Tantrum Tow Ropes Aluminum SUP Paddle Review

I love testing out new paddles. They all have a slightly different feel to them and you never know how you’ll like paddling with it until you try it.

Hopefully my reviews help those of you who are buying online to feel a little more comfortable with the paddle you choose without seeing and feeling it in person.

This month I have been trying out the Tantrum Tow Ropes adjustable 3-piece paddle with rubber guard.

We’ve seen this kind of paddle before with the rubber edges along the blade and I quite like it.

This paddle is super portable, comfortable to use, fully adjustable and with the rubber guard it can take quite a beating without getting scraped up.

It is a definite step up from the basic paddles that come with many of the boards yet it is still extremely affordable.

Myself and my team agree that it is a great buy for the price!

Key Benefits

Some of the main benefits to this aluminum paddle are:

• It can be taken apart into three pieces (max dimension is 86cm), which makes it easy to store in your ISUP bag, easy to travel with and conveniently transport in the trunk of your vehicle.

• The length is fully adjustable from 165cm to a max of 215cm so it is great for people of all different heights (adjusts for riders 4’5” – 6’2” and could easily be shared amongst family members or friends.

• It has a built in rubber paddle guard to protect the blade from rocks or sharp debris. The rubber guard also helps protect your board as sometimes the paddle may scrape against the side.

• It has an easy snap adjustment. I found the adjustment snap to work well and was simple to use.

• With the aluminum handle and shaft as well as the fiberglass/nylon blade this paddle is very strong and durable. Also worth noting is that it is unsinkable.

This is not a technical paddle but it feels quite good to use.

It would be ideal for beginner to intermediate paddlers who are looking for an affordable, durable paddle that is super portable, adjustable and will last a long time no matter who is using it.

Plus my whole team agrees that the ‘Tantrum Tow Ropes’ logo on the blade looks really cool, kind of like a funky tattoo 🙂

Blade Size

The blade is a decent size without being overly huge.  It is a fairly standard teardrop shape for a base paddle.

It is big enough to get a nice power stroke in but it isn’t heavy or clunky.  It is most ideal for recreational paddling and would work well for both smaller and larger riders.

A longer and narrower blade is usually used for higher cadence paddling as opposed to power.  A larger wider blade is often used for more power to maximize each stroke.

The shape and size of the Tantrum Tow Ropes blade sits in between these two categories.  It is like a jack-of-all-trades but master at none, which is what you would expect without going into a higher price category.

This is not a negative as it means that it is very versatile and great for a large majority of recreational paddlers who like to go out and cruise around and just have fun.

The Negatives

There really aren’t many negatives. This isn’t a high priced carbon fiber paddle with a technical blade so you can’t expect it to feel like one.

That being said for a base aluminum paddle it has some pretty nice perks and it feels much lighter than the basic paddles that come with many inflatable SUP’s.

We did notice a whistling sound coming from the paddle when navigating through wind.

I have had this happen with more expensive paddles as well and it is caused from air going in and out of the little adjustment holes on the shaft.

It was a faint whistle that was mainly noticeable when the wind picked up.  It is not a big deal and in my experience seems to be quite common with aluminum SUP paddles.

Best Uses

Considering this paddle is most likely going to be used by a beginner to intermediate recreational stand-up paddler I would say it could truly be used in any type of water.

We found it ideal for cruising around flat water lakes, touring down long rivers and although I have not yet used it for ocean paddling, I know it will handle just fine.

This would be an ideal paddle to store in an RV, on a larger boat or to even take traveling by airplane.

The fact that it breaks down into three pieces makes it easy to store anywhere. The rubber guard along the blade edge keeps it from getting banged up.

It’s a perfect travel paddle especially for someone who might not want to risk bringing their higher end paddle along for the trip.

It is quite versatile and could be used anywhere.

Where To Buy

Click here for the best deal on the TTR Adjustable Aluminum Paddle with Rubber Guard at TantrumTowRopes.com.