I think expandable broadheads are for real. Many of them work very well provided they are used properly, with enough KE, and a well tuned bow. Picking a mechanical is more difficult becuase you really need to understand how each works, as well as your bows KE levels, and the game your going to hunt. I have found most fixed blade heads are at least decent to good. Mechanicals have a wide range, going from great to terrible. Some penetrate as well as fixed blade heads, others don't. I think they should be used on deer size game only (with the exception of one), and Bow tuning is as important if not more so with mechanicals in general. Yes they shoot great, but without a properly tuned and matched setup the preformance will suffer. I have use mechanicals with good results, and I feel confident when I have a good one on the end of my arrow, but I still prefer a fixed blade head. The way I see it there are two reasons to shoot a mechanical head. Improved accuracy in a wide range of situations, and to get a larger cutting surface. Fixed blades are very accurate, but can't compete with a quality mechancial when it comes to shooting in the wind, rain, etc. Also for those with plenty of KE the only way to get a really large cutting diameter, 1 3/4" or more is to go with a mechanical head. The larger fixed blade heads like the Snuffer may make it close to 1 1/2", but it's harder to get them to shoot well without real stiff arrows and large fletching. To sum it all up, mechanical heads are very effective provide the bowhunter takes time to understand how the work, tunes his bow well, and chooses one that fit's within his Kinetic energy levels. To use them to their full potential requires more than just picking up a pack, making sure they fly like your field points and going hunting.

TAKE YOUR KIDS HUNTING AND YOU WON'T BE HUNTING FOR YOUR KIDS