next broadhead I tested was the G2 Hyperspeed. It’s the same head as the G2, but without the airfoil design. So, the blades are all straight.
The Hyperspeed broadhead is like the G2, but without the curved blades.
Now, the bleeders are still offset at a 60-degree angle, but everything is just a straight blade. Some people that don’t want the airfoil designs will like this head.
I remember when I lived in Colorado, the Crimson Talons were illegal (at least at that time) because the blades had to exist in a continual single plane. They couldn’t be curved.
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03/06/2024 02:11 pm GMT
The Outlaw Specs
The last Crimson Talon head I tested was The Outlaw.
The Outlaw is it’s really basic in some ways and unique in others. It’s basic in the sense that it’s a 3-blade head with a 1-1/8 inch cut. It’s a little bit different in that all three blades are offset. The 0.040 inch thick, stainless steel blades are an offset design, to create a better wound channel.
The Outlaw broadhead has offset blades and a 1-1/8″ cut.
The tip is hard stainless steel and the ferrule is solid titanium. It also has a 3-blade locking system, keeping the blades in three different places, which is supposed to make these heads very durable and have really good blade retention.
All three of the Crimson Talon heads were able to pop a balloon at 70 yards.
Edge retention results (out-of-the-box sharpness)
For the Crimson Talon G2, I just tested the sharpness and edge retention of the straight blades (Hyperspeed), because it’s too difficult to get it all lined up with the curved blades and they are the same blades anyway.
The Crimson Talon G2 Hyperspeed cut paper after 5 strokes of the arrow.
The Outlaw cut paper after five strokes of the arrow.
Penetration results (ballistic gel)
The penetration of these heads was pretty much as expected. The Outlaw penetrated the most at 8 and a half inches, followed by the Hyperspeed at 7 and a quarter inches. And then the G2 with the curved blades penetrated 6 and 3 quarter inches.
Down at the bottom there in the middle, you can see the wound channel of the G2 and you can see that rotation. The blades actually rotated from initial impact with the rubber foam mat to their final resting place. They rotated 90 degrees. So that’s pretty cool. That’s like a single bevel, 2-blade head in terms of rotation. And, that’s a wicked-looking wound channel as well.
Here are all three heads after going through the 22-inch steel plate five times each. I was definitely impressed with the durability. I really didn’t expect any of them to make it through all five times. I expected them to lose blades on maybe the second or third shot. But, none of them did. All of them held their blades together really well and stayed intact.
If you look at the holes that the heads made in the steel plate, it’s really interesting. You can see that the Hyperspeed (top right) made the most impressive holes. It made really big, triangular holes with extra wide cuts in the tips.
Notice the G2 with the curved blades. I’m really surprised that it held together like it did. The blades did not straighten out when going through the steel plate five times. They really stayed curved together, which is really impressive. Also, the holes are still really big. You can see the curls in the ends. It didn’t make as big of a triangular hole as the Hyperspeed for some reason, but it still made a really impressive wound channel with those “S-cuts.”
The Outlaw held together as well. And you can see the holes are a bit smaller there, that at a 1 1/8 inch cut.
Edge Retention (steel plate)
Now, in terms of the edge retention and the durability of the blades themselves after going through the steel plate; again, all of them stayed intact. None of them bent out of shape. But, all of them did get really nicked up.
The one that probably got the most nicked up was the G2. Because of those curved blades, the head hits the steel in a new place each time as it curves around. And so, those edges would have had to be replaced after probably the third or fourth shot. But they still held intact. You can imagine there might be some damage when coming in contact with a rib, shoulder or other bones of a deer.
The Outlaw has the thickest blade, so they took a big brunt of the impact on the steel and they got next most nicked up (although the tip held together perfectly and the A2 tip on the G2 and on the Hyperspeed look brand new).
The Hyperspeed got the least amount of damage on the blades. It made it through four times before it would have had to be replaced. So, it stayed in relatively good shape. Some of the blades were still perfectly intact and some were nicked up.
So overall, really impressed and surprised with the durability of these heads.
So, you can check out the score sheets below and see how they rank compared to each other and compared to other heads.
After reviewing these heads, if I had to pick a winner between them, it would definitely be between the G2 and the G2 Hyperspeed. And which one would be the winner would be based on my setup and on what animal I’m pursuing.
But these two heads are fantastic heads. If I decide to pick one for my setup then it would be the G2. But, I’d be a 100% confident using both of them on an animal.
