fwiw...

Because I can't tolerate the slightest chance of a loose feather, I crown dip all my shafts. I do it for added visibility, too. When I glue the feather, it essentially is bonded into the paint or clear crown dip. You can't unseat that feather no matter what...it simply can't come loose.

I had a problem with tape. If my feather base wasn't milled at a perfect 90 deg angle, the feather would 'lean' to the side after being removed from the jig. If the feather grind was off, my fletch spacing would appear wide or narrow...depending. Despite using a tuned Bitz jig, tape invariably produced a weird fletch. It wasn't the tape's fault, but not all feathers are perfectly flat or 90 degree at the base. Glue has the ability to 'fill' a gap. Once set with glue, the fletch remains at the angle determined by the clamp...regardless of whether the base is milled perfectly to 90 degrees. I wonder if other guys experienced (or noticed) this happening with tape?

Saunders NPV is THE Fletching Glue for Me!