Ok I know buy cheap buy twice but after breaking a $550 paddle recently that was only 4 months old it got me thinking.
Has anyone tried one of these cheap carbon paddles and if so are they any good?http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=286731230
you get what you pay for I guess...I notice some of those cheaper carbon paddles have very thin shafts.
Under what conditions did you're other paddle snap..??
It was actually the wife who broke it in a wipe out 3-4ft swell so nothing major. The store did replace it so was pretty happy with that but got me thinking about getting a few spare paddles
Cheers
Just check the weight. The factories often quote their paddle are 100% carbon but in reality they are not. A good 100% carbon paddle should weight between 580 & 620 grams.
If it is closer to 700g it is probably not 100% carbon.
In my experience - school, shop, demo's etc the cheaper paddles break easier than the top shelf ones, but it does boil down to luck, if you hit any paddle with the right force in the wrong spot, it will break.
Have been testing out the Jimmy Lewis fibreglass paddle (its got heaps of bend when you whack heaps of effort into a stroke).
I got this paddle because of the high cost of (& apparent fragility) of carbon fibre paddles. Its probably Aok in the more expensive paddles. What do they say...you get what you pay for.
Wouldn't go hunting down a carbon now I've got used to my JL.
Hi D2, just bought one of those carbon paddles from Sideways. Haven't used it yet. Bought it for the wife who is starting out on SUPs, so not a strong paddler. It weighs 900g, so probs not genuine quality. Oh well.
From what I have been told even the best carbon paddles will break if you hit them in the wrong place. Apart from a short stint with a quickblade my missus and I have always used kiakaha carbon/kevlar paddles and they have been put through the wringer trust me. They are also the cheapest of all the premium carbon and carbon/kevlar paddles which is also a bonus. They are quite light as well and paddle really nice and they will do custom colours for you.
Cheers guys
Just emailed kiakaha too so we'll see how they stack up as they look good
