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| Specifications » | |
| Weight: | 100 Grains |
| Number of Blades: | 3 |
| Cutting Diameter: | 1.125″ |
| Blade Thickness: | .032″ |
| Ratings » | |
| Accuracy: |  |
| Construction: |  |
| Ease of Use: | |
| Penetration: |  |
| Price: | |
| Sharpness: | |
| Strength: | |
| Bonus Points: |  |
To be honest with you, I didn’t even know that Tru-Fire made broadheads until I set out to find broadheads for this review. After testing the T1, I am quite surprised that it doesn’t have a bigger hold on the market. It isn’t a perfect broadhead, but I think it has what it takes to appeal to the masses. Let’s take a look…
Accuracy – The large vents on the T1′s blades and the low profile ferrule make for a design that has great flight characteristics and good wind resistance. It wasn’t the most accurate head in the group, but it wasn’t far off either. The T1 is plenty accurate.
Construction – The ferrule on the T1 is machined from one piece of solid steel. The steel blades, which measure in at .032″ thick, are also constructed very well. I really like the blade design, which has both forward and rear tabs that lock into the ferrule. There is a small amount of play in the blades when they are not installed on an arrow, but they do tighten up very well when installed. I would love to see the blades come in just a bit thicker, and the tolerances to be just a little bit tighter on the blade-to-ferrule lockup. Also, although the springs in the T1 seem to be great, you have to account for any “extra” parts that could fail at anytime. Nonetheless, I would say that the T1 has good construction.
Ease of Use – This is a category where the T1 really shines. The Spring Retention System (SRS) is a great design, which makes installing and replacing blades a snap. To replace a blade simply push it towards the rear of the ferrule, which compresses the spring and releases the front of the blade from the ferrule. Not only does the SRS make swapping blades easy, but it also holds blades in the ferrule when the head is not installed on an arrow. (One of my pet peeves are broadheads that fall apart when not installed.)
Penetration – The T1 performed about average on penetration. It is one of several heads that averaged around the middle of the pack when factoring all the data from the penetration tests. I wouldn’t say that the T1 performed inadequately, but it didn’t do extraordinarily either.
Price – The T1 comes in at the higher end of the price range, but unlike some of the others at that price range, I do believe the T1 provides some extra value for what you are paying. The construction and materials are great, and Tru-Fire provides and extra set of replacement blades as well. I have a hard time saying that broadheads at ~$35 are a great deal, but it is easy to see why the T1 is priced among the higher-end blades on the market.
Sharpness – The blades on the T1 great out of the package, and they held their sharpness quite well throughout the tests. The area the T1 can improve on when it comes to sharpness isn’t the blades, it is the ferrule. The tip of the ferrule seems strong and has a nice point, but the edges aren’t as sharp as they could be. It is almost as if the black coating on the ferrule reduces the sharpness of the ferrule edges.
Strength – Throughout the test, the T1 proved to be a sufficiently strong design. I originally had doubts about how the rear tab of the blades would hold up in the spring, and how the spring itself would hold up. Those fears are quickly eased once you install the T1 on an arrow and realize that the arrow insert supports both the blades and the spring really well. The T1 did great on the plywood tests, and the blades held up really well, especially for having such a fine edge.
Conclusion & Bonus Points – The T1 is a nice broadhead. It is dead simple to use, and a fair value considering the prices that broadheads are going for these days. My suggestion for improvements would be to sharpen up the ferrule (possibly by foregoing the black coating), and try to improve the blade-to-ferrule lockup. If you want an accurate, easy to use 3-blade chisel tip design, the T1 is a good choice.
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