tooth of the arrow broadheads vented and solid

Tooth of The Arrow Broadheads Review | Are they right for your next hunt?

Tooth of the Arrow broadheads have been around for while, but I was intrigued and finally got my hands one so I could test it.

john lusk holding tooth of the arrow xl broadhead

Tooth of the Arrow… it’s a cool name, but how do their broadheads perform? Let’s find out!

You can jump straight to the testing of the Tooth Of The Arrow heads by clicking the links below:

Tooth Of The Arrow Broadheads | An Overview

The Tooth of the Arrow broadhead is a 4-blade head that is similar to a Slick Trick head.

Each of the blades are exactly the same cutting diameter, so it’s a true 4-blade head. It’s a little bit bigger than a Slick Trick Magnum. But, rather than being 1 and 1/8-inch cutting diameter like the Slick Trick Magnum, this is 1 and 3/16 cutting diameter. So, it makes a little bit wider hole.

For the testing, I shot 450-grain Bishop mammoth arrows, using my Bowtech SR6 which is a 27 inches and 72 pounds.

What makes this head unique is that this is machined out of a single chunk of high-carbon steel. So, there are no blades to be replaced. It’s just one solid chunk.

So, as a negative, you can’t just replace the blades and put in new sharp ones. As a positive way, it’s a pretty stout, strong design. And, with it being such high-carbon steel, it’s not too difficult to sharpen. So, it’s intriguing to see this.

john lusk showing 4 blades of tooth of the arrow xl broadhead

The Tooth of the Arrow XL is a 4-blade head that is machined out of a single chunk of high carbon steel.

I’ve spun these heads and they spin very true. They also fly well for me. I’ve not tested them at super long ranges but they do – well, I think through a well-tuned bow, they should fly well at longer ranges.

I’d heard really good things about the smaller, standard head.



But, I’ll start off by testing the XL, which intrigued me the most because I just like to make a big hole if I can! I was excited to see how it performed.

So let’s see how the Tooth of the Arrow XL did. (Further down I’ll do a head-to-head battle between the XL and the original, so check that out as well!




Vented Penetration Testing

tooth of the arrow original and xl broadheads

Below I test the Tooth Of The Arrow vented broadheads.

I shot it into my broadhead box where I’ve got four layers of MDF and they’re half inch each, and two of those layers have a rubber foam layer in front to simulate hide and a little bit of soft tissue there in the beginning and the end.

tooth of the arrow XL shot into mdf board

Penetration wise, the XL did just about like most of the heads I’ve tested. It went well into the second layer of MDF. So, it went through that initial rubber foam mat and then through the first layer and then it almost buried the blades all the way into the second layer. You can see it protruding out, bulging out the backend there. It didn’t actually breakthrough the blade but it pushed the board out there just quite a bit.

hole in mdf made by tooth of the arrow xl

OK, it’s 1 and 3/16 this way, 1 and 3/16 this way. So it’s a total of 2.75 inches of tissue being cut. Comparatively, the QAD Exodus has a total tissue cut of 1.875. So, with the 3 blades of an Exodus and 1 and 1/4 inch cut, it’s 1.875 total tissue being cut, whereas, with the Tooth of the Arrow here in their XL model, it’s 2.75. So, it penetrated just about as well the Exodus, and better than the other heads that I’ve tested so far and yet the total cut is about an inch more than most of those heads. So that’s pretty remarkable.



tooth of the arrow xl blades after mdf test

If we examine the head after it went through the wood, it held up extremely well. The blades are in great shape. They are still remarkably sharp. They bite into my nail. It doesn’t look like they were dulled at all. Now, I should add as well that because it’s 4 blades and two blades covers a diameter of 1 and 3/16 inches, that means the total tissue being cut is 2.75 inches.



Angled Shot Penetration

Next, I shot it at a 1/2-inch MDF board at a 45-degrree angle to see how it would do through that.

angled shot through mdf of the tooth of the arrow xl

Here is the head sticking out just as it went into the Rinehart target behind it. It protruded that far, which is very similar to the SIK F4 that I tested a while ago. You can see that in a video. However again, this has about almost 1 inch more cut than the SIK F4. So to penetrate that well, again, is pretty impressive and the blades are extremely sharp. There’s no nicks. Looking really good.


Durability Testing

I shot the Tooth Of The Arrow head into a 22-gauge steel plate to see how it would fare.

hole in steel plate made by tooth of the arrow xl

Look at the hole that this thing made. I have to say, I was pretty impressed with that. It’s like a giant square was cut out of the steel. I’ve never seen anything like this. What a hole!

blades of tooth of the arrow xl after going through steel plate

The blades still look pristine. They are in very, very good shape. There are no nicks. They still cut into my thumbnail. Really good. Impressive.

