doegirl wrote:I've tried both. I could not get thunderheads to group very well with my setup. That does not mean that they won't work perfectly fine in your'sHonestly, I just did not want to do the work and make the necessary adjustments to get those big heads flying correctly. I know of more than one archer who will accept nothing but a Thunderhead on the end of their arrow.
I was using Spitfires this season until very recently. My two main gripes with Spitfires is: 1. They're really expensive 2. A set of blade retainers will last 5 shots before needing replaced. You need to buy practice blades. Repeatedly shooting a head with regular blades will not only mess up the blades and the retainers, but will also start to distort the slots and the screw holes. I've only killed one deer with a Spitfire, that's not very representative of a head's true performance. Bottom line is that I have a hard time trusting a head that I cannot practice with. If a head gets destroyed after shooting it 10 times in a foam target-that's hard for me to swallow, especially at $33.00 for 3. I might be completely wrong, but shooting with the nonopening practice blades is different than using the movable "real" ones.
I disagree with some of these points.
1. Spitfires are the same price as other heads for the most part about 10$ a pop.
Practice blades for the spitfires are cheap and they have not only the same weight but also the same blade surface exposed.
I can attest that they fly exactly where the real bladed ones do, as well as where your field points do.
If anyone douts this, I challenge them to shoot a group of field points, then a group of practice blades, and finally a group of real bladed ones.
I guarantee you will be making a trip to your nearest proshop for a handful of arrows:)
After you shoot 1 bladed spitfire and 1 practice blade, You will see there is no need to practice with the bladed ones, and in all actuality you should only need to shoot 1 practice bladed spitfire into your field point group to confirm they hit the same place.
I have yet to see spitfires fly different than field points and I have seen them shot out of piss poorly tuned bows, and still group with thier field points.
As far as replacing the blade retention insert after 5 shots, this is somewhat a moot point on 2 counts, first off, I believe NAP suggests you replace them after 5 "openings" because it flattens the dimples and takes less resistance to open.
I personally have opened my blades many more times than 50 times and still assured my blades didn't open on the shot as my shot hit exactly where I aimed it. If the blades opened, then this would not be possible.
I do replace the little peices of metal when I replace blades, as they are free with the blades as well as replacement screws.
I replace my blades after each shot, along with the clips and screws.
Spitfires are a great head for anyone pushing higher KE, anyone who isn't should look at a fixed head or a Rocky snyper/ Rocket Steelhead.
Another factor that makes spitfires as well as thunder heads appealing...is I KNOW for certain I can find at any sporting goods store blades, replacement heads etc.
Some of these newer heads are great but simply require "planning" to obtain spares etc ahead of time due to availability.
As far as anyone speculating that Mechs have failed in the past, well have yet to see one fail to open, and numerous BH tests have been done where not a single head failed to open during all these tests.
People that claim the head failed really mean that THEY failed to place the shot where it belongs or took a shot that possibly shouldn't have been taken.
It is physically impossible for the blades to not open, each manufacturer of mech heads deals with this accusation each year and has proven themselves redundantly to the point of exhaustion.
Yet it is funny how nobody wonders about shooting fixed blades at steep angles in which they torque the bow and the arrow groups dramatically left or right and they miss where they aimed.
Why is it that when someone fails to recover a mech shot deer, it's the head, but when it was shot with a fixed blade that hit somewhere other than perfect, it's not even questioned?
I know many mfg's claim they offer a fixed blade that shoots as good as field points...maybe true out of a "hooter shooter", but the big question is will it group with field points out of a tree stand while aiming downward after you have sat in the cold all day?
I assure you the mech will hit exactly where you point it, as will it open up on impact.
Shoot what you like, but both types have pro's and cons which are pretty much equal, 1 type may be better for some rigs/shooters than the other and it boils down to which one works for your setup better than the other.
