"paddles that most interest me"
You have an excellent short list there - and a custom sized paddle from any of those is a good choice and might help dial some of this stuff in and open you up to more.
The only GPs I might give a nod to over those are my own - and not because mine are better made or designed (not at all), but because they’re just a few percent better for me specifically as I had my hands on them throughout their creation. They reflect my preferences, which are VERY small differences from the makers you listed (but more from others). Still, My Superior carbon gets more use than any one of my self carved paddles - and is nearly always on deck when I am using my others.
If you eventually start making your own, having paddle(s) from anyone on your shortlist (and having many miles on it) will give you a great benchmark to work from and let you use your time to make many good paddles vs. many attempts at a good paddle.
As others have noted BBK paddles and accompanying regional techniques their proponents may teach are a bit of a different animal. Works for them - and obviously very well in some cases - but for me it misses some of the benefit of the GP I get with paddles/techniques more like what are discussed at QajaqUSA (and please don’t misread that to say there is a certain way of making/doing that’s right/wrong - this is all very open - but some shared core nuggets are there).
Skiing
– Last Updated: Oct-01-07 12:03 PM EST –
Skiers can also be distinguished by their own individual style.
Anyway, as Greg implies, you can't teach anything if "anything goes". There has to be some agreement on "proper" technique to be able to teach technique. (Note that the agreement doesn't have to be universal!)
The general idea is to learn different techiques from capable instructors and choose the techique that works best for you.