Brian Miller 07.01.22
About a year ago, I ran across a few people commenting on the Last Chance Archery, LLC “Vane Master PRO” fletching jig on a crossbow forum that I visit. The Last Chance Archery Vane Master PRO has adjustability built into about every facet of its operation. I am constantly trying to wring out every bit of performance and accuracy out of my competition crossbows, so I was hooked. At a retail price of $350, the Last Chance Archery Vane Master PRO is not cheap, but I decided to take the plunge.
Arrow Building – My Past History
I have used multiple fletching jigs in the past. Up until this point, I have never found one that I have been happy with the results that I was able to produce. I have used the Bitzenburger fletching jig, the Arizona E-Z fletch, and the Bohning Tower jig. All are totally useable, but I never was able to achieve perfection in my arrow builds. Repairing arrows without completely stripping the vanes was also challenging on the previously mentioned jigs that I have owned. Shooting 3D archery people are always shooting off vanes. The ability to go back and individually fix an arrow’s fletching without stripping all vanes is greatly appreciated. With all the previously mentioned fletching jigs, precision and repeatability was just not there for me. Maybe it is the fact I am impatient, and always seem to be in a rush.
Vane Master PRO – Precision and Total Control
When I bought the Last Chance Archery Vane Master PRO, the first thing that struck me is how robust and solid the design is. The main base is a solid piece of aluminum. The nock receiver and vane clamp are a combination of machined aluminum and delrin parts. The quality of work and execution of this product is great. All components interface with each other perfectly. I was impressed with how the vane clamp slides on the body of the Vane Master PRO. The body has two precision ground rods the vane clamp slides on. There is a nice tight fit between the clamp and the rods. There is no wobble between the two components. Every vane is pressed onto the arrow the same.
The main reason I decided to try the Last Chance Archery Vane Master PRO is the infinite configuration of arrow builds that are possible. Gone is the need for special jigs or arms when you want to change the direction or degrees of offset of your arrow fletching. The Last Chance Archery Vane Master PRO has a very simple and precise method of setting the offset and direction of rotation. A pin is included to simply place in the hole that corresponds to which offset and rotation you want. If you want to dial in an extra half a degree of offset, you can easily accomplish that.
Vane Master PRO – Small Details Make a Difference
The wires that hold the vane in the vane clamp apply the perfect amount of pressure to keep the vane positioned for gluing. As illustrated in the picture below, the one wire has a black witness mark that is used to index the vane into the clamp. Everything about the Vane Master PRO is highly repeatable – and in the end – giving the shooter high quality arrows. The wires that hold the vane are also mounted on pivots that spin to mate up with the side of the arrow. The vanes will then be perfectly aligned with the body of the shaft. The wires have a coating that is resistant to glue adhesion. Cleanup is relatively easy.
Vane Master PRO – Nock Receiver and Adapter
The nock receiver on the Vane Master PRO also has precise adjustments to set how far back on the arrow the vanes are placed. There are lines with associated numbers to make the process repeatable.
The nock receiver has positive clicks for each vane when rotating the arrow. The Vane Master PRO can be configured to 3-vane and 4-vane builds. The Vane Master PRO includes a nock adapter for crossbow arrows.
The nock adapter slides over the arrow allowing any nock configuration to be used. I spine index all my arrow builds. The nock adapter makes indexing the stiff plane of the arrow in the jig a breeze. This fact is probably one of my favorite features of the Vane Master PRO.
Vane Master PRO – Testing, Testing, and more Testing
One of the main reasons I purchased the Vane Master PRO is the ability to test different arrow configurations. The Lancaster Archery video on serving direction and arrow rotation was a major driver as well.
With the Last Chance Archery Vane Master PRO fletching jig, I can test any offset and rotation configuration I desire, at no additional cost! The Vane Master PRO is the most precise and efficient arrow fletching jig I have used to date. Last Chance Archery has released a fletching station to make an already efficient tool better. I hope to acquire one in the future.
