Needing more feedback on Ke Nalu Mana

[PonoBill]

Somehow I brought four shafts on this trip to SoCal, and all of them are 100 Flex or 90 Flex. I'm going to have to get a friend to swing by my shop and send me an xTuf. I know if I have one I'll be able to push harder without toasting my shoulders.

They're like carbon fiber Advil.

[warmuth]

  Both of mine are on 100 flex shafts. The 90 blade would be worth trying on a 90 flex or xtuff, it would probably give me better endurance over a long paddle. The 100 is perfect with the 82. I'm pretty well sold on the 82 at this point though, it's just got that extra gear the 90 doesn't have. I'm also 165 pounds so I do not need as much bite from a blade that the over 200 crowd does. I do still see value in the 90 blade so it'll get used but probably not raced.

[eeck62]

I will throw my 2 cents in.  I recently picked up a Mana 82.  It looks really small...  Even my wife gave me a funny look when I pulled it out.  I do have to say that I have been pleasantly surprised on how much grab it has.  When you dig in and pull it sticks to the water.  It feels like a much bigger blade in the water and out of the water the light swing weight is awesome.  I have a the Xtuff-S shaft and that is all I have tried it with.  I previously had a Maliko 95 blade.  I thought the initial catch was more abrupt and too much for smaller boards compared to the Mana 82, which has a more smooth feel. 

[PonoBill]

Maliko 95 has a monster catch. If you start paying attention to really getting the full catch a paddle will give you, then it's too much for a geezer like me. I find it's great for times when I don't want to pay attention--just go. Otherwise I go with the Maliko 82 or whatever 80 thing is.

I'm going to have to try the Mana 82. The 90 is great for surfing, but I think if I clean up my stroke the 90 will be great.

[eeck62]

The more I use the Mana 82 the more I like it.  I am paddling a 90L board at 182 lbs and it seems to be a good match.  I can get a bunch of quick strokes in for catching a wave or when digging my board out of a hole.  The catch and stroke are so smooth with no flutter at all.  That combo has been good for my shoulders as well.  Highly recommended paddle!

[Deadbait]

All this talk about the Mana has me thinking about upgrading from my old Wiki.

I found a good review comparing the Mana to the Konihi with good pics of the winglets also.

Check it out here:

http://www.thestokeexchange.com/gear-reviews/the-best-sup-paddle-in-all-the-land

[PonoBill]

The guy nailed it. The Konihi is faster, but you pay, the Mana is a little slower, but you don't. As long as you bury the Mana it works--end of story. I don't care how badly you screw up the rest of the stroke. The Konihi requires that you paddle well, every stroke.

[PonoBill]

The guy nailed it. The Konihi is faster, but you pay, the Mana is a little slower, but you don't. As long as you bury the Mana it works--end of story. I don't care how badly you screw up the rest of the stroke. The Konihi requires that you paddle well, every stroke. Makes the Konihi best for racing and downwind, the Mana great for downwind and surfing.

[Rideordie]

I am glad to hear that others reached the same conclusion. Mana 90 was significantly slower than konihi 95.  I shelved the mana after three paddles. Wife uses it now. Love my konihi. Mana was a waste of $ for me. How about a konihi 90? 

[PonoBill]

I think the Mana is great for surfing. Sometimes it's hard to get a clean stroke surfing, and as long as you get the blade deep enough, the Mana is super-forgiving. I don't think that issue arises much in flatwater, so the Konihi gives better performance. I go faster with the smallest Konihi blade, but I have to concentrate and either keep the cadence up or push down and set the stroke, focus on getting the blade to catch before I pull.

[Luc Benac]

I have found the Mana90 slower in anything but downwind, but the Mana 82 as fast and easier to use than the Konihi 84.

[PonoBill]

I've got to try that Mana82.

[Luc Benac]

I've got to try that Mana82.

I heard that before :-)

[warmuth]

  Took out a kohini 84 and a mama 82 last night for some back to back comparisons, both on 100 flex shafts. Pono is pretty spot on. The mana catches big and tails off, the kohini is strong through the full stroke. I prefer the mana, I get a big power hit and am on to the next stroke. The kohini is slower through the stroke and reminds me of the 90 without the catch, it feels "heavier". It does require some technique adjustment, my first two or three strokes immediately after switching would be accompanied by a nice swooshing sound.

  I tried a friends mana 90 on an xtuff as well. I did like that blade on the shaft as compared to the 100 flex. We were a bit surprised at how stiff the shaft is but the softness of the flex is there, it does feel much different. I feeling I got from it was the the shaft was flexing down near the bottom, the blade seemed to trail a bit behind vs. where it would be on a 100 flex. If the 90 were my only blade I'd probably use it with an xtuff but being that it's pretty much just a downwind/surf paddle for me it'll stay on the 100. Overall the 82 on the 100 flex is still my favorite combo for anything else.

[Luc Benac]

  Took out a kohini 84 and a mama 82 last night for some back to back comparisons, both on 100 flex shafts. Pono is pretty spot on. The mana catches big and tails off, the kohini is strong through the full stroke. I prefer the mana, I get a big power hit and am on to the next stroke. The kohini is slower through the stroke and reminds me of the 90 without the catch, it feels "heavier". It does require some technique adjustment, my first two or three strokes immediately after switching would be accompanied by a nice swooshing sound.

  I tried a friends mana 90 on an xtuff as well. I did like that blade on the shaft as compared to the 100 flex. We were a bit surprised at how stiff the shaft is but the softness of the flex is there, it does feel much different. I feeling I got from it was the the shaft was flexing down near the bottom, the blade seemed to trail a bit behind vs. where it would be on a 100 flex. If the 90 were my only blade I'd probably use it with an xtuff but being that it's pretty much just a downwind/surf paddle for me it'll stay on the 100. Overall the 82 on the 100 flex is still my favorite combo for anything else.

I wish I could handle it.
I put back the Mana 82 on a 90Flex. It feels very nice and would be the logical choice for me  except after two days paddling my shoulders were already protesting - bummer.
So both of my Mana are back on Xtuff(S).