Bitzenburger or Jo-Jan

[Silver Fox]

I'm sure there has been posts on thispreviously but my search is not working.
I'm new the the fletching business and was wondering which one of these fletchers you all prefer, the Bitzenburger or Jo-Jan or any other. Can either one ofthese replace only "one" vane with accuracy? Someone told me the Bitzenburger cannot. Should I get the straight clamps or the helical clamps? 4", 5", or short 2" vanes? I shoot 4" offset now.Do I need a stripping tool? Which glue is the better? As you can see any information will be appreciated.

My equipment I use now is a Mathews Ultra Max with a Muzzy Zerro-Efect drop away. Beman ICS Hunter 400 arrowswith Muzzy 4 blade 90 gr. broadheads.

Thanks in advanceto any info you may provide for me.

[passthru79]

I have 6 bitzenburgers, Ill be honest I havent tried any other fletchers and dont plan to. Ive had no problems with mine and have been nothing but happy. You can replace one vane but you have to get your nock turned just right, theres kinda a trick to it but it can be done. I have and use both straight and helical clamps on mine.

[TFOX]

Bitz..........

I have had a jo jan and there is no comarison.Bitz is about as good as it gets.

[Rob/PA Bowyer]

Agreed, through several shops I've used a Jo Jan, it's adequate but it's not a Bitz, I purchased the Bitz for my home use.

I like the jo jan, because you can put a stronger helical on 5" feathers. But also like the bitz, but its a pain to setup. Once you set it up the way you want, its good. I also have the arizona, and pleasantly surprised how good it does.

[Silver Fox]

Looks like most prefer the bitz.
From what I understand (which isn't much)if I would get the one with the helical clamp it would make the arrow spin faster and stabilize the broadhead quicker but also would sacrafice speed. Is this true? If so, would that also make my bow not shoot as flat as it does now? I use one pin out to 30 and another pin for between 30 and 40? Just wondering whether to get the helical or just stick to thestraight clamp and use some offset. Any suggestions?

[98Redline]

Helical feathers, or vanes for that matter do stabilize better than anything else out there, however many shy away from them for 2 primary reasons.

1) Fletching contact: Unless you are using a drop away rest, Whisker Biscuit or are very good at tuning, many people have trouble getting adequate clearance when using prong type rests.

2) The thought that the helical will cause too much speed loss: This is really a misnomer, at least for standard hunting distances. With 4" helical feathers, my arrows would shoot within about 1" of the POI of an offset feather fletch out at 35 yards or so. Beyond that the drop of the helicals becomes much more prevalent as they slow down faster.


If you want to give them a shot, then go for it! I shot helical feathers for a number of years with great success. It wasn't until I discovered Blazer vanes with a helical fletch did I stop shooting helical feathers.

[r33h]

ORIGINAL: TFOX

Bitz..........

I have had a jo jan and there is no comarison.Bitz is about as good as it gets.

Same here...I had the jo jan and it does a good job, but there is no comparison with the Bitz. If you don't mind spending the extra money on the Bitz, then definitely go for it. I love my bitz...

[txjourneyman]

Same with me. I'm a convert from Jo-Jan to Bitz and won't look back.

[KodiakArcher]

Can't say about the Bitz... I've been using the Jo-Jan for 25 years and never had a reason to change.