Carbon all the way. I went from a relatively light Wenonah Quetico wood paddle at 20oz to a 11oz ZRE whitewater then to a 8.5oz ZRE light and now even the 11oz feels heavy =( you dont feel the weight so much on the stroke but when I switch sides its amazing how much faster and better the light paddles feel. some people say carbon is too stiff but I disagree.
Ive never broken a carbon blade but Ive seen 1 person do it. It was on a river race and he planted it hard on a submerged rock near shore. The blade was fine but the shaft broke where it met the blade. He ended up repairing it so it wasnt too bad. Also it was a 7oz ultra light paddle which is the most brittle/delicate of course.
After going to carbon Ill never go back unless the nano carbon film comes down in price from $10k a square foot =)
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