Don’t ever use a carbon paddle…
… unless you intend to buy one! After using a medium weight ZRE for many, many years, everything else feels like a pig. And after nearly 2,000 Canadian miles these suckers still look new! They are simply bomber and effortless to paddle, you can not go wrong with one. Only problem I’ve encountered is thinking the blade might blow away in strong winds while ‘hit and switching’. They are feather-like!
Carbon is better than wood?
I disagree. Carbon has no soul.
The Wildwood, Whiskeyjack or Unadilla paddles are just as light as carbon and much stronger.
AND they are works of art to be cherished…
Don’t forget Foxworx paddles.
http://www.foxworxpaddle.com/Canoe_Paddle_Page.html
They’re relatively light compared to may wooden paddles and less expensive than many. I bought 18oz used bent shaft a few weeks ago and I like it quite a bit.
The owners are good people to work with too.
They also have reasonably priced kayak paddles.
Foxworx is decent.
Probably somewhere in between a Bending Branches and the really nice paddles. Not quite as light or as pretty as the nicer ones but much better than a lower end paddle.