Lou-Lou, the four blade head while having a smaller cutting diameter actually cuts more flesh than the three blade head does.

The three blade head has a cutting idameter of 1 3/16th inch while the four blade head has a 1 inch cutting diameter. So, each of the blades on the three blade model stick out from the center .594 inches and multiply that number times the number of blades (three) and you get a total "slash factor" of 1.782 inches. Each blade of the four blade head sticks out exactly .5 inches. Multiply that number times the number of blades (four) and you get a total "slash factor" of exactly two inches.

By "slash factor" I mean that if you had a single edged blade, such as a knife, the "slash factor" number would be the length of that single blade.

Now compare them on a linear scale and for every inch of foward cut the four blade head cuts .218 more inches of flesh. Add that up through 18 inches of a deers chest and and the four blade head will cut 3.924 more inches of flesh. Or through an elks chest at three feet across and the four blade will cut 7.848 more inches of flesh.


No on to the other questions. A four blade head should be just as easy to tune as a three blade head. I strongly believe that the four blade head secures its blades in the furrel much better than the three blade model does. I give the strength vote to the four blade head.

Lining up the blades with the fletchings has absolutely no merit what so ever. This was just recently asked around here and you would literally have to be a math wizzard to figure out exactly where to place the blades in relationship to the fletchings. And then as soon as the wind direction changes, the arrow speed changes, temperature changes, humidity changes etc... etc... etc... it would all be fore not. Basically it is 100% impossible to get the blades of a broadhead and the fletchings to travel through the same air for more than a split second. Simply make sure that your broadheads spin true and if it makes you feel more confident you can orient all of the broadheads the same way in relation to each other so that they all leave the bow the same way but forget about the fletchings.