I received my sparkley new Werner sidekick paddles from System X around a month ago on special order and looked forward to try them out. I have used the paddle on several occasions now so here's what I thought. As with all Werner ww paddles the sidekick has a strong fibreglass shaft and blades that can take a pounding and provide great feel for the river. One of the problems that I have had in recent years is that of hitting the boat more often than I would like during the hurried strokes that accompany many of today's freestyle manoeuvres.

The Sidekick addresses this issue by sporting a radically downturned blade, which removes much of the blades surface area out from under the shaft. This is designed to allow the paddle to effortlessly flow around the boat and all things being equal eliminate the missed strokes that come from hitting the boat with one of your blades. I felt that the Sidekicks angled blades gave me increased power to get the bow of the boat underwater effortlessly allowing me to achieve squirts/wheels with greater ease.

I have used a wide range of paddles over the past 17 years and have been most impressed with the quality and feel of the Sidekicks. I would certainly recommend that if you have a chance to try a set out give them a go.

After using a set of normal side kicks I have just bought a set of full carbons. They wear a whole lot better on artificial courses, and are only marginally stiffer than the normal blades.