22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Unsuitable for right handed paddlers, September 8, 2010
This review is from: Kwik Tek Deluxe Kayak Paddle 2 sect Alum 84" Curved Blade (Sports)
I'm completely surprised to report that this paddle is totally unusable by a proficient right handed person. The paddle is drilled for 3 twist angles between the paddles.
-60 degrees (which is what left handed paddlers use
0 degrees which is for novices and children
+120 degrees which is not usable by any human
What is missing is +60 which is what proficient right handed paddlers would use.
I'm wondering if this is defective or if they just don't know what they are doing. Novices or children will be satisfied with a 0 degree twist angle (the blades are in the same plane). Howver given the foam wrappers on the handle the diameter might be large for a child's grip.
the blades are symmetric (not assymetrically curved) and heavily constructured, but for the price this is fine. It's an excellent value if you are left handed. the construction appears to be durable.
UPDATE 1:
The company checked their inventory and discovered that all of their paddles were defective. apologized and pulled this off amazon.com for a while.
UPDATE 2:
A year went by and I ordered another one. Amazingly this one is also drilled wrong. It's not quite as bad as the first one but the holes for the left and right sides are asymmetric about the neutral position. the Right handed one is now too far >90 degrees, again making this unusable by a right hander.
close inspection shows the right hand hole was drilled after the paddle was anodized since unlike the other two holes the cut hole is sloppy and edged with shiny metal.
Bottom line: you could make this work but it would probably injure your wrists if you are a serious paddler. Apparently this company has a huge quality control problems.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
good option for the price, August 19, 2008
This review is from: Kwik Tek Deluxe Kayak Paddle 2 sect Alum 84" Curved Blade (Sports)
I bought this to use with an inflatable kayak, and I think it's a good paddle. It's a little heavy, but I'm not going long distances or trying to break any records, so for my use, it's fine. The length is ideal for the wider sides of an inflatable. It's got several click-in settings so you can pick the alignment of your blades. Nice comfy handles and drip guards. For the money, it's a great, sturdy paddle.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
You get what you pay for, May 16, 2011
This review is from: Kwik Tek Deluxe Kayak Paddle 2 sect Alum 84" Curved Blade (Sports)
This paddle is fine if your plan is go paddle around the lake (fresh water only, beyond that it feels cheap and handles cheaply. The connecting point on mine began to corrode after taking it out once into a salt water bay and rinsing it thoroughly with fresh water. I took it out again figuring I could sand and paint over the corrosion if it proved to be good in the surf. It soon failed me as it bent on a bailout without even getting stuck in the sand. Save your money.
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