Len in Maryland

TFOX:

Thanks. I thought it was just me who saw an argumentative nature that deviated from constructive criticism and informative dialogue. I got to the point where I just didn' t want to answer questions because of the seemingly never-ending barrage.

CG

Sounds more than a little argumentative to me......to assume that the company would quit making a style of BH because you had a problem isn' t the best way to start the conversation......Call me crazy, but I bet he was a bit insulted......

Antler Eater

The Positive

There is no doubt that when it comes to mechanical heads Rocket is one of the tops in the industry. I think they could improve their hinge pins but that is another story for another day. I have taken deer with a number of their heads and they have performed flawlessly with no failures. For those generating enough energy in their rig I have found that the Hammerhead 3L completely penetrated big bodied bucks and delivered unprecedented wound channels with blood trails a blind man could follow. Most of the animals fell within eyesight.

The Negative

When they came out with the ' Ultimate Steel' head I gave them a try. To my dismay I found that the blades could be easily lost even in my foam target. I gave them a call thinking that they might want to look into the situation. I tried to approach the subject in a cordial manner with the person I was talking to.
It seems I was the only one who had the problem with the blades coming off, at least that is how he made me feel. I was instructed to mail in the evidence and they would take a look at it and send me some new heads. I wrote down the information he gave me and sent in the blades and ferrule with a note describing how the failure occurred. For what it' s worth, that was about a year ago and I have never heard anything back.

In their defense, I' m sure they get a lot of calls from people that are less than knowledgeable telling them how they can improve their products and I know that can get old. Nevertheless good business sense tells you that will happen to any company so you listen intently, answer questions truthfully, and tactfully try to satisfy the customer if possible.

Good products don' t necessarily equate good service. Each person will have to deem what they consider acceptable and go from there.

CBM SC

I got very aggrevated at Rocket over the Steelheads.
The pack I bought has the same problem with the threads for the inserts being too short. I actually had a head come off in flight, although I was never sure if it was in the air or after it hit the ground , but no head and an arrow & insert in tact.
Also I found the Steelheads to be noisy and had 3 out of 3 deer spook/duck whatever when I shot at them with the Steelheads. I tested the Steelheads as well as several other heads by shooting them past several friends and having them listen. None of them knew what head I was going to shoot and everyone agreed the the Steelheads were by far the most noisy. I decided to contact Rocket to offer some constructive criticism. I feel the Steelheads are noisy because of where the o-ring is located in relation to the ferrule. A lot of designs have the o-ring snug against the ferrule , while the steelhead has fairly large gaps in between the o-ring and ferrule , which I think causes the unwanted noise.

After explaining this in a letter to Rocket I heard nothing for about a month. Then one day I recieved a package containing a Rocket video and a note basically saying sh!t happens...get over it !! They didn' t acknowlege any problem with the threads or any possible noise problems associated with the o-ring location.

Now having said that , I did try some Rocket Hammerheads this year and I did like them . But I was apprehensive about trying any more Rockets , mainly due to the letter I received from them.

CG

Antler Eater,
I think that BH companys are like proud parents.......they love the positives and ignore the negatives.....I had two, what I would call, catastrophic failures to the tip of the Rocky Mountain Snyper last year. I contacted the company via phone and e-mail (very cordial and non-confrontational, I might add ) and actually talked to Bruce Barrie (owner).....While he was very friendly, he wanted nothing to do with my criticism of the Snyper (which I believe has the best deployment system for a mech. on the market..and I told him that). I offered to send the 2 heads in question to him and he declined to even look at them (I still can' t figure that one out). I simply think that they don' t want to hear it.....

Macdaddy

When I purchased the Ultimate Steele heads and they didn' t work I took them back to my Locally Owned, Overpriced, Overserviced, Underpaid, Bow Shop.

They took them back, no questions asked, tried them in all sorts of inserts, and then made a note and put it on the display for customers to see. They informed me that they will be calling the rep for Rocket on this. They gave me a 75gr to test out and see if it works for me. It does fit just fine, althought I don' t think that I will be using it. too light and little.

I don' t really care how rocket treats them, they must treat them well because they carry a lot of Rocket BHs. The retailer has much more pull than I do. They speak with bigger $$s.

So if you purchased yours thought the net or some chain store that is not willing to help you that' s the price you pay for saving some $$. I guess on the critical items I will just pay the extra $$ and get them from some cool guys that take care of me with great service. (I' m not saying there are no good shops on the net. There are quite a few. I have heard good things about pinwheel on this msg brd and I' m sure there are others. I also suggest Cabelas they have never questioned one returned item from me and are always helpfull)

Good shooting.

xibowhunter

i think i' ll stick with my thunderheads![:-]

c903

TFox

Here and out there, are totally different worlds.

CG

The heads were purchased from a dealer that was phasing out the product. That was the first hint that the product might be discontinued. The heads were purchased at half the original cost. That was the second hint. My local pro bud said that he was not positive that " Rocket" supplied the " US" anymore. That was the third hint. Go to " Rocket' s" crap website and find " Ultimate Steel" in their listed product line. That was the fourth and BIG hint.

The question was asked because I was trying to determine if the dealer knew the " US" had been discontinued because of problems, and had the dealer been advised by " Rocket." Had the dealer been aware, it would be the dealer who would be responsible for reimbursement for knowingly selling me a faulty product that had been discontinued.

Len

You always have the choice to " pack it if you can' t hack it!"
.

AlaskanLarge

" Pack it if you can' t hack it" Ya your a pain in the butt sometimes, but I do agree with you when it comes to Rocket. I have had some crazy responces from them when I was nothing but polite.

I deal allot with archery manufactures and it pretty much comes down to this. " You can' t tell an engineer his baby is ugly and if you tell him his baby is ugly and retarded, your in trouble."

Antler Eater

CG,

I couldn' t agree with you more. Now that you mention it I do recall your experience with the Snypers. If you remember I also said I bent the tip over on one in like fashion. It is certainly one of the weaknesses in that particular design albeit they are a good mechanical. By the way mine was bent on a whitetail doe not an elk, so it can happen even on smaller animals when the circumstances are right.

AlaskanLarge,

Very true, very true....It also reminds me of the line my professor used to say when someone was being stubborn or bullheaded but couldn' t see it. Let me set up the scenario... It is a lovely sunny day, conditions are just right for the marching band to execute a perfect performance as they play down the main street of town. Right on cue they come down the road. The gyrations, the rythm, and the musical notes coming from the young performers are perfect---except for one person. This poor kid can' t get his steps in time with his marching comrades, he is totally lost. Just as there is a break in the music, a proud mothers voice rises above the din as she declares to those around her..." Oh look, everyone is out of step EXCEPT my Johnny!"