Ve Paddles

Une fabrication hors norme, des pales avec un design unique, et le plaisir d'un contact tres plaisant !



Stu est au top !

Switched to cranked full carbon blades several years ago and have never looked back.

I recently used a pair of Werner Powerhouse blades on a short-term basis and they don't even begin to compare with the VEs in any area (comfort, power transfer, feel of the water etc.).

Stu is fantastic - really good customer feedback and the blades are unmatched.

Borrow a pair and try them then buy your own set and never go back to anything else!

So refreshing to deal with a small company who really care about what they do - customer service is excellent and the paddles are bomber!

In awe of the quality and performance of my VE paddles that I use for kayak surfing. Plenty of bite and flex and allows me to make the moves I need quickly and with power......and they have got me out of trouble so many times.....

I've been using VE paddles since 2014 and I absolutely love them! Great design, absolutely bomber and 10/10 service!

I have bought a technically perfect paddle VE I recommend this serious producer to all my canoeist friends

I have been using my VE paddle carbon straight for about 2 months now and its just getting better and better. I use it all the time now (river running and sea surfing) and it is giving me all the power and support I need while not being hard on the arms or shoulders. Fantastic product and I would highly recommend.

I dare you to find a better paddle with the same attention to detail, quality of raw materials, manufacturing process, and level of personal service. It is impossible for me to explain in words on a page, all I can offer is that after using my VE for a year, I was forced to use my Werner (religated to backup status) for the day, as I leant my VE out to someone to try. I really noticed a significant difference. So much so that I no longer have a Werner backup, because I don't want to have to go back to it again. Try VE paddles for a few days, and when you go back to your old paddle you are going to realize what you have been missing. Highly recommend the paddles and the company!

Had them for years, high performance and made to order. custom length, feather, grip width. And I do enjoy the feel of the airfare blades.

Great paddles and exceptional service. Stu, is always helpful and very knowledgeable. Highly recommended.

Fantastic kayak paddles, I highly recommend them.

Early this year I broke my beloved AT Geronimo, I came from a factory spec Werner player 197 and went to a custom AT Geronimo 205 since I held my hands further apart than normal. After 2 seasons of light use I broke the Geronimo quite easily by clipping a rock while in a bow draw pulling into an eddy, disappointed I went shopping for other options. it should be mentioned that I also like bent or "cranked" shaft paddles over straight shaft.



I quite liked the ovalization in the grip of the AT but even for me at 6'2 and size large hands, the grip seemed a bit large, and I didn't like the idea of going back to the comparatively round shaft of the Werner even though I still owned 2 Werners and had no durability issues. (both of which where too short and used as spares and loaners), it just didn't have the right feel for me.



I stumbled on Vertical Element Paddles, a small manufacture from England who was producing what appeared to be quality paddles designed with some solid engineering. Some quick googling reviled many positive reviews, so I went though and very carefully critiqued the engineering principles (some of you that know me will be aware of my engineering OCD), and contacted the local rep to make an order. One of the benefits of ordering was the speed of delivery (faster than my experiences with AT which took 5 months), I think start to finish it took about a month and a half, as it turns out it was well worth the wait. I ended up ordering a full carbon cranked shaft creeker air core paddle, I figured if I was going to go custom again it was a go big or go home scenario, so I ordered the best of the best. Upon first inspection the only criticism I has was the seams in the carbon on the shaft where not perfectly flat, it was maybe only a ten-thousandths of an inch and barely noticeable but it was just enough you could feel it, if you didn't like it then some 600 grit sand paper would remove it just fine. On that note though once I had a bit of paddle wax on the grips it was not really noticeable. One of the more notable aspects of the blade is the dihedral which has the effect of reducing paddle flutter, which is the tenancy for a paddle blade to shift or flutter in the water during a power stroke. It didn't completely eliminate flutter but it did an amazing job of making it almost non existent.



I was a bit concerned that the air core on the back of the blade would affect my low brace, but after testing a paddling from flat water to big water runs there seemed to be little to no appreciable difference.



Next up is the grip profile, it as a wonderful shape which is best described as squared off egg shape, its a bit strange to feel at first and seems like it may be awkward, but it became one with my hand in just a few minutes of paddling and I started to really dig the feel. In the words of Garth "It's kinda like a new pair of underwear. At first it's constrictive, but after a while it becomes a part of you"



next was the weight, It is AMAZINGLY light, I have never picked up a whitewater paddle this light, this concerned me a bit. But after several day and a few low water beater runs I am fairly convinced this will hold up just as well if not better than any paddle I have owned. I had several hard hits that would have chipped my other paddles, this one showed little sign of impact.



The last part is the most important CUSTOMIZATION!, Every paddle is made to order for no extra charge. I ordered a larger paddles since I have a wide natural grip, but most manufactures only have set dimensions for each size, non of which have been spot on so I always end up with a compromise. Vertical Element gives you the option of choosing your shaft length, and grip spacing. so I was able to order the length I wanted and the EXACT grip spacing I needed. I will also make one more technical point, the paddle blade on this model is one of the largest on the market, and its noticeable. The number of strokes and the speed of your stroke is reduced due to the large area, being a taller person I found this quite nice and favor this aspect, other paddlers may not but each to their won



Overall this paddle retails around $700 Canadian which is about $100 more than the comparable AT (the AT5) and about the same as a Werner doesn't currently offer custom pricing on their website but even without customization it is still only about $100 difference. To me the $100 difference is not worth a second thought, it really is inconsequential once you have the paddle in your hands. I will most defiantly be a repeat customer should the need arise.

Despite being an independently operated, UK based business, VE Paddles are certainly up there with the international big players; it isn't for lack of demand that you don't see these in shops and other countries though, it's because Stu cares about delivering a quality product, backed up by excellent service, at a fair price. Definitely give VE a try when you're looking for your next set of paddles, you may even find they're your last!

Bought mine in November 2017. Made to measure, good price, build quality/finish is great... Had lots of email exchange with Stu Morris (company director, designer and everything else I suspect!). He was great helping me sort out my indecision about paddles. He had recommended Creeker Glass to me for Scottish rivers (I would have happily handed over more cash for carbon had he not advised me otherwise). Very happy and would buy again (Had glass Werner Sherpas before, and was genuinely very happy with them - these just seem a cut above). I've now recommended VE blades to a number of paddler friends - sadly they've not been able to try mine as I'm a left-hander!

Awesome paddles, I take my splits all around the world really easily without any worries about the joint!