The spitfires do open slower than many mechanical heads, but they are still a high quality broadhead and they kill a lot of game every year. Yes I prefer a fast opening head, but I honestly would feel confident using the spitfire on deer. Droptines does have a good solution if it is a concern, I did this myself during some testing. Let me say that if you do use rubber bands New Archery Products will not condone or agree with this. If you do so it' s at your own risk. That said I don' t see any down side other than the inconvience of using rubber bands or O-rings. A cheaper solution would be to check out the Scorpion by NAP it is an excellent head and opens fast.