Werner bent shaft: any users?

[singingdog]

I have been using a Werner Grand Prix for the past 2 seasons and loved it. But someone decided to liberate it from my car. I have the chance to get a Grand Prix bent shaft at a good deal, wondering if folks have experience with them. Pros? Cons? Thanks.

[burchas]

I had one for a short period, the novelty wore-off very fast. The awkward shaft gets in the way.
As everything else it's a matter of preference, and I know folks who swear by it but for pros and cons:

My Cons:
1. Much heavier than a straight shaft.
2. More problematic to cut or modify with a longer handle in case you need some flexibility with paddle length.
3. More problem for storage and transport

Pros:
1. seemingly more ergonomic though I've never felt anything is wrong with my other paddles.
2. longer reach? may or may not be of any help to you, depending on your style. I never felt it gave me an edge.

[PonoBill]

Some very fast paddlers love them. I don't, but then I'm not very fast.

[stoneaxe]

Tried it, hated it, felt awkward like Burchas noted....but it's all personal.

[Califoilia]

Have one, and use it with my 14' which I've had no problems with. But then again I'm just a recreational open water paddler when there's no surf, and little the paddle simply because it's the biggest blade with the longest shaft that I have, and I do seem to feel I'm getting a little bit more reach with it than my other paddles...but not sure if I'm gaining any advantage or not with it.

But all-in-all a very comfortable paddle to use, and maybe it's my poor memory, but I seem to feel less fatigued in the shoulder and elbow joints with it than I did with my other straight paddles when I used them several years ago...might just be my imagination though.

Hell, I'm really of no help after proofreading this.      I'll shut up now.  

[Dusk Patrol]

Conjecture here... as I have not used one, but when I've considered using one, the thought that always backs me off the idea is that it might feel awkward shifting the paddle from side to side. I try to throw it smoothly from one side to the other, to minimize interruption to the stroke rate. My suspicion is the bends, or the weight distribution due to the bends, would feel make the transition feel odd. Like I said, pure conjecture, but I haven't wanted to spend the $300 plus to test.