In this review, I tested the Rage Trypan NC, (no collar). I had been wanting to test this head for a while.
In this broadhead test I used my Bowtech SR6 set at 72 pounds and I used a Bishop FOC King Arrow for most of the shots, and then the Bishop FAD Eliminators for the really hard impact shots.
Let’s check out these broadheads and then put them to the test.
The Rage Trypan NC Broadhead Up Close
Here’s a good look at the head close-up. The ferrule is made out of titanium and it has been age-hardened, which is just a process of hardening where a solution is added to the metal and brought to a super high temperature. Then it is quenched and brought down to a really low temperature and then heated up to an intermediate temperature for several hours. It results in an extra hard ferrule that is extra durable, resistant to wear and readily machinable.
The blades of the Trypan NC are stainless steel. They are 0.039 inch thick, so, relatively thick. They are double bevel on both sides.
Now, you’ve also got this little collar down here. This is not a retention collar. But rather, this is what they call their FAT adaptor, (Ferrule Alignment Technology), which just allows the ferrule to taper smoothly and transition smoothly into the end of the shaft right there.
As the “NC” implies, there is no collar, O-rings or clips like some other expandables have.
The blades deploy simply by pressure on these two like blunt wings or “bats” of the blade.
The pressure causes the blades to slide back and reach their full open position, which is 2 inches. So, you’re getting a full 2 inches of cut, plus a about a quarter of an inch from the tip going in the opposite direction.
I was hopeful that the Trypan Hypodermic NC would be more durable than some of the other Rages that I’ve tested in the past. But, initially, it looked like a pretty cool head. So, let’s see how this Rage Trypan NC performed.
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Initial Sharpness Test
The initial out-of-the-box sharpness test result: 225
Ballistic Gel Penetration Test
I shot the Trypan NC into ballistic get that was fronted with 1/2″ MDF and foam matting.
The Rage Trypan NC penetrated 6 inches into the ballistic gel.
Here you can see that the blades open to almost their full position upon impact. They had 1-1/2 inches of opening on their initial impact. But, then as you can see, the blades begin to close because they don’t lock open. They begin to close and they reached their closed position and then they just stayed in that position.
Edge Retention Test
I tested the Trypan head after the ballistic gel test to see how well it retained its initial sharpness. The result was 275.
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Layered Cardboard Penetration Test
I shot the head into layered cardboard to see how it would penetrate.
The Trypan NC penetrated through 49 layers of the cardboard.
Blade Opening Test
I tested the Trypan NC on leather that’s stretched tightly over a cardboard box.
It opened one and a quarter inches on the initial impact.
And then by the back of the box, it had opened almost to its full 2 inches of cut, but a little short.
Durability Test
I shot the Trypan NC into MDF board 5 consecutive times to see how durable it was.
Here’s the head after going through the MDF 5 times. And as you can see, the blades did bend pretty significantly. That started to happen on the second shot. However, the ferrule is in excellent shape. It still spun perfectly well and the blades didn’t collapse. They didn’t bend laterally and they didn’t break off. So overall, I’d say this held up fairly well especially compared to the other Rages that I’ve tested.
Concrete Test
I shot the head into a cinder block to see how it would fare…
Here’s the head after impacting the concrete. On the good side, it penetrated really deeply into the concrete. And also on the good side, it held together. It didn’t break into a bunch of different pieces. On the bad side, it did bend considerably.
Now, I know we don’t hunt concrete, OK? So, you can hold back on your comments about that. But, this is a good test of the structural integrity of a broadhead. And again, the goal is just to expose the weak points a head may have.
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It doesn’t mean it’s not a great hunting broadhead. But, it does show you what’s going to happen in a zero penetration test on a really hard impact with things like heavy bone. This is a good indication of the weakness of that really vented titanium ferrule.
Final Thoughts on the Rage Trypan NC
So what do you think of the Hypodermic Trypan NC? You know, it performed better than I expected.
I’ve come to kind of expect that most of the Rages that I test are just going fall apart. But these didn’t. They bent, but they didn’t break and they have lot of good things going for them.
Now, ad for the “NC.” It’s an advantage in some ways that you don’t have to mess around with the collars and the bands and stuff like that.
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And, I know usually even when a mechanical doesn’t open well in testing, it usually does OK on animals because of the hide, and the body behind that hide, and the tissue being stretched really tight and so forth.
And, while the Trypan NC has a wide cut, they gave me a bit of pause and concern about how they would open.
Check out the score sheet below and see how they performed in the areas that matter to you the most and see how they stack up to other mechanicals of this size.
Thank you for your service to God first then for the good informative bowhunting information. Have you ever tested the VPA (Vantage Point Archery) one inch solid COC broadsheets? Supposed to be the best COC broadheads. Thanks and Carry on.
I’ve tested a few of the VPAs, and they’re very good heads. Best COC broadheads? Nope
I was wondering how they would preform from a crossbow @ 430fps
I believe they would stay closed in flight, open well… and break at least one blade if they hit anything hard.