RE: feathers vs vanes
The VERY BEST fletching to use w/ a whisker buscuit is the Blazer. They hold up the best, BY FAR, of any other fletching I've seen.
I'm currently shooting blazers w/ a drop away and simply couldn't be happier. IMVHO, they are just as good as feathers, though they don't look as cool.
Oh, they aren't as forgiving of limbs and such though.....Feathers will fold up, blazers? not so much. They're pretty rigid and will kick out pretty bad if they hit something.