The best paddles are the ones that feel smooth and effortless to you and allow
you to send the best CW of which you're capable. To determine which is best,
it's pretty-much required that you try a bunch of different paddles to learn
what you need, what you like and what you don't like. Asking local friends to
let you try their paddles or, better yet, borrowing them for a while can help
if enough CW fans live near you.
That said, personally I've found the higher-end paddles tend to work for me
much better than cheap or minimally engineered/constructed paddles. But that
doesn't mean spending a ton of money will necessarily get the best paddles for
you, and only one thing will make you a truly better CW sender -- lots of
practice!
I have a small collection of very fine paddles: a Schur Profi, a Begali
Sculpture, a Begali Stealth, and two original (not Bencher) N2DAN paddles, one
in chrome and an early one in brass. I have custom-made acrylic covers for all
my paddles to protect them when not in use.
As others have said, the Schur Profi is an excellent set of paddles and I think
easy for most operators to use (though hard to find.) I like my Profi a lot,
but the Begali Sculpture was a revelation when I got it. It fit my style well
and is a pleasure to use. It's heavy, too, for its size. It helps that it's
beautifully constructed, at least from a psychological point of view (makes me
want to send as well as the paddles look!) I thought I'd found the end-game
paddle for me until I took a flyer on a Begali Stealth. It's in the same
ballpark as the Sculpture, but for reasons I can't fathom I send a little
better with it. Both my Begalis have short finger pieces, which can take some
getting used to and some may not like (others may love them.)
And that brings me to the N2DAN paddles. I'd heard about them but never really
paid attention. After getting the Stealth I happened to stumble on a classified
ad for a chrome N2DAN paddle that was in excellent condition and decided to buy
it. I figured the demand is so high that I could likely sell it for what I paid
if I didn't like it. But I fell in love with it. I couldn't believe how much I
like sending with the N2DAN paddle. It's incredibly well constructed, very,
very heavy, highly and easily adjustable, and a great pleasure to use.
After that, I kept an eye out for N2DAN paddles for sale, though I wasn't
actually thinking I would buy another one. I was just curious. Then I saw a low
serial-number brass version on eBay in somewhat rough condition at a very good
price, and bought it as a rehab project. Everything worked and all it really
needed was a facelift and new cork on the base. I spent many, many hours
removing the old, discolored lacquer finish, repolishing and recoating the
metal parts and refinishing custom-made wood paddles to go with it. It's
gorgeous now. I got advice on the project from G0EML, who is the world's
foremost expert on N2DAN paddles. I bought a beautiful, serial-numbered book
from him that he wrote on the history of the N2DAN paddle. It has many photos
of different versions of the paddles. If any piece of ham radio gear has a cult
around it, it's the N2DAN paddle.
Relatively few of these paddles were made by N2DAN -- 301 I believe. They can
be very hard to find and can be considerably more expensive than other paddles.
I've seen them sell for anywhere from $525 to $2,000 for very rare ones
(special presentation versions, gold plated versions, etc.) Sometimes they show
up in the ham classifieds, in reflector for-sale posts and sometimes on eBay.
Note that after N2DAN passed away, his widow sold the specs to Bencher, which
continued to make the chrome paddles for a while, But they're no longer made.
Bencher's retailed for from $400-$600 I think. I believe ARRL tested the
original and Bencher versions and found no difference, but others disagree.
When they appear on eBay, they're at the low end of what the originals sell
for, but not much lower. Near as I can tell from recent SOLD prices on the eHam
classifieds, prices on original N2DAN paddles have come down somewhat to the
$575-$650 range for later chrome versions. I'm sure some of the really rare
ones still go for more.
At the moment there's an original N2DAN paddle on eBay for only $239. It has
the rare button box built-in, though I don't know if that was done by N2DAN or
an owner. If N2DAN did it, then it's probably fairly rare. The ad says it's in
"good working condition" whatever that means. Condition looks fairly good,
though there could be a small ding on the edge of the top block that has the
Mercury engraving. If the mechanism isn't damaged and there are no other
cosmetic issues, it looks like a real bargain compared with prices for new
high-end paddles.
Finally, I strongly agree with K0AV about using feeler gauges and a dynamometer
to set the gap and tension on your paddles. It's not just to get the "correct"
adjustments. Though .3-.9 mm gap and 20-30 g of tension are good starting
points, they may not work for everyone and may not be your preference for both
paddles. Much of the value of these tools is maintaining consistency over time,
i.e., being able to ensure that the paddles are always adjusted exactly to your
preference.