Cinder Block Test

The cinder block is the final test that I do with the fixed-blade heads.

I don’t do this test or the steel plate test typically with the mechanical heads, but when you’re using a fixed head, you’re typically doing so because you really want to have some structural integrity and blade strength that’s above and beyond what a mechanical can do.

So, I just like to test the limits. Not many heads hold together after hitting the cinder block. A lot of them take chunks out, but then just kind of bend or fall apart. Very few heads hold together. There have only been a few that have made it. Let’s see how the Tooth of the Arrow did.

tooth of the arrow xl after hitting cinder block

Here’s the chunk that it took out of the cinder block. A finger goes right into it. And then if you look at the head itself, it did remarkably well, completely holding together. The nose got covered in concrete and got a bit nicked up there from the concrete.

I would say this head is amongst the top few in terms of structural integrity that I’ve tested. It’s right up there with the QAD Exodus and the Muzzy Trocar and the Trophy Taker A-TAC.

I think the only ones that may have done better are the Bishop Archery and also the Iron Will.

Man, for the price, the Tooth Of The Arrow XL is one impressive head. I have to say, I’m pleasantly surprised. I give it an A+ in all categories.




Comparing the Tooth of the Arrow Original to the XL [Broadhead Battle!]

I wanted to compare the Tooth of the Arrow Original vs the XL version.

Now, I’ve done this in some other instances, like with the Magnus, where I tested the Stinger compared Black Hornet. And in this case, I tested the two models of Tooth of the Arrow broadheads.


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The Tooth of the Arrow broadheads are 100% made in the USA.

I tested these heads for long distance flight (I was able to pop a balloon at 80 yards) and I’m going to test them for edge sharpness and retention, for penetration, and for durability.

Let’s see which one prevails!

tooth of the arrow original and xl broadhead

On the right is the Tooth Of The Arrow Original, and on the left is the XL. These are the 125-grain models of these heads. The Original is 1-inch, while the XL is 1-3/16 inches. They are machined from a solid bar of 11L41 steel, so a high carbon steel. They’re brought to a Rockwell hardness of 45. As you can see, they are plated with a black oxide to cut down on glare in the field.

blade thickness of tooth of the arrow broadheads

With the Tooth of the Arrow Original, more than 85% of the weight is kept within the diameter of the arrow shaft. That’s going to really help in long range flight and spinning. With the XL head, more than 80% of the weight is kept within the diameter of the arrow shaft.

These heads have a unique feature about them, in that they keep a lot of the weight within the diameter of the arrow shaft.



Out of the box sharpness comparison

I tested the Tooth of the Arrow broadheads for out-of-the-box sharpness. The purpose is to see if they can still cut paper after a stroke of a carbon arrow shaft. Because both the Original and the XL have the same blades, I only tested one of the heads.

carbon shaft running across blade of tooth of the arrow broadhead

I gave the broadhead arrow shaft strokes to see how well it would maintain its sharpness.

tooth of the arrow cutting paper

The Tooth of the Arrow broadhead was able to cut paper still after 5 strokes of the arrow.


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Penetration comparison

I tested the Tooth of the Arrow Original and the XL for penetration. My medium was ballistic gel that was fronted with a rubber mad and 1/2″ MDF board.

ballistic gel test with tooth of the arrow broadheads

The XL penetrated 8 inches. Tooth of the Arrow Original penetrated 9 inches.

Durability comparison

I shot both heads into a 22-gauge steel plate 5 times to test the durability. Check out the holes these heads made in the steel plate!

The holes themselves are really what sets the Tooth of the Arrow apart. OK. Here you can see the holes from the XL. OK. They are just bit squares. They are not just like four crosses or two crosses, four little slits. They are true squares!

tooth of the arrow original holes in steel plate

Here is the Original, the 1 inch. So the 1 inch, the 1 3/16 inch, and you can see even with that, it’s just a nice chunk of a hole.

In the steel plate test, there are very heads that are able to punch a chunk out like that. The Exodus does it in a triangular shape. And, as you can see here, the Tooth of the Arrow does it extremely well in a 4-blade shape. So that’s going to be a really difficult hole to close up in an animal.

You can only see on one of the XL blades a little bit of cosmetic marking. I don’t even know if you can pick that up in the picture below. It’s very hard to see.

These heads have extremely impressive durability. Some of the very best that I’ve tested.


Tooth of The Arrow Archery S Series XL Broadhead 1-3/16" 3 Pack (125 Grain)
$45.95


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tooth of the arrow broadheads after steel plate test

Here are the heads after they’ve gone through the 22-gauge steel plate 5 times. And as you can see, they look brand new. As a matter of fact, it’s hard to tell that these were even shot at all, let alone shot through the steel plate as well as in the penetration test through the MDF. Really impressive durability and edge retention through that really hard medium.

