I say go light. You will not regret it. Five years ago I bought a ZRE PowerSurge Lite at 8oz (also a blemish- and haven't found it). Best investment I've ever made. Still going strong and I use it lots (4-5 Q trips a year and lots of day paddles around Ely). Imagine each ounce you save extrapolated against the thousands of paddle strokes per day- two ounces becomes an immense saving against the wear and tear on your shoulder.

The paddles also provide superb feedback on your stroke, if you listen they will help you become a much more competent and efficient paddler.

A year after I bought my first ZRE I bought another because of a tandem trip with my brother. After a year of using that magic blade I couldn't imagine inflicting my older bent shafts on a canoe mate.