The good: Bending Branches Bounce paddles come in 240 cm size which, with my height and my sit-on-top kayak, I need. They're aluminum, but not particularly heavy. The bright yellow paddles are a nice safety feature, and the decorative, wide-yellow strip is very pretty. The two halves snap together easily. Also, they're a good price for a decent beginner's paddle.
The not-so-good: That decorative yellow stripe? On the picture of the paddle, it looked like the shaft was painted alternating colors, but actually it's a wide strip of yellow, textured material in two spots -- where your hands would go, in fact. When I first saw the lozenge design on the yellow I thought, "How pretty!" But when I got my first blister, I realized the problem.
I've used these paddles twice now, and both times it raised and broke blisters. I've now ordered paddling gloves which, at $20, make the deal I got on my paddles a little less shiny.
Watch your hands, and you should be okay.
