We’ve have a new Vertical Element four piece breakdown paddle here at Unsponsored HQ for review. Vertical Element are a UK based company who design and manufacture their own custom whitewater and recreational paddles.

Vertical Element Four Piece Breakdown Paddle

I reckon that if you need to use a set of breakdown paddles when on a river trip the chances are something epic has occurred, and in situations like this I would want a set of breakdowns that were at least as good as the set I had lost or broke.

Specification:

Light, powerful and efficient!

Made from 100% glass fibre which is pre-impregnated with toughened epoxy resin.

Our pro glass blades are manufactured at very high pressures to produce an extremely solid hard wearing edge.

With geometry that is extremely strong, and 30% more glass than the market leader, you have the strongest most durable glass blade on the market!

The glass shaft provides a small amount of flex as preferred by many white water paddlers.

A paddle you can trust wherever you are!

Supplied with an oval shaft in the area of the hand grip.

Weight @ 190cm = Only 945g [+/- 3%]

Now available as 2 and 4 piece splits!

Ideal for fitting in the car, travelling or as an emergency paddle.

Vertical Element are able to take any of their straight shaft paddle setups and turn them into a four piece breakdown set for an additional £85. That works out at £274 for the set shown here. Werner four piece sets have a RRP of £279.99.

The price isn’t the only difference. Like the Werners the VE set uses a push button system to lock the paddle blades to the shaft.

Vertical Element Four Piece Breakdown Paddle

Where they differ is the way in which VE join the paddle shaft together.

Vertical Element Four Piece Breakdown Paddle

Vertical Element Four Piece Breakdown Paddle

The clamp allows the paddle to be set to any angle and to different paddle lengths. The joint requires no special tools. This makes the whole setup very versatile and should meet the needs of lots of paddle groups. Werner can be bought at 194cm and 197cm. Vertical elements are custom. The joint in the middle allows the paddle to be extended in length by up to 10cm.

As a right hander who paddles left handed I am glad that I can set up a set of paddles to a left hand feather if I need it yet can still set them to right handed for someone else.

We’ve been using these as a main set of paddles for the last couple of weeks and will be providing a full review on Unsponsored early in the new year.