I killed a muley buck with one. I got off on some other heads and just now went back to the Ribtechs. My only problem with them was getting a scalpel type edge. The metal was just a little too coarse or soft. They did sharpen good but not as good as I wanted. I am going to give them another try. No need to carry a knife if you shoot the one ninetys. I call them my flying butcher knives. I don't see them bending or being flexable at all . they have a ridge built into them that really stiffens the head. Its a super simple,  super well designed head and as trad as it gets.
Oh I bet a couple of coats of super glue before mounting on wood would act just like that hardner., Interesting.

God bless, Steve

I have used Ribteks for over twenty years, and have had no problems with performance on game. Will sharpen easy with a file, but to get shaving sharp I found that using a lansky and then a leather strop would get the hairs jumping off my arm.
As for failures, the only ones I have experienced were when hitting rocks, and that was usually curl a few millimeters at the tip. I would just cut off the bent part and use the 'chisel tip' ribteks for small game.
Ribteks have punched through shoulder blades and ribs for me without any failures on their structural integrity.
Here's a big bodied billy that had a ribtek punch through a rib on entry and poke out his armpit on the far side, still sharp.

Cheers,
Memo

That thing is wild looking...wow!  

Kelly, if you re-read my original post you will see that i was not "broadhead testing".  I stated such in the post as follows;

 

QuoteI shot two of the 190s into a pile of bricks out of a 60# compount on a wood shaft total weight 675 grains.

I was testing the efficacy of using minwax wood hardener to "foot" the wood shaft.

QuoteMy guess the results you showed in the first couple pictured were from using too short of a point taper. On Ribteks one needs to use a longer taper so that it fully seats to the bottom of taper. Same goes for all other glue on style broadheads.

No, they were fully inserted.  

I did this test at a time that ribteks were being bashed because many were stating that hitting game in a bone would result in what you see in pic #1.  I never viewed it as a test that would duplicate hitting bone.  I actually expected that what happened would not happen!  It did happen, however, the results with the hardened shaft make it pretty clear that even with POC the "problem", if it exists, is easily mitigated by footing the shaft with the minwax hardener.  

The third and fourth phots prove that.  They also show that the ribtek is tough.  Hitting bricks out of a compound at an angle did produce a bit of bending in the head.  Most bow hunters will readily realize that it's not going to happen on bone.

I have a pretty good supply of 190 ribteks and pretty much plan to continue using them.  Am considering using the 200 grizzley to gain the single bevel MA which would be advantageous on larger animals.  A shoulder injury has me shooting lighter bows these days and I look for every advantage possisble.

Another thought is to convert the 190 ribteks to single bevel.  It would give up some weight, but that could be made up by footing with a heavy hardwood and inserting a heavy weight in the footing.  For my state it also must retain a width of 7/8th inch so that is a factor too.

I have taken a several whitetails, a large black bear, and a cow elk, with the 190's; never had any problems.  Switched to Eclipse because for the option of using bleeder blades to make them into four blade broadheads.

IMO they are a very fine broadhead.  I killed two caribou bulls with the same arrow and 160 Ribtek.  They sharpen well and hold their edge.  Interesting that the factory edge is not ground but part of the stamping process.  I would not hesitate to shoot them again.

Both 160 and 190 grain heads have been sucessful on hogs, ranging from 60-355#.  160's on wood arrows and the 190's with 100 grain brass adapters on some stiff carbons.  Have only had one tip bend a little and the was corrected with a hammer and a block.  Very tough head.  Have had Snuffer, STOS and Magnus perform less abmireably.    

I've shot Gemsbok, black wildebeest, warthog and a ton of feral goats without fail.

I shot a steel bear target at the NALS with a 125 and it stuck in. I kept shooting for the rest of the round.

One last question.  Do you do normal 1" tapers with the ribteks or shoot for longer (1.25"?) To completely fill up the ribs?

You want to fill the ribs.

I want to try some! If they are such a doggone good head, how come no one here in the states carries them? Are they hard to get a hold of?

Go figure! I just made that post, went over to the classifieds and found me a doz. 135gr Ribteks for sale. Who would have guessed from the original poster no less?    :rolleyes:      

Col Graham stopped making them and retired....he was also working on to a follow-on head called Pro Game Hunter which was virtually a Ribtek without ribs...but a solid ferrule.

I have bought them from archery shoppe but the shipping is expensive as they only do air freight...so talking $80-250 for shipping depending on size of order.  I bought over a hundred the last time to make it worth my time and effort....have a few dozen remaining as the rest I gave away, sold a few, and put a few up for auction for St Judes.

Thanks Brock. I'm looking forward to giving them a try. I'm hoping to get a dozen woodies made up before hunting season gets here and want to try them this year.