I'm another Grey Owl paddler. I really don't know if anyone buys paddles on-line like other purchases, but I wouldn't recommend it. Picking through the selection of paddles I was surprised at the differences in shafts and how they felt. No rejects, just slightly differing diameters, fat vs slim, round vs elliptical, etc. I am not an especially learned paddler so I handled them all of the correct size until I found one that felt just right to me. I'm considering having my wife try the same, retiring her current paddle to become a spare. I'm reaching for my animal tail Chieftain more and more, my Voyageur less often. No harm in having 2 spares is there?