[CQ-Contest] Best Paddles?

Mon Dec 11 16:11:34 EST 2023

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 at gmail.com <mailto:alan.higbie at 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 at gmail.com <mailto:chris.plumblee at 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 at earthlink.net <mailto:pwhelton at 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 at contesting.com <mailto:earthlink.net at contesting.com>
> > >
> > On Behalf Of Joe
> > Sent: Tuesday, December 5, 2023 3:11 PM
> > To: cq-contest at contesting.com <mailto:cq-contest at contesting.com>
> > Subject: [CQ-Contest] Best Paddles?
> >
> > In your opinion, What are the best CW Paddles out there?
> >
> > Joe WB9SBD
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>
> --
> Chris Plumblee
> 407.494.5155
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