Now, I have heard some reports of people shooting them and hitting them into a big heavy bone and one of the blades bending or shearing off. That can happen with any broadhead.

There are all kinds of crazy things that can happen in the field as you hit heavy bone at different angles. But through the steel plate as you can see in the picture below, they faired extremely well.



Cinder Block Test

Let’s look at these heads and see how they did after being shot into the cinder block.

cinder block after tooth of the arrow shot into it

The cinder block didn’t fare too well!

tooth of the arrow broadhead after cinder block test

Here’s the Tooth of the Arrow after going into that center block and busting it apart. It’s just in incredible shape. It spins perfectly true. The tip is still super pointy and didn’t bend over at all. The blades are in great shape. They only got a just a little bit nicked up on the top of each blade, but they could be sharpened again.

tooth of the arrow broadheads after being sharpened

I spent about 5 minutes touching these blades up just to show how easy it is to do it. And I understand they have a sharpener that you can purchase on their website. I don’t have one of those. But, honestly, I do really well with just a little sharpener. This is the thing that I use. It fits in there perfectly.

sharpening a tooth of the arrow broadhead

This sharpener is from a Spyderco, but you can use any brand. This is like a little file. I just sharpen the blades individually, about 10 strokes on each blade. And, then on the tip, I just use the same thing but I just use it flat ways to cover both blades at once. I don’t know if you’re supposed to do that but it sure worked well for me. And this head, it’s now like shaving nail. I mean it’s just like it was. The tip was super sharp. And this is right after going into that concrete block.

Final Thoughts On The Tooth Of The Arrow Vented Broadheads

So, what do you think of this broadhead battle, the Original versus the XL?

Each of them has their distinct strengths. In terms of overall flight, the Original flies incredibly well. It’s one of the very best flying and forgiving broadheads I’ve ever tested.

In terms of penetration, the Original penetrated much more deeply. But, in terms of hole size, man, the XL really ruled in that department, though both of them really made a nice square hole in the mediums that I shot them through.



And the winner is…

In terms of which one is the winner, really, it’s a toss-up. I have to call it a tie. I hate to do that. But, this really is a draw. It just depends on your personal setup and what you’re hunting.

If you’re going after a really big animal where penetration is the most important thing then man, the Original is the way to go. If you have a lighter setup and you’re concerned about your penetration, then the Original is the way to go.

If you are going after a really long range shot like a pronghorn or something like that that you’re going beyond 60 yards, then the Original is the way to go.



But, if you are going for a shot under 60 yards and you really want to make a nice big hole and you have the kinetic energy to drive it through, (and honestly, it really doesn’t take that much kinetic energy to drive it through), then man, the XL is the way to go. For whitetail and hog shots under 50, 60 yards, I would definitely choose this one.

What I think is the best combination is to have a few of both in your quiver. If a shot is going to be longer, then you pull out the original. If the shot is going to be shorter, use the XL. And that way, you’re ready for any situation, and honestly, any animal as well.

There are several things to consider when choosing a broadhead. These heads have it all. They are fantastic broadheads.

Great job, Tooth of the Arrow!

score card for tooth of the arrow original broadhead
Score card for Tooth Of The Arrow Original broadhead.
score card for tooth of the arrow XL broadhead
Score card for Tooth Of The Arrow XL original broadhead.


Tooth Of The Arrow Solid Broadheads Review

tooth of the arrow solid broadheads

Below I will test the solid version of the Tooth Of The Arrow broadheads…

Originally, Tooth of the Arrow only made the 100-grain and 125-grain in a vented version.

But they also have a solid, non-vented version in 100-grain and 125-grain.

Interesting Ferrule Design On the Solid Version

So let’s zoom on in here and let’s check out this new Tooth of the Arrows Solids.

tooth of the arrow solid 100 gr

Here’s a good look at the Tooth of the Arrows Solid in the 100 grains. Just like the vented version, it’s machined out of a single bar of steel, brought to a Rockwell hardness of 40-45.

What’s interesting in this solid model is that most of the specifications are exactly the same as the vented model.

The overall length is the same, 0.77 inch, making them to my knowledge the shortest single piece for blade steel broadhead that there is, which is just going to aid in flight.

The blades are also the same thickness as the vented model. They are 0.040 inch thick. The blade angle is the same at 45-degree blade angle to maximize the penetration.

And so, the same short profile, the same cut size of 1 inch, and 2 inches of total cut.


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tooth of the arrow 100 grain solid grooves

So, many things about the solid are the same as the vented model. But, what’s different is they’ve taken up the weight from the ferrule itself on the solid version. They’ve taken some grooves out of the ferrule and that’s all that has made the extra weight. So, that is really interesting.


