Aquabound Edge paddle

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DougB
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Post by DougB »

Doug, you raise a very good question for me... and perhaps more people can jump in on this.... Why is it people like Big T-grips?
Comfort and control. Comfort from the larger diameter and not having to have my hand bunched in a tight fist. Control from being able to use the thumb on my grip hand

I replaced the grip on my last AB with a wood dowel T grip, but ended up getting ride of it as it just wasn't to my liking

I think its a good deal for the money. Great for someone on a budget, someone prone to loosing paddles, a back up stick or the occasional WW paddler.
Creeker
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Post by Creeker »

I learned how to roll with a 3x broken AB Edge which was fixed up by Gumpy with dowels/glue. It has worked well for me in the pool learning. Now it's working well on harder creeks too. I don't pretend to know too much about the market as a whole but what I have seems to be getting me down the river just fine. I tried Mark Z's bandit this weekend on the penobscot and it was very nice. I think I'm too weak to break any paddle :(
Standingman
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Post by Standingman »

Phil, flimsy? I have had a lot of higher priced sticks and I am harder on them than most, do not like to do a lot of work to keep them in good shape. So I got something that I don't feel as bad when I beat it on a rock, lets be honest it happens. It is like bying ABS for SE creeking, for the money, it is a bad idea. I can get three to one for the price, with out all the work and for me it works just as good. My last higher priced one, i got one year on it and I am using my AB.
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philcanoe
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Post by philcanoe »

I like having control over my paddle. I like to know when pulled upon, the resulting action is going to be automatic not delayed. I don't want my paddle to dictate timing of the stroke, especially during the catch phase (which is when a lot of my correction takes place). When I push outward on a sliding underwater recovery, I want to feel rock solid resistance in the blade. I want the blade to feel near solid with flex mainly in the shaft. And while some may consider it minutia to want to know exactly where and when power is being transmitted, the lag-in-response time can be just a little wee-bit-too late when I'm posed on critical edge (Yes - tried this paddle). While a lot of this is what I have become accustomed to; however it simply doesn't happen when switching between other paddles. (this is what flimpsy meant to me)

And most importantly I want to have complete trust in my paddle, to not worry about it failing when the going gets tough. Because in these smaller boats I carry a break down (in pieces) under a airbag, unlike larger boats where a full sized spare can be grabbed with relative ease.

Yes - that was a lot of I's, which was used to indicate just that.... this is just my opinion about how it feels in my boat. And not necessarily to say what you may want to feel in your boat.
FullGnarlzOC wrote:phil - your talking about the ones with the metal shaft right?

when I had my AB ripped out of my hand in the Room of Doom at UG last year.... I went creeking shortly after - and had to result to using a '52 inch Carlisle paddle...on 2 Class V+ first OC1 descents... that was scary - those blades are rather small...I don't recommend paddling class V with one lol - im sure u have had similar experience at some point and time

...
Tommy- in my experience it's not the size (insert :oops:) of the paddle, it's the amount of grip that it provides. Some manufacturers make their blades a bit wider, some a bit more spooned, and some a little longer... all in a effort to get 'that' feel. To me it's about how much pull you can get, and that's not always apparent when comparing size alone. So maybe it was lack of length (52"), and not blade size that you missed most in your test, as you were not applying power in the accustomed manner or location. Doug Wellman used to make squirt paddles with blades about the size of soup bowl, and a lot of people claimed they had incredible holding/pulling power ??? :wink: And remember size of the blade affects stroke rate, so there are indeed trade off's with surface area. Less I fail to mention, flex will vary with location of the bottom hand on the shaft. With perhaps less apparent shaft flex when the blade is gripped nearer the blade (or throat). Which may apply to this paddle, as well as to the other one being mentioned.
    ^~^~^ different strokes ~ for different folks ^~^~^
    clarion
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    Post by clarion »

    Just bought one for my wife.

    While I wouldn't want one (now) for my main paddle, they definately have their place. For a spare, for an occasional paddler, or for a WW paddler starting out who needs everything (boat, bags, dry/wet suit, paddle, pfd, yada, yada) it's a nice paddle for the money. After you have everything you need, then you can splurge on a better paddle and have the Edge as a spare.
    It AIN'T bent.
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    Shep
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    Post by Shep »

    I am happy to have the breakdown Edge that came with my Taureau when I bought it, and I would buy one again as a break-down paddle. I do enjoy the feel of my other paddles more, so an Edge will probably never be my primary paddle.

