Testing a new paddle

As I have broken my two greenland paddles made of wood I have been thinking of buying one in carbon fiber. After checking on the Internet for one and also looking in some shops and not finding on I liked for a resonable price I did find one from Gearlab, in Taiwan, recently.
It was a paddle with a 2-piece design I really liked and also the first carbon fiber paddle with color I have seen. The price was not to bad either.

I checked reviews and a bit about the company and decided to buy one. I went for a shoulderless one called Akiak, 210 cm long and red color. This paddle also got the advantage of exchangeable paddle tips. I ordered with flat tips and one extra pair plus a bag for the paddle.

Paying with PayPal was easy and four days later I had my new paddle. Very fast all the way from Taiwan. And the paddle is beautiful! Nice and tight split, very light paddle with a very nice finish.

I have been working a lot this week so I had to wait three more days before testing this marvel. On a rainy Saturday afternoon I went out on the lake for two hours and paddled round some reefs and did a few rolls. Very, very light paddle. It dosen't feel like I'm lifting anything, very smooth through the water and I can get a nice grip on it without slipping.
It will probably take a few more times out with this paddle before I'm 100% confident with it but already now I feel that this is the paddle I've been looking for some time. That it matches my kayaks just makes it perfect. As for rolling it went ok, probably more my fault then the paddle, it wasn't perfect rolls. But I have not been rolling with my own kayak for some time and I need to practice more.

All I can say is that I can highly recommend the Gearlab paddles and the nice and quick service they have.