Really, IMO, you can probably use ANY fixed blade broadhead and not have to worry about penetration as long as you avoid the shoulder, with the setup in your signature. I'd say the better question would be "how much time am I willing to invest in tuning my bow to a larger, more unforgiving broadhead?" If your willing to spend the time, go with big fixed blade head. As for that particular mechanical, I agree they are junk, but not because of the blood trails they leave. I double lunged a doe with one, and the blood trail was awesome, but the head was completely trashed, and broken at the ferrule. 15 yard shot, didnt hit any ribs, and went into the sandy ground straight. But what do you expect for $12 for 3 pack of broadheads. You get what you pay for.

So you stuck one didn't know what type of hit you got,stuck another one an hour later, and were lucky enough to stumble across the doe?

Sounds like your set up more for speed the penetration.

It may not be for everyone but I have had great luck with the Rocket Hammerhead. It is a 3 blade mechanical with a 2" dia cut. It makes one hell of a hole and does a lot of damage. I hunt a lot in suburban areas, so I don't want my deer going far. I limit myself to perfect shot placement and usually under 20 yds. Most shots are pass thru and my deer rarely go more than 50yds. Blood trails are massive when put thru the lungs. With all of that blade surface I am sure it would help on marginal shots too. I would not reccomend these heads for slow bows thogh.

So you're saying you double lunged her? That does not sound like a marginal shot to me - that's a good shot. You are concerned that the bloodtrail on a double lung shot was light but that could be due to a variety of reasons. Did you hit her high in the lungs? If so the blood is going to stay in the cavity instead of spilling out. How sharp were the broadheads? It is possible that you didn't hit any of the major arteries in the lungs. These things happen regardless of broadhead type.

The marginal shot was on the buck. The doe was shot through the center of the lungs, the broadheads were unshot brand new this year, and I was very unhappy with the lack of blood from both deer. The problem was the small hole. It seemed to bleed out in the cavity instead of though the wound. At any rate, I bought some Rocket Hammerheads. Not that I take marginal shots, but they should do well, and with my bow, I should have no problem getting a passthrough on a good shot.

Good luck with the Hammerheads they work great for me. I think you will like them. You may only get one shot with them but a small price to pay for a short blood trail.

just a suggestion, if your going to use the Eastman's heads, a touch up with a file is almost mandatory to even get them to shave hair.

Eastman heads= made in china. If it says that on the pack please move down the isle- our deer deserve better.

Now back to the question at hand. I love a 4 blade cut and have killed deer with 3& 4 blade fixed, 4 blade cut on contact& 3 blade mechanical.

Out of the deer I've killed the 3 blade mechanical and 4 blade fixed flew best & put them down quickest. I did have one penetration issue with a 3 blade mechanical so that narrows it down to the 4 blade fixed.

4 blades with 1 1/8" going both ways is where it's at IMHO. Phantom, slick trick & muzzy MX-4's. They all provide this cut.

The sticktricks are my current head of choice, BUT the Rage slipcam 2 blade might be the best of both worlds. Rearward opening blades, huge entry would with a 2" exit. I have yet to buy any and doubt I will unless my Tricks give me a reason to stray.

But then again those muzzies look mean also.

With that said my 4 blade stingers are scary sharp and the easiest to keep that way.

I am a firm believer in a sturdy fixed blade head. I have used thunderheads for over 10 years. I've killed a lot of deer with them, never lost one, and several of the shots were far from perfect. They've not let me down yet. Spines, shoulders, guts, they've put the deer down or left me enough of a blood trail to follow to the deer.

I'd be comfortable using muzzy's, some of the fixed heads from rockie mtn, g5's, wackums, and some of the other fixed head from NAP.