Deadly New Broadheads for 2014

We begin with something new and different that could just as easily fit under our arrow category. The carbon shaft of Ballistic Arrow Tech's INsetBlade is tipped with a compact, three-blade fixed head. Several inches behind, and enclosed in the arrow shaft, are the expandable INsetBlades. This combo provides excellent flight, as well as a 'two-cut ' system wherein the fixed head starts the wound channel followed by the INsetBlades opening inside the animal. This maximizes energy while also creating a five-bladed vortex exit wound. Price: $N/A

The Laser Combo Pack features a combination of accessories allowing you to use your Laser Broadhead as either a hunting head or a calibration/target point. The package includes a sharp Hollow Point Hunting Tip and razor-sharp Hunting Blades, along with a blunt Hollow Point Target Tip. By simply removing the blades and switching the tip, you have a shootable Laser Calibration Point that activates at full draw with a bow-mounted magnet. The head comes calibrated to be spot-on at 30 yards with a 300 fps bow, but you can easily adjust the laser up or down to compensate for arrow drop. Price: $30

Dead Right There (DRT) broadheads fly well out of any bow. The DRT has an extremely sharp main blade with a significant bleeder blade — both Teflon coated. The patent-pending M.W.S. (Modular Weight System) allows you to increase the weight of the broadhead from 100 to 125 grains, allowing for different FOC and spine considerations. DRT broadheads come in many colors, including red, orange, and pink. Bowhunters can select double-bevel or single-bevel (right grind) to further tune their equipment. Price: $35 per 3-pack

Flying Arrow entered the broadhead market last year with a revolutionary coring blade design on their Toxic, which produces a devastating 'clover-leaf ' wound channel. This year they decided to add a more conventional design with their Cyclone. This three-blade fixed head has a slightly less radical configuration, yet it still includes a modified Flying Arrow twist. For your convenience, Flying Arrow made the Toxic and Cyclone 100-grain blades interchangeable, and both are also available in Sassy Pink, Deep Six, Crossbow, and 125-grain models. All feature open-flex technology with a single-beveled edge and a chisel tip. They also applied their unique blade technology to their 125-grain Tom-Bomb. This head offers a 2½" cutting diameter designed for decapitating turkeys. Price: $45 per 3-pack (Cyclone); $45 per 3-pack (Toxic); $45 per 3-pack (Tom-Bomb)

Fulton incorporated several new innovations for their 100- and 125-grain Ramcats — the first blade-over-shaft broadheads on the market. Both have one-piece, stainless-steel ferrules with a Hydroshock Self-Centering chisel tip, patented deep lobes, and Aero Insert Technology licensed by Firenock. Those lobes create an airfoil that drafts wind over the blades for zero planing and fieldpoint accuracy. On impact, the lobes create a hydrofoil, forcing body mass outward and removing friction down the arrow shaft for deeper penetration. Ramcats have an offset and stealth blade design with .032"-thick replaceable blades sharpened front and rear to create a backcut if the head doesn't pass through. The 100-grain has a cut diameter of 13„8" and the Ramcat XX is 125 grains with a 1½" cut. This year Fulton will also offer Deep Six Ramcats, practice blades, and a single-bevel grind 1" cut diameter blade. Price: $38.50 (100-grain); $39.50 (125-grain)

'The G5 Havoc, the ultimate two-blade expandable broadhead, provides you with the power of G5's Dual Trap blade-retention system, ' G5 Marketing Manager David Hawkey said. The system holds the .030" stainless-steel blades (made with a Lutz proprietary grinding process for extreme sharpness) in place with the durability of a stainless-steel collar and the reliability of an elastomeric ring. On impact, the rugged cut-on-contact tip starts the wound channel before the mechanical blades open. 'Its surgically precise construction and wide slice give you the ultimate advantage in the field. With a 2" cutting diameter, no game is off limits, ' said Hawkey. Price: $50 per 3-pack

Virtually all mechanical broadhead makers claim their heads fly like a fieldpoint, and for the most part, they do. But Innerloc wanted to make sure that would be true even out of the fastest high-performance bows. So they designed an Exo-Cover that snaps over the front of the broadhead, giving it exactly the same shape as a fieldpoint. But the cover does more than merely ensure better aerodynamics. It's designed to shatter on impact while also aiding in the opening of the blades to their full 1¼" cutting diameter. The Shape Shifter is ruggedly built of all stainless steel, sports sturdy .040"-thick blades, and has a 1¼" cut. Price: $42 per 3-pack

Speaking of veterans, Muzzy has also been around since 1985; so long that its decade-old, four-blade Phantom still seems like a new addition. Fans of the Phantom's leading-edge design will likely be just as excited to hear about the completely redesigned Phantom SC as VP of Sales and Marketing, Jon Syverson, is to talk about it. 'This is a short, compact, leading-edge version of our original Phantom that offers great flight characteristics and great penetration, ' Syverson said. 'And it's designed for bowhunters who want the increased kinetic energy of a heavier broadhead. ' The new Phantom SC features a solid-steel ferrule, .050"-thick blades, a 11„8" cutting diameter, and an ultra-compact leading-edge blade design that starts working the instant it makes contact. The bleeder blade follows with a secondary cut for heavier, shorter blood trails. It's available in either 100 or 125 grains. Price: $40 per 3-pack

