u/daredevilxp9

I've gotten the bug, I've been 3 times now, once on the sea (estuary) and twice on a river/canal system. I'm now looking at upgrading and getting a better paddle, my intended use of the SUP is for paddling expeditions and camping trips.

I've found the paddle that comes with the board okay, but its not particularly ergonomic (sore hands after prolonged use not terrible but not great) an the angle of the padel doesn't seem ideal for stand up paddling (I belive they should be dog legged so that it can be vertical as it passes you in your stroke). My current paddle is a 4-piece design in which you can replace the handle part with a second paddle and use it in a kayak configuration, which I suppose is why there is no angle to the paddle face from the shaft.

I came across this paddle from this video by Stevie Wyatt and was wondering what people's thoughts were? It is very affordable, and I wonder if it will even be an upgrade/improvement on the stock paddle? It has the angle that I was looking for, but otherwise seems fairly similar in construction.

I understand some people spend mega-bucks on their paddles (i've seen suggestions in the hundreds of pounds) and recommendations saying the paddle should be more than the board itself, but in taking up a new hobby I'm probably not keen to spend that quantity on a single item when this paddle is getting my by for the time being. in time yes, but it's already been a lot of expenditure including all of the camping gear, so if the benefits arent that huge I would probably stick to stock for the time being (or is it just worth buying as a marginal improvement and then having the stock one as spare?)

Hi all, I'm looking to get my TF40 305 18x20 restrung and wanted to get some opinions before I book it in. I have done some research (including chatGPT, but I am aware that half of what it tells you is guff) and feel a bit overwhelmed, every string sounds good, and every trait (power control spin) sound like something I want! So I don't know where to go from there.

A bit of background:

• I've been playing for about a year and play around 2–4 times a week.
• I have a Tecnifibre TF40 305 (18x20 pattern) - which I am considering changing, but I want to try actual decent fresh strings before I drop £££ on a racket
• got the racket just under a year ago and haven't restrung it since. It was restrung by the previous owner, apparently that summer. I don't actually know what they are, just that they're clear/white, and round - no visible markings
• They still seem stiff enough, they arent moving around loads, and they haven't broken.

My main issues at the moment are:

• I struggle to generate consistent power and depth.
• most of my faults are in the net, and when I add some juice I sail them long - spin is something I have to really concentrate on, which is difficult for me in a match scenario at the moment.
• My forehand is definitely my weakest shot. I don't have a lot of confidence in it and often end up guiding the ball rather than swinging through it. I either hit it quite weakly with some slice, or very flat. When I try to incorporate some racket lag and top spin I often brush far too thin and hook it into the sky long.
• Overall I'm still working on developing a reliable topspin forehand, or any forehand for that matter

I've had three string recommendations suggested to me from the shop's available options (chatgpt for what that is even worth)

• Yonex PolyTour Pro (£32.50) 21/20 kg.
• Head Lynx (£32.50) 21/20 kg.
• Babolat XALT (£32.50) 24 kg.

These tensions seem low, I'm guessing to aid with power? I'm sort of stuck in analysis paralysis at the moment, couple with the fact I'm stingy and don't want to feel like i'm losing/wasting money, but I know I need to get over that and see the strings as a consumable to try.

I'd appreciate any thoughts, especially from anyone who's used this racket or these strings.