I use the fixed blade Sabertooth Steelforce and they are great. They have bleeder blades that help with blood trails.

Fixed, I love my Muzzy 100 Grain

Fixed. Last two deer i shot with grim reapers went in broadside and came out the hind quarter. 2 times! Shoot slicktrick standards 1 inch now.

Heavy arrow, high FOC (15-20%), and a cut on contact fixed blade rules all.

Light and fast is fine, until you hit bone.

Heavy arrows with a lot of FOC do some physics defying things in wind too.

Think of it as a high ballistic coefficient.

Like you, I always hunted with a fixed, either Bear or Zwickey. This year I got and am hunting with a crossbow. My son, a heck of an archer, recommended 100 gr. Toxics. They are a fixed with 3 razor sharp blades that cut a cloverleaf hole. Did a lot of research on them as well as seeing what he has done to deer with them. Went with the 100 gr. Toxics with Carbon Express Piledriver bolts. They have grouped beautifully in practice and hope to see for myself what they do to a deer one of these nights.

Moosetrot

Have used fixed blades in the past and liked them, used rage mechanical this year and all i can say is wow. never seen a blood trail like that. might not work for others but they did for me. i guess you got to know where your gona hit.

Thanks for all of the advise it sounds like the fixed blade is favored more than the mechanicals. I will stay with fixed at least for this season and let my boys use mechanical broadheads and compare the results at the end of the season. I do like the high foc arrows I may not get the speed that my boys get but I’ll have plenty of momentum.

3 blade 100 gr.fixed. Their all not made alike...so spend the money on an extra package and practice. I prefer 100 grand. Steelforce but that's me...and they are harder to find in stores.

I have shot fixed blade for years started out with thunderhead then 2 blade zwicky,bear and magnus. Probably have shot 2 blade close to 15 years with my compound the last 3 years I have shot 100 grain slick trick vipers have taken 4 deer and one turkey with them. For a fixed I think slicks are one of the better ones out there.
Now having said that I'm going to try out the generic 100 grain swacker that you see on ebay. They seem to get decent reviews. Have shot them out from 50 yards and they group fine. On my crossbow I shoot nap 100 grain spitfires only one deer with them so far but a huge hole. Neighbors shoot rage hypo taken quite a few deer with them. They did loose one deer it was a steep quartering shot left a big slice across the shoulder never penitrated .
Anyway in the end accuracy and shot placement kills
J

Have used Rage mechanicals last 10 years and never had an issue. Really punch's a hole in them and great blood trails.

from what I understand fixed penetrate better but for deer or similar animals or hide both will work elk and moose I would go with fixed

Fixed here. 100 grain Exodus broadheads.

Pretty big pile of elk, deer and javelina from myself and a couple buddies last several years with the Rage Hypodermic mech blade.
Super accurate, scary deadly and real expensive!

But worth it.

ML

I often wonder if Native Americans debated over flint or obsidian as much as we discuss mechanical vs fixed. This topic comes up in a lot of circles and I’m always impressed by the answers and the logic behind them. Not implying that anyone is wrong or that their opinion is any less important than another’s. However, place a broadhead in the vitals and the deer is going to die. Doesn’t matter if the blades are fixed or if they open on impact. I’ve shot more deer over the years than I’d like to discuss but I’ve also had access to wonderful ground and crop damage permits. Have killed a pile of deer with archery equipment and if there’s ever been one lost, it was the fault of the Indian, not the arrow. For mechanicals, I’ve found the grim reapers have been great. Never had a deer get out of sight. Shot a deer last evening in the spine with a hypodermic. It severed everything to the point that she nearly split in half during the skinning process. For fixed heads someone mentioned Slick Tricks and I’d agree. They’re affordable, sharp, fly like field points and open a hole. They are my fixed head of choice. Having said that, the Wac’em 4 blade is also very affordable and has all the same attributes but a little less durable. It’s a great head though. The only failure I’ve had with a mechanical was on an extremely sharp angled shot. Honestly, I’d have still had an issue even with a fixed head due to the angle. Again, no fault of the equipment. My honest advice would be to pick what you want ang get to it. But, if you’re going to use mechanical heads, use a setup with enough KE to deploy the blades. Doesn’t have to be a complete pass through and driven into the ground on the other side but you want to at least reach the other side. Good luck with your choice and enjoy your season.

I hunted with Rage once and I won't do it again. On my first shot at a deer with the Rage, I had a failure that resulted in a wounded buck. I watched the blade open up mid flight on a brand new blade. The arrow developed a bad wobble, as soon as that happened, and I got dismal penetration because of it. A neighbor ended up shooting that buck about a month later and recovered my broadhead from the animal. It hit a rib at the weird angle and then slid up the outside of the rib cage lodging behind the shoulder. That buck was standing perfectly broadside at 30 yards, so you can imagine the strange angle the arrow hit at. All that said, I've used other mechanicals at times and have not had a problem. In fact I prefer mechanicals in certain instances. Hunting in think cover or higher wind conditions are where mechanicals usually preform better. But I also use fixed blades. I've hunted out of ground blinds with shoot through mess and that requires a fixed blade head. If I'm hunting wide open spaces in light wind conditions I seem to opt for fixed blades more often that not. I've just spent the time finding both head types that shoot nearly identically out of my bow. In my current bow and how I have it tuned, 100 grain Schwacker mechanicals and 100 grain Striker fixed blades are consistent shooters out to my maximum comfortable shooting distance of 65 yards. I also usually carry a pre-shot/practice fixed blade with me in case I have coyotes come in. I have lighted knocks on all mechanicals, red on my fixed blades and yellow on my pre-shot/practice head. Makes selecting an arrow fast with just a glance. Even by moonlight.

I have both in my quiver. If the deer comes in and it'll be at a tough angle and there is a chance of hitting the shoulder blade, I'll go with a Fixed Blade (Slick Trick 4-Blade). Most of the time it's a Rage Hypodermic for me..

Last 5 deer I have used the Cabelas mechanical 3 blade. No complaints, all good blood trails. Previous 8-10 deer used 3 blade fixed Muzzys - again no complaints but did seem like less blood on the trail...both have been good to me as long as I have done my job.

Light and fast is overrated. My arrows are heavy at 11.3 grains per inch with a 100 grain head. That puts finished arrow weight around 460. I've shot 45 deer with a bow and just under half have been with a mechanical head. My favorite fixed head is a slick trick magnum. As for mechanical heads I really like wasp jakhammers but I've switched to grim reaper because they don't use orings. I tried rage hypodermics but they weren't what I would consider durable and I don't like the collars. In 2013 I shot a buck that was walking slowly. I grunted to stop him and he started to pick up his head so I shot. Instead of stopping he took two quick steps and I ended up shooting him in the left rear leg. My mechanical head cut his femur in half. It was bent but intact. I've never had a head fail to open. Practice with what you're planning to hunt with and try to make good shots. Sometimes bad shots happen. Confidence in your gear is important. I'm confident a mechanical head will not cost me an animal.

What he said!!

I have both in my Quiver.
Rage and Muzzy. Killed a pile of deer with both of them. The Rage's fly better down range then a fixed.
You make a poor shot with either one , you might have trouble finding your game. Shot placement.