I didn' t realize that feathers could be relied upon when there is a chunk missing out of them. That is the main reason I refletch them - not because they are grossly inaccurate, but because they don' t look as pretty as the others[:-]. I do have a 4 degree helical on the feathers (1 degree on the vanes), and that might explain the noise (and the broken knocks on the feathered arrows) Personally, I prefer my feathers over my vanes. Looks like I will just keep a couple of vanes ready for hunting in inclement conditions, and spray the others with scotch guard (good tip)!!