RE: fixed or retractable
I prefer mechanical ONLY because of the bigger cutting diameter. I am producing 82 pounds of KE, so I'm not even slightly worried about that.
I have nothing wrong w/ fixed blade, I've killed quite a few deer with them, but last year I decided I wanteda BIG hole through that critter.....The bigger the hole, the more blood loss.....Faster bleeding = dead deer faster......That's the theory anyway.