Hello,
my favorite paddle for flatwater tripping is a Grey Owl Freestyle.  I bought mine close to 10 years ago, and it has held up very nicely.  It has a wide, tulip shaped blade that has nice bite.  The blade is very thin, so it slices effortlessly through the water and is very light.  It is a beautiful wood laminate with a few different colors of wood.  The paddle was also fairly cheap for a wood paddle, less than $100.  The only problem is, before I wrote this I checked the Grey Owl website and I saw they only offer it in composite now.  I am partial to wood.  I have a straight shaft, but it also was made in bent.  The touring 12 degree bent shaft looks similar.

For river tripping I use an Ainsworth C100.  This is an ABS plastic/aluminum paddle.  It is a bit heavy compared to the fancy fiberglass/carbon whitewater blades, but it is incredibly durable.  I really love the blade design.  Most of all I like that the shaft does not penetrate into the blade, unlike most aluminum paddles, so underwater strokes are smooth.  It's a British company, I don't remember how I got my paddle.  I think I ordered it through Midwest Mountaineering in Minneapolis.  Price was intermediate between cheap aluminum and fiberglass blade.  A high quality wood whitewater paddle is the Mitchell Open Boat.  But again I just checked the website and the aluminum tip I loved so much has been replaced with a cheap polyurethane tip, not as durable.

Prou- That might be a good idea. Have been feeling the need to try a few new paddles, but have resisted the urge mainly because I don't want a bunch of stuff laying around that I hardly use.

One on the list of things to try would be something like a beavertail to start.

So far have resisted the urge to get a nicer paddle for the shallow creeks (which is where I mainly go). A lot of them are just as heavy as my aluminum and plastic or really expensive. I found that I like mine much better then the fluted werner blade for sculling and in water recovery.

Something for playing around on deeper water like a freestyle paddle might be really nice though.

I like my Bending Branches Cruiser Plus bentshaft. Loaned it to Snowdog for his cross park solo, and he also loves it.

I love my XY Co. paddle made by Don Meany. I forget which model he calls it, but it's their most popular model.  All wood bentshaft beavertail with a comfortable asymetrical grip and a phenominal blade curve for efficient lake paddling. I don't know what wood he uses, but my paddle is lighter than other wood paddles of similar size, but also strong and not flexible.  His son Spencer has taken over, but I hear the quality is just as good.  If you're in Atikokan, I suggest stopping in.  Spencer can be reached at 807-597-2320, or xycompany@bellnet.ca

The only feature I'd like to have on mine is a small rock guard tip for the very shallow creeks.  Typically I just switch the the spare paddle in those situations.

Also FWIW, as a note to those who travel by commercial airplane, I suggest getting a travel golf club bag long enough for your paddles.  My 56" benshaft barely fits into a nice padded bag.  Seems like most of the airlines will check a golf bag free of extra fees, but damn if you try to bring a good paddle bag or other sporting equipment.  I guess there are enough travelers with golf bags that would cause a stink.