This Page contains PXT Kayak's Product reviews from our own testing. We may also include links to external third party tests and reviews.

ZJ Enduro Wing Blade Paddle - Small Wing

Size:

The Enduro wing blade is the smallest wing blade in the range and is slightly smaller than the Epic Small Mid Wing and the Legend Fusion Small. It fits very nicely into the endurance racing and touring blade arena.

Paddle Shaft Lock:

This is a nice simple cam lever lock. It is well made and has adjustable clamping force using the cam screw. The screw goes into a threaded bar about 20mm long, not a nut. This gives a good load spread. The adjuster allows to 10 cm of adjustment indexed every 1 cm.

The adjuster is very easy to use, very positive action with no indication of slack or slop. Basically it is simple and effective.

I found the cam very easy to use on the fly, so if you need to adjust the paddle while paddling it is easy and quick, allowing you to control the paddle even when unlocked as the fit is firm. 

The adjuster is marked for both left and right hand feather angles 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 degree index marks.

Paddling:

I’m used to paddling with the Legend Fusion Small and I had no problem at all picking up this blade and using it immediately.

The oval shaft is easy to hold and did not feel excessively large or small in my hands. I set the length at 211cm, about average length for me and set the feather angle at 65 degrees as per my Legend settings

The paddle feels good at these settings. It did not have any unusually tendency to fly in or out from the kayak and was very controllable. With each stroke the blade entered very cleanly, no plop, splash or other indications of incorrect angles. The exit is equally easy, with no excessive lifting or catching of water.

Next I did a series of standing starts, each with a different feather angle starting from the 30 degree mark to the 75 degree mark

At 30 degrees the paddle really did want to fly out from the kayak with no assistance from me. I had to adjust my control over the blade to keep it engaged in the water. After I made this adjustment I found that at this angle the blade tracked very naturally to the “wing” paddling style. The catch of the blade was not as strong but I suspect the pull through and flight of the blade was just as it should be with little effort on my part to achieve the correct stroke movement.

As I adjusted the angle to a more aggressive angle the blade took a noticeable stronger catch. At about 60 the blade had moved to a very strong catch. At about 70 degrees the blade actually resisted the outward flight and almost cut back into the kayak if I did not hit the stroke correctly and rotate my torso with an strong arm control.

What I like about this blade is that at 50 degrees the blade had good catch and an easy, controlled flight. If I moved the feather to 60 degrees or more I felt like I had a good sprint start dialed into the blade, as it grabbed with a very strongly catch.

The shaft has a nice stiff feel. At no point did I notice any flex or shudder while at the same time I did not feel any excessive stress ether, which is just how it should be for my use, which will be longer distance marathon racing.

Summary:

The Enduro blade has nothing bad about it. The blade is controllable, clean entry and smooth exit with little noise or fuss. It is very well made with a superb finish quality, very positive feel and does not behave badly at all.

This is a blade I will use personally in the 2011 season and I feel it will become one of my favorites.

Phil - PXT Kayaks.

Independent Review:

Preliminary Review on Enduro Wing paddle:  

Phil dropped an Enduro wing by the house this week for me to take a look at, and I'm definitely impressed.  I won't get to dip one in the water for another couple of weeks, but in the mean time, here are my initial thoughts.

Overall construction, glue jobs and joints seem to be very solid. Putting the blade on the floor and pressing didn't yield any groans, clicks or stress risers (please don't try this at home!). Workmanship is impeccable - no excess epoxy, the shaft and blades are finished mirror smooth.  No micro-ridges to destroy your hands like some carbon fibre shafts. The blade appears very similar to an Epic Mid Small or Brasca IV - a little twist and offset, but it should have a pretty solid catch without requiring an extremely wide sweep out. The shaft itself is nicely ovalized, and falls into place naturally in your hands. The locking mechanism and markings are easy to set, and should not twist.

I'll update this after I've had a chance to paddle it for a few hours in Florida next month.

Marsh Jones 2/20/2011

Rice Creek Boat Club