In this review, I tested a classic broadhead… the NAP Thunderhead!

These heads have been around for a long time. I actually like testing these older broadheads like this one, just to see if the newer designs have passed them by or if they really are still holding their own.

For these tests, I used my Bowtech SR6 set at 72 pounds, 27” draw. I’m using Bishop FOC King Arrows for most of the shots, but then the Bishop FAD Eliminators for the really hard impact ones.

So, let’s go through some of the design features and specifications and then put them to the test!

The NAP Thunderhead At First Glance

Let’s zoom in and check out the Thunderhead and then put it to the test.

Here’s a good look at the 125-grain Thunderhead. It’s a petty cool, classic design. It has a cutting diameter of 1-3/16”. It has an overall length beyond the ferrule of 2”, so it’s pretty long by some of today’s fixed-blade standards, especially for 3-blade heads.

It has steel blades that are 0.027” thick, which are pretty thin by today’s market standards.

The tip is a hardened steel, chiseled tip that’s really pointy. I really like this chiseled tip. The ferrule is made out of aluminum.

Notice that the ferrule of the Thunderhead has micro-groove channels in it.

The micro grooves in the ferrule are supposed to aid in flight as it carries the air around with it and it rotates, which is supposed to aid in penetration. This is similar to what the dimples on a golf ball do.

Thunderhead Testing

So, I was really eager to put the Thunderhead to test and see how it would hold up, especially since it has been around so long and has such a loyal following. Let’s see how it did!

Flight Forgiveness Test

In the flight forgiveness test, I shot one filed point and then two broadheads into the target at 40 yards.

Initial Sharpness: 225

To test the “out-of-the-box” sharpness of the Thunderhead, I tested how much pressure it would take for the blade to cut through a metal wire (the lower the number, the sharper it is). It registered 225.

Penetration Test #1

I shot the Thunderhead into a block of ballistic gel that was fronted with a 2/3″ rubber mat and 1/2″ MDF. It penetrated 6-1/4″.

Edge Retention Test

After Penetration Test #1, the sharpness scale registered the Thunderhead’s sharpness at 325.

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Penetration Test 2 (layered cardboard):

The NAP Thunderhead penetrated through 59 layers of cardboard.

Angled Shot Test (1/4” MDF/Carpet)

I shot the Thunderhead into angled MDF fronted with carpet.

Durability Test #1 (1/2” MDF max 3 shots)

I also shot the head into 1/2″ MDF (3 shots).

Durability Test #2 (Steel Plate)

In this durability test, I shot the Thunderhead into a .22 ga steel plate (max 2 shots) to see how it would hold up.Here’s the head after going through the steel plate two times.

The Thunderhead looked brand new after going through the MDF and the steel plate and it still held up really well. But, the blades got a bit nicked up (“edge chatter”).

And then you can see the hole. You can see how it looks like just a ferrule hole with 3 slits coming off of it.

Durability Test (Concrete)

I shot the Thunderhead into a concrete block to see how it would hold up. The tip embedded really deeply into the concrete and I couldn’t get it out. I didn’t want to mess up my concrete by digging it out. And, this one blade got stuck right in the end into the concrete as well.

Here’s the Thunderhead after being shot into the concrete. As you can see, the ferrule just broke off right there. The other two blades just stayed intact. They got a little bit nicked up there at the end but they still stayed in place.

And overall, after the concrete block test, it still spun decently, but it did just break in half. Now, that’s after going through the MDF 3 times and the steel plate twice. So overall, fairly impressive durability.

Final thoughts on the NAP Thunderhead

So what do you think of the Thunderhead?

When my buddy told me he was going to send me a pack of these, I was intrigued. I like to test every head. But, at the same time, I thought, “They are so old school. The newer stuff is going to be blowing it away.”

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But, then when I started playing around with them and looking at them, I thought, “No, these are really well-made and well-constructed and designed.”

And the tests just proved just that. I can see why they have such a loyal following and why they’ve taken so many animals over the years.

Now, I will say that I think there are other 3-bladed heads on the market that do better than this one. But then again, this is better than a lot of them that are on the market as well.

So check out the score sheet in the description box and see how it performed in the areas that matter to you the most and see if it might be a good fit for you.

In this review I tested the Arachnid broadhead from Black Widow Innovations.

Now, this is a really cool head!

So, let’s check out this Arachnid and then put it to the test.

I’m using Bowtech SR6 set at 72 pounds and I’m using Bishop FOC King Arrows for most of the tests. But, on the really hard impacts tests, I’m using the Bishop FAD Eliminator.