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tooth of the arrow solid groove comparison of 100 and 125

Here’s the 125-grain model vs. the 100 grain, and you can see that everything is exactly the same as the vented, same as the 100-grain, but they’ve taken a smaller scoop out of the ferrule to make up for the weight. So with the 100-grain, they’ve taken a little bit bigger scoop and you can compare right down. You see the line of the scoops, you can see. So the 100-grain, they just took a bigger scoop. Other than that, they are exactly the same.

Why A Solid?

So, why come out with a non-vented blade, a solid blade?

Well, many people prefer solid blades over vented blades because they do have some advantages.

One of the advantages is less noise in flight than with vented brodadheads. You have air passing through that hole and it can make whistling or a wheezing sound as it rotates and flies at really high speeds.

So, the solid heads will definitely be quieter.



In addition, a solid can be more durable because there’s not that venting that creates a thin area in the blade that could be more prone to bending or breaking than a solid one. So, that’s the primary reason for doing it.

But, I wondered how it would affect flight and penetration?

In some ways, you might think, “Well, it’s going to fly better, because with these grooves, it’s going to be more aerodynamic in flight.” But, the opposite side of that is, “well, there’s more exposed surface blade than there was in the original, because so much of that blade was covered by the ferrule.”



So, I was curious to see what the flight would be like.

And, same with the penetration. On the one hand, I can say, “well, with this groove, it might penetrate better.”

But, on the other side of that, I go, “well, I’ve noticed that there’s a really thick ferrule. It often opens up a hole for the shaft to just glide through really easily, and those broadheads penetrate more effectively than the ones with a smaller ferrule.”



So, I was really curious to see how all of these things compare.

I tested the 100-grain solid, the 125-grain solid, and for a comparative sake, I compared it to the 125-grain vented.

Initial Sharpess Test Of The Solid

tooth of the arrow solid initial sharpness

Initial Sharpness: 200.



Penetration Test 1 Of The Solid:

vented vs solid tooth of the arrow ballistic gel test

The 100-grain solid penetrated 7-5/8 inches and the 125-grain solid penetrated 8 inches. And, the 125-grain vented penetrated 8-1/4 inches.

Edge Retention Test: (sharpness after Penetration Test 1) Of Solid

tooth of the arrow solid sharpness after penetration test 1

Sharpness after ballistic gel penetration test: 300

Penetration Test 2 Of Solid: (layered cardboard)

tooth of the arrow 100 grain solid cardboard penetration

The 100-grain solid penetrated through 72 layers. The 125-grain solid penetrated through 69 layers. The 125-grain vented penetrated through 73 layers.

Durability Test Of Solid: (22 gauge steel plate, max 2 shots)

100 grain solid steel plate test

Here, you can see the 100-grain solid after going through the MDF 3 times and the steel plate 2 times And, I’m only testing the durability of the 100-grain, because if anything, that’s going to be the weaker one and really everything else is virtually identical for these durability tests. But here, you can see it looks pristine. I mean, it almost looks brand new, even after going through the steel plate twice. And you look at these holes and they are the classic Tooth of the Arrow squared chunk holes, not just a little round hole with 4 slits coming out of it like you see in many 4-blade heads.

.

Durability Test of Solid: (Concrete Block)

tooth of the arrow solid after concrete test

Here’s the head after impacting the concrete. And, as you can see, it held up really well. There was a slight wobble to it, but that could just be the concrete that got fused to it as well. Really impressive durability.



Final Thoughts On Tooth Of The Arrow Solid Broadhead

The solid is going to be a little bit quieter in flight than the vented version and I think the blades are going to be a little bit more durable, because they have that extra support.

However, I think maybe the vented models are going to penetrate just a little bit better and you saw that in the testing. And, I think they might be a little bit more forgiving in really long range flight.

But again, that may be all within the margin of error.

There may not be differences at all in those areas because I think all of them, both the vented, the non-vented are really durable. They fly really well and they penetrate really well.


