I'm just wondering if u could give me some advice on the main differences between 2 paddles.i have been trying to decide which to get for a long time now. i will be using it mainly for freestyle.

werner Player

H2O-2

which is more popular?
what would you recomend?
thanks

hey i would deffintly pic the player or any werner paddles
what you will find with the h2o s is that the will break because the glue in them does not last that long plus the materials arnt as strong as the werners
iv had both paddles and my h2os broke after about a year where as for my werners are solid
cheers james

hey man,
so i know this is going against what most people say, but i own a player and have loved it, but this year i did a program called the keener program and i paddled every day for three weeks straight and i used my player for the first half and an h20 2 for the second half, and honestly i loved the h20 way more!
i found it way more comfortable when it came to anything, and one thing that i really noticed is how much better it is then the player when bow stalling, i found it way easier to double pump and bow stall with, so i personally suggest the h20 however there is the issue of breaking.
h20 paddles although there lades are durable as anything, they do snap quite often with lots of hard use however dont be discouraged the h20's are amazing paddles and i definitely suggest it
i think that it is worth it to get the h20 because it costs less, it is more comfortable, and in most cases has bright blades and grips so is easier to find if accidentally let go of etc...
hope this helps,
jeff

Thanks for all your great advice! Just wondering what you think of the robson paddles. which robson would be the best freestyle paddle and how dose it compare to the others mentioned.

I have to say that I never have paddled one before but from the looks of it i would say the ideal freestyle paddle is the Robson Lotus Carbon. I like the look of the aggressively bent shaft and although it does not say that it is a freestyle paddle in the description it does say "Epoxy pressure moulded paddle with less area towards the shaft for easy paddling and more control." which i interpret as a comfortable and controllable paddle

I am not sure what the cost is on a paddle like that is, however if you are willing to spend a large sum on a paddle that is comfortable and will last a long time take a look at the AT2 Standard

i paddled lots of them on the ottawa recently playboating and river running, and it is definitely a super comfortable paddle that is worth every penny!

I know that the h20 paddles used to have problems on the joins. I have now been using a h2o-team blade on a straight shaft for a while and have no complaints. Mine has withstood great abuse on rocks and so far has not let me down.

im with jeff

I have a set of ATX paddles bent but not loads and there super comfy and i like them. Only had them a month but no complaints yet.

Obviously with the werners you cant discount a paddle maker thats been around since time forgot and has a proven record though.

good luck with the search

matt

oh a set of ATX flexi will be £257 or 298 euro

I had a werner paddle, and I really liked the shape of the blade and how it felt it the water. It also light and seemed very strong. The problem for me was that the paddle was very stiff, and I got problems with my arms after using them for a while. I guess this is a problem with my style of paddling, because I know many people who love their werners and don't have any problems with them.

I've been paddling the same H20-2 and H20-Team paddles since June 2007. The H20-2 had it's blades replaced as the one blade got a big notch in it after running a slide in Sweden and the same blade tore somewhere else - my bad. The H20-Team got water in it once, I took the blades off and no problem. Then it got water in it again. This time I took it apart in the middle. They use hot glue on the blades but epoxy in the middle - I needed a lot of heat and strength to get it apart. So far I haven't bothered putting it back together.

I've also been paddling a Werner Powerhouse neutral bent carbon for just over a year and love it! No complaints. I bought a Werner Double Diamond neutral bent carbon this past weekend and I've only used it once. So far, so good It was a bargain price, and brand new....

I would say, both paddles are great! Every paddle snaps, make no mistake. I've had my H20's for a while and actually got them after I snapped two in 8 days. (bad luck?) I got those for free as part of the warranty so double bonus!!!! H20 changed ownership about two or three years and the new owner is not as accomodating from what I hear. But I could be wrong. I LOVE the grips of the H20 and considering how long I've had my current paddles I would easily recommend both H20 and Werner. Of course there are other brands to consider too, AT as well as Select Paddles. Check them out.

Full carbon paddles will be stiff, you might not like that, as Haavard said. The H20-Team is a fair amount stiffer than the normal H20-2. The H20-Team is also a smaller blade and although I've seen people creek with it I cannot handle it with a creek boat and don't find it powerful enough, for me... Anyway, enough from me!

Money spent on a good paddle is money well spent. I feel nothing to pay top dollar for something that feels great. What does Corran say? The boat is the Ferrari and the paddle the engine. Bad engine, bad performance....