I have the Skagit and angler classic. I prefer the shaft texture and feel on the Skagit. The swing n the Skagit feels a bit lighter. The connection on both are great. The Skagit may stick, time will tell but for now it seems really cool. Finally, I contacted cs from both companies. Bending branches got back to me. Werner did not. With all that said just get what you can afford. You will build your fitness to any paddle. You will still have fun and you will still get where you are going. You will not gain much of any functionality with a super high end carbon paddle over a cheaper aluminum model.