archer125 is correct. Slick Tricks have an 1 1/8" cutting diameter. I have taken three deer with these heads and have nothing but good things to say about their performance and customer service. I have never had problems with blades not tighteing so I really can not comment on that.

Hi, This is Gary from Slick Trick. Thanks for the feedback. Wanted to comment on Pooreboys post. Baffled as to how they are not tightening up, never heard or experienced that before. Wonder a couple of things. One, did you use the washer? The washer protects the insert, strengthens the head, and locks it down. Without the washer you may have dented the insert, which would cause a gap fresh blades would not make contact with. A Slick Trick consists of 4 parts, a ferrule, 2 blades, and a washer. The washer and blades and ferrule are precisely manufactured to lock up very tightly with the Alcatraz Bladelock design. Two, did you use a wrench to tighten the heads on the arrow? Something everybody should do no matter what brand head they use is to lock them down with a wrench. You can't tighten a head with your fingers as tightly as you can with a wrench. The tighter a head is the stronger it is. And obviously it is safer with a wrench. At slicktrick.net I mention this in the assembly instructions. I have found the plastic wrenches with the slots inside work the best, and they are found everywhere for a couple dollars. An advantage of the Slick Trick Alcatraz Bladelock is that they DO lock down very tightly, as you tighten them down you will feel a lock washer effect, and unlike other heads will not be loosened when you pull them out of a quiver. The washers are very tough, and I wouldn't think you would dent them on an animal enough so the blades wouldn't lock down. But you can rotate the washer a tad if that were possible to a fresh spot. Two years ago guys would lose washers and call for more, so now I include extra washers with the extra blades just in case. Now, having said that, if you still have a problem and they won't tighten up, I apologize for the problem and will send you out new heads, just let me know how you come out. THANKS GARY

Gary, I commend you for stepping out of the shadows and contributing here. I wish more manufacturers would follow your lead.

With that said, would you please expand on why your heads reportedly leave a bigger entrance/exit holes and blood trails than others of comparable design?

I'm shooting 1 1/2" cut mechanicals cause I'm looking for big holes and subsequent blood trails. Any input you can give on your heads on game performance would be appreciated.

Hi Rangeball, I surf a bit, but can't spend a lot of time chatting. My heads are out enough now that guys using them are good to answer questions, and they do a good job and I appreciate it. There are a couple reasons my heads blow big holes. One is that they are 1 1/8" 4 blades. That is a total diameter cut of 2 1/4". A 1 1/2" 3 blade, if you do the math, also cuts 2 1/4". So you cut a lot. A 1 1/8" 4 blade cuts 33% more than a 1 1/8" 3 blade. Most people are shooting 1 1/8" or 1 3/16" 3 blades. Keep in mind that 4 blades of the same diameter are certainly better than 3, as they create more open holes, same as a 3 blade opens a better hole than a 2 blade. The X cut pulls open easily and stays open. Forget who posted above about the blade angle, they were correct in that it helps cut a larger hole. As the head enters, with the angle of the Slick Trick blades, hide or flesh is pulled back over the length of the blade. The length of the blade is greater than the height of the blade. So you are cutting a width greater than the 1 1/8" diameter. When you use very long heads you don't get this effect, and when you use heads with blades at greater angles you don't get this effect. Additionally, Slick Trick blades are at a slicing angle instead of the chopping angle of some mechs. So it isn't voodoo, the guys reporting the big holes aren't crazy, its just solid physics at work in the design. My heads were shown to the industry in 2000, the heads you have been seeing since then are the result of imitation being the sincerest form of flattery. That is to my advantage, as without my patented Alcatraz Bladelock nobody can make a head that blows the 4 blade holes mine do, with the aerodynamics I have, and the strength and easy blade replacement. The bonus is that even though they blow the big holes, they still penetrate as well as 3 blades. I am working to expose them to dealers, and meet the demand this fall so they aren't secrets any more. Hope that helps, THANKS GARY

thanks for the info gary, i will look at the washes to make sure that they are not damaged. when i was foolling with them it seemed i used new washers but im am not sure i will try them tonight and see if that helps.

i was real impressed with head like i said i killed a few deer and one i shot
was 8yds out of a ground blind and he didn't make 10yds. he never knew what hit him!

Gary, thanks for the follow up. I may have to give them a whirl this fall.

I assume they blast right through ribs. How do they do on hard bone hits, such as the thicker part of the shoulder or even the back bone? Any field reports on these type of hits?

They handle bone as well as anything. The hollow ground 4 edge tip creates 4 stress fractures which blasts bone. I believe 5 Shot who tests broadheads through plywood said they made the biggest hole he had seen or something to that effect. That lets you know they work as planned as bone is more brittle than plywood. They also pass the steel drum test with no damage. So called cut on contact tips are good with traditional bows where you are trying to get a pass through the ribs, but with a compound you get better penetration through bone with the 4 edge tip since it shatters bone where a 2 edge tip just wedges. It is nice to have a chance to kill an animal going through the shoulder blade, but everybody should understand that is a bonus and not the percentage shot. You should use the accuracy of a head and the discipline of a good broadside or quartering shot to take out both lungs, and your odds of recovery are 99%. Nothing in bowhunting is certain. If you miss and hit the thinner weaker portions of the shoulder blade you have a decent chance of penetrating and getting both lungs. That is why the Slick Tricks are not larger than they are. They do plenty of damage and if you gut shoot one and let it alone for awhile it will bed down and expire. But the cut is not too big to hinder penetration through bone. However, if you hit the thicker portions or ridges of the shoulder blade just right no head will penetrate and you are out of luck. Thats why you aim to miss the shoulder blade. Rule #1 in bowhunting is take a good shot inside your accuracy range, hopefully at a relaxed animal. Hope that explains it a bit.