A close look at the Arachnid Broadhead from Black Widow Innovations

Below is a good look at the Arachnid. Now, it doesn’t make a really wide hole but I imagine it’s going to cut a lot of tissue and open up that 1″ hole fairly well in an animal.

This is a cool-looking head and it has got some really unique features. First of all, it’s 6 blades with a 1-inch cutting diameter, giving you a total cut of 3 inches. The blades are made out of stainless steel.

The tip is made out of A2 steel, which is much more resistant to impact than typical stainless steel, about double the resistance to impact. So that’s going to make that tip extra durable and strong.

Now, another neat thing about the Arachnid heads is that they come with 3 extra beefy chiseled tips that are made of A2 Tool Steel, just like the blades.

And they are really big!

The Arachnid comes with three heavier tips made of A2 tool steel. With these you can up the weight from 100 to 125 grains.

So, you can either shoot it in a 100-grain or in the 125-grain, just by unscrewing and screwing in the other beefy, chiseled tip.

So, I like that modularity, and I like that 125-grain head makes up that weight not just by adding a heavier washer, which really doesn’t do anything to strengthen the head or make it fly better.

But, by adding an extra beefy tip, you’re making that head a lot more durable.

Also, you’re putting that weight all the way at the front which is going to increase your front of center just a little bit as opposed to putting the heavier washer back here.

The blades are relatively thin at 0.027″ thick. That’s probably due to having 6-blades and being able to make the weight.

The blades are also single bevel, on the front and the back of the head, which is really interesting. It’s probably done so that they don’t get too narrow, too thin. If they were double bevel at 0.027″ thick, they might be too thin.

Because the blades are sharpened on the back as well, if you are pulling out of a target, that will make it a little easier. And, if it’s backing out of an animal, it will be cutting tissue while it backs out of an animal.

The ferrule is made out of 7075 aluminum, so it’s a pretty short ferrule and it’s a pretty stout aluminum. So, I thought the durability would be relatively good.

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Now, one thing I will say is, when you’re putting the head together or when you unscrew it from your arrow, those blades can fall out really easily; a lot more easily than a lot of different designs.

And so, you have to be extra careful. They come with bases that you can screw on when they’re not in the end of your shaft just to keep the blades in place.

And, you really want to use those because it is pretty frustrating trying to get them all lined up and get them snagged on your arrow.

Black Widow Arachnid testing

I was really eager to put it them to the test and see how they performed.

Flight Forgiveness Test

I tested the Arachnid to see how the heads flew vs. a field point.

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Initial Sharpness Test

The initial sharpness test result of the Arachnid was 150 on the Sharp electronic tester.

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

The Arachnid penetrated into the rubber mat/MDF/ballistic gel 6-7/8″.

Edge Retention Test (sharpness after Penetration Test 1)

After the first penetration test, I re-tested the sharpness… 225.

Penetration Test 2 (layered cardboard)

The Arachnid penetrated through 57 layers of cardboard.

Angled Shot Test (1/4” MDF/Carpet)

Here’s a look at the angle shot test setup.

Durability Test (1/2″ MDF max shots)

The head was in perfect condition after the angled shot test and 3 shots through the MDF. Now, it’s on to the steel plate test…

Durability (22 ga steel plate max 2 shots)

Here’s the head after 2 shots through a .22 gauge steel plate.

It held all of its blades perfectly. None were lost. None were bent. The edges did get pretty mangled up as you can see. And, the tip got a little bit blunted. But again, they all held in place and they made really nice holes in the steel plate (that’s pretty cool hole with those 6 blades and a really round circular hole in the center!)

Concrete Test

In the final test, I shot the Arachnid into a concrete block. Below is the Arachnid after that test.

Now, at this point, it had already gone through the MDF 3 times and the 22 gauge steel plate twice. There was a bit of a wobble to it after the concrete test. The ferrule also got a little bit bent.

But, other than that, man, it held together very well in this zero penetration test.

Finally, I shot the head into a concrete block…. The tips got bent somewhat and it had a slight wobble in the spin test.

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Final thoughts on the Arachnid Broadheads

So, that what do you think of the Arachnid?

Man, I have to say that it performed a lot better than I was expecting it to.

I didn’t think it would fly as well as it did or penetrated as deeply as it did or be as durable as it was. So, I was pretty impressed with it here.

Be sure to check out the total cumulative score and the corresponding Lusk grade! Happy bowhunting everyone!