Buying Blades

[kill]

I bought Werners because I kept snapping my blades. I've been as rough with them as I ever am and they've held up well. Be aware that they will scratch like bejaysus. Players ar the business though. Get short paddles for Irish rivers as acceleration is more important than long powerful strokes. I'd suggest no lower than 192mm and no higher than 194mm for you. I think Werners are a bit anal about their lengths aswell so check to see what's available.

[kjt]

Thanks for that Kill, yea the blade lenghts are in 3cm jumps. So I think I'm gonna go with 194 as opposed to 191.

[joey]

I'd go for the Werners. I have the players and Double Diamonds and have had no problems with either, except for what Lorcan said about them being a bit fragile but just be careful with them and you willbe grand!! 

Not too sure about 0 degree feathers myself!! think it depends a bit on your paddling style, when im paddling my body twists a bit, so 0 degrees are not really 0 degrees but more -10 or -5 which means i have to twist them back on themself. I know some other people that are like this too but at the end of the day it is you who will be paddling with them so just try as many as possible and but what you like!!

[Asho87]

you've two sets of blades? do you even paddle joey?

[Monkey Loving Bob]

I can let you use my players over the weekend, they're not quite as short as kill suggested you go, but at 194cm they might be what you're looking for, I got mine at the start of the summer and I've already reduced them by about half an inch through wear and tear. They're glass and cranked, you welcome to try them though. I now paddle with the powerhouse blade (bigger version of the sherpa). It's incredible comfortable and extremely powerful when you need it to be, it might be a bit much for sustained high rate of paddling (or so I've nbeen told) but I haven't that to be true yet (or I just haven't tried hard enough   ). I think they're a lot easier on you because of the way the stroke seems to draw power all the way through steadily as against the player which is strongest at the start of the stroke. The differences are fairly obvious when you paddle with them. I 'll be in limerick over the weekend. By the way, if you're looking at werners, Munster Dive and Canoe and I-Canoe are way cheaper than GODs.

[kjt]

Cheers Conor. I won't be in Limerick at the weekend but maybe if I could get them off you during the week.
I'm going to be ordering them from the states as I've seen them for a good price.

[Sean]

If your getting them from the ststes . . . Just make sure you don't get stung for tax and duty!!

That adds a considerable bit on to the price (duty is added first, think it 13% for blades and then they sting you for vat at 21%, so at a cost of €100 when you add duty and tax its all of a sudden €136.70)

A way round is to get whoever sends them to put down a value of less then €30 on the packaging that way you get away scott free . . .

Ps make sure that the full lenght can be sent, as most couriers wont take things over 1.5m

Later

Sean

[slapper]

I was looking into ordering blades from the states, but they said they wouldn't deliver anything that large overseas.

I ended up getting a set of crank shaft players from a place in the UK for less than the straight shaft players cost in GODs. Try this website:
http://www.cheltenham-canoes.co.uk/products/paddles/paddles-white-water-surf.htm

I got them posted to an address in Scotland and picked them up when I was there, so that helped keep the price down too. Worth checking out.

[kjt]

Cheers lads. Yea I'm ordering from the States and the delivery is $150 but they can send up to 3blades in that package.
If anybody's interested in a new set pm my by 3 today or ring me. The price of the blades are $230 each, I've been cheeky enough to ask for a discount and their giving me 10% on blades.

I was looking into duty/vat last night and I think it's pretty shite how delivery gets charged too:

Blades - $230
Delivery - $150

Subtotal - $380
Duty @12/13% - $47.50 ($427.50)
Vat @ 21% - $89.78

Total = $517.28
€348.68 - That is if I get stung for duty and vat


I ordered a few camera bits worth over €1,800 a good few months ago and asked the shop to mark it as a gift. I think them put the value down as €3/400. I ended up paying €30 when delivered, so hopefully this place will do the same.


Oh and it only takes them 2-3weeks to customize the order, better than 2-3months as I told by two shops over here.





Thanks for everybody's great replies