a dull blade will make the wound clots which means bad blood trail

you want your broadheads "scary sharp"

I will not use a head after about 2 weeks of going in and out of the quiver, the foam will dull it after that long,or at least duller then I like.If it fell to the ground it will not be used for deer after that. I use razorblades sometimes dozens a day laying carpet, and I knowthey start getting duller the moment they touch something.


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Short, sweet and true. very nice Buell.

Yes, sharper is better. You want it to cut arteries and stuff. If it's dull, it might just slide through and cause minimal damage.

Simple enough arteries have thick muscular walls surrounding them making them very tough and elastic.(Trust me I tried using a dull scalpel in my gross anatomy class on a human aorta... didn't work very well) There is enough play in an artery that a dull blade would just push it to the side instead of cutting it. (Veins however are thin walled and easier to tear). With regards to clotting times, as long as you have neat edges to any cut there really shouldn't be any differences in clotting times. The "increased clotting" you are talking about in torn cuts is not due to increased platelet effectiveness but due to the fact that the major arteries were not damaged!
Obviously I vote the sharper the better

have to say I'm in a bit of disagreement with most the guys on here. I believe that if the edge of you're blade has a burr on it you're gonna do a heck of a lot more damage than you will with a razor sharp head. Reason being razor sharp head slices heal more quickly and efficiently than a tear. A tear will not heal as fast, because a slice will piece back together quickly and more efficiently, however a tear is harder to splice back together efficiently. I'll take the cut of a burred woodsman or snuffer than anything else.

Having been sliced more than once by both sharp and dull things, I'm with you on the theroy. There is one thing so sharp that it can cut you, with out you ever knowing it. It does scrare me. A broken toilet. No joke. You could find your finger on the floor and never know it was cut off untill you saw the blood. Just an FYI for those out there they may come across one. Sounds like you've been cut a few times yourself.

Personally I use a very sharp Thunderhead.

Simple test next time your are field dressing a deer. Find a major artery and try to rip it in half. You'll find it to be very tough! (Unless you have a true american deer with clogged arteries! )

Yes a sharp blade will cut veins and arteries better then a dull blade. And there have been a lot of comparisons made on this topic.

But here is something to think about. When a surgeon makes a single incision, what do they do with the scalpel? Re-use it? No.

Now your broadhead needs to be sharp when it actually contacts blood vessel correct? But does it have to go through others things that can dull the blade before it gets there. Yes, it does.

So which will be sharper after penetrating hide, possible bone, and muscle to get to the blood vessels? A blade with finely stroped mirrored razor edge finish that can pop hairs from your arm,or a filed sharpened bladewhich has tiny serrations (can't see with naked eye) that can also make hair pop from your arm? There are many (well maybe not here) that feel the filed sharpened blades will retain their sharpness better.

I may actually trythe file sharpened heads this year.