Has anyone tried ZJ Paddles?

There are few reviews on their paddles, some on Amazon and that’s about it. They can also be purchased on eBay and some direct from China venders. I’m specifically interested in a kayak paddle. Do you own one and if so what do you think of it? Although their carbon paddles are not cheap they are half of the “name brand” paddles. Thank you

http://www.zjpaddle.com/

I bought a QQ sport carbon wing paddle recently and reviewed it on surfski.info. Here’s my .02 copied from surfski.

This November, aliexpress had the 11/11 sale, the equivalent of black Friday in the USA. The online shops offered an extra 10-60% off normal prices.

I picked up a QQ Sport carbon medium wing paddle during this time. Its a no-name brand, but I would guess that they are a factory for one or more of the big OEM’s, as the paddle is nearly identical to a standard wing from any of the big guys.

I paid less than $150 usd shipped which was about 30% off normal price and 70% off a brand name. Its an all carbon small-medium wing paddle, 25oz (~710g)

Overall the quality of build was just a hair below the name brand equivalent. One blade was not finish sanded perfectly even, that is, there was a pointy corner on one blade, but it was easily correctable with a belt sander at work. I rounded it off and its now symmetrical with the right blade. My only other complaint is that the locking ferrule is plastic, not metal. I will try to find a metal replacement for if/when the plastic one breaks. For now, it works fine and locks securely; I am just concerned that in the winter (like now in the USA) it could break in cold weather, or over time, the plastic will break or wear and loosen up.

Anyways, I do not have a lot of experience with different wing paddles, so I cant competently comment on the specifics of the paddle behavior in the stroke, but I know its a knock off of one of the major brands wing design’s and I like it a lot. Considering I spent 1/3 of retail on a brand name full carbon paddle, I could not be happier. The finish on the paddle was top-notch, the fabric has no flaws, and it came with a free paddle bag. Also came in 2g below the spec’d weight at 25oz.

All in all, I am extremely happy with my knock off paddle. Before you go bashing buying a knock off, money is very tight for me and I simply cannot afford $400+ USD for a paddle. I spent about $700 total for my older V10, paddle, leg leash, and paddle leash. That was about my max budget, and I had to search for 2 years to find a cheap enough ski and paddle, but I eventually found it and am very happy with both acquisitions. I think it helps the sport to grow to have low-cost options to get into the sport. I would have been a Skiier 2 years ago except for the cost of entry.
Do I expect good customer service or a warranty with my paddle? probably not, but I will deal with that given the cost.

Anyways, its not exactly a review of the ZJ sport, but my QQ sport paddle is certainly as good as the median wing paddle for 1/3 the cost. I would not hesitate to buy another off-brand again, and probably will before I can afford top if the line equipment. Also, the paddle is probably made in the same factory as the name brands based on how similar it is.
I think, If you’re in the lead pack, spend the extra $ for top quality equipment. If you’re mid pack or back, any off brand paddle will perform more or less the same as others. If the choice is no paddle or a knock-off paddle, I just want to get on a ski any what I can, and the cheap paddle was very effective means to an end. And a great deal in general.

Just my $.02
Cheers

Thanks for your two cents. I appreciate you taking the time to help.