Tooth Of The Arrow 3-Blade Broadheads

tooth of the arrow 3-blade broadhead

All right. Let’s zoom on in here and check out this Tooth of the Arrow 3 Blade and then put it to the test.

tooth of the arrow 3-blade short profile
tooth of the arrow 3-blade profile view

What I really like about the 3-blade is that it’s solid, not vented, and that’s just going to aid in having more durable blades and not going to sheer off as readily. And I think they’ve saved some of the weight in doing that in this 100-grain model by taking a bit out of the ferrule there, so that’s kind of a cool design.

tooth of the arrow 3-blade point

Flight Test

tooth of the arrow 3 blade flight test

Initial Sharpness Test, (Grams of force to cut copolymer wire):

tooth of the arrow initial sharpness test

Penetration Test 1, (2/3″ rubber foam mat, 1/2″ MDF, FBI Gel):   

tooth of the arrow 3 blade ballistic gel mdf

Edge Retention, (sharpness after Penetration Test 1):

tooth of the arrow post sharpness test

Penetration Test 2, (layered cardboard):

tooth of the arrow 3 blade layered cardboard test

Durability Test 1, (3 shots 1/2″ MDF):

tooth of the arrow post mdf test

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Durability Test 2, (2 shots 22 gauge steel plate):

tooth of the arrow 3 blade post metal plate test

Durability Test 3, (1 shot cinder block):

tooth of the arrow 3 blade post concrete block test

Final Thoughts On The Tooth Of The Arrow 3-Blade

So what do you think? Man, I tell you, they did a good job with this 3-blade!

tooth of the arrow 3-blade lusk score

The 3-blade performed well in every area and got an overall score of 9 golden arrows!

So, if you’re looking for a solid one piece, super tough, 3-blade broadhead with this cutting diameter, man, you ought you to check this Tooth of the Arrow head.

I really like the 4 blades that they’ve put out, but I can understand the niche in the market for this one as well and they’ve done an outstanding job with it. So, great job Tooth of the Arrow. I look forward to more stuff that you’ll come out with in the future!

day six evo and evo x broadheads

“And on the sixth day…” | The Day Six Evo and Evo X Broadheads Review

In this broadhead review, I tested the Day Six Evo and the Evo X.

So, let’s jump right in, zoom in and check out the Evo and the Evo X…

day six evo

Here’s a good look at the 125-grain Evo. The cutting diameter of the main blade is 1-1/16 inches and the bleeder in this model is a half an inch. (You can also get these bleeders to be 3/4 of an inch, and that would add an extra 5 grains to the overall weight.)

The blades are not vented, which makes them a lot quieter in flight, and also a bit more durable. Also, notice the gentle convex curve. That’s to aid in penetration as well as to increase the durability just a bit.

day six evo bleeders

The thickness of the main blades is 0.060 inches thick. Interestingly enough, the bleeders are just as thick as the main blades.

Now, as for the materials, the blades are a CPM S30V steel, which is a really fine steel that’s used in a lot of fine cutlery and knife applications.

One advantage of it is its Rockwell hardness. It’s brought to a Rockwell hardness of 59-60, which means it’s going to have a really nice edge to it.

It also has a greater impact resistance than most stainless steels, like the typical 420 or 440. It’s much more resistant to impact than those.

day six evo back of blades sharp

Notice that the blades of the Evo are sharpened on the back of the bleeders as well as for the main blade. And those are at a straight angle. The ones that are curved are only the main blade. This can sometimes present a challenge in re-sharpening, but you can use the Stay Sharp Guide C Model which is designed for concave or convex heads. You can use that with any kind of a curved broadhead and it makes it just as easy as the straight edges to re-sharpen.



Now, it’s not as resistant to impact as a tool steel like an A2 or an S7 for example. Those are much more resistant to impact.

Another advantage is its corrosion-resistance. It’s not going to rust. Some of those other high-carbon steels and tool steels can have a tendency to rust, which can take away some of the sharpness of the blades.



Another advantage of the CPM S30V is that it’s made right here in the USA, as is all the construction of this broadhead, so that’s kind of nice.

I was really eager to put the Day Six Evo head to the test, but I not only tested this head, I also tested its big brother, the Evo X!

day six evo x broadhead

This is the 150-grain model of the Evo X. So, everything is the same with this one in terms of the steel and the thickness. However, the cutting diameter is 1-1/4 inches as opposed to 1-1/16 inches. And the bleeder is still the half inch bleeder.

So I was eager to put both of these heads to the test and see how the Evo and the Evo X performed.

Let’s see how they did!






Day Six Evo and Evo X Broadhead Testing

For these tests, I used my Bowtech SR6 and I’m using a Bishop FOC King Arrows for most of the shots but then I use the Bishop FAD Eliminator for the really hard impact shots.

Flight Test

evo flight test

For the flight test, I shot two broadheads and a field point at 40 yards to see how well they group. Here’s a look at the Evo.



evo x flight test

Here is how the Evo X fared in the flight test.



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Initial Sharpness Test

evo out of the box sharpness

The initial sharpness out of the box for these heads was 150.



Penetration Test 1: (Ballistic Gel)

I shot the Evo and Evo X into ballistic gel fronted by 1/2-inch MDF and foam matting.

evo and evo x ballistic gel penetration

The Evo penetrated 8-1/4 inches and the Evo X penetrated 7-1/4 inches.




