# Fivics Ninja Arrows - first impressions



## williamskg6 (Dec 21, 2008)

My long-armed teen daughter needed some longer, inexpensive arrows so I decided to get her some Fivics Ninja arrows instead of the Carbon Impact Super Club arrows I had been eyeing. I ordered a dozen 1300 spine arrows. They're very cheap for a carbon arrow, even less than the Super Club arrows, and they come in a lot of softer spines appropriate for younger shooters or low-poundage shooters.

Here are my first impressions: 

*The Good:*

They're 30" long (!) and come fletched
They're really inexpensive
Most arrows seem to be decent quality
Despite the silly name, the graphics are understated - white letters on a black label
They include nocks and points
The points are steel
Easton G nocks or Bohning F nocks are a perfect fit

*The Bad:*

3 of the 12 arrows were defective. They had splintering at nearly the same location ~4" from the un-fletched end (tip). Lancaster is working with me on these.
The nocks that are supplied are kind of cheap looking. They'll probably work OK, but see above - they can be replaced with G nocks.
The points are supposedly break-off adjustable but don't look like it to me. They don't look like Lancaster's photos. Maybe stiffer spines have the break-off points. I suppose these could be cut to adjust weight, but they'd get short in a hurry.

My daughter hasn't shot them yet, so I'll be updating this post in the next few days. For cheap carbon arrows, they look pretty good, in spite of the defective ones.





















-Kent W.


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## williamskg6 (Dec 21, 2008)

A couple of additional details: The I.D. on these (at least the 1300 spine) is 0.165-0.168 inches, so any components like G nocks and some Top Hat points will fit. I have some extra Bloodsport One series points that fit these shafts absolutely perfectly. Using a fairly common I.D. is a very good thing in my opinion, so components aren't hard to find when they need to be replaced.

The shaft length is not 30". In the 1300 spine, they arrived with a shaft length of 33". That's super long for an arrow in this spine!

My daughter shot them briefly a few days ago and they fly very well for her, even better than the Medallion XR arrows she was using that were passed down from her sister. Granted, the Medallion XRs were shorter than I'd like and are 1100 spine, so a little stiff. 

The wall thickness seems adequate, so I don't have major concerns about durability, but I'm sure we'll find out over time.

-Kent W.


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## Elmosaurus (Sep 15, 2010)

I know the OD will probably vary with different spines, but can you measure for the 1300 that you have, please? 

Thinking these might be a good fit for my wife.

Thanks,
E.


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## williamskg6 (Dec 21, 2008)

Elmosaurus said:


> I know the OD will probably vary with different spines, but can you measure for the 1300 that you have, please? E.


According to my calipers, it's looking like 0.218" or so for the O.D. In other words, they're skinny.

Those measurements are nearly identical to my 800 spine Bloodsport One arrows, so clearly the construction isn't the same, but it sure is convenient to have both my daughter and I using the same nocks! I can just keep a baggie of G nocks (or Bohning F nocks) in my bag in case we break one. My points are heavier, so we can't share those, but it'd be interesting if we could!

They're cheap enough that it won't suck as much when one gets lost or broken, which is inevitable. 

-Kent W.


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## williamskg6 (Dec 21, 2008)

Further info:

Today two kids were shooting Ninjas. They are working just great! Unfortunately, my opinion on those nocks was correct - the plastic is cheap and they break easily. No problem though, I just replaced them with G nocks and they're back in service.

Also, I re-fletched a few of them for the other archer, and the vanes are really tough to get off. It's kind of a rubbery vane with rubbery and tenacious glue, so getting them off is not very easy.

The moral to the story - if you try these, you might want to get a few G nocks and keep them in your gear case. And if you re-fletch them, you may have to warm up the glue with a hair dryer or something to get the old ones off.

-Kent W.


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

Nice review. Thanks.

Also, it's nice to see so many companies finally zeroing in on the A/C/E component size as a "universal" size for most mid and lower grade outdoor arrows. That sure does help.


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## sprinke (Jul 9, 2015)

Can anyone who has these arrows please list how much they weigh? Please tell us the spine, the point weight, whether or not you cut them (and the shaft length if you did), and the size of vanes. Fivics doesn't publish the GPI of these shafts, so we are trying to get a ballpark estimation of how they compare weight-wise. Thank you!


