Bent or straight

Paddle shafts are available as straight or bent. Bent shafts are also called crank shafts.

Straight shafts are lighter, stronger (for the weight) and cheaper than bent shafts. The work perfectly fine and are suitable for most paddlers.

Bent shafts were once touted as the ultimate power paddle by racers. However, these claims were overstated and most racers seem to have switched back to straight shaft paddles. The justification for the power claims was that the bent shaft allowed the wrists to grip the paddle while remaining straight. A straight shaft, by comparison, forces the hand to be bent thumbs-in to hold on. This meant that the maximum power that could be applied was limited by the ability of the paddler to transmit the power through a bent wrist. The analogy was the bent curling bars that weight lifters use for maximizing their biceps. Realistically, it's a non-issue.

Today, bent shafts still perfom a useful purpose. For paddlers with wrist problems, including some cases of repetitive stress injury and some alignment problems, the bent shaft reduces the stress involved with holding the paddle. Combined with the correct feather, a bent shaft can significantly improve a paddler's comfort.

Bent shaft paddles come in three forms. They are differentiated by the degree to which the blade leads or follows the shaft. If the blade leads the shaft, the paddle will tend to turn in your hand. However, some racers like that (I think it has something to do with slalom racing). Blades that follow the shaft tend to align themselves with the direction in which they are pulled, making them relatively stable in a stroke. One drawback with this type is that when performing a running draw or similar stroke, the paddle tends to twist - this can be surprising if you're not expecting it. The third type of bent shaft is neutral. This paddle puts the blade in line with the shaft and has no more twisting effects than a straight shaft paddle.