    Shep
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    FullGnarlzOC
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    Post by FullGnarlzOC »

    Wiggins - I'm assuming you are talking about - A breakdown Edge - where are you located? Washington state? I'll find out the nearest dealer
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    FullGnarlzOC
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    Post by FullGnarlzOC »

    From AB Customer Service - "Thanks for the note. You can tell this paddler that any Aqua-Bound retailer can order a 2pc for him. He’ll just have to call and special order the length he wants. A good one to look to for an order like this would be Rutabaga Paddlesports www.rutabaga.com , but REI, Outdoorplay, Colorado Kayak Supply, etc would all be able to service him as well. We do not sell direct, fyi."
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    Wiggins
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    Post by Wiggins »

    Thanks! I listed the Oddyssey because AB's website doesn't list the Edge 2 piece. It's good to know they still have it available as I would prefer the Edge.

    Kyle
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    Post by Sir Adam »

    Sounds like I should be adding "and Aqua Bound" to your sponsor line Tommy :wink:
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    oopsiflipped
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    Post by oopsiflipped »

    hey tommy, did they also mention that he'll have to send it in to get fixed after the first time he puts it together and can't get the freaking thing apart again? that's kinda the AB breakdowns trademark move....
    clarion
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    Post by clarion »

    Blue Mountain Outfitters (BMO) has an AB breakdown. I just saw one a couple weeks ago.
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    philcanoe
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    Post by philcanoe »

    ((( had all but forgot )))
    oopsiflipped wrote:hey tommy, did they also mention that he'll have to send it in to get fixed after the first time he puts it together and can't get the freaking thing apart again? that's kinda the AB breakdowns trademark move....
    Security feature...

    ... insures you'll never boat alone, since it takes two people to separate it once joined.
      ^~^~^ different strokes ~ for different folks ^~^~^
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      FullGnarlzOC
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      Post by FullGnarlzOC »

      I've had 3 Breakdowns since my relationship w/ AB started last September. I havent had any problem seperating the two peices once connected...not that I'm saying it might not happen...but out of all 3 that I've had....I've had no issue...

      Issues that I have had:

      1) Mistaking a 'snapped together' breakdown as my normal 1 piece Edge...and paddling class 5 with it - not noticing until halfway through when I saw the push pin.

      and 2) not firmly attaching them in my boat (I've lost two).... hence the reason why I just got my third...came in the mail today. Once again... I can feel 'rest assured' on the river...that if anything happens where I lose/break my primary paddle.., I'll be able to paddle out with a paddle that is more than capable of doing so, a paddle that is small enough to fit in anyboat... and for a good price. :) .....

      so - Make sure the 2 pieces are firmly attached to your boat. Don't make the mistake of just shoving them under your airbags. Find a way to secure them.... I know I've learned my lesson.
      Last edited by FullGnarlzOC on Thu Jul 07, 2011 2:05 am, edited 2 times in total.
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      FullGnarlzOC
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      Post by FullGnarlzOC »

      and gabe - I also have heard them called 'Aquabreak' ....yeah I remember when I bought my very first 'high performance' paddle, 2 years ago, right before cheatFest.... It was an AB Edge, for $90....

      Gumpy and TonyB picked me up that day to head out to CheatFest - I had showed Joe(gumpy) my new paddle, which I had customized with sweet sweet yellow and black stripes.... I showed it to him proudly and said, "Hey Joe...check it out. My new paddle... I call it 'the STINGER!'.... Joe laughs...and says 'Oh yeah...Aquabreak...ya your probably going to break it on the drive there...they break ridiculously easy...it wont last the weekend"

      Well after close to 20 Upper Yough runs, 15+ Class V runs, and 3 OC1 First Descents through some serious mank...and - I have still yet to break an 'AquaBreak' --- or 'AquaBound' as they should be called - and you know its not because I never mess up...

      Eddy McGnarlz - "helping turn around misguided judgement - one good product at a time." .... :)
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