Hey, Bees! Now I understand why you don't see any difference between straight and crooked arrows. You're shootin' mechs!

I tested several brands of mechanicals a few years ago and decided they'd be ice skating on the streets of hell before I ever used 'em. First, out of the ones I tested, only the NAP Shockwaves were what I'd call 'hunt ready' right out of the box. Sharp and totally functional.

Rocket Steelheads and Rocky Mountain Assassins would not open without grabbing each individual blade with a pair of pliers and pulling them open. Further inspection revealed a lot of crud and machining chips in the Assassins and the Steelheads had stamping burrs that had to be filed down before they'd work properly.

Out of the mechanicals I've tried, I experienced a 75% rejection rate. I'm sure there are too many people that do not check their heads before using them, and I'd bet most of the 'failures' you read about can be directly attributed to that.

Anybody that thinks they can simply take mechs out of the package, screw them onto their arrows and go hunting is a fool! They MUST be checked out thoroughly for function and sharpness before they go to the woods. Not doing so is just plain unethical.

Anyway, I'd rather spend my time getting fixed blade heads ready to hunt rather than spending that time FIXING THE JUNK THE FACTORIES PUT ON THE MARKET. When I pay for functional heads, I darn sure expect to GET functional heads.

But I can't finish this post without giving credit where credit is due... I must say that Bruce Barrie and the folks at Rocky Mountain are top notch. When I contacted them about the problem with their Assassins, they went out of their way to make things right. Two thumbs up for them!