My new Lendall paddle says “crafted in Scotland” on the blade, but the corporate address is Old Town, Maine. I was curious if they are still made in Scotland.
Thanks
in the us now…maine iirc…
you might have gotten an old stock paddle…
i prefer the Scotland made to the US made…Johnson outdoor had troubles getting the paddle making up and running smoothly…but should be all good now…
rob
who bought himself a pair of Scotland-made kinetic wings for Crimbo…
Yours WAS made in Scotland
if it had that sticker. There was a bit of inventory that JOI assumed after purchase of Lendal. So some of what’s currently out there at shops etc, is made in Scotland. Everything else is made at the Old Town factory in Maine.
Thanks!
Not that I feel any more special having a Scottish Paddle, but was interested in knowing if it was a bit of deception - Peaches and Cream instant oatmeal, for example, doesn’t have peaches, but dried, coloured, flavoured apple bits, and doesn’t have cream, but calcium carbonate AKA chalk. I like it, but appreciate transparency. Just like Made in the USA is good for me, but I want to know!
Thanks again.
doubt it
The Scottish inventory was depleted long ago. The brand new blades were being shipped with the made in Scotland sticker up until the sticker redesign for '09. Figure they still had stickers left, but the blades were made state side.
BULLSHIT!
– Last Updated: Dec-31-08 8:44 PM EST –
If it has the sticker it was made in Scotland. That is pure internet speculative
bullshit. You don't know what you are talking about. Hey, fair enough to have an opinion, but bullshit is bullshit and you just spread some.
See below: I WAS WRONG! Not BULLSHIT and I am both sorry and suprised.
Before you yell BULLSHIT so loudly…
…understand that nermal is an individual with strong (and current) industry knowledge, and has the opportunity for regular contact with both JOI folks in general and Lendal in particular. He can choose whether to defend his statement further. However, to those of us who know him, he is a trustworthy source, not given to hyperbole.
CRAFTED in Scotland
i got this from a friend in Scotland who was one of Lendal’s prototype testers:
“Unfortunately some of the American made blades sold here are labelled “crafted in Scotland”. These are cosmetically better but more fragile than the original Scottish made ones. They have a fine seam all the way round the edge of the blade. This is very fragile and you need to be careful. No punting off the shore!”
crafted versus made…splitting hairs here…trying to make it sound like they are still made in Scotland…
Well, tell ya what
– Last Updated: Dec-30-08 1:20 PM EST –
If I am wrong I will apologize. I also test for Lendal and know well the Brit pro paddlers as well as Neil Baxter (blade designer) and Alistair, his son, etc. I have both Scottish and US made blades and shafts and on none of my US made shafts do I see any stickers mentioning Scotland. I have toured the factory here as well.
The fine edge referrenced above is in fact found on Scottish made wings, like the set I'm selling Corgimas (virtually new). When these blades were transferred to US production that edge got wider to reinforce it. That is a fact. The US edges are bigger.
There is always the predictable speculating when a company like JOI buys a company like Lendal. I'm going to check this out directly with the folks who run Lendal and I will report back with the findings and maybe.....an apology. That just isn't consistent with my paddles.
Another absolute fact is that some of the failures that have occured have been on both Scottish and US made product. Nostalgia drives a lot of opinion and I have been guilty of that with Lendal as well. They are my favorite blades and I like the 4 pc. for travel etc. Over the years I've seen all brands break including Lendals.
No seam
I looked closely and could see no seam with the naked eye. What a can of worms this seems to be!
As I was writing
Salty erased his claim of erroneous facts.
While Lendal had some inventory that transitioned to the US, it was quickly shipped out to distributors. I’m talking within weeks of the stock arriving. Many US Lendal dealers couldn’t get anything for almost 8 months as there was no inventory left and they hadn’t yet began production in the US. So while the original poster could have purchased a paddle that some dealer had in stock from long time ago, I said that it probably wasn’t based on the events and timeline as they have happened. Here’s the real telltale, if it came in the new Lendal box packaging, then it’s US made.
Here are three photos to back up my claim that new US paddles are being shipped with “Made in Scotland” and “Crafted in Scotland” decals.