Edge Retention Test:

evo sharpness after penetration test

After the first penetration test, I tested the sharpness of the heads again. 200 was the result.



Penetration Test 2: (Layered Cardboard)

evo layered cardboard

The Evo penetrated through 66 layers of cardboard…



evo x layered cardboard

…and the Evo X penetrated through 57 layers.



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Durability Test: (22 Gauge Steel Plate)

evo and evo x holes in steel plate

Here’s a good look at the wound channel of each of these heads. The Evo on the bottom right and the Evo X in the upper left and the slightly larger holes that it made.



evo after steel plate test edge chatter

Here’s the Evo after 5 shots to the steel plate and as you can see, it did very well. The bleeders are perfectly intact, the main blades perfectly intact, and it spins very well. The only damage is that there’s a little bit of edge chatter on each of the main blades. There’s really no edge chatter on the bleeders at all.





evo x after steel plate test edge chatter

Here’s the Evo X after 5 shots to the steel plate and it did very well also and it spins perfectly true. The bleeders and main blades are all intact. Again, just like the Evo, there’s just a little bit of edge chatter that you can see along the main blades; a little bit more on this as opposed to the Evo. This is probably because of the width as well as it being 150 grains, as you get that slightly more momentum on impact. But, it still held up very well.



Concrete Test:

evo and evo x cinder block test

I shot the Evo (right) and the Evo X (left) into a cinder block to see how well they would penetrate…



evo after cinder block test

Here’s the Evo after impacting and sticking deeply in the concrete. It took a while to get it out. That was one of the deepest-penetrating heads I’ve had in the concrete. And, you can see, the blades held together very well. The bleeders are perfectly intact. There’s just this little bit of a chunk that was taken out of the end of the Evo, but other than that, it did very well and still spins true.



evo x after cinder block test

Here’s the Evo X after impacting the concrete and it did very well. The blades held together perfectly. There’s really very little edge chatter. However, there is a bit of a bend that you can see there in the blades. Now, it still spins fairly well, but there’s that bend in the blades. Pretty impressive durability overall.



Final Thoughts on Day Six Evo and Evo X Broadheads

So, are you looking to weigh the factors and make a decision on a broadhead?

Well, what do you think of the Evo and the Evo X?

I don’t know if you know it or not, but Day Six comes from Genesis 1:31 in the Bible.

As a pastor, I know that Day Six of creation is when God looked back after the 6th day and saw that everything He created was good.

So, that’s how they came up with a name indicating that what they are creating is good.



I don’t know if I would have necessarily said that a few years ago about the first iteration of the Evo and the Evo X, but the improvement that they’ve made for the last couple of years in their broadheads has really made a difference.



Now, I would say, yes, it was made and it was made very good!

That 0.060 inch of thickness made a significant difference in the durability. So, if you are looking for a really stout, deeply-penetrating, tough broadhead with a lot of different variations in cut size as well as weight, you need to check out the Day Six Evo and the Evo X.

Great job, Day Six!

fobs vs vanes picture

Fletch Fight | FOB Archery vs Vanes

Over the years I had heard about the “FOBs” from FOB Archery on various archery forums. I learned that FOB stands for “Fletchings Only Better.”

But what was the story behind this new product, and would it really work better than fletchings or vanes?

The History of FOB Archery

john lusk holding a fob

The FOB is made of nylon and has “fletchings” that are at a 4-degree off-set.

The FOB was designed by an aerospace engineer named Paul Morris. He designed it based on the concept of aerodynamics.

He believed there was a away to improve upon the old fletching that Native Americans and people all over the world had been using for years and also in competitive archery. At the time, the FOBs were known as Starrflight FOB.

But then, in July of 2018, three business partners purchased the company from Morris and rebranded it to FOB Archery.

Keep reading for an in-depth look at the FOBs to find out if they’re right for you…

FOBs At First Glance

I finally got around to testing the FOBs. I have to be honest, when I first started reading about them and saw them, I was like, “Really?” My B.S. meter was going off a little bit.

But, I decided to give them a try.

The FOB is made of nylon. It looks simple, and in some ways, it’s exactly that. But in other ways, it’s very meticulously designed.

It simply slides onto the end of the nock. Then you insert your nock into the arrow shaft and you have essentially fletched your arrow. It’s that simple… and it’s fast.

No glue. No time. Just boom! And it’s done.




An In-Depth Look

The circular ring around the FOB is thicker in the front than it is in the back. It’s an air foil design that aides in the stabilization and flight of the arrow.

fletchings only better

The FOB, although just a small piece of nylon, is precision crafted to give arrows proper in-flight stabilization.

The three little “vanes” are at a 4-degree offset. In effect, very And then these vanes if you will, the three little vanes, they are at a 4-degree offset.



