Anyone have any experience with these? I am considering buying one.
They appear to have a good and bouyant blade that is similar to the Werner Ikelos / Cyprus, but with a wood shaft that might offer some nice flex and be easier on the joints…although at a bit of a weight penalty.
I am tempted to order one of the Habit models to replace my Ikelos for paddling in the surf.
thanks
matt
I’ve handled them At Savannah Canoe
and Kayak. I did not think the weight penalty was too much in the shorter lengths I’d use in the surf. You may want to call Nigel Law there and talk with him about them. He seems like a very knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly guy.
http://www.savannahcanoeandkayak.com/
I believe …
Marshall has them at the-river-connection. He brought one to a pool session this winter and I tried it out - seemed like a nice design.
The downside
Of any wood/composite paddle is always the joint where wood and synthetic meet. Inevitably, the wood leaks, weakens and breaks at that point.
Another way of protecting failing joints is a smaller blade, say Werners Cyprus; a downsized Iklos. The smaller blade slips water more easily, protecting joints and tendons from the catch of the larger blade.
I don’t think the wood will break
I think the solid wood shaft goes into the blade and the blade is much more likely to break.
I have have paddles with wood blades and composite shafts break but not the other way around.
I have two demo models at the moment
a straight shaft reggie and a bent shaft reggie.
both are bomber 1 piece paddles. I love the feel of the shaft, and how the blades feel in the water.
I think it would be hard to break them for the record, much harder than it is to break an Ikelos for example, which I have done :(.
I demoed a 200cm straight and a 210cm bent. Both had their qualities that I loved. In order to get them beefier and able to endure the punishment of use, they are a bit heavier than a pure CF paddle.
Bowler if you want to give one a try, give me a message.
I’m a Greenland guy…
…but there is one spoon blade that I love…The Saltwood Double Happiness…not a very technical description, but “lively” and “magical” is my story and I’m stickin’ to it.
Huh?
Spend time with the Mitchell hybrids (Leaders, Surreals, Black Magic, etc). The “leaking” of which you speak is a non issue. They don’t leak, weaken and break. What hybids have you had this problem with?
openboater
Another Greenland Guy’s Vote
Hey Matt…
I’ve tried this paddle as well, the Reggie I believe. A very sweet blade…
If I ever had a need to replace my Ikelos this would be the paddle for me.
Cheers…
Bill
liking mine
I just got a Habit 197 to replace my WW paddle (Werner Player) about two weeks ago. The wood shaft fits my hands well and is comfortable. The blade has a very powerful catch, making big moves and attainments easier. All in all, I’m a happy customer so far. I’ll probably be using it as my ocean surf paddle as well.
Hey, quick question
I briefly borrowed a Habit from someone local and liked the feel of the shaft (bent) and the blades. I forgot to check if there was some sort of reinforcement on the edges of the carbon blades… Is there anything that would make it withstand rock hits better? The carbon blades are thin at the edges… Mitchell uses some sort of material to protect the edges on their WW paddles…
Also, I noticed that that one particular paddle was supposed to be 0 degree offset (like I use mine) but in fact was clearly not exactly 0 but more like 5-10 degree, which made me wonder about how much attention to detail/QC these paddles get…
Thoughts, from folks who’ve used them for a longer time than a couple of weeks?
An alternative would be a Mitchell Remedy paddle, I suppose, and if someone has observations b/w these I’d be delighted to hear. Looking to upgrade my WW play/river-play paddle and these seem like good choices to me because of the bent shaft (I like the feel) and the relatively light weight (especially as advertised on the Mitchell, although the Saltwood Habit felt reasonably light with lighter than similar Werner’s swing weight, it seemed).
very nice
Used them during a surfing session with Nigel Law off Tybee Island. Very nice ergonomic fit, good catch. Didn’t take to the rocks, can’t tell how resilient they are to the tough love.
Getting One This Week
I’ve ordered one through Savannah Canoe and Kayak scheduled to arrive this week. 210cm straight shaft with Habit blade. They seem to be high quality well made pieces of work.
I’m replacing an older Werner Corryvrecken with it. I do like the feel of it in my hands and the indexing is very nice. I paddled a right handed model in a demo, but am left handed. Even though I was reversed from my normal, it felt really good in my hands.
I’ll report back after 6 weeks of hardcore use in my paddling around coastal Georgia. I am primarily a long distance athletic touring paddler. Some call it boring, but I call it a sanity break.
