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I cannot say enough good things about my Crystal X 2.0 bent shaft paddle at 220cm. I was lucky enough to buy out a kayak outfitter in 2021, and that sale came with over 20 high-end European paddles from makers like VE and Select. Kind of the "Werners of Europe". I received my H2O paddle about 3 days before that purchase. For the last 9 months, I have paddled everything that VE and Select has to offer. I've also paddled the H2O. Although the VE and Select paddles had adjustable length sizing (the only win over the H2O), I have ended up using the H2O as my go-to paddle. As a person with larger hands, the ovalized grips and the larger circumference shaft of the H2O has really sold it for me. Also, the ease of use of the center mating adjustment is just worlds beyond all of the other paddle manufacturers I've used. That includes Werner. I also owned a straight shaft Crystal X 1.0 for almost 5 years before upgrading. Listen....I beat the stuffing out of that paddle and it was good as new when I sold it to upgrade. I paddled with the guy who bought it from me just tonight and it is still going strong. These paddles are exceptional. The center mating mechanism is the best on any paddle I have ever used. Being able to adjust feather without flipping open a toggle is not a "thing" I have ever witnessed on any other paddle. It was also the "thing" that also made me not want to buy this paddle years ago with the 1.0. I thought that, surely, I'm going to accidentally adjust the paddle with forces from paddling. But...that actually never happened. Not even once.

This paddle is amazing and sets a new standard, particularly in the center mating mechanism.

It is THE kayak. You're not going to head to a kayak race with this boat. You're not going to head out camping for five days in this boat. Although...you can. It's just not what is best suited for.

It's best suited for absolutely everything else. For most, it's the best "one boat quiver" contender that ever existed. And I can firmly plant that flag because I have owned many of the other "one boat quiver" boats and they didn't even hold a candle to this kayak.

THIS is a kayak in its own category. It's the only kayak I could put a newbie in and feel confident that they will feel confident. And yet....it's the only kayak I would put a thoroughly advanced paddler in and say, "yeah, right there....you see what I'm talking about!?!?"

And....they will. They will feel it. They will know it's real good. If not superb.

It is the "nearly everything" kayak. It's the "nearly one kayak quiver" kind of good. If I meet paddling people and they don't own one of these or have paddled one, I will feel that their advice is suspect.

I now know that I NEED two kayaks. A Stratos and maybe a composite touring yak for those long treks. I'm working on obtaining the longer trip kayak now, but I rarely feel the need to paddle anything other than the Stratos.

It's JUST that GOOD.