The proliferation of broadheads on the market today makes it increasingly challenging for bowhunters to decide which to use. The good news is that competition breeds higher standards with each season, in most cases (someone always tries to float a lead balloon now and then). The result is that, especially with mechanical heads, the engineering has evolved to the point where most broadheads actually work as expected. Nothing less survives long in this day of instant social media reporting. Selecting the right broadhead now comes down to feature refinement and personal preference.

In the world of crossbow hunting, though, broadheads have traditionally gotten short shrift. With the exception of maybe some heavier weight options or more robust blade retaining mechanisms, most "crossbow broadheads" have usually been identical to their standard broadhead counterparts in all but the name.

Not so with TRUGLO Inc.'s new Titanium X crossbow broadheads. While the Titanium X crossbow heads are reflections of their equally new Titanium X vertical bow siblings, they stand on their own merits.

Titanium X Mechanical Crossbow

As the name implies, the Titanium X series broadheads are built on a grade 5 CNC-machined one-piece titanium ferrule. Titanium is the new benchmark material for premium broadheads these days due to its incredible strength-to-weight ratio. In the bone-pounding realm of broadheads, it's exactly the kind of grit you want. Of course, titanium does push the price above that of aluminum or stainless steel, but when you factor in a titanium ferrule's ability to take repeated poundings in big game and return to service with a simple cleanup and blade replacement, the extra cost is easily justified even in the near term.

Offered only in a four-blade variant, the Titanium X Mechanical Crossbow's ferrule begins with a wickedly-sharp four-sided cut-on-contact point that extends just forward of the first blade set's deployment arms. From there, the ferrule maintains a parallel profile past the main blade set's pivot and then flares out to its final width at the base. This gradual taper, ending with a base that matches the width of your crossbow bolt, is what makes this head "crossbow-specific." As opposed to standard-sized broadheads that are really sized for use in smaller-diameter vertical bow arrows yet labeled as "crossbow broadheads," the Titanium X's wider base aligns with that of the larger crossbow arrows.

There are two key advantages to this. First, having a smooth transition between the broadhead's ferrule and the arrow is conducive to better penetration since there is no "step" to catch on bone or on soft tissue and further slow the arrow down. Second, the elimination of this step minimizes frontal impact on the arrow when it hits something hard like bone, reducing the chance of damaging or bending (in the case of aluminum) the arrow.

The Titanium X Mechanical Crossbow head uses two blade sets, both of which are rear-deploying. The small set is situated behind the point and can open to around 1-3/16 inches diameter. Behind this is the primary blade set, which can deploy to a maximum cutting diameter of 1-3/4 inches. The in-flight, undeployed diameter is just over 7/8ths of an inch as we measured it, which is not far from the width of a typical fixed-blade broadhead.

Even with its sizeable and lethal in-flight cutting diameter, this broadhead shot true to our field point's point of impact on the target range.

This management doe was taken by the author at a 25-yard broadside shot with the Titanium X Mechanical Crossbow broadhead. The pass-through lung shot zipped between the ribs to put the deer down within 60 yards.

The blades are made of .031-inch thick stainless steel and come from the factory exquisitely sharp. Each set shares a common set screw pivot. Not retaining mechanism, such as a plastic collar or rubber band, is used to keep the blades in their in-flight position. Instead, there is a thin spring washer positioned between the blade sets that provide the necessary in-flight retention. We found patience was required to get the two blades and spring washer aligned when replacing the blades, but once assembled, the system works great, providing ample tension to keep the blades from deploying in flight.

The Titanium X Mechanical Crossbow broadhead is available in 100 grains and comes three to a pack. There is no practice head offered, but a replacement blade set is included so you can sight-in and practice with the same head configuration as you would hunt with.

Titanium X Fixed-Blade Crossbow

For fixed-blade fans, TRUGLO, Inc. offers the Titanium X in a four-blade configuration. This is a two-primary, two-bleeder blade arrangement that, like the Titanium X Mechanical, is based on a one-piece grade 5 CNC-machined titanium ferrule.

Titanium X Fixed-Blade Crossbow broadhead meets boar hog. The hog lost.

What we truly appreciate about the Titanium X Fixed-Blade Crossbow head is its straightforward, all-business design. The super-sharp tip features a hammerhead-style profile with the wide sides aligning with the primary blades. Although we didn't test it by shooting through a scapula, this design should do wonders for splitting bone.

The blades deliver a 1-3/16 inch cutting diameter on the primaries and we measured just a hair over 7/8th of an inch on the bleeders. That's a lot of "hole potential" that proved itself for us on both whitetail and hogs, delivering the expected soft-tissue devastation and resulting high-output blood trails. What's more, the .031-inch thick stainless-steel blades held it together during bone passes.

Unlike the Titanium X Mechanical, the Titanium X Fixed-Blade's ferrule base does not flare out to the same diameter as a 2219 or equivalent-sized shaft. It's slightly undersized to accommodate a collar that locks the heels of the blades in place when screwed onto an arrow. The collar's profile, however, is sloped to offer a smooth transition between the ferrule and shaft.

Weighing in at 100 grains, we found that these heads, like the mechanicals, flew true to our field points. Credit that to the spin-testing TRUGLO, Inc. performs on all its broadheads and to our shooting straight shafts and fletching.

TRUGLO, Inc. may not be the first name on your lips when you think of premium broadheads but given the company's archery history and its deep bench of bowhunting gear, we suspect that the Titanium X line of hunting heads will soon change that.