Photo #1, A Kinetik Tour 700 FG
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a385/nermalgod/Lendal/IMGP8251.jpg
Photo #2, A Kinetik Tour 750 CC This blade is brand new for 2009 and was never made in Scotland. You won’t find this info on the Lendal website either because it is horribly out of date. Lendal now has 4 sizes of the Kinetik Touring blade, 600 (new, smaller than the old S), 650 (old Kinetik S), 700 (old Kinetik), and the 750 (new, bigger than the old standard Kinetik). It carries the same “Crafted in Scotland” knot that the other blade has, although it’s reflective and my flash washed out the details. Trust me, it’s the same, and if you don’t trust me, then I can go and take another photo to prove it. Also notice the new graphics on the spline of the powerface.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a385/nermalgod/Lendal/IMGP8253.jpg
Photo #3, A Touring SwitchLok Shaft G1F (ask the new Lendal what G1F means and most of their staff don’t know. I find it funny that their customer service doesn’t recognize old Lendal’s labeling system yet they still apply this decal to their new shafts.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a385/nermalgod/Lendal/IMGP8254.jpg
Regardless of where it was made, if it works for you and holds up, then that’s a quality paddle. So far, new Lendal, Johnson, has stood behind every warranty claim I have heard of so you won’t have to worry about being excluded based on your paddle’s origins. I do find it curious that Lendal is not forthright with disclosing where the paddles are being produced. I do have a theory, but in this post, I’m sticking to the facts.
the seam
refers specifically to their Kinetik Wing blades. Lendal, before being purchased, was having durability and production problems with their foam-cored, wing blades. They struggled to produce 1st quality blade sets that had enough carbon to close the two halves of the blade without exposing the foam core. The method to solve this, which the paddling community didn’t see until after the Johnson buyout, was to leave a flange to the seam similarly how NC Kayaks joins the deck and hull of their boats. I wouldn’t say that the blade is more fragile. Sure the flange may chip, but I have seen several of the original wings with their foam core sticking out. Because of their unique, modified wing with a foam core, Lendal has a unique problem that no other wing manufacturer has to deal with. More traditional paddles with foam cores also have a flange, but it is not noticeable because it blends into the shape of the paddle. Order a custom width ZAV canoe paddle and you don’t get a larger paddle, you get a larger flange.
Again, I don’t think their solution is bad, It certainly allows them to produce wing blades much more consistently. The blades work just fine, although cosmetically, it isn’t very appealing.
Nermal…I"M SORRY
– Last Updated: Dec-31-08 8:41 PM EST –
I erased my post as I had received new info, and, believe it or not my lap top battery died in the process of revision. Home now and posting the update.
First- I'm friends with JOI Director of Watercraft, Head of R&D, and Necky's long time head of boat design was best man at my wedding. I have worked with Neil Baxter and Alistair at the factory in Maine and have been involved with the Lendal gig internationally and truly believed that no such stickers went on US made blades. It appears they do, and I was wrong!
Many even within JOI thought as I did, and several of us dug into it.
What I said about the wings is accurate. The US team, including Kevin from Scotland increased the edge width during the transition.
So, again, what I truly believed was bullshit turned out to be accurate and I AM SORRY. I just did not believe it, and agree that it as bad move. (my opinion) When I'm wrong I'll own that. BTW, even some top folk in JOI (my friends mentioned above) not directly involved with Lendal thought as I did.
Bottom Line: JOI will stand behind it regardless of where it was made.
Once again SORRY, you are right and I was wrong.
Why Lie?!?!
What a roller coaster ride this has been. I assumed it would be a quick and simple answer, and I thought I had that answer twice!
As I believe I mentioned, “made in USA” and “made in Scotland” are both fine with me. Both say - made by someone who has basic rights and freedoms and is working under democratic laws. “Made in a country where workers get paid nothing and treated similarly” I do try to avoid.
Speaking of laws, though, or at least customs, why is JOI lying to me? To my way of thinking, they do a greater disservice to their brand by being dishonest than they do my moving production to your rebel colony. It seems the USA would be a large market.
I have to agree
I think it’s a bad move. I know there will be internal discussions about this. I have to think some marketing person made that call.
I have regard for JOI as all my many interactions have been good and like I said I know many of those folk and have regard for all of them. I don’t beleive anything malicious was intended here. But I’m in agreement that it’s disingenuous, and have said so.
It’s because of said regard and dealings with them that I didn’t buy nermals assertion, especially as my US blades and shafts have no such logo’s.
Make Your Own
This kind of info about kayak companies is why I make my own gear.
So many fine choices . . .
I have many great canoe paddles, and one of my favourites is made by Whiskeyjack Paddles. I notice they also make kayak paddles, so one day might give them a try. It is strange how almost all euro kayak blades are synthetic, while most canoe paddles are wood (outside the ZRE/Minnesota contingent). The Whiskeyjacks are clad in glass, but they look great!
I would like to make my own gear, but am happy to support local crafters who do such tremendously good work too. I know and have met those who made many of my paddles and a few of my canoes, too. JOI has very stiff competition when dealing with the higher-end market, and all the best paddle makers on this continent!