A long, narrow blade will take more strokes to move through the same amount of water, but the paddler will be less tired while doing it. Paddle blades that are unfeathered have the blades parallel to one another. Feathered paddles have the blades turned at an angle to one another. Some paddlers, especially beginners, find that the additional wrist-turning necessary to use a feathered paddle is uncomfortable and unnatural. A possible good compromise for the beginning paddler is a collapsable paddle that can be adjusted for either feathered or unfeathered use.
Blades can be either symmetrical of asymmetrical.
Typically, touring paddles are long, narrow and symmetrical. Some paddlers find an asymmetrical paddle reduces the twisting on the paddle shaft while stroking, because it evens the amount of water on each side of the submerged paddle. A spooned paddle has a curled or cupped face that increases the power of a stroke, while a dihedral paddle has a type of tapered nose in the middle of the face that helps direct water around the paddle. As we touched on earlier, a longer paddle is needed by taller paddlers and paddlers of tall or wide boats. A long paddle may provide more power, but will also create more resistance.