glow-in-the-dark vanes

[Big Lew]

Earlier I had mentioned that Wayne, at 'Big Game Archery' in Abbotsford agreed to bring in some glow-in-the-dark vanes to see if they really worked. I finally had the chance to test them after losing one in some nasty brush just before dusk. My Wife and I searched for quite a while until it was dark without finding it. I had taken a shot at a buck without using my rangefinder, and because of the terrain and early evening light, had mis-judged the range, thinking it was 40 yds. when it was much closer.

I went back to the truck and got a good lcd flashlight to search for any signs of blood etc. and after following the tracks for over 200 yards (they were on a cow path) without seeing even a drop, concluded I had cleanly missed. By this time it was pitch black, so I returned to the area I thought the arrow landed and searched again.

After looking in vain for quite a while, I stood up on a stump to overlook the entire area, and 'I'll be darned', there it was, still glowing, about 20 yards off to the side of the area I was searching....so I can conclude, they do work as advertised. (the arrow wasn't damaged, and it was absolutely clean, which confirmed that I had missed entirely)

[ydouask]

That's valuable information Lew. Confirming a miss should save a lot of time and concern .

[Bow Walker]

Good to know that they aren't just a gimmick. Being able to recover your arrow is "priceless"............

[jessbennett]

are you guys talking about the zeon fuzions? i used them this year and they are awsome. as far as im concerned they have almost eliminated the idea of the lumenok. they performed well on my harvests this year.

[Bow Walker]

Jesse - are the Fusions flexible enough, even with their glo-in-the-dark abilities?

[mikeboehm]

Yes i used the zeon fusion vanes this year too. They are bright and fly teriffic. But i will not use them anymore they are way too stiff. If they get hit at all they come off the arrow. Ive used many different glues but the same thing happens. Other than that they are great but, in the heat of the moment when you see an animal u dont really think or have time to make sure your vanes are attached

[Bowzone_Mikey]

I too used Fusions ... I love em .... found a glue that worked well ... I wasted about 6 or 7 of them getting them figured out ....

I did find however they made some noise ... probally due to the ridges of the optic fiber in them ... at high speed ... I slowed the arrows down to 295ish fps and the noise wasnt as noticable

[Big Lew]

The 'glow-in-the-dark' vanes I have are not 'Fusions', they are not overly stiff or ridged, are quiet and preform similar to other smooth plastic vanes. I have had no issues with them coming off. (I don't know what glue was used, Wayne at 'Big Game Archery' made them up)

[Barracuda]

what make are they ? and price?

[jessbennett]

Yes i used the zeon fusion vanes this year too. They are bright and fly teriffic. But i will not use them anymore they are way too stiff. If they get hit at all they come off the arrow. Ive used many different glues but the same thing happens. Other than that they are great but, in the heat of the moment when you see an animal u dont really think or have time to make sure your vanes are attached


never really had a problem with them at all this year. even practicing, and 3-d. had lots of arrow contact, and they seemed fine. i only had 2 ever fall off, and that was because they are a bit finiky to put on. but once i figured out the glue and the trick to getting them on properly they were awsome. the elmers extreme gel worked well on them. a little longer in the jig, a good even coating of glue,and i roughed my arrow shaft up well with a 800 or higher sandpaper and they really stuck. certain brands of arrow shafts seem to be better than others at times as well for vane adhesion. i use gold tip or victory arrows and they seem to have a more of a matte rough finish as it is, which i think helps in the bonding process.

[Big Lew]

what make are they ? and price?

They are made by 'Flex Fletch'. I don't remember how much, but Wayne charged me the same as for normal vanes when he made up a dozen 'Victory Vforce HV arrows for me. If you shop online, there are some pretty good deals across the line, but I never checked to see what the cost would be to send for some.

[jessbennett]

Jesse - are the Fusions flexible enough, even with their glo-in-the-dark abilities?

there is definately not alot of flex in them. they are quite rigid. but, i did some shooting with some fixed blade broadheads (which i normally dont use), and i believe that the rigidity of these vanes helped in tuning and stability in flight of these big broadheads. and i was shooting these arrows at 335 fps. flew like darts. tried a different type of vane,(same arrows), and the grouping wasnt NEARLY as tight.

[Eagle1]

Fusions work great, never had any come off, maybe you look into and fix that " fletch contact" problem. Arrows won't fly well with any contact and a lot of other brand of fletch will come off, no matter what glue you use.
All fletch make noise as air passes over them, feathers are even worse.