Braca VIII paddle

I have owned an Epic mid wing for about 13 years. I decided to try a Braca Sport VIII minimum size. I have owned the VIII for about 1.5 years now. I have an Epic V8. I am 6'1" and 240lbs. I mostly tour 5.5 miles or more when I kayak. Both paddles are top notch. The biggest difference between the two is....you don't have to build the Epic, you do have to build the Braca Sport. Another difference is that the Epic's load is more focused at the catch, whereas the VIII load is distributed throughout the whole stroke. It really depends on what you prefer. Either paddle is excellent.