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## Boltsmyth (Nov 16, 2002)

I really appreciate you putting this info up for us. Thanks!


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## williamskg6 (Dec 21, 2008)

I'm betting that the GPI is probably not too far off the Fivics Mach 3 arrows. Here is what Lancaster has for the Mach 3 arrows: 500 (8.14 gpi), 600 (6.96 gpi), 700 (6.49 gpi), 800 (6.02 gpi), 900 (5.77 gpi), 1000 (5.15 gpi), 1100 (4.97 gpi), 1200 (4.57 gpi), 1300 (4.16 gpi), 1500 (3.90 gpi), 1800 (3.70 gpi)

The standard points are supposed to be 70-80 grain points, and Lancaster shows them to be breakoff points. As you can see in my photos, you'd be foolish to try to cut them down. They are 80 grains though. Oddly enough, the replacement arrows came with points and they did not match the others I had. They were heavier - I didn't weigh them, but they were clearly longer and they didn't fit quite flush with the shafts. I suspect they were 90-100 grain points for a heavier spine shaft. No problems there though, because I already had the points I needed.

Lancaster lists the shafts as 33" from 400 to 900 spine and 30" from 1000 to 1800 spine. As I said, my 1300 spine arrows arrived 33" long, so I don't know exactly how reliable this info is.

One thing I did notice is that the carbon is a little softer than that used in the Super Club, Medallion XR, and Bloodsport arrows. I suspect this is the cause of the splintered arrows I received originally. So, use extra caution when stripping off the old vanes if you choose to do so - you can easily gouge the shaft with a sharp blade if you're not careful. I suspect the Mach 3 arrows are likely a little better in this respect.

The vanes are simple rubber/plastic parabolic profile vanes. They measure 1-11/16" long on the base. They're quite stretchy and given the difficulty in removing them, I bet they'll last quite a while. I was not given a choice of color(s) but they did at least match the nocks to the vanes.

All in all, I can't imagine finding a better carbon beginner arrow. They're inexpensive enough that you can convince almost any parents to buy them and they fly quite well. Two archers using these arrows, with several impacts into wood and even metal strips have only yielded a broken nock. Not even the point got dinged in that metal impact, which I was certain would be the case.


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## MagneticLobster (Dec 24, 2012)

1300 spine is 33" long and weighs 198 grains without nock (but with fletching), so it's a little under 6 gpi. The points that arrived look just like the ones pictured above and weigh 120 grains (!) The JOAD parent who ordered the arrows will be calling Lancaster hoping to get the 70/80 grain points to replace these.

I can confirm that the Easton G nock fits well with this arrow. The small-groove G nock gives a slightly more snug string fit than the nock that comes with the arrow.

Thank you williamskg6 for starting this thread, and thanks to my friend sprinke for help with arrow selection.


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## Archery13 (Oct 25, 2014)

Is Lancaster the vendor you used or was there another? Thanks.


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## MagneticLobster (Dec 24, 2012)

Purchased from Lancaster.
1100 spine: 33 inches. Without nock, and after removing the vanes as best as I can (which is challenging!), it weighs in at 194 grains, about 5.9 gpi
1300 spine: 33 inches. 180 grains bare shaft, about 5.45 gpi
For both sets of arrows, points weigh in at 90 grains. There are 3 break-off sections, but if you broke off all 3 (to achieve 60 grains?) you would be left with only 3/8" of the point inside the shaft. Break off 2 (70 grains?) leaves 11/16", break off 1 (80 grains?) leaves 1", and the full 90 grain point leaves 1 1/4"


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## williamskg6 (Dec 21, 2008)

MagneticLobster said:


> ... after removing the vanes as best as I can (which is challenging!)


I don't know what they used to glue these rubbery monsters on, but you're not kidding! Getting them off is really tough! Next time I'm warming them up with a blow dryer or something to see if that helps get the glue loosened up.

The local shops that I've shown these points to said the same thing - they're pretty sure these aren't break-off points. You could cut them at the grooves, but as you also noticed, it would greatly reduce the length of the shank. I don't know that you could glue them in and expect them to stay. 

I guess it's always an option to get those vicious looking (in a cool way) Top Hat points that they use in VAP arrows, but that feels akin to putting expensive wheels on a Yugo.

-Kent W.


