C-Forum

I got the chance to try this paddle and was really impressed by the good catch. How is the wear of this paddle?
How does it compare in general to the Galasport Magnum?

They tend to slowly wear round the tip of the blade, losing maybe an 1/8th of an inch a year (200 days paddling).

IMHO don't waste your money, buy a glass Bandit.

so if I would paddle it maybe 10-15 days/year (I still have a very wear resistant Mergner paddle for the easy or shallow runs) I could use it for a long long time...! That doesn´t sound to bad

I tend to avoid paddles w/ a big rib. The underwater recoveries are not as smooth. That said, I see a lot of Bandits on the water so folks must like 'em. Everyone has their preferences & with paddles I think it's very important to try before you buy.

I think its a cheaper way to get a ww paddle. They work fine. I like mine ok, but if I had the $$ Id go with something lighter.

$.02

Andy

Not a fan of the Werner Bandits.
Great feel, but absolutely inacceptable as far as wear is concerned.
I wore 2 inches off the bottom of mine in one paddling season (~60 days of paddling), and half of that time was spent on the Ottawa.
Plus they delaminate quite badly.
Stay away form any composite paddle that does not have any sort of edge protection.

martin a.k.a. the great gonzo!

What composite paddles besides Mitchells have edge protection? I think I've seen it as an option on Echo paddles. Any others?

I've had bad luck as well with the Werner carbon blade paddles wearing quickly, though I have to admit I don't play nice with them. Other than that, I've liked them.

Kober F-power (but the Athena which is carbon doesn't), some GalaSport, Raab, Mitchell Blades (UK) could probably add as an option.

For what it is worth, one thing I have noticed, is that my Bandit Fiberglass paddles have never completely failed. Yes, they do wear on the bottem.

I have never had a carbon bandit, but I have had two Aquabound blades/Carbon that have broke in half, complete failure.

There is no comparison to the Magnum in my opinion. The Magnum blows Bandits out of the water. I really liked the feel of the Magnum shaft, while the Bandit feels dead to me.
I agree with AJ about the (glass) bandit. It seems to be bomber because I haven't manged to break mine. Carbon could be a different story.

......the H20 Team C1 is better than both of "em though!

My Rough Stuff Savage C1 is much thicker at the tip, and has held up really well in low water.

Not as nice water feel as some paddles, though.

My favorite (ever) is still my Schlegal FGC Carbon, with aluminum tip. 18 oz new, GREAT water feel. I wish they still made them. I remember saving tip money from guiding all summer long to get one (at cost). Wasn't cheap, but worth it. I still have it, but there are stress cracks and the carbon flexes these days. But, considering it's about 14 years old now, and was my main stick for paddling for 10 years, I can't complain too much.

That said, my next stick will likely be an Echo. They have taken Canada (eastern Canada anyway) by storm. At the Single Blade Symposium I couldn't believe how many Echo's there were. They are a nice paddle, made by good folks.

The only other (composite) paddle that I'm interested in is the Galasport 3m, or a newer version of it. But I don't think it's as durable.

AJ wrote:For what it is worth, one thing I have noticed, is that my Bandit Fiberglass paddles have never completely failed. Yes, they do wear on the bottem.

Just ask Big Al, he knows how to break Werner Bandits ! Although his method seems to be rather painful to me, as it involves using one's nose to break it... ...!!!

martin a.k.a. the great gonzo!

Yeah, I think they wear pretty quick. Quicker than many others. Again, my fav is the Echo Creek Stick and the Magnum. But that does not help you much

Jan

I have a carbon bandit which I use very selectively. I don't trust its durability. Several glass bandits have passed through my hands (probably three or four) and I have liked their performance and have not broken any of them - they DO wear as has been pointed out. Note: If Larry Horne has not broken a glass one yet then they are certifiably almost unbreakable . My favorite paddle to date is the H2O Team paddle.

have practically worn out my carbon bandit... just guessing, but it seems to have worn a little quickly; however NO-General-Use Paddle will last much longer with me using it - maybe two years @ (least) 120-130 days a year

thing that really surprised me, was how little weight difference there is between a carbon bandit and a regular bandit... there's only 2oz difference

have set it aside (for the time being) for a Robson... because after using a ZRE paddle for flat water, the dang thing had no feel to it ... believe it's the shaft, which is simply a perfectly round tube - with no give, feel, or life to it... they seem to have done a much better job with those on their kayak shafts, than those on their single blades

am also really interested in one of the Galasport paddles ( not to hi-jack thread - just didn't want to start new topic ) the TE5 ELITE, has anyone tried it...