By now you've probably heard of Spin-Wings. These performance vanes are the choice
of professionals, along with similar vanes, such as Kurlys and EliVanes.
Easy to put on, they can improve accuracy thanks to the extra spin generated. Most
competitive archers will be familiar with these vanes.
However, they are not without their shortcomings.
Unlike normal plastic vanes, spinnies are quite fragile and often get damaged.
This is particularly the case if your bow isn't well tuned and you have clearance
issues, but they also get a bit of wear and tear from over penetration of soft targets
and glancing shots. Replacing these becomes a regular ritual. Here we have
XS Wings, produced by Sitar & Sitar, a small company in Slovenia. These curled vanes are
promoted as having "unrivaled accuracy and durability" and "were made by a Champion for Champions."
The second part is at least true.
Dejan Sitar is a very successful world-class archer. As for durability, the
XS Wings are made from a thicker plastic, like something you'd see from a
plastic folder. The vanes are stiffer and come in a variety of sizes for different
draw weights and purposes. In comparison Spin-Wings are much lighter and flimsier.
The XS Wings in my opinion are a practical cross between a regular plastic vane and the spin wing.
The XS Wings come in this small pack containing typical spin wing materials. The vanes,
strips of double-sided tape and black tape used to secure the vanes.
Putting the vanes on is identical to Spin-Wings.
Normally you would use a fletching jig to draw three equally spaced lines on the end of
the shaft, but I've already got pre-marked lines on my arrow wraps. First you put the
strips of tape on the marked lines, then you peel it off to expose the adhesive layer
and carefully stick your vane onto it.
Be careful when pressing the vane. They're tougher than normal Spinneys, and you can end
up with some superficial cuts on your skin. Once you attach all three vanes,
you then apply the black tape over both ends. The packet comes with plenty of
tape. I found the strips to be too long, so I preferred cutting one in half, which is
enough to go around the shaft at least twice.
And there you have it. XS Wings on your shaft.
Now the question probably would be
"would I recommend XS Wings?" The answer will come from two different angles.
If you're going from normal plastic vanes to performance vanes, then...well I'll say this:
Performance vanes like spinnies or XS Wings can make good groupings
better, but they won't fix bad groupings. So if you're not consistent enough to
shoot well, then getting performance vanes like XS Wings wont make a huge
difference. Now if you already shoot performance vanes like Spinneys or
Kurlys or EliVanes, would I recommend the XS Wings over them?
There's not that much difference between different high performance vanes. I mean, if you're already
shooting this level the differences are negligible. It comes down to a matter of
preference, which one you can get easier? If there is anything about the XS Wings which I
really like it's that extra durability. It is quite a tough vane. I mean it's not
indestructible, you can rip it, but it's much stronger than what you can get on the
spinnies. I guess the other make-or-break factor is the color scheme. I know a lot
of you guys out there pick your bows and your arrows to be a aesthetically pleasing, and
the XS Wings come in a wider variety of colors, including neon colors. So if
that's your sort of thing then XS Wings do have an edge over the spinnies,
which only come in five or six colors.
So if you were a bit curious about what XS Wings are,
then hopefully this will have answered some questions.
As usual, thanks for watching, and I'll see you next time.