I guess my biggest question would be will have a smaller surface area paddle blade affect my paddling greatly?

the carbon foam core is gonna be less durable than a fiberglass blade, the larger surface area usually causes more fatigue also. ive been paddling with a sho-gun since I started and also used a few AT carbon paddles, a carbon powerhouse and a fiberglass powerhouse.

Ive actually been thinking about dropping down in size from the shogun to the stikine. If you don't bang your paddle up a lot and run more rivers than creeks id say the stikine would be a good choice.

I like the foam core cause it does better in aerated water than the solid carbon or fiberglass.. but Werner themselves say the fiberglass is the way to go for longevity.

Door trim on a paddle blade sounds... interesting. I would think that might affect performance quite a bit. Paddles don't wear down all that quickly, I'd chuck that stuff and be willing to replace the blades every once in awhile.

Do you own a breakdown? I saw something on social media where you won a Werner paddle - is this why you are asking? If you don't have one, that's a no brainer get one of those.

Here is an interesting comparo from werner about the different paddle designs:
http://blistergearreview.com/features/20-questions-werner-paddles/2

That pretty much settles the arguments about what wears faster and what is tougher. Luckily I have not gone through many paddles, but I'm cheap so I think about how grouchy I will be when I have to replace it. I think it's pretty hard to beat a werner fiberglass paddle for the best mix of durability, performance, and relatively low cost ($200 online is pretty easy to find).

Blade size and shape will definitely affect your paddling. Bigger blades grab more water so give you more power. Bigger boof stroke. This may not be good if you have more physicality than technique. Also, it's more force on your body. I switched from the Shogun to the Stickine and noticed a significant difference in shoulder stress. Of course, I have questionable technique; good technique may make this a moot point.

Folks are correct, carbon vs fiberglass makes a huge difference. I prefer a super stiff blade so found going to a smaller blade was a good compromise instead of sacrificing stiffness.

In the end, it's really a matter of preference. big blade vs. small blade. stiff vs. flexible. Personally, I love my super stiff, smaller-bladed Stikine!

Thanks for all the help everyone!! I ended up ordering the Stikine, can't wait to get SICK with it!! Cheers!