My Best 3 Piece SUP Paddles: Comparison & Reviews

3-PIECE SUP PADDLE BOARD COMPARISON

BEST 3-PIECE SUP PADDLE REVIEWS

Werner Vibe

Best All-Around 3-Piece SUP Paddle

PROS: – Durable – Adjusting mechanism works far better than stock paddles – Fairly lightweight – Sturdy blade – Responsive strokes – Packable – Solid for a 3 piece paddle – No weak or loose connection points

CONS: – Hard to take apart

Super Paddles Elite 12K Bamboo

Best Sleek and Stylish 3-Piece SUP Paddle

PROS: – Great option for traveling – Comes with a carrying case – Little more flex than some carbon paddles – Fairly smoothly enters the water – Isn’t too bad to adjust when on the water – Easy to transport

CONS: – Flutter when you put too much power into a paddle stroke – Has a bit more flex than some other 3-piece paddles – Isn’t the best in terms of paddling performance – A bit on the pricey side

Thurso Surf Carbon Elite 3-Piece

Convertible SUP Kayak Carbon SUP Paddle

PROS: – Strong – Fewer flex even at hard paddling – Two locking mechanism – Durable – Can be converted to a kayak SUP paddle – Comfortable handle

CONS: – The handle can be felt a little fat in small hands

NIXY 3-Piece 100% Carbon Fiber

Best Affordable SUP 3-Piece Paddle

PROS: – Super lightweight – Available in other three blade sizes for different weight paddlers – Anti-twist groove – Warmer in touch – Gentle on your muscles and joints – Good performance – Comes with a padded bag – Stylish wood looking blade

CONS: – None

BOTE Adjustable 3-Piece

Great Beginner 3-Piece SUP Paddle

PROS: – Reasonably priced – Lightweight – High quality – Responsive customer support – Solid blade – Fairly lightweight

CONS: – None

Honu Element 3-Piece

Best 3-Piece Powerful-Stroke Paddle

PROS: – Lightweight – Nice carry case – Powerful strokes – Reasonably priced – Sturdy assembly – Great customer service – Easy to use – Drains well the water at the end of the strokes for added energy efficiency – Comfortable handle

CONS: – Needs to be tightened with a screwdriver

Honu Element Jr 3-Piece

Best Lightweight 3-Piece Kid SUP Paddle

PROS: – Affordable – Gentle on your stand up paddler kid body – Lightweight – Easy to travel with – Durable

CONS: – I didn’t found one.

HOW TO CHOOSE 3 PIECE SUP PADDLE

CARBON ADJUSTABLE SUP PADDLE ANATOMY

MATERIALS

– BLADE CORE

Examples of lightweight materials used to make the blade cores are PVC or Polyurethane.

– SHAFT

Carbon fiber SUP paddles are not all created equal, they are some that use fiberglass in the underneath layers and the carbon fiber only for the outside layer and marketed as fully carbon paddles. This is why prices differ greatly.

OVAL SHAFTS VS ROUND SHAFTS

Round shafts are more comfortable and gentle on your body due to their flex.

On the other hand, Oval shafts have more responsive strokes because their shape makes them stiff.

SHAFT FLEX AND SIZE

For small and youth SUP paddlers, I prefer paddles with thinner shafts because they are gentle on their joints and muscles.

Stiff shafts that have little to no flex are what I recommend for heavy and strong adult paddlers.

BLADE SIZE

For short-distance paddling like SUP surfing, I recommend you paddles with bigger blades.

For SUP touring or any long-distance SUP activity, paddles with smaller blades are ideal because they have less drag.

Usefull Ressources

• My Best Beginner Stand Up Paddle Boards
• My Best Fishing Paddle Boards
• My Best Kids SUP Paddle
• My Best SUP Paddle

Updated on December 6, 2021 by Ben