Foxworx paddle review

KNeal · Post by **KNeal** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:32 pm

The spine is centered along the shaft. It is the blade design that is asymetrical. The blade reminds me of wildwater racing paddles laid up for left-handed/right-handed paddlers.

milkman · Post by **milkman** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 5:06 pm

It is a little odd though because they don't ask you if you're a righty or a lefty.

Again, I'd like to say I'm perfectly satisfied with the paddle. This kind of quality in terms of wood and carbon fiber is amazing for $130.

Riverken · Post by **Riverken** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 12:57 am

I've owned a "3" for a couple of years. It does look kind of funny on the spine, and when I bought it I thought it was not well finished. But now I am not sure because it works fine. It's held up well after say, 80 trips, just some fraying on the edges, and I spend a lot of time on rocky New England rivers. It's a good paddle on the river, nice catch, good power, no flutter on recovery or rolls. It weighs only a little more than a more expensive paddle. And it is a bargain.

When this one goes, I'll get another one.

milkman · Post by **milkman** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 4:04 pm

I wrote Dale at FoxWorx about the askew spine in the blade and this was his answer:

"As the blade is routed out it can move slightly creating the difference, as you have found it doesn't affect the performance."

As I said before, I'm completely happy with this paddle and its performance. I'll report back in a year on its durability, but from what Riverken says, it sounds like it can take a beating.

philcanoe · Post by **philcanoe** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:49 pm

milkman wrote:I wrote Dale at FoxWorx about the askew spine in the blade and this was his answer:

"As the blade is routed out it can move slightly creating the difference, as you have found it doesn't affect the performance."
...

excuse me for not believing this...

I was willing to accept a flaw may occur, and was not going to dawg-pile. But to not own up to shoddy workmanship is a deal breaker for me, much as in any endeavor I've worked. Which is exactly what this is, a improperly constructed paddle.

shame shame shame you deserve a new paddle, not excuses...

http://www.vimeo.com/25389027

One might say - buyer beware. Because Quite Frankly... the difference was enough that it should have noticed at a first glance.

KNeal · Post by **KNeal** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 11:28 pm

philcanoe wrote:excuse me for not believing this...

I was willing to accept a flaw may occur, and was not going to dawg-pile. But to not own up to shoddy workmanship is a deal breaker for me, much as in any endeavor I've worked. Which is exactly what this is, a improperly constructed paddle. shame shame shame you deserve a new paddle, not excuses...

Phil, have you actually USED one of their paddles? It is fine for you to look at the paddle and pass judgment. It is entirely different to offer an experienced opinion. While you don't like their workmanship (and you certainly can state that), there is an expression that goes like this: "proof is in the pudding" (I really don't know what this means

). Those who have USED a Foxworx paddle has posted positive comments. I'll give more weight to their feedback on what it is like to use the paddle more than anyone who has no experience with the actual product.

Like I said earlier, the blade looks exactly like wildwater canoe blades. They have asymetrical blades so the paddle can pass closer to the boat. I have never heard of a performance difference with that design. If you know of a performance difference with the asymetrical blade, please share that knowledge.

Larry Horne · Post by **Larry Horne** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 11:54 pm

i think the point (for me anyways) is if that is ok to sell, they have no quality control.
if they can't even (or don't care to) make a straight paddle (whatever their excuse is

..) can they (or do they care to) mix the epoxy correctly, use the correct (or any) layup schedule, and cure correctly?
makes me wonder.

Larry Horne · Post by **Larry Horne** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:14 am

if you had your kitchen counters redone and their sink template "slipped" so the sink ended up an inch out of parallel with the backsplash, you wouldn't care? I mean... it still works perfectly.

ncdavid · Post by **ncdavid** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:27 am

KNeal wrote:, there is an expression that goes like this: "proof is in the pudding" (I really don't know what this means )

The full expression is "the proof of the pudding is in the eating". The shortened version makes no sense at all. http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/proo ... dding.html

Now, back to your regularly scheduled program....

