It happens every day.....many, many times.

What also happens is.....people hear mechanicals are good "bad shot" broadheads. You think those guys are picking a spot?

I'm not sure what either has to do with this discussion, though.

I still think you're under the impression I don't like mechanicals. Nothing could be (in this discussion) further from the truth. If my son wanted to shoot them, I'd tell him to rock on. He's pulling 66#'s @ 28.5"...and I tuned his bow myself. He's shooting a big fixed head, currently. But, if he wanted to switch to the rage head, I'd have no issues. Out of his setup (and those similar), they are the most devastating head I've ever seen. Bar none.

Then....you have Tiffany Lakosky shooting them. Has she EVER had a pass-thru, shooting a Rage? That's just irresponsible (IMO)....marketing a low KE head, just so you can justify her using them out of her setup. These heads and low KE setups go together like yotes and kittens.

I've never seen a product in the archery industry be so polarizing. People will climb a mountain to tell a detrimental story about the Rage head......and, in reality, they may have never shot or seen one (or, they have no idea they have to be in tune to shoot them, optimally). Same could be said about the NY Yankees; Duke Basketball; etc..., etc..., etc.... So, at least they're in good company.

When I hear a "Rage sucks" thread, I believe basically 0% of the "the head failed" threads (sans hunter errors). I believe people are sometimes mistaken on exactly where they thought they hit an animal. I believe 90+% of all archery hunters will swear to God they're in tune....and at the same time know they have no idea if they are or what it takes to get there. I guess it's always been that way.....and always will be.

My Rage story. The first deer I shot I took a shot that wasn't in one of my shooting lanes and it was dusk so I didn't see the brush and limbs in my way. I found my arrow with blood but after hours of tracking and a tracking dog, no deer. 2 weeks later I had a picture of a skinny doe with a 2" wound just below her spine. Same deer? I think so but who really knows?
Deer #2 is the one pictured below. The close up is of the entry, the one you can see those massive horns (11 pointer) is the exit. 10 yards quartering away, I cut all the way through one rib, half through another on the same side (width wise, not depth). When it exited it was at an angle that didn't involve ribs, it went between them. When I picked up the arrow and inspected it it apeared that the broadhead didn't deploy completely. It looks like it sure did by the pictures tho. The only other experience with rage was my dad shot a doe and had a complete pass through and cut through 2 ribs, one on each side. She made it 100 yards with little blood becuase he was shooting uphill and hit her high-ish. Does this settle the RAGE dispute, hell no, but it proves to me at least that just because you don't think your broadhead performed doesn't mean that it didn't, you need more proof. And I just went into the woods last night for the first time I pushed on my Rage blades before I went out and they were extremely stiff so I took them off and put on a set of other mechanical broad heads I used to use, I can't remember what they are. I didn't get a chance to use them though. :(

And that's what can be so misleading about mech heads. They can close back up partially or even completely after a pass through. But good grief look at the holes in that spike.... oops.. I mean 11 point you posted. That's pretty impressive holes in my book and it's pretty obvious looking at those holes that the head did indeed open. Looks like that deer was stabbed with a spear.

But if you had made a bad hit and lost that deer. And you found that head which "looked like" it hadn't opened properly. A lot of people would jump to the conclusion that they lost a deer because the head didn't open.

That's why I pretty much dismiss any claim of a broadhead not opening unless the hunter has a deer to show me the tiny round entry and exit holes to prove it.

The problem with rage heads, is that there are more people hunting with them than any other head on the market. The more people you have using a head, the more bad shots that can be taken with that head. A rage that doesn't deploy what so ever will still kill a deer if you punch it through the heart, or through the lungs. May not be the best blood trail, but it will die in a timely enough fashion. People think that just because it says it flies like a field point, they can screw it on and everything will be fine. That rings true with all mechanicals, it boils down to people buying their stuff the night before a hunt, never testing it, and then whining when it doesn't drop a deer in its tracks. If you don't believe me, swing by a gander mountain, dicks, cabelas, walmart etc. the night before any season opener. People buying broadheads, arrows, bows, guns, ammunition, all to be used in the woods the next morning. It's easy to blame the equipment rather than own up to the fact that enough time was not put in to test it first and make sure it works properly out of your set up.

Stanley with your permission I'd like to repost the photos of those rage holes at another forum. is that okay with you?

Bingo.

On a pass-through shot, mechanicals will close back up (or at least partially). I dropped a doe in its tracks with NAP Spitfire a couple of weeks ago. Pass through shot. Did a number on the doe--but when I found the arrow the broadhead was closed back up.

Use some common sense, folks. Think about it.

No Penetration
 

Just yesterday I made a shot on a buck at 20-25 yards After the arrow struck, I saw it sticking out of the deer for most of its length. If it got more than 2 inches penetration I would be surprised. I was using mechanicals. I will have to check the brand but, they are the flip over type. I do not think they flipped completely or, maybe I hit bone.

I tracked the deer for anout 90 minutes. I found some blood but not a great deal. I tracked it to the point where, I found the arrow in perfect shape. At some point the blood trail ceased. I made a big circle around the last blood and found nothing.

My guess is that, I hit the should bone and got a non-lethal hit. The deer saw me as I was lining up and probably moved.

I have had success in the past with mechanical but am thinking of going to broadheads. Not sure how to practice without ruining expensive points.

Sounds like a shoulder shot and not broadhead failure. To answer your question about practicing and not ruining a broadhead, check out the NAP hellrazors. They are cut on contact and you get 4 in a package. Just count on one being your practice head. If you need the broadhead down the road you can always sharpen it. These were the sharpest broaheads I have seen out of the package and I have shot several different brands.

I found with mechanical devices that don't work
 

See what you could have checked and done to get the device to work. Somebody else is getting them to work, especially if they've been around for awhile.

I found I saved a little money, being as cheap as I am, by looking at what I didn't understand or do. Not look first at what the designer did or didn't do.

Someone explain to me the purpose of mechanicals. Ive been at this game for over 30 years. And time and time again, the latest fad fades and everyone goes back to the tried and true.

Ill answer the question for you all. Mechanicals are a poor fix for bad tuned arrows and bows.