Flex-Fletch Pro 2.5 Vanes and LIT Lighted Nocks make the ultimate arrow-building components.
by Jace Bauserman
Arrow components are essential. While some bowhunters prefer to shoot factory-fletched arrows that come with arrow-specific nocks, others want to test, tinker, and build their own projectiles.
There is nothing wrong with purchasing pre-fletched arrows fitted with nocks. Arrow manufacturers do a phenomenal job with factory fletching, and the nocks they provide with their shafts are first class. However, the advantages of fletching your own arrows and outfitting those arrows with lighted nocks are many.
The design and orientation of your vanes will affect how your arrow flies and the amount of noise it produces. If you’re an accuracy nerd, you can try multiple fletch orientations from straight to offset to helical. You can experiment with different vane lengths, heights, and designs, as well as how many vanes you attach to your arrow.
Lighted Nocks, though they add some backend arrow weight, allow the archer several distinct advantages. First, lighted nocks, especially in periods of low light, will enable you to see exactly where your arrow impacts a game animal. This provides invaluable information about when you should take up a blood trail. Lighted nocks also allow you to recover your arrow, whether you missed or hit the animal. Not only is it nice to find an expensive arrow, but it’s also nice to confirm what you believe your eyes saw. An arrow always tells a story. Red frothy blood means a lung hit, while brownish/red blood with chunks of partially digested food means a gun/paunch hit.
Other benefits of lighted nocks include tuning and shooting enjoyment. Adding a lighted nock to your arrow is an excellent way to detect vertical or horizontal nock travel. And, of course, lighted nocks are incredibly fun to shoot. During periods of low light, you can track their flight path, and they show up remarkably well in targets.
For the past two years, I’ve been running a combination of Flex Fletch Pro 2.5 Vanes and LIT’s Lighted Nocks. They’ve proven excellent arrow components, and I won’t be going away from them anytime soon.
Flex-Fletch Pro 2.5 Vanes
Available in a myriad of colors, Flex Fletch Pro 2.5 Vanes feature a low-profile design that isn’t ultra-stiff. One thing I require in any arrow vane is that it doesn’t boast a tall, rigid profile. Tall vanes that are too stiff are loud in flight. I firmly believe that most animals react to the sound of the arrow in flight and not the bow, so I try to keep my arrows as quiet as possible. A lower-profile vane with less rigidity helps with this.
The Pro 2.5s slope evenly over the length of the vane, which reduces unnecessary stiffness. Though less rigid, the vanes are by no means weak. Their build is strong, and several times over the years, I’ve blown through a target, only to find my vanes looking crumpled and damaged. The good news is that they’re not! If you leave the vanes out in the hot sun or warm them with a blow dryer, they will regain their original shape.
The Pro 2.5s stand .47-inches tall and measure 2.5 inches long. The vanes weigh 5.6 grains, and I’ve weighed several on a digital scale. There is minimal weight fluctuation.
While no vane prep is necessary, I recommend using Zing’s Fletching Primer Pen to clean each vane before attachment. Additionally, Zing’s Kling Adhesive Tube bond glue ensures a no-fail vane attachment. I have never had a Flex-Fletch 2.5 Pro vane come off my arrow in flight or even had the front, back, or sides of the vane lift off the arrow shaft.
I fletch my Easton 5.0 hunting arrows with four Pro 2.5 Vanes. No, you don’t need to go with a four-fletch arrow to obtain excellent accuracy. In fact, I don’t start seeing the benefits of the four fletch until I start sending SEVR Ti 1.5 4-Blade Hybrid broadheads locked in practice mode from 70 yards. From 70 yards to the maximum tested distance of 130 yards, my four-fletch arrows increase my accuracy.
The material of the vanes, as mentioned, is rugged and has excellent memory, and the tapered aerodynamic design ensures maximum arrow speed out of your compound bow.
LIT Lighted Nocks
Some of the least expensive nocks available, LIT nocks have earned a place in my arrows. Offered in many diameters, even one suited for ultra-small diameter arrows, LIT nocks are bright and functional.
My favorite feature of the nocks is their easy on/off. No twisting, rotating, or shaking is required. Instead, LIT added a small gridded black switch. Push it up, and the nock extinguishes.
LIT Lighted Nocks weigh between 16 and 25 grains, depending on the nock size required for your arrow diameter. The nocks are visible day and night, and the nocks come on the instant the arrow leaves the string.
If the correct-size nock is selected, the nock-to-shaft fit is tight. I’ve never had a LIT Lighted Nock pull out of the shaft without using a nock pulling device to purposely pull the nock. The nocks are incredibly durable, and though I’ve shot brighter nocks, it’s tough to beat LIT’s long-lasting battery life. LIT brands the nocks with a battery life of 48 hours. Personal testing shows run times up to 68 hours, which can be handy when you make a marginal hit in the morning and return during the evening to hopefully find a glowing nock.
I wouldn’t shoot LIT Lighted Nocks if they negatively affected my arrow flight in any way. These nocks help the arrow fly true and are an excellent addition to any arrow.
My four-fletch Easton 5.0 arrows with LIT Lighted Nocks weigh approximately 398.2 grains. Under 400 grains, my arrows fly fast and accurately, and while 398.2 grains is under my typical big-game hunting arrow weight of around 418 grains, my shaft is producing 82.27 foot-pounds of kinetic energy. In mid-August, this arrow build hit a slightly quartering-to pronghorn from 76 yards. Though my shot was a touch forward, the shaft blew through the scapula, just right of the shoulder bone, and punched through the hide on the opposite side after going through the animal’s heart and lower lung.
Final Thoughts
Arrow building is an enjoyable process. If you spend time testing and tinkering, you can choose a lethal combination of vanes with a lighted nock that will steer your arrow with deadly accuracy. There are many vane and lighted nock options on the market. Your best bet is to conduct thorough research, purchase various options, and perform extensive testing to determine which vane/nock combination gives you the most confidence.
