Aqua Bound Whiskey Paddle Review5/19/2019 Brand: Aqua Bound Model: Whiskey Material: Full Carbon Length: 205cm A very good quality paddle that is super light weight, robust and delivers power well without being too stiff. First off, when I initially heard Aqua Bound were interested in me using their paddles I was a little surprised. I never associated Aqua Bound the brand with high performance paddles, more introductory and intermediate plastics paddles. |But in recent years they have started to build more high end paddles at their US factory. So I agreed to take this paddle to put it to through some testing and see how it went. I did make the caveat with Aqua Bound that I would only take the paddle if I could give some serious testing before joining the team and an honest review good or bad, they agreed. I received the Whiskey Carbon in March and have been paddling with it for about 4-5 weeks now. My preference was for a full carbon, bent shaft paddle at 205cm. The first week I had it, I used it on a 7 day intensive Advanced guide training and observation in tough conditions. Surfing, rock-hopping, open crossings and lots of rescue scenarios. It got more abuse that week than many paddles would see in a year. Since then I have been using it every other day for guiding and teaching. The Whiskey is a high angle, high performance paddle aimed at paddlers who want a light weight, strong paddle that delivers power when you need it and smooth delivery when cruising. Build Quality. Opening up the package on its arrival the quality was instantly obvious. The finish is excellent. What is most striking is the weight of the paddle. Everyone who holds it remarks about how light it is. Its extremely strong and has withstood some hard impacts off rocks in rockpools and being put under full force to punch through waves. Performance. The Whiskey is very nice to paddle with, both cruising and for high intensity bursts. Initially it took me a few hours to get used to the catch of the paddle (the beginning of the stroke). It does not have an aggressive catch but it does engage and its power comes on through the stroke. The carbon bent shaft is comfortable and has a slightly triangular feel to it which sits well in the hand. 2- Piece This model comes in a 2-piece set up using the Aqua Bound patented Posi-Lok system. It works well and doesn't seem to be affected by sea water as its plastic. There is a small bit of play in my paddle but I can not notice it when paddling and have to shake it hard to notice it. You can vary angle but not length which is a bit limiting if you only have one paddle. ![]() Pros - Very Light -Strong -Looks great -Feels smooth Cons - Not length adjustable - Small amount of play in the joint Conclusion A very good quality paddle that is super light weight, robust and delivers power well without being too stiff. The finish is excellent and the Posi-Lok system works well. At the moment there is limited but growing number of dealers in Europe which means getting your hands on one of these paddle might take a bit of searching. Overall I am very happy with this paddle and will be doing all my coastal rock hopping and guiding work with it for the season.
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10/6/2022 06:36:07 pm
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