Rollin Bohning, a chemist, started the Bohning Company Limited in 1946 after retiring from one of the automotive companies in Detroit. Bohning investigated and created new products to solve every day problems. Most of these products were for his personal use; however, one of his investigations led to the founding of the Bohning Company.
As an avid archer, Bohning found a lack of suitable adhesives for the rudimentary equipment of his day. Putting his chemical background to work, he developed several specialized adhesives, hot melts, paints and waxes for his own needs. As others used his product they recommended he market them for the benefit of the entire sport. This was the start of the Bohning Company. Many of these products are standards in the archery industry today.
Bohning offers many archery accessories including, adhesives, arrow-wraps, vanes, nocks, string, quivers and more. Bohning sent their 2” Blazers to me for evaluation, and I added them to some VAP shafts to give them a test run.
The Basics:
I received a package from Bohning that included a 36-pack each of the Blazers in yellow and white. It also included the Bohning Tower fletching jig, a tube of Fletch-Tite adhesive, and some Bohning 7” solid wraps…everything I needed to make my VAP blanks ready to fly.
According to Bohning, the Blazer Vane, with its unique design, begins steering and correcting immediately after it leaves the bowstring. The combination of the steep leading edge angle and material stiffness enables the air to flow over the vane in a manner that actually creates lift. This leaves the tip of each vane inside undisturbed air, similar to the drafting principle used in auto racing. This airflow created by the precise leading edge angle allows the tip of each vane to act like a rudder, which is noticeable at longer distances with the flatter trajectory Blazer Vanes provide. See Figure 2 below…
I used Victory VAP 350 arrow shafts for this evaluation. I added solid white 7” Bohning wraps to each shafts because I like the look and the ease of cleanup when changing vanes later. Using Bohning’s Fletch-Tite adhesive and the Bohning Helix Tower fletching jig, I added yellow and white Blazers to the VAP shafts. The Helix Tower jig fletches vanes up to 2” in length on a 3° right helical, which increases the arrow spin and improves accuracy. This fletching jig is easy to use, and installs all three vanes at once and without mess. I performed a quick paper tuning to eliminate variability for my testing, and I was ready to test the vanes.
Testing:
I tested the Blazer vanes using my Bear Truth2 compound bowhunting rig, outfitted with a DropZone fall away rest. Testing the vanes was basic…my evaluation of the Blazers included an analysis of flight accuracy and durability. I shot three arrow sets from distances of 15, 20, and 30 yards. I repeated this test until I had shot 30 arrows from each distance, and each time I measured my groupings. Comparing the results with my typical groupings using arrows fletched with other similar plastic vanes, the Blazer Vanes performed very well. When compared with my average groupings at the longer 30 yard distance using the same shafts with other plastic vanes, my arrow groups tightened with the Blazer Vanes.
Another impressive feature of the Blazer Vanes is its durability. Plastic vanes get dinged, ripped, and creased when they hit together down range in the target. Many plastic vanes seem to last only a handful of shots before they are creased or ripped and need to be replaced; and some plastic vanes require heat from a heat gun to return to form. The Blazer Vanes held their shape and stayed on the arrow shaft shot after shot, without tearing or creasing. Blazers come from the factory with a chemical treatment that enables them to stay glued to the arrow shaft for longer. You don’t need to clean the Blazers prior to adhesion, and if you use Bohning’s Fletch-Tite adhesive and their Tower fletching jig, you should have a setup that will last.
Conclusion:
Two thumbs up! I’ve used Bohning Blazers for years with great success, this evaluation has only served to strengthen my beliefs in them and I will continue to use them for many years to come.
Specifications as Tested:
- Overall size: 2” long x 0.6” high
- Weight: 20 grain
- Finish/Camo Pattern: Available in 15 colors
- Retail Price: $9.49 per 36 pack
Pros: accuracy, light weight, durable
Cons: none
For additional information about Bohning archery accessories, visit their website – Bohning Archery
