ORIGINAL: JOE PA
Ah yes. CAE! I remember using CAE X-Caliber arrows for a few years. Looking down those flutes and trying to straighten the arrows has probably permanently compromised my vision.
A few things I learned from them were
1. Check a thin walled aluminum arrow frequently for straightness.
2. When your groups go to heck, check the arrows. It might be you, it might not.
3. Any wobble in the point end will make a broadhead fly in the direction the head is pointing as it sits on the bow.
4. Any wobble in the nock end seems to make an arrow just plain erratic.
As to your original post, Jeff, I will take a set of carbons any day over those X-calibers. At least when I have a good shooting carbon, I know that practicing a few shots will not ruin what I am trying to set up. Glad I am not hunting with X-Calibers any more. The Carbon Techs or ACCs are much better, IMHO.
I won't comment on those old fluted arrows [:'(]
I was speaking strictly about the pultrudeds, which were amazingly good arrows. The Cabelas versions were actually the "culls" and they compared favorably with the best from AFC/Beman/Easton PCs, etc.