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## MagneticLobster (Dec 24, 2012)

williamskg6 said:


> I don't know what they used to glue these rubbery monsters on, but you're not kidding! Getting them off is really tough! Next time I'm warming them up with a blow dryer or something to see if that helps get the glue loosened up.


I tried that (after reading your suggestion to do so), but I don't think it helped much, unfortunately. Someone who knows more about solvents than I do might have a suggestion.


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## 10X Archer (Mar 7, 2016)

A knife is usually the best tool for the job. Use the sharp side to get most of the vane and then the dull side to scrape off the glue. Also, which way does the spine chart run, and how much?


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## williamskg6 (Dec 21, 2008)

10X Archer said:


> A knife is usually the best tool for the job. Use the sharp side to get most of the vane and then the dull side to scrape off the glue. Also, which way does the spine chart run, and how much?


Even using an X-Acto knife it's difficult to get these vanes off without gouging the shafts. The vanes are rubbery, and the glue is rubbery too, so it's harder than you might think. 

I don't know that I understand your "which way does the spine chart run" question. Perhaps rephrase your question? 

These arrows are currently $5 each from Lancaster, a pretty good deal for an all-carbon fletched arrow including nock and point.

-Kent W.


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## 10X Archer (Mar 7, 2016)

williamskg6 said:


> Even using an X-Acto knife it's difficult to get these vanes off without gouging the shafts. The vanes are rubbery, and the glue is rubbery too, so it's harder than you might think.
> 
> I don't know that I understand your "which way does the spine chart run" question. Perhaps rephrase your question?
> 
> ...


Oh, I see. If you cool the glue down it might become more brittle and be easier to get off. 

Yeah, that wasn't the clearest thing ever. I mean when you follow the spine chart, did you end up with a shaft that shows stiff or weak when you bare shaft it? basically how accurate is the chart? Also where did you find the spine chart, I can't find it anywhere?

Seems like a pretty good deal to me too.


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## williamskg6 (Dec 21, 2008)

10X Archer said:


> Oh, I see. If you cool the glue down it might become more brittle and be easier to get off.
> 
> Yeah, that wasn't the clearest thing ever. I mean when you follow the spine chart, did you end up with a shaft that shows stiff or weak when you bare shaft it? basically how accurate is the chart? Also where did you find the spine chart, I can't find it anywhere?
> 
> Seems like a pretty good deal to me too.


There isn't a spine chart that I know of, if you mean a spine selection chart. I chose the 1300 spine because the 110 spine Carbon Express Medallion XRs my daughter was shooting were a little stiff (fletching impact on riser). That, plus Limbwalker's "arrow selection rule of thumb" post (here), in particular the part about 28# at 28" use 1200 spine arrows led me to try the 1300 spine arrows. My daughter has a 28" draw length but is shooting 24 pounds on the fingers, hence the 1300 spine.

Here's a link to Fivics' 2016 catalog, which on page 41 shows the Ninja and Mach 3 arrows. http://www.fivics.com/fivics2013/images/2016_fivics.pdf

-Kent W.


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## williamskg6 (Dec 21, 2008)

Well, these Fivics arrows have been in use by three teenage girls for a while now. I have some updated impressions, which are largely irrelevant now that these arrows are nearly impossible to get in the USA.

The supplied nocks are really poor quality and break very easily. Better keep a stash of Easton G Nocks handy if you have some of these arrows. 

Here's the really bad part - the arrows themselves are pretty fragile. You get one impact into something hard and the nock will fly off back toward you. The sneaky part about it is that the force of the impact that causes the nock to fly back at you is really the arrow developing a nearly invisible crack right at the end of the shaft, making it so the nock fits loosely. If you do manage to hit something hard enough to mash the point into the shaft, the shafts break like they're pultruded carbon rather than wrapped carbon. Shafts breaking result in long sharp splinters, which is exactly how pultruded carbon tubes behave when they're broken.

If you have any of these arrows and have a hard impact, inspect them very, very carefully before using them again. Especially pay attention to the nock end of the shaft. If the nock is loose at all where it wasn't before then you probably have a crack. 

I'm revising my assessment of these arrows. I won't be buying more (not that I really have the option to) and I recommend that if you're living somewhere in the world where they're available that you avoid them.


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## 10X Archer (Mar 7, 2016)

Good to know, thank you for the warning.


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