I was looking at the Three Rivers Catalog and drooling  :rolleyes:  over all the toys. Then I came to the Broadheads and got to wondering if Stainless Steel was really better than the Carbon Steel heads    . I'm sure I'm opening a can of Your Personal Preferance, but is Stainless better? I love my Regular old Snuffers but those Stainless sure look Neat, but at over twice the price are they worth it            ????

Carbon for me is easier to sharpen but rust real easy if you hunt where it is wet a lot. Stainless is tougher to get sharp but keeps it's edge longer and takes the weather better. Twice as much is a hard nut to break though for something you plan on burying into the dirt anyways.

I read an article in an old archery related magazine by a blade smith. He said one phrase that stuck with me...stainless steel was made for ball bearings. I have never been able to keep a stainless blade sharp or sharpen one successfully. Carbon steel on the other hand sharpens easily and stays sharp for me.
  I never understood the fascination with stainless steel blades. There is hardly anything more beautiful than an old knife with a naturally browned blade. Stains are character. Stainless is shiny.    Pat

Good old carbon is the best for me. Yeah if it gets a little wet it will rust but in about 30 seconds it can go from rusty and dull to shavin sharp where it takes 20 minutes to sharpen a stainless blade.

QuoteOriginally posted by vermonster13:
Carbon for me is easier to sharpen but rust real easy if you hunt where it is wet a lot. Stainless is tougher to get sharp but keeps it's edge longer and takes the weather better. Twice as much is a hard nut to break though for something you plan on burying into the dirt anyways.

I've been a butcher for 35+ years and shooting bows longer than that.  As far as knives, a good quality stainless blade can't be beat for professional use.  Like a Forschner® or Henckels brand knives.  Not for broadheads though.
vermonster13 couldn't have said it better.      
   

Way I see it, it's like comparing a self bow to a Morrison. Yep, carbon will work, but it will let you down more often than stainless. As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. That said, just like carbon not all stainless is created equal. In a two blade you will never buy a better or sharper head than the Silver Flame. In a three blade stainless I think the new 300 EXTREEM is about to steal the show as it is one heck of a broadhead. Some of these harder steels will pose some sharpening challeges. However, if you know how to sharpen an edge well they are no different.

I like carbon myself. What Vermonster said. I use bees wax on the blade edges to prevent rust oxidation.

Give me carbon, all steel is not equal, stainless is soft steel, there was a BH I tested looked like good one ...stainles tip curled up like horseshoe!!! Carbon  :)holds a edge better , my 2cents!

QuoteOriginally posted by hunt it:
Way I see it, it's like comparing a self bow to a Morrison. Yep, carbon will work, but it will let you down more often than stainless. As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. That said, just like carbon not all stainless is created equal. In a two blade you will never buy a better or sharper head than the Silver Flame. In a three blade stainless I think the new 300 EXTREEM is about to steal the show as it is one heck of a broadhead. Some of these harder steels will pose some sharpening challeges. However, if you know how to sharpen an edge well they are no different.

Hunt It , I don't know if I could ever justify that price for 3 broadheads.
Silver Flame Broadheads

PRICE: $79.95

 http://www.alaskabowhunting.com/images/header.jpg  
 http://www.alaskabowhunting.com/images/Product_Photos/Broadheads/broadhead-2.jpg

I am going to have to say that good stainless is better than carbon. Over the years I've tried about everything. One of the preparations I did with my carbon bhs was to always apply a coating of vaseline to keep them from rusting. There are 3 stainless heads I like a lot. The two blade that has impressed me both for sharpenablity and toughness is the Zephyr Scirocco. I prefer to use multiblade heads for big game and I am very comfortable with the Muzzy Phantom and the Razorcaps (I have not had the opportunity to shoot/sharpen the SS Snuffer). I am not a metal expert but these heads are very easy to get shaving sharp, they hold up to the weather without  oil or vaseline, they are tough and they hold an edge for a long time. I  have heads from year to  year that do not get shot at game and when I get my arrows together for the next season many of them do not need to be resharpened. There must be a difference in the quality of stainless as the earlier heads, like the Bohning Blazers seemed to be tougher to get and stay sharp. As far as I am concerned good stainless is better than carbon.

VA,

$75.00 is small price to pay for quality. Look at the overall picture, $1,000.00 for bow, $100.00 + for doz arras, + truck + equip + time + hunt cost +++. I'm not suggesting you stump shoot with em. I bought six of them five years ago, still have five. Small price to pay for the assurance of quality sharp heads in quiver when on hunt. Recently bought three more Flames and four of new 300 XTREEM's. So I have $400.00 worth of fancy, quality broadheads compared to thousands in equip. Few cases of beer at best!

hunt it,
How about...$20.00 Bear Grizzly recurve or free K-Mag, $2.00 for 3 Pearson Deadheads and 18 Bear Razorheads at yard sale, $25.00 for dz. POC shafts, cut my own Wild Turkey feathers, $20.00 to hunt Quantico Marine Base or $0.00 to hunt WMA's, truck I use for transportation anyway.

All that is still less than 3 of your broadheads and good quality.    

Almost 80.00 bucks Ouch!!!    But Id love to try one!!!!    I still think carbon is easier to sharpen!  

Fun thread to read. I found blades got a touch less sharp riding in the quiver for 2 days, so I touch em up ever other day hunting anyway... replace the vasiline and go on hunting. Never had one rust.

Sure seems that from all the posters, it would depend on your area and circumstances though.  Damp, salty, etc...might make a huge diff on what to carry.

Sure have seen some folks arrowheads that made me wince and told them so...have to fall on em to hurt yourself... so whatever it takes to keep em sharp in YOUR quiver, eh?

I dont like sharpening, some guys find it relaxing they enjoy sitting down and refining the steel, im not one of them. Dont get me wrong i always do whats needed to get them shaving sharp its just not fun for me. Thats my reason for liking stainless it will hold and edge a lot longer and stand up to adverce weather conditions. I have found also that the edge is also stronger, if i were to hit the same thing with both typs of steel the stainless will have less damage and easer to repair, again less time on the stone.

Just my personal findings

VA,

Know what ya mean, but I'm not really talking about local hunting. I have not been on a hunt yet that was less than $1,000.00 no matter how you add it up. So, when there's $75.00 worth of broadheads in the quiver it's a small price to pay in my opinion.

quote:

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Originally posted by VA Bowbender:
hunt it,
How about...$20.00 Bear Grizzly recurve or free K-Mag, $2.00 for 3 Pearson Deadheads and 18 Bear Razorheads at yard sale, $25.00 for dz. POC shafts, cut my own Wild Turkey feathers, $20.00 to hunt Quantico Marine Base or $0.00 to hunt WMA's, truck I use for transportation anyway.

All that is still less than 3 of your broadheads and good quality.