Is there a perfect paddle?

Not really, because paddle feel is very personal. As of just recently, we've finally reached the point where we've owned paddles from ALL the big brands.

We learned with C4s, moved on to Kialoa, then back to C4, then to Quickblade, and now Werner.
Werner peaked my curiosity with some interesting marketing claims.

1) A palm grip designed to put your wrist in the best ergonomic position. Straight instead of kinked.
2) Narrow paddle blades without loss of area, designed to reduce stress at the catch. Or dig deeper for more power, less deep for less power.

It seems to work as advertised. Especially the blade design. The smaller area Quickblade shown below actually is harder to pull at the catch and more stressful on the body. The larger area Nitro, with narrow width, feels easier on entry, yet doesn't feel gutless as you follow through on the stroke.

Werner Grip Designed to straighten wrist

Generic palm grip with heavy bent wrist

Which one feels more powerful? Not what you might think