anyone use them? what are they like in the wet and how's your arrow flight?
Can't answer since I haven't tried them, but here is what I have tried that works: I can mount 2" blazer vanes on either aluminum or carbon, 3 vanes with cock feather UP, and get GREAT arrow flight if I fiddle with the tuning a bit. I think the paradox throws the back end away from the shelf in time for the short vane to be unaffected. Arrows gain a little speed, and rain is no longer an issue. Works best on the Bob Lee rest, which is a piece of leather about 1/8" thick on the shelf. You can find blazers pretty cheap on ****.
I have used the bi-delta vanes and was not impressed. They're really stiff so there was no way they would ever fly cleanly off of a bow shelf. Even when using an elevated rest I still just didn't like them.
I have had good luck with AAE Plastifletch however. In fact on one Black Widow I own they fly pretty well just off the shelf.
I use an elevated rest and vanes late in the year due to the rain we get. Good luck with your choice.
I tried them once and just couldn't get good flight with them at all.
However------I use a right -helical on my fletch and after looking at them. I think the mini-cuts in them are meant only to bend over w/a left-helical......just my thoughts.
I have used them. I learned that I cannot fletch them with any kind of helical. if fletched with just a slight offset I got them to fly ok but still not great.
I dont think that I would feel comfortable with broadheads.
I tried them and could not get them to fly properly.
I have found that I can shoot 4" soft vanes with a slight RW helical if the arrow is placed cock feather in. This works even off of the narrow shelf of my Hill style longbow and no sweat at all from my '72 Kodiak Mag. These are all on shafts that otherwise shoot very well with 5" feathers with a bit more helical, and both setups with broadheads.
I know it's not "trad", but I've been shooting vanes of one sort or another since '66, so I guess it's sort of traditional for me, at least. I prefer feathers, but with the forecast combination of El Nino and the new La Nina this fall, some form of waterproof fletching will be needed from time to time.
I 2nd what Longbowz said -- the AAE Plastifletch are super soft vanes. I fletched up a couple arrows in 4-fletch helical with them just for rain, and they seem to fly pretty darn well! The helical 4-fletch corrects itself super quick with so much drag and shoots just fine.
QuoteOriginally posted by The Gray Fox:
I have found that I can shoot 4" soft vanes with a slight RW helical if the arrow is placed cock feather in. This works even off of the narrow shelf of my Hill style longbow and no sweat at all from my '72 Kodiak Mag. These are all on shafts that otherwise shoot very well with 5" feathers with a bit more helical, and both setups with broadheads.
I know it's not "trad", but I've been shooting vanes of one sort or another since '66, so I guess it's sort of traditional for me, at least. I prefer feathers, but with the forecast combination of El Nino and the new La Nina this fall, some form of waterproof fletching will be needed from time to time.
I think I would listen to this guy. Have a gut feeling he knows what he is talking about :bigsmyl: ...Van
Tried them and could not get good arrow flight,go with Goose feathers very water proof.
Gray Fox
What brand of vane are you using?
Bennt
I used the rain vanes on my recurve and they worked almost as well as feathers. Tried them on my ACS and they cut my hand so badly that one shot was enough. I do seem to remember that with the recurve the vanes had to be aligned "just so" and a turnable nock is very handy.