It’s a Winner For Sure…
– Last Updated: Jun-12-12 9:22 PM EST –
Okay I ended up ordering one and have to say that I am very impressed....and it took a lot for me to feel taht way after being a staunch advocate of the Werner foam cored blades for sea kayaking and whitewater for years.
I ended up ordering the Reggie. I was going to get the Habit since it was closer in blade size to my Ikelos than the Reggie. However, after much help from Nigel Law at Savannah Canoe and Kayak helped me to choose the Reggie. He put me in touch with other paddlers who normally paddled the Ikelos who preferred the Reggie.
I am glad I went with the Reggie. It has more than adequate catch and feels to have as much or more than the Ikelos, but with a pleasant flex that makes it not feel tiring.
I used it on the water yesterday and found it to feel very nice on flat water (and I find flat water to be incredibly boring). This paddle added new life to my flat water paddling.
More so though, I found it to be an incredible paddle for rolling. It is unlike any other Euro blade I have used. Rolling with it was like rolling with a Greenland paddle....really. It has so much floatation, combined with the blade shape that allows it to plane on the surface like no other, allows it make rolling unbelievably effortless. Same goes for bracing due to its floatation. I was very, very impressed. And that is after using an Ikelos for years, which has really superior floatation as well.
Another thing I found really impressive about the paddle was how well it stuck in the water when doing a bow rudder. I like to "hang" off my paddle when I do a bow rudder, which allows you to edge past the balance point and make a much sharper turn. This paddle felt like it was planted in cement when doing a bow rudder. I could hang off of it it and edge my boat to the point where the coaming was in the water. Again, very impressive.
For the forward stroke I found that the paddle had a lot of power, and the flex in the shaft just made me want to paddle harder. Kind of unique in this regard. Plus, I found that that the combination of features with the shape of the shaft and perhaps the shaft flex allowed me to paddle hard without bothering my chronic tendonitis, which is a very tangible benefit for me. Some of this is due to the fact that this particular paddle has a straight shaft, and much of my wrist tendonitis is due to the bent shaft profile of the Werner paddles (ironic...but that is another story). Another very positive aspect of this paddle for both rolling and for my tendonitis is the highly profiled indexed shaft shape. It makes is immediately evident to you how the blades are oriented and puts your hands in a position that does not tax your forearm muscles the way a round shaft would.
A first rate paddle. I plan to get a Habit as well to replace my whitewater paddle (a Werner Shogun).
A last benefit for me....for the last several years I have owned both a Werner Ikelos and a Cyprus to give me a big and a small "gear" for paddling. I feel that the Reggie bridges the gap between these paddles by giving me a lot of catch, but that is not tiring. I probably will use the Reggie exclusively and then just get a cheaper Coryvrecken or Shuna for my spare paddle.
Give Nigel Law from Savannah Canoe and Kayak a call or check out his website and he can order you any one of these paddles and get it to you super fast.
Matt
Excellent
– Last Updated: Jun-15-12 10:49 PM EST –
Thanks for the report Matt. I really like hearing the things you are saying about your Reggie. What you are reporting make me even more confident I made the right choice.
Weather and the delivery system permitting I'll be using mine within a few days. I'll report my initial impressions. Of course, I'll be coming off of 7.5 years of a Werner Corryvrecken use base.
I struggled between the Reggie and the Habit. I have a lot of upper body mass to generate momentum so larger blades and harder bite work well with my physique so I went with the Habit. Plus, I'll never have to buy a surf paddle either if I ever start doing it.
The Habit also has slightly less blade area than my Corryvrecken which is being relegated to spare status. So,I'm actually stepping down a notch in that department.
Yes, I will be the odd one using a Habit as a touring paddle, but larger blades work well for me in that capacity.
Nigel and Kristin at Savannah Canoe and Kayak will give you excellent service if anyone wants to order one through them. There are a lot of variables in proper paddle selection to say the least. Nigel is very knowledgeable.
Oh man!
How good a deal did Nigel Law give you on that paddle? You almost sound like a telemarketer 
Disclaimer - I find your comments similar to my limited experience with Saltwood.
Deal
It costs in line with the price of a comparable quality paddle from Werner. The bent shaft is about $50 extra.
I like to support my local shop so I did not haggle. Not a telemarketer, just watched Nigel and Kristin in action, and they are awesome.
ROFL!
I’ve seen Nigel in action, he would make paddling with 2x4 look good.
2X4
The next time I see him, I have just the 2x4 for him…LOL
Well…
I am passionate about paddling and when I find something I like I don’t hold back. I like this paddle!