Interesting.....On a side note I'm a side to side man, light pressure, super fine diamond stone, trying both models of metal and finish on leather. Will continue to refine my technique.......I get em sharper then when they come out of the box....but that ain't saying much IMO......so I shouldn't get hung up on the 60 degree edge on them vice 20 degrees? I can't remember and it doesn't look like they are marked....is the CS the black ones? Thanks appreciate the info.
Yes the black ones are CS and better than the silver ones. It sounds like you are doing it right. I sharpen broadheads for bowhunters that are sharpening challenged. As a custom knife maker I use ceramic to finish the blades. I can get them shaving sharp.
You are correct about out of the package sharpness. In most cases, its pretty poor. Right now, 3 blade, fixed blade broadheads are very popular. The G5 Montec revived the interest and other broadhead makers have followed suit. All of these heads appear to be top notch, but I can tell you that these heads are not exactly razor sharp right out of the package. Don't get me wrong. All of these heads will do the job straight from the package if you make a well placed shot through the vitals but they can all be improved by a little touch up prior to taking them to the field.
The same is true of a head that you have been using as a practice Broadhead. Foam targets don't really damage a broadhead but they will dull them considerably. In either case, sharpening a 3 bladed broadhead is so easy that there is no real reason to not to give them a touch up that will make them scary sharp.
Sharpening a 3 bladed broadhead is a simple a rolling a toy car on a table top. No special skills are required to produce a sharp, hunting quality edge. You can use something as simple as 400 or 1000 grit wet dry sandpaper. This sandpaper is normally black and is available at all hardware stores and home centers. For longer life I use a flat (fine) diamond hone. You can also use a whet stone. The only other thing you need is a sharpie marker. The sharpie is used to draw in the blade edge. As you sharpen the head, you will wear away the marker and know that you have touched up the entire surface. One thing to keep in mind is that you need to keep your stoke count equal on all 3 sides of the head to maintain balance. If two sides can be honed with only 30 stokes but the 3rd side, requires 40 strokes, all sides must get 40 strokes.
Here is a head I took straight from the package. Notice the grind marks and the rolled over edge (white line along the cutting edge). This head was semi sharp but not one I would take into the woods.
I took another head and spent perhaps 3 minutes on a diamond hone and then an Arkansas stone and then ceramic plate. In very little time, I had the head much sharper. In the upper blade you can see the reflection of the camera lens info. I used the side to side motion rather than front to back.
