By Johnny Mack
After spending all winter dreaming about the fall hunting seasons, I started to take inventory of my gear and look into what items I wanted to switch out or try. Broadheads were at the top of my list. Not because I didn’t like the head I was previously using, but because there is an abundance of cool technology and heads to choose from on the market these days.
Over the off-season, I had my eyes on a few different heads that I wanted to compare and see how they would do in relation to each other. The four heads that were selected were: QAD Exodus, Iron Will s125, Day-Six Evo, and Annihilator’s. Below I dive into information regarding each broadhead and finish with a video testing the toughness, durability, and damaged caused by each head.
QAD EXODUS
MSRP $39.99 for a 3 pack
The Exodus broadhead is built out of 100% stainless steel. They fly very accurate compared to field points and are quite intimidating to hold and look at. I did notice out at distances that if I did not consistently hold my bow the same every time, I would get a drift on my arrows. The one big thing that I noticed on the broadheads were that weights varied quite a bit and were not always consistent to the advertised 125 grains. The one pro about these heads though is that they have replaceable blades and can save you some money on the back end. In general, I recommend these heads and am impressed by them.
https://www.qadinc.com/shop/exodus-standard/
IROn WILL S125
MSRP $99.95 for a 3 pack
The Iron Will s125 was the broadhead I was most excited to try out. I listened to podcasts about them and really debated if spending $100 on a pack of 3 broadheads was worth it even with their Lifetime Warranty. The blades are made of S2 tool steel combined with a titanium ferrule. The heads look great but I have two complaints about them. The first being that the blades started to rust, which in turn dulls the blades. If you do not want them to rust, you will need to rub them down with mineral oil for prevention.
The other thing I had trouble with was shooting them accurately. Knowing that my bow is tuned and shooting well for me, I thought I would have zero issues. After talking with others who shoot them, they all had the same complaint. The one positive to the Iron Will’s is that they all are within the same weight range unlike the QAD Exodus.
https://www.ironwilloutfitters.com/
Day-Six Evo
MSRP $89.00 for a 3 pack
The Evo broadhead from Day-Six was a head that caught my interest after digging deeper into the world of two blade broadheads. The more I learned about them, the more I became intrigued. And if I was going to look at the Iron Will’s, then I better look at the Evo’s as well and I am glad I did. Even though the Evo and s125 are very similar, the Evo out performed the s125 in all aspects.
Tuning the broadhead was no issue at all and it flew similar to field tips. The Evo is made out of S30V steel which is what my skinning knife is made out of and I love its strength and durability. The one downside to these broadheads is the price and they do not offer any type of warranty like Iron Will. All the Evo broadheads weighed in roughly around the same weight and that was nice to see.
Annihilator
MSRP $56.99 for a 3 pack
Last on the list but first in the quiver is the Annihilator broadhead. These broadheads are unique and nothing matches them on the market. They fly extremely true to field points and are made out of one solid piece of 4140 alloy steel hardened to Rockwell RC:52 for superior edge retention and longevity. These heads are also unique in the fact that their edge is cut at 30 degrees instead of the standard 15 or 20. Annihilator does this so when it comes time to sharpen it is much easier.
Another plus of the Annihilator, is that they are all guaranteed to stay within .2 grains of each other in the batch providing consistency and trust in your equipment. The one thing to note with the Annihilator is unlike other broadheads that slice through flesh, these are meant to punch holes and to deliver internal shock just like what a bullet does. Causing animals to bleed out faster and die quickly. The quality you get in comparison with the price is hard to beat.
https://annihilatorbroadheads.com/
Broadhead Test Video
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