The FOBs claim to be more accurate in a cross-wind than fletchings. The theory is that the cross-wind will blow a fletched arrow more off-course due to the larger surface area on the back of the arrow.  

The combined with the air foil design, the offset vanes allow for greater spin. With the thicker front portion of the ring, and the thinner part in the back of the ring provides 360-degrees of stabilization.



Offset fletched vanes will rotate, but technically not the 360-degrees of stabilization that the ring of the FOB provides.

I should note that the blazer vanes I typically use are different than what most people use. I use a 4-degree helical setting. So, they are put on with a 4-degree helical using an Arizona EZ Fletch.



That gives you the fastest rotation that you can get with blazers.

Sometimes people use the blazer vanes with an offset at 3 or 3-1/2 degrees. Some will just buy them from the factory in a straight position. But, when you put them on with a helical, they spin a lot better and you get better groups.

I tested the FOBS compared to the 4-degree helical blazers to see how well the fly and group. I tested indoors and outdoors with field points and also outdoors at long range using broadheads.

FOB Archery vs Vanes Indoors at 40 Yards

fob arrows vs vaned arrows on target

When compared to arrow with Blazer vanes with a 4-degree helical twist, FOBs grouped extremely well indoors at 40 yards.

Outdoors at 40 Yards

fobs and blazer arrows on target

The FOBs vs Blazer vanes at 40 yards outdoors. They also performed very well in this test.

With Fixed Blade Broadheads at 80 Yards

fobs and vanes outdoor target at 80 yards with fixed blade broadheads

I shot the FOBs vs Blazer vanes at 80 yards outdoors with fixed-blade broadheads.

Ballistic Gel Testing

ballistic gel test setup for fobs

This test consisted of ballistic gel with MDF board in the back of the setup.

Next, I did some testing into ballistic gel, shooting a regular vaned arrow with the Blazers and an arrow with a FOB on it.

I wanted to see two things. First, I wanted to see how the penetration was affected by the fletching and by the FOB. Secondly, I wanted to see how effectively the FOB bounces off the gel when it is contacted.

I first shot the FOB and then the Blazers. On impact, the FOB bounced right back to my feet (about 4-5 yards).



FOB Penetration vs Blazer Vanes

The vaned arrow went through the ballistic gel and simply landed behind the gel block. It didn’t stick at all into the layer of MDF.

However, the bare shaft that had the FOB on it continued to fly through the gel and not only stuck into that layer of MDF, but actually penetrated all the way through it and popped out the other side and made a big dent in the next layer of MDF.




Notice that the arrow tip with the FOB on it penetrated better than the one with the Blazer vanes, because the vanes had to pull through the gel whereas the bare shaft just slipped right through.

After putting the FOBs through every test that I can think of, I was pleasantly surprised. Actually, I was borderline shocked by how well they performed. They passed every test I have.

fob arrow through ballistic gel

The FOB popped off the arrow, as advertised, when passing through the ballistic gel. It also penetrated the MDF board in the back of the setup.

fob penetration of mdf board

The arrow with the FOB on it penetrated the MDF board in the back after passing through the ballistic gel. The arrow with the blazer vanes passed through the gel, but landed without any penetration of the gel.

penetration of mdf with fob arrow

The arrow with the FOB on it passed through the ballistic gel and even penetrated the MDF board in the back. The arrow with the vanes didn’t even penetrate the MDF.

Pros and Cons of FOBs

Here is a summary of what I think are 7 pros and 7 cons to be aware of when considering using the “FOBs” from FOB Archery.

  The Pros:

installtion of fob

Installation of a FOB takes literally seconds.

