The Gear Shed - Sawyer Freefall XD Paddle
Available lengths: 60" 62" 64" 66" or 68"
Blade dimensions: 8.5" W x 21" L
Average paddle weight: 32 oz
Solid Ash and carbon fiber straight blade
Oval carbon fiber reinforced shaft
Carbon fiber reinforced straight blade
Full perimeter Dynel ToughEdge with Kevlar Pro Tip
Review
I have to start out with saying that I absolutely love this paddle. For me, my body type, and my preferred boating style, this is an amazing paddle. I would run one of these any day.
All praise and ranting aside though there is a lot to like about this paddle, but as with everything it comes with a caveat. At its core this paddle is really an upgrade from the Canyon X in most ways.
The base black model isn’t the biggest head turner in terms of ascetics, but it makes up for that with its performance. It paddles well, for me the swig weight is good, it is tough and has the right flex for the right times for my boating style.
Some folks find this paddle jarring and quite loud, especially when it impacts a rock, and the grip can be a little bulbous for small hands. I would put this paddle on par with the Werner guide stick as a direct competitor and compare the two side by side often.
It is coated in carbon fiber and has a ton of reinforcement. If you beat and grind your paddle around like I do this helps add a lot of longevity to the paddle.
Ideal uses
This paddle excels at creek boating and general river running. For general commercial guiding I might stick with a Sawyer Canyon X or a Werner Guidestick for a variety of reasons, but I have run several commercial trips with it. For general purpose guiding it really takes the strain off of your back, and On Class IV+ or harder (especially creeky runs) I would prefer this over a Canyon X.
How is it in the water?
If you are used to either a Werner or Cataract stick you will find this paddle very different. The paddle blade has a similar profile to its competitors in terms of size and purchase. You can feather it well if you are surfing or J-stroking. The hand grip is also wide and well sized fitting even large hands well.
The paddle has a very different profile of flexibility than other paddles. Werners have a flex and snap property ramping up purchase at the end of the stroke. Like the Canyon X, the Freefall XD has less flex, but more consistent purchase throughout the stroke; it feels a bit stiffer in the blade than a Canyon X or a Werner.
It feels like it is more of a sprint paddle because of how the blade flexes. Overall I would say it is equivalent in maximum power to competitive paddles.
The difference from its competition is when you only have time for a half stroke. This paddle will give you 50% power where I feel like a Werner will give you 25-30%. It is a huge boost and advantage for creek boating, but that advantage comes at a higher dollar price.
How tough is it?
This paddle is bomb proof and that in my opinion makes it a solid contender as a go to paddle. I have beaten this over so may rocks and I usually break a paddle a year boating, but I’m super rough on my gear. It has lasted through everything I could throw at it including class V swims and a ton of creek boating.
As with the Canyon X my next question was “What the hell is a Dynel ToughEdge?” So I did a bit of research and Dynel is the trade name of an acrylic resin fiber woven into a fabric for marine applications and for wigs.
Its key properties are high abrasion resistance and good tensile strength. The “ToughEdge” refers to the black perimeter of the paddle. Honestly it was not as tough as I was expecting when I started to smash it around on rocks.
With the Canyon X, where a strong misplaced paddle stroke knocked a notch out of the tip of the blade pretty quickly after I got it. On this paddle though, the carbon fiber backing does a lot to keep the tough edge in good form.
The paddle also comes with a protip standard which is basically an over mold on the tip to help prevent damage. It also has the benefit of having more traction on rocks if you are trying to push off of them (Less than a pure fiberglass blade, but more than a Canyon X).
Other than that the fiberglass coating is prone to superficial scratching, but it doesn’t cause any structural damage or weakening.
Important Considerations
Kailee mentioned that she feels the grip alright for her hands and better than a Canyon X and comparable to a Werner Guidestick. For reference Kailee 5’4” and wears size small gloves, where I am 6’2” and were Large or XL gloves.
The ToughEdge is not as tough as I would have liked, but the over molded Kevlar protip in the Freefall XD helps with purchase and durability. The Dynel ToughEdge doesn’t bite on rocks, so it feels very slippery when you are trying to use rocks to your advantage and you aren’t using the protip pert of the blade. This can be a bit of a problem when you are creek boating.
Kailee mentioned that a 60” paddle is better for her. She is a lot more comfortable paddling a 64” paddle when guiding. The extra reach preference when stern guiding has been echoed by other petite paddlers I have paddled with. I’m mostly arms and legs so I am fine with a 64”. If you are still confused, please check out this handy guide to Paddle Sizing.
A lot of boaters report that the paddle “feels” heavy at first (referring to the swing weight of the paddle). A lot more weight is in the blade than the shaft compared to competitive paddles. If you are bothered by heavy swing weight and prefer more weight in the shaft this is probably not the paddle for you.
As I mentioned previously this paddle does not wind up and snap back so if you are used to that you may find that you will need to adjust you boating style to accommodate for that. It often changes the timing of your moves and the cadence of your strokes in different conditions. If you are not aware of that and ready for it, the new tempo can really throw you off as to when you need to make a stroke.
The T-grips are glued in rather than pinned in place. It makes them easy to repair if you have any T-grip issues. The high strength glue is pretty solid, but prolonged use in varying extreme temperatures. Repeated freeze thaws over several months can definitely take a toll on the glue especially if you aren’t the best at keeping the paddle dry.
The paddle is all black so if you swim there is a good chance you will lose it, especially in low light conditions. It floats well and I have recovered it from harsh swims in low light conditions, but it is not easy to spot. Sawyer did fix this with the 2019 green shaft. They now produce a shaft in bright green. Other colors don’t work so well with the carbon fiber so a spring time swim might make it tough to see the paddle depending upon your area and where the paddle swims off to.
Is it worth the cost?
$240 for a paddle basically tops the market in cost. It is $60 more than a Werner Stick and $85 more than a Cataract. Ultimately the value here lies in longevity and your budget.
There is no question that this paddle will outlast most other paddles on the market. If you’re looking for an everyday class III guide paddle that can handle a little class IV and V there are other less expensive options in the market.
The high performance characteristics are definitely improved over the Canyon X. While it is still a good looking paddle it is not an instant head turner because it is more like a lumberjack than a male model, it gets it done! I would buy one again and I do recommend it to people especially since my constant back strain has been reduced from using a higher performance paddle.
If you are at home on a Werner it will be a big adjustment though and you may not even like it at all.
