Greetings. Have been using Euro paddles since day one (carbon Werner Ikelos for last couple years), and want to try a carbon wing. Use would be for hard fitness paddling and fun day trips. Considering an Onno Sprint Wing, but don’t really know much about the other wings out there. Not concerned about price. Appreciate your thoughtful comments, thanks!
tons of great wings out there…
and like most things, there is no clear “best” but rather personal preference. With that said, I really like Epic wing paddles myself. I haven’t tried Pat’s wing paddles (ONNO) but given his positive reputation here on P-net I hope to try them someday.
I have tried an ONNO wing
and I can say it’s an incredibly impressive paddle. It belongs to redmond (a pnet regular), but I think he’s getting hitched this weekend, so you may not here from him until after the honeymoon.
I’m getting a Full Tour from Pat – that’s how impressed I was with the quality (and low weight). Redmond used the wing on an OK Sprinter and that is a good match, it wasn’t really long enough for my SOT.
What are you paddling?
jim
go Brasca
win a medal.
I have both Epic and ONNO.
The Epic was my first, but it never gets used any more.
That should tell you something
If you decide to go with ONNO, see if he will provide you with the “screw” type adjusting ferrule that he was using last year.
He has a new and different type adjusting method, and I don’t know why. His other was perfect.
Cheers,
JackL
I’m paddling a Nordkapp LV
I’ve seen Pat’s Euro paddles but I’m a Greenland style paddler mostly for sea kayaking. I currently use an Epic large wing for workout paddles but at some point I’d like to pick up a smaller wing to tour with. I still love the GP but I just like mixing up my paddling styles to keep things interesting.
ONNO
I’ve got two of Pat’s paddles, a Wing and his Feather paddle that I use for kids and guests. The wing is incredibly light and stiff. Pat’s a carbon fiber Artist.
Andy
the word on Bracsa
I like my Bracsa IV min, but it’s the only wing I’ve used much, so I don’t have a basis for comparison. When I showed it to some ambitious racers, one of them tried it for a couple of minutes, then came back and said solemly, “You have bought the best paddle in the world.” With his eyes he said, “And you will never, ever deserve it.”
– Mark
Braca paddles
– Last Updated: Jun-12-08 1:00 PM EST –
I've seen them and they're very nice. I met Lars Linde recently at a race and he's the Braca rep here in the US. But Pat's are better priced.
Andy
Have
a Bracsa VIII and a DB Designs. The Bracsa is a great paddle on flatter water, discovering I’m becoming not so fond of it on rough water in the surf ski-the longer blade seems to ‘catch’ on wave tops. This is a unique design for them; the IV is more standard. The DB paddle is a workhorse-it takes a licking and keeps on ticking-heavier though.
That said, my next paddle (Soon!) will be an Onno. One friend just received his and it is a thing of beauty.
turbo
Turbo wing paddles are basically indestructible. Solid carbon…won’t delaminate (like my Fenn IV did).
Epic mid
My only experience is with the Epic mid wing. I’m really happy with it. If I were to try others I’d try an Onno, and a Lendal Kinetiks.
I’m looking for a reasonably priced 4 piece wing, for travel, if anyone has an idea where I might look.
I’m with JackL
– Last Updated: Jun-12-08 4:25 PM EST –
I have two Epic wings (sprint and mid) and one ONNO mid (custom built just for me. He built me a brick. So stiff and heavy you could pound nails with it. It's still lighter than my Epics). I love my ONNO and heartily recommend them...just be prepared to be patient. He is VERY popular and builds them all by his lonesome! But it's worth the wait.
Good luck
Franklin
Back to original post…
… I’m in the ONNO camp and would suggest you get an ONNO wing. Two ONNO wings to date and they are both light, stiff and efficient.
However, re-reading the OP and looking at your profile I would be concerned about your choice of a “sprint” paddle. All wing’s are the high impact flavor of paddling equipment. Some elite (ski) paddlers choose small wings for marathon type distances. If you want a sprint wing I am hoping that you are looking at K-1 500m to 1k sprints… hard, all out, leave nothing behind efforts, or you are built like Arnold S…
A mid/small wing at a reasonable cadence will have you moving six to seven plus mph. A sprint wing would be good if you are looking for 7-10 for a minute or two.
If you are looking to paddle two plus km then look at Onno’s mid wing, or small if you are small.
The new cam lock two piece is nice for fast dialing in of length and feather. My first onno was a one piece and I am wanting to shorten it 5cm.
Paddle ONNO hard
Stephen
ONNO Rules
Does’nt get any better than ONNO Pat makes the best wing on the market and the price is right.
love my turbo wing
5 years old with 1,000 miles per year and still going strong. Very rugged for rocks and surf launches. Won olympic gold in athens in 2004
Puzz;epax is right
The blade on the sprint may be too big for an extended paddle. Call ONNO and get Patrick’s advice.
Onno Wings are Excellent
I’ve owned an Onno mid sized wing paddle for almost a year now. It was the best decision I’ve made. All my other paddles are now gathering dust.
size
Don’t get a large wing - it’ll be too tiring after 15 min. These will only give fractions of a mph to very strong paddlers in ICF K1’s when at 10+ mph. Below 9 or 10 mph, the best size for virtually everyone is the small, small-mid, and for some, a mid-size wing if you like a slow stroke rate and a bigger blade to brace with.
Lots of good brands. Lightweight is worth the extra. The Epic small-mid, Onno small or small-mid, Bracsa 7 min, Bracsa FW, Fenn1, Fenn3, Jantex small or med . . . . Quickblade Proton, lots of good choices. Just avoid paddles with too strong a catch and too big a blade area.
Thanks kindly!
One thought about the “Sprint” size…in reading Pat’s website, he specifically mentions the large size as also being very appropriate for general paddling. This, to me, makes a great deal of sense, especially as I have no interest in marathon-type paddling.
If the paddle reportedly works great for 10/10th paddling, and it also works well for 2-3/10’s paddling, then why would it not also work OK for everything in between. If so, then I cannot lose. In other words, I guess perhaps I’m trying to say that I want to be getting tired when paddling for exercise… 
Thanks again!