Grey Owl - Tempest 
The Grey Owl Tempest has subtle styling and good performance. The overall construction of this paddle is very good. The shaft is made of ash and spruce, and the mid-sized blades are laminated from a variety of hardwoods and edged with urethane at the tip. The semi-gloss finish contained a moderate amount of dust, and did not fill some of the deepest wood grain completely. The long carbon-composite ferrule fit very well, with almost no play, yet it’s easy to break it down. The overall weight is quite good, and its swing weight feels acceptably light. I liked the balance between its weight and its feel of strength.

The blade profile gave excellent gunwale clearance, despite the short length of this paddle. With a little care, the entry was quiet and unventilated. High- and low-angle forward strokes were quite good. Steering strokes and braces were effective, even in choppy conditions. While the elliptical shaft gave good control, it was slightly small for me and slippery, encouraging an overly tight grip.

The Tempest gave well-above-average support in sculling and sweep rolling, especially considering the moderate blade area and short length. The thick blade seemed to contribute to lift. Vertical braces and C-to-C rolls were good for the blade size, but not quite as impressive. The paddle felt slightly ponderous while setting up for rolls, but this may have been caused, in part, by a less-than-familiar feather angle.

Given the Tempest’s light weight and good performance, its modest price represents an excellent value. The user could give the shaft a couple of extra coats of varnish, then a light sanding, for an easier grip, and have a paddle that meets all of my criteria, at a price that equally nice fiberglass can’t touch. Grey Owl’s slogan, "Life is too short to play with ugly toys," gets my hearty agreement!

Malone - Black Harbor