KNeal · Post by **KNeal** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:35 am

Larry Horne wrote:if you had your kitchen counters redone and their sink template "slipped" so the sink ended up an inch out of parallel with the backsplash, you wouldn't care? I mean... it still works perfectly.

quartz/marble kitchen counter tops usually cost $2,000+ and are expected to last the lifetime of the buyers, if not the house. We just purchased a geo-thermal system and paid a HUGE sum for it and it has a 25-year lifetime expectancy. You can bet I'll hold the install company to every letter in their warranty. ALL canoes paddles have a finite lifetime, depending on paddler usage. As I posted just above, everyone who has used Foxworx paddles in this thread have all posted positive remarks, such as:

As I said before, I'm completely happy with this paddle and its performance.

and

It's held up well after say, 80 trips, just some fraying on the edges, and I spend a lot of time on rocky New England rivers. It's a good paddle on the river, nice catch, good power, no flutter on recovery or rolls. It weighs only a little more than a more expensive paddle. And it is a bargain.

When this one goes, I'll get another one.

and

I live near Dale and Bev, and I buy the blems. They are hard working paddle makers and they have great quality in the paddles that make it to retail.

These cboaters use Foxworx paddles. I'll use that as a guide toward purchasing a paddle from them. And I do not use this forum to purchase kitchen countertops, but if you are wanting someone with knowledgeable opinions about quartz countertops or geo-thermal systems, drop me a PM.

Larry Horne · Post by **Larry Horne** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 2:05 am

.......so if it was a plastic laminate counter top it would be fine?

just checking, because i've been a contractor and a carpenter for about thirty years and i'm tired of doing everything perfect. I wanna start cutting corners, so you need to tell me... at what price point does sloppy work become ok.
ok?

2opnboat1 · Post by **2opnboat1** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 2:13 am

i would like to know the answer to that also larry

KNeal · Post by **KNeal** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 2:54 pm

Larry Horne wrote: I wanna start cutting corners, so you need to tell me... at what price point does sloppy work become ok.
ok?

Larry, you can run your business the way you want and as long as you have happy customers, more power to you.

Personally, I put tremendous value on an expensive product (read: costing thousands of dollars) that is expected to last for decades whether it is a boat, countertop, or geo-thermal system. I do not carry the same high value on a product costing just over $100 and, depending on usage, will wear and break at some point. So, Larry. If you want to cut corners as a contractor, don't look to me for work. If you are any good at building paddles at the same price as Foxworx, and buyers are happy with your product then I'll think well of your work.

Happy to clarify my consumeristic view

milkman · Post by **milkman** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 4:37 pm

I like craftsmanship. I've often admired the craftsmanship in my Mitchell Premier paddle. Right up until an entire side of it chipped away suddenly with no real event that I could point to as causing the failure.

A friend has an Echo paddle. Beautiful. But way more than I'm willing to spend for a paddle I'm going to be banging on rocks and trashing in a year. And it weighs about what the FoxWorx paddle weighs.

I consider the FoxWorx paddle well crafted. The carbon fiber work on the blade and up the shaft looks great. The varnish work is excellent. The grip is well-done. The blade has a really nice taper towards the end where it increases its thickness to protect it from wear. With all it has going for it, including the $130 price, I'm not that concerned about the spine in the blade being a little askew. Had I paid what an Echo cost, I might have returned it because for that price I would be expecting perfection--a level above good craftsmanship.

I think it's important to remember this is a paddle. Just a paddle. And while I like a really good paddle in terms of performance, I'm going to scrape it up, bang it up, and treat it like the tool it is. Perfection isn't what I want. I want good craftsmanship that will put a durable, high performance paddle in my hands at a reasonable cost. I'm totally impressed with the FoxWorx by this criteria.

Larry Horne · Post by **Larry Horne** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 5:41 pm

KNeal wrote:
Larry Horne wrote: So, Larry. If you want to cut corners as a contractor, don't look to me for work.

well it WAS a joke. I take my work quite (maybe too) seriuosly and never cut corners, even when i'm loosing my shirt.

but since expectations for everything else are so low.. i may have a paddle to sell you

C-Forum

Foxworx paddle review

Foxworx

.you don't need to use one to see it's a hack job