I love my paddle. I've had it…
I love my paddle. I've had it for about five years. I've used a lot of crappy paddles in my day, and this certainly isn't one. I'm not particularly buff, and so its light weight makes it much easier to paddle all day than the traditional highlighter yellow paddles that come with rental kayaks. I like to feather in windy conditions, so the variable feathering option is great. I find the separation into two pieces makes the paddle an easier fit in my tiny bean of a vehicle, and even for portaging if I attach it to my backpack. I've read reviews on MEC's site about difficulties people have had with the locking mechanism, but I've never encountered this myself. In fact, I've been quite pleased with it; it's smooth and tight.
We got the 230 cm version of…
We got the 230 cm version of the Lanai (white/ivory) paddle from Accent Paddles. This paddle truly is light and I couldn't be happier now that I've upgraded from the aluminum paddle my kayak came with. There is no flex in the blade when paddling, which is good, and the build quality seems high. My only complaint, however, would be that it is a little tricky to align both halves of the paddle when connecting both at the ferrule. Other than that, I think this would make a great beginner paddle.