New Archery Products (NAP) did not add any new broadheads in 2014. 'What we did do, ' said NAP Director of Engineering, Bob Mizek, 'was greatly expand our capacity to produce the Killzone models. We had a great year in 2013 and couldn't meet demand. We now have a complete product offering for every bowhunter. From the Killzone Low KE for women and youth hunters shooting low poundage to the Killzone Crossbow 100 and 125, which can handle speeds over 400 fps, NAP offers rear-deployment broadheads that will get the job done flawlessly every time. ' The Killzone's blades — with NAP's Diamized blade technology for extreme sharpness — are strategically placed farther back from the tip. This allows both to open and work in unison, fully deploying and anchoring against the back of the ferrule to achieve maximum penetration while avoiding single-blade deployment or deflection upon impact or during penetration. The practice head (included) is specifically matched to the same accuracy and flight characteristics of the Killzone broadhead, but is designed for easy removal from, and less damage to, your target. The standard Killzone is offered in 100-grain Cut-On-Contact tip, Trophy Tip or Deep Six, as well as the 2" cut 125, 1½" cut Low KE 100 grain, and 23„8" cut, 100-grain Maxx. Price: $40 per 3-pack (Cut-On-Contact, Trophy Tip or Deep Six); $40 per 3-pack (2" cut 125); $40 per 3-pack (Low KE 100 grain); $45 per 3-pack (Maxx)

Jon Syverson was also fired up about the new 3-Blade Rage. 'It still has some of the same features like our SlipCam technology, but we completely redesigned it with much more cutting surface so it actually cuts a core, not just a channel, ' Syverson said. He's referring to the advanced geometric design of new KORE technology that, when combined with stainless-steel construction, .035"-thick blades and a 1¾" cutting diameter, produces even more devastating wounds than its predecessor. 'The way it's designed, it's also not barbed, ' Syverson added, which the original one might be considered by some states. Syverson also touted the latest version of conventional Rage heads, the Rage SS. 'The SS stands for striking system, ' he said. 'We redesigned it for those folks shooting lower-poundage bows or wanting greater penetration on really thick-skinned big game. It's an updated version of our 40KE that also uses the Shock Collar, SlipCam technology and Instant-Cut leading-edge blade, but has the more streamlined barrel of our Rage X-treme. ' A more sweeping blade angle provides better penetration with low KE bows. The two-blade, 100-grain Rage SS also features surgically sharp, .038" stainless-steel blades, and it has an in-flight diameter of ¾" for fieldpoint accuracy. Hot on the heels of last year's 100-grain Hypodermic is a new 125-grain version. The super-slim steel ferrule is precision machined, was designed in a wind tunnel for extreme accuracy, and its surgical-honed .035" stainless-steel blades open to a devastating 2" cut. This variant sports the same needle-sharp hybrid tip and wide-cutting blades as the original 100, but packs added energy from a little more forward weight. It's available in standard or Deep Six versions. Price: $50 per 3-pack (3-Blade); $45 per 3-pack plus practice head (Rage SS); $50 per 3-pack plus practice head)

Slick Trick's General Manager, Tony Reed, observed that this year's D6 Magnum, designed specifically for the Easton Deep Six inserts, was largely a response to customer demand.  'A lot of guys asked for it, ' Reed said. 'They've really been after us, so we listened. ' It's still similar to the original 11„8" cut version, but they adapted the entire ferrule body with an adjusted shoulder to match micro-diameter shafts. And they used the same high-quality materials, including the razor-sharp .035" SS LUTZ custom knife-grade Mercedes German blades that other Slick Trick heads are noted for. Price: $30 per 3-pack

Terminal T-Lock Black Ops broadheads offer far more than just a bold new black finish. The tapered, non-vented blade design makes them fieldpoint accurate and silent in flight. The razor-sharp chisel tip of the single-piece, cut-on-contact ferrule initiates penetration, and then the .041" stainless-steel blades finish the job. The T-Lock's blade-to-ferrule connection guarantees no lost blades. Both blades and ferrule are made of 100% heat-treated stainless steel to maintain integrity through the heaviest impacts. Fans of Trophy Taker's Ulmer Edge have several more lethal options for 2014. The 100% stainless-steel line was expanded to include 100 and 125-grain models, and options for both Deep Six and standard thread inserts. Upon impact, the patented design engages both rear-deploying blades together at full cutting diameter while allowing the blades to pivot around heavy bone. For non-pass-through shots, the blades can fold forward to avoid being considered 'barbed, ' but are sharpened on the backside so they will cut on the way in and out. The blade-retention system prevents accidental deployment in flight or in your quiver, and can be locked into 'practice mode ' to prevent damaging the blades or the target. There's also a new 2" cut option for the 125-grain aluminum version. Price: $40 per 3-pack (Terminal T-Lock Black Ops); $50 per 3-pack (Ulmer Edge)

No broadhead roundup would be complete without at least one fishing head, and this one's a doozy, addressing several knocks (pun intended) on conventional fishing heads. 'Wasp looks forward to bringing the quality of our broadheads to those passionate about bowfishing, ' said Zach Weaver, broadhead designer at Wasp. The Talon features three .062" stainless-steel blades and a trocar tip — rather than two simple rods — that fold back in flight for better accuracy and penetration through water and fish. Once pressure is applied on retrieval, the 'talons ' open to grab and hold more reliably. Then, with a simple 30-degree turn of the ferrule, the quick-release mechanism disengages the lock and the blades fold forward for a quicker, cleaner release and faster reload time. And for greater durability, even in harsh saltwater environments, the Talon is constructed of 100% stainless steel. It's also available in a kit that includes a white 5„16" fiberglass arrow shaft featuring a Bohning Legend nock and a predrilled safety slide hole. And for terrestrial hunters, the new Drone's solid-steel ferrule allows for a reduced surface area. Wasp's exclusive pressed-on Stainless Smart Tip (SST) is always aligned with the blades, creating a straight, 11„8" diameter cutting path to follow. Price: $18 (Talon); $22 (Talon Kit); $30 per 3-pack (Drone)