  • Speed of fletching: You can fletch a dozen arrows in less than a minute instead of about an hour. And, you can do it in the field just as quickly.
  • Accuracy: FOBs are every bit is accurate as a 4-degree helically attached Blazer vane. That’s pretty darn accurate. So, I know that my vanes at a 4-degree helical vanes are more accurate than straight vanes and even more accurate than offset vanes at long distances. The FOBS group just as well.
  • Drift resistance: The FOBs are able to handle wind drift amazingly well. They are much less affected in a heavy crosswind than Blazer vanes or other vanes. That’s an important asset when you are bowhunting out West or shooting at long range.
  • Penetration: The superior penetration of arrows with FOBs surprised me. Because the arrow didn’t have the drag of the fletching, it just zipped through the ballistic gel and penetrated through a half inch of MDF. The arrow with the Blazer vanes did not stick into the MDF at all. That’s quite a bit difference in penetration. The lack of drag makes the difference. That was impressive.
  • Durability: I am very impressed with the durability of the FOBs. I shot them a couple hundred times. I’ve hit the FOBs with the tips of other arrows a number of times (they call this a “FOBinhood” when you stick one arrow inside the FOB of another arrow on the target). The FOB got a little dinged up at times but I have yet to break one. And, even when they are dinged up, they still work fine. TIP: If you are in a dry climate, you can soak the FOB in water, inside like a Ziploc bag or container for a day, they get even a little more pliable. This will help them become even more durable than they already are.
  • Quick Change Colors: Another little thing I like about them is that I can change colors without having to strip everything down off of a previous arrow and put on another one. I can just pop off the FOB and add a different colored one.
  • Ability to use arrows with bare shafts: Another strength of the FOBs is that you can use bare shafts. One of my best archery buddies, Shane Chuning, taught me that to always have a bare shaft in my target quiver so that I can test the tuning of my bow. This helps me test my own personal form. And, nothing reveals imperfections in form and tuning like a bare shaft. So, I always try to designate one arrow like that. With the FOBs essentially all your arrows can be bare shafts. You just pull that off and then you got bare shafts. You put the nock back in and you can tune a whole round of bare shafts and then put the FOBs on and shoot a whole round of fletched ones. So, that’s definitely a plus as well.



The Cons:

So, now that I’ve covered the 7 advantages of FOBs, I’ll cover what could be considered disadvantages:

  • Must use a drop-away rest: To use FOBs, you must use a drop-away rest. They will not work with a prong rest, because the FOB won’t clear it. You also cannot use something like a whisker biscuit, as the FOB would come off as the arrow passes through it.
  • Cheek Interference: If your anchor point is way back, or at the back of your head, the FOB could catch your ear. That wouldn’t feel nice. Or, if you mash your arrow into your face, or have a large beard, you may have a problem using the FOBs. For me, the anchor point is not an issue with FOBs. With the way I anchor, I didn’t notice it, even with a heavy mask on that I use during cold weather. So, this may be an issue for you, depending on where you anchor.
  • “FOB Pinch”: Another con would be a “nock pinch” of sorts. Some individuals with really long draw length that shoot bows with a short axle-to-axle length could experience this. Because the FOB is so far back on the shaft, the string could pinch the top and bottom of the FOB at full draw. If that’s the case with you, the FOBs wouldn’t be right for you. FOB Archery is supposed to be coming up with a solution for this in the near future.
  • In-Flight Sound: Some individuals that have used the FOB say the sound is an issue. I compared them in flight to the sound of my 4-degree helical blazers, which are louder than straight or offset Blazers. To me, the FOBs sound about the same as the Blazers. I couldn’t tell a difference. I even tried a decibel meter, putting it a halfway down range to try to see if they pick up a difference. The decibel meter wasn’t sensitive enough to pick up any difference between the two. Honestly, I don’t worry about arrow flight noise. Instead, I worry about bow noise and human noise at the shot. My reasoning is that bugs are zipping around deer all the time. Birds are flying by. Leaves are falling. I don’t believe the arrow flight noise is an issue worth being concerned with and I’ve never had a problem with it during a hunt.
  • Finding Arrows: Another concern is from those who use lighted nocks. The thought here is that during a pass through shot, the FOB pops off, taking the lighted nock with it. So, you would find your nock easily enough, but not necessarily your arrow. If the arrow stays in the animal, well, you’re going to see it running off with a lighted nock as normal. One way to address this concern is to use a reflective wrap. And I find those just as effective as a lighted nock at finding your arrow because you shine a light on it and it lights up like a Christmas tree. I like to use a lighted nock for videoing, but a reflective wrap really helps you in finding that arrow. So, while some consider this a con, I do not.
  • Weight: Adding the FOB, makes an arrow heavier than using Blazer vanes by 8-10 grains. That’s very minimal in my mind. It’s kind of the difference between using a lighted nock or not, which doesn’t really affect my shooting accuracy unless I’m out well past 60 yards. In that case, I simply sight in my bow for lighted nocks, and the FOBs hit right where my lighted nocks hit. So, again, this “con” is a non-issue for me.
  • Cost: One other concern that people have expressed at times is the cost. I wondered about that too. So, where do FOBs fit in cost-wise? They are about $2.25 each. You get a 12-pack for $29. So, they are more expensive than just getting vanes and attaching them yourself. But, they are less expensive than paying a bow shop to attach your vanes. They are also less expensive than buying the shrink wrap vanes and putting them on.

If you do decide to purchase FOBs from FOBarchery.com, use code LUSK10 for 10% off!

Conclusion

In conclusion, I really like the FOBs. They passed every test I could think of. I’m ready to take them into the field!

For years, traditional archery has been married to the tried and true feathers and vanes. Let me know your thoughts or any questions you have on this alternative fletching in the comments below!