Tried out my new paddle and as pretty as it is, I don't like it. It preforms well, probably my best paddle yet but I couldn't figure out what was different. Finally realized that it was shorter than the one I was using. It has less resistance (bite) and I found I was paddling with a faster cadence. That made my shoulder hurt.

So I am thinking about trimming the ends square and adding a hardwood tip(s) which will add some length to it.

I was really surprised at the difference too. I sized the paddle by standing and stretching the fingers over the tip. So it should be right. But I am guessing that since I have used one longer that I have just gotten used to that.