73, Dick WC1M
On 12/8/23, 8:10 AM, "Alan Higbie" <alan.higbie@gmail.com
<mailto:alan.higbie@gmail.com>> wrote:
Speaking of paddles:
I noticed the biggest improvement in my paddle’s feel came from a proper
adjustment of the gap and tension settings. Used a dynamometer and feeler
gauge to follow suggestions found at:
https://www.morsekey.net/dynamometer.html
<https://www.morsekey.net/dynamometer.html>
Also:
G0PNM YouTube Video with an in-depth look at keyer paddle adjustments.
https://youtu.be/v_t3uxl4dEI?si=miShSTtr0GzTLEo0
<https://youtu.be/v_t3uxl4dEI?si=miShSTtr0GzTLEo0>
adjusting CONTACT GAP (w/ feeler gauge — .3 - .9) and TENSION (w/
Dynamometer 20-25-30 g. each side)
73, ~ Alan K0AV
On Wed, Dec 6, 2023 at 11:24 AM Chris Plumblee <chris.plumblee@gmail.com
<mailto:chris.plumblee@gmail.com>>
wrote:
> This question is a bit like asking which political party or religious
> denomination is best and why...many passionate responses and little
> agreement.
>
> I like the N3ZN paddles; Tony makes an iambic paddle with a smaller than
> normal gap between the two fingerpieces, which is my particular preference.
> The feel of the paddles is also very good, and they hold their settings
> well.
>
> I've also got a Schurr Profi 2 which is very nice. It's slightly wider
> between the finger pieces, but it is easy to send accurately and quickly
> with, and it looks very nice on the desk. They're not available new any
> longer; you'll have to scour hamfests and online classifieds.
>
> I've used a couple of different Begalis, and they're very nice. Their
> cheapest paddle is not much more expensive than a new Bencher, and looks
> and feels very high-end.
>
> There are probably a million Benchers around the world. I find there is a
> lot of variation in feel between them. I have one that feels pretty good.
> N4WW has one set that I actively dislike, and three more that are perfectly
> good. For lack of a better term, the ones that feel bad (to my fist) feel
> mushy and imprecise...I want a repeatable action, even if it's slightly
> longer or requires more force than the action on a high-end designer
> paddle.
>
> I've also tried Vibroplex paddles and Vibrokeyer single-lever keys, as well
> as Kent iambic paddles and a set of K8RA paddles. I used to be able to
> switch between single-lever and iambic keying pretty seamlessly, but as I
> practice more with iambic and send faster by hand, I find it much more
> difficult to switch. Pick one discipline or technique (single-lever or
> iambic) and stick with it.
>
> As far as weight, you can get a mat from DX Engineering to help your paddle
> stick to your desktop, or just use rubber shelf liner available at
> virtually any department store. I don't find I have big problems with the
> paddle moving around unless I'm distracted or trying to send too quickly.
> For a contester (not a ragchewer) I send a lot with a paddle, but it's all
> short bursts...callsigns, fills, "TU", etc. Almost anything will work for
> that type of sending. If I were doing log ragchews where I had to send for
> 30-60 seconds at a time, I'd probably be more picky.
>
> 73,
> Chris W4WF
>
> On Wed, Dec 6, 2023 at 10:19 AM <pwhelton@earthlink.net
> <mailto:pwhelton@earthlink.net>> wrote:
>
> > Hi Joe. I graduated from the Bencher paddle to a Begali Sculpture.
> What a
> > difference. I have a heavy hand. No more sliding all over the place.
> Big
> > difference.
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Pat - KZ5J
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: CQ-Contest <cq-contest-bounces+pwhelton=
> earthlink.net@contesting.com <mailto:earthlink.net@contesting.com>
> > >
> > On Behalf Of Joe
> > Sent: Tuesday, December 5, 2023 3:11 PM
> > To: cq-contest@contesting.com <mailto:cq-contest@contesting.com>
> > Subject: [CQ-Contest] Best Paddles?
> >
> > In your opinion, What are the best CW Paddles out there?
> >
> > Joe WB9SBD
> > _______________________________________________
> > CQ-Contest mailing list
> > CQ-Contest@contesting.com <mailto:CQ-Contest@contesting.com>
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
> > <http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest>
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > CQ-Contest mailing list
> > CQ-Contest@contesting.com <mailto:CQ-Contest@contesting.com>
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
> > <http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest>
> >
>
>
> --
> Chris Plumblee
> 407.494.5155
> _______________________________________________
> CQ-Contest mailing list
> CQ-Contest@contesting.com <mailto:CQ-Contest@contesting.com>
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
> <http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest>
>
_______________________________________________
CQ-Contest mailing list
CQ-Contest@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
|