REVIEW: Black Eagle's Tier One Purpose

In late October of 2026, Black Eagle released their Tier One allow line to the world. 

Black Eagle already had a dedicated fan base - their Christian faith-based mission and tendency for building high-end arrows are to thank for that - but their new Tier One arrows aim to take the mantle as 'Most Consistent Shaft on the Market.' 

Their previous hunting arrows had reputations for their consistency, durability, and advanced components: the Talon, Rampage, X-Impact, Deep Impact, Spartan, etc. are all excellent in their own right. With the Tier One, Black Eagle are trying to separate from the pack with an added consistency X-factor. 

It is a general archery practice to align each arrow spine in the same direction when it is nocked on your bow string. This allows each arrow to flex and bend in the same way when leaving your bow. In many cases, the cock vane (the one that is a different color) will be indexed with the arrow spine for visibility and ease of nocking. 

The issue with this, as Black Eagle say, is that the spine is not always 100% where the arrow will bend. They found in their testing that arrows will flex opposing the designated 'stiff spine' approximately 20% of the time. This leads to a rate of inconsistent flex that does not allow for reliable precision when you're at full draw in the woods or chasing a podium finish. 

This is where their Dynamic Spine Alignment system comes into play. 

Dynamic Spine Alignment refers to, as you might've guessed, dynamically testing each individual arrow's spine. It is a laborious task, as this involves flexing each and every shaft they sell, but they consider that extra effort to be worth the cost. 

Each Tier One arrow leaves Black Eagle having been dynamically spine aligned. Each shaft then has the spine alignment printed onto the shaft so you can be sure of where the true dynamic spine is located on each Tier One arrow. 

This certainty of spine makes each arrow as predictable as possible - this ultimately leads to reliable precision in both flight and accuracy. Through testing with shooting machines, Black Eagle's engineers saw a drastic decrease in group size at distances up to 120 yards. 

"You showed me a picture of three arrows at 120 yards... they were basically touching." - PJ to Randy Kitts, Black Eagle President.

Intention in Carbon

When looking at the arrow, you might notice the change in carbon layup from the nock end to the point end. Black Eagle has a very good reason for that. They chose to include a carbon weave on the back half of the arrow and a nano-tube coating on the front half. This ensures the arrows keep the overall weight down while combating micro fractures. 

That nano-tube coating also serves another purpose, and that is to keep your arrows from getting stuck in tough-gripping targets. The coating is slick and won't wear off, so you can have the confidence, regardless of the weather, that you'll be able to quickly and easily pull your Tier One arrows from your targets. That same slick coating also serves to increase penetration through animals, too. 

The decision to leave out the carbon weave from the front half of the shaft also matters in terms of overall durability. Their tighter, more standard carbon - with the nano-tube coating - is as durable as a lightweight arrow can be. This allows you to run higher FOC builds and ensures these arrows will punch through bone and keep carrying through.

Outside of the carbon makeup, the Tier One series of arrows standout in other areas, too. The 5mm Tier one arrives with a GPI of 8.1 in their 300 spine, while the 5.7mm comes in at 7.8gpi in the 300 spine. Those are some light arrows. Remember, that lightness comes from Black Eagles advanced carbon design, so you won't encounter durability issues in this lightweight package. 

A Purpose in Componentry

If you were to choose the factory-fletched route when choosing your Tier One arrows, they come standard with Black Eagle's new Purpose Vanes. They get their name from the 'purpose' printed on each vane. Revelation 3:20 is found on the cock vanes, while the white vanes are adorned with 1 John 4:19. 

"I mean, our 'purpose' is to spread the gospel, to share the gospel, and there's no better way for me to do that than to put that on every arrow that we make. So, all of our arrows are going to change to these vanes." - Randy Kitts

Black Eagle put the Purpose Vane through extensive accuracy and decibel testing to make extra sure that they stood up to their rigorous precision and sound standards - they did. These vanes come in at a very respectable 10 total grains. 

The 5mm Tier One arrows include BE R nocks (7 grains), nock collars (3 grains), and their ever-reliable stainless halfouts (50 grains). The 5.7mm Tier Ones will ship with Black Eagle's Spartan steel inserts (28 grains) and SPT nocks (8 grains). For the 5mm arrows, Black Eagles 3-piece FOCOS 2.0 system is also available if you prefer the security and customizability that they bring. 

If you took note of the Spartan componentry being shipped with the 5.7mm Tier Ones arrows, you have a keen eye. The 5.7mm sizing is the same .224" inner diameter as Black Eagle's Spartan shafts - the Tier One 5.7 just comes in with a lighter gpi and more sophisticated carbon design when compared to the Spartans. Componentry is compatible across both platforms. 

Specifications

Here is a simple chart to showcase the specifications of both the 5mm and 5.7mm Tier One arrows. 

Your Next Hunting Arrow

Both the Tier One 5mm and 5.7mm are available in 200, 250, 300, 350, and 400 spine options. This opens up setup possibilities for lightweight darts and heavy hammers alike. To help you visualize the various arrow builds possible with just the stock arrow components, I have built out a few common styles for you to view below.

The draw length, draw weight, and spine selection are common builds that fall within Black Eagle's spine suggestions - feel free to use any of these next season! 

5mm Tier One | 350 Spine | 28 Inch Draw Length | 65lbs

With the arrow cut just past the shelf - adding an extra half inch past your draw length - a 350 spine 5mm Tier One would sit fully built at 295 grains. Add in a standard 100-grain broadhead or field point and your total arrow weight is now sitting at 395 grains with a 15% FOC. 

5mm Tier One | 250 Spine | 30 Inch Draw Length | 75lbs

With the arrow cut just past the shelf again, this 250 spine 5mm Tier One would sit at 355 total grains. Add in a 125-grain broadhead or field point and you're looking at a 480-grain arrow built out with an FOC of 15.5%. 

5.7mm Tier One | 400 Spine | 27" Draw Length | 60lbs

With the lack of extra length added from the insert, we will include an extra 3/4" of length on the 5.7mm Tier One arrows past the stated draw length. Sitting at these specs, this arrow would come in at 250 grains prior to adding a broadhead or field point. If you added the standard 100-grain point up front, your build would come out to a total weight of approximately 350 grains with a 14.4% FOC. 

5.7mm Tier One | 300 Spine | 31" Draw Length | 70lbs

Using the same method as above, this arrow build would come in at a respectable 314 grains prior to the addition of any point. Throw on your 125-grain field point or broadhead and that brings your total weight to approximately 440 grains. The FOC here sits at a very healthy 14.5%. 

Final Thoughts

As you can see from just a few standard arrow builds - using stock componentry - the Tier One offers you the ability to build out essentially any style of arrow you might need. Whether you're taking close-range shots in the whitetail woods, chasing bull elk out west, or taking on your friends at a Total Archery Challenge event, there is a Tier One perfectly suited to your pursuit. 

These arrows come in with lower-than-average GPIs when compared to many others on the market, and their specialized carbon design ensures speed and durability regardless of your setup. As you read above, it is very easy to achieve ideal arrow weight and FOC ratings without needing to utilize extra weights, different vanes, or aftermarket nocks - the reputation of Black Eagle's components adds reassurance here, too. 

Between the Dynamic Spine Aligning process, the proprietary vanes, and the intentionally designed carbon layup, Black Eagle's Tier One line of arrows is looking to be an incredibly sensible - and popular - choice for archers all over the country. 

If you want to view Black Eagle's new Tier One arrows, click HERE. They are available in both factory-fletched and bare shafts, and all have the maximum .001" straightness tolerance.