Edge Oars?

[Bass-O-Matic]

Anybody have experience using these oars?

Just had a negative experience with a competitor so I'm looking at my options. Only interested in carbon fiber. Getting old and looking for a light weight durable option.

Am aware of Sawyers product and they are under consideration.

 

[Evan B]

No personal experience, but know a few guides who have nothing but bad to say about them. Personally, Sawyer is pretty much all I'd consider based on my experience. Huge fan of their MXS shafts. Had them on my previous boat and would get them again and again.

 

[Peyton00]

Pro loks.

Spendy, super light weight and work like a champ.

 

[Paige]

Super bendy, if you like bendy!

 

[Derek Young]

Depending on what you are rowing, the Smoker Bandits may be the right choice for you. Lightweight doesn’t always equal the best fit for the weight of your boat, gear, and the class of water. Heavy boat with a few cheeseburger’s in it and you’re quickly pushing that oar past its intended use.

The Bandits do have a larger volume blade coming out soon.

 

[Brian Miller]

It is amusing that the only action photo in the Edge Oar homepage photo gallery is this; a real confidence builder...

 

[Bass-O-Matic]

Appreciate all the input.

I am comfortable with Sawyer products, the company and hold your opinion in high regard Evan. Regarding Edge, you confirm what little I gleaned from unknown sources, web chatter.


Pro-Loks ultra lightweight registered some appeal even though I am keenly aware light can come at a price when it comes to strength and durability. I have a background in mfg.

I was in a local eatery recently watching the World Series at the bar. A local guide rolled in who had just returned from a steelhead trip on a Columbia trib and he sat with us. He mentioned he had had a “special day”. He broke a Pro-Lok that day he said. I ask if there were any unusual circumstances? “Nope”, he certainly seemed surprised about it and had never broken an oar before. It broke inside the sleeve, which seems really odd. He went on to say he then put together his 3-piece Pro-Lok spare and it too broke... in the very same run. This was “Let me by you a drink territory" now. He was able to put together 2 of the three pieces but that required him to sit beside the rowers seat in order to get the short oar in the water. That enabled him to continue and he ran into another guide who lent him full size spare luckily. Do I think this is normal for their products? Unlikely I suspect but... that was a first hand account of the failures. Even with the best intentions and design boo boos will occur.

In the interest of full disclosure I ordered Pro-Loks in late July based on a fishing buddies complaints about my current oars (he didn't like the original seats either and I bought him a padded throne, none of it was a big deal to me given I don't use it very much) but after repeated calls and even paying for them I never received them nor did I get a single order update call or email over the months. I always had to call. The owner was apologetic I must add.

Reliability and service matters. I am confident Sawyer will around longer than I will. At this point I feel like I have gotten enough input to make a move. The only question now how much different weight-wise are the Bandits compare to my counter-balanced Cataracts (seems like a lot, half) and would a different shaft (Evans suggestion) be fine or lighter enough and I can get an appropriate color. The thing with the Bandits is the red color conflicts with the boats colors #lipstickmatters

Thanks All

 

[Evan B]

Appreciate all the input.

I am comfortable with Sawyer products, the company and hold your opinion in high regard Evan. Regarding Edge, you confirm what little I gleaned from unknown sources, web chatter.


Pro-Loks ultra lightweight registered some appeal even though I am keenly aware light can come at a price when it comes to strength and durability. I have a background in mfg.

I was in a local eatery recently watching the World Series at the bar. A local guide rolled in who had just returned from a steelhead trip on a Columbia trib and he sat with us. He mentioned he had had a “special day”. He broke a Pro-Lok that day he said. I ask if there were any unusual circumstances? “Nope”, he certainly seemed surprised about it and had never broken an oar before. It broke inside the sleeve, which seems really odd. He went on to say he then put together his 3-piece Pro-Lok spare and it too broke... in the very same run. This was “Let me by you a drink territory" now. He was able to put together 2 of the three pieces but that required him to sit beside the rowers seat in order to get the short oar in the water. That enabled him to continue and he ran into another guide who lent him full size spare luckily. Do I think this is normal for their products? Unlikely I suspect but... that was a first hand account of the failures. Even with the best intentions and design boo boos will occur.

In the interest of full disclosure I ordered Pro-Loks in late July based on a fishing buddies complaints about my current oars (he didn't like the original seats either and I bought him a padded throne, none of it was a big deal to me given I don't use it very much) but after repeated calls and even paying for them I never received them nor did I get a single order update call or email over the months. I always had to call. The owner was apologetic I must add.

Reliability and service matters. I am confident Sawyer will around longer than I will. At this point I feel like I have gotten enough input to make a move. The only question now how much different weight-wise are the Bandits compare to my counter-balanced Cataracts (seems like a lot, half) and would a different shaft (Evans suggestion) be fine or lighter enough and I can get an appropriate color. The thing with the Bandits is the red color conflicts with the boats colors #lipstickmatters

Thanks All

The MXS is the only composite Sawyer I have any first-hand experience with. But I'd take @Derek Young 's suggestion over mine 100x over. He'll know way way more than I will on the topic. But I really loved my MXS oars a lot, so I can give a cofident nod to those.

 

[Bass-O-Matic]

Thanks. I'll give him a buzz as I was trying to sort this out with him back when he lived about a half mile from me here in Eburg.

 

[Derek Young]

Thanks. I'll give him a buzz as I was trying to sort this out with him back when he lived about a half mile from me here in Eburg.

Call my work phone tomorrow 406 561 9369.

 

[brownheron]

A very good friend of mine is a guide on the OP and has been running Pro-Loks since soon after they came out. The problems with customer service noted above seem the norm rather than the exception and that scared me off. The guide above just switched to Smoker Bandits.

I recently got a pair of Smoker Bandits for my Maravia Scout and really like them except maybe the red wraps as I'm a low-bling sort. I have Squaretops for the Clack and have had a couple other pairs on other boats and these are definitely different but I like them just as much. Sawyer makes good stuff.

 

[Derek Young]

A very good friend of mine is a guide on the OP and has been running Pro-Loks since soon after they came out. The problems with customer service noted above seem the norm rather than the exception and that scared me off. The guide above just switched to Smoker Bandits.

I recently got a pair of Smoker Bandits for my Maravia Scout and really like them except maybe the red wraps as I'm a low-bling sort. I have Squaretops for the Clack and have had a couple other pairs on other boats and these are definitely different but I like them just as much. Sawyer makes good stuff.

The Bandits are available with black rope for future reference, FYI. Ask your Dealer or request it when ordering direct.

 

[KWB]

Anybody have experience using these oars?

Just had a negative experience with a competitor so I'm looking at my options. Only interested in carbon fiber. Getting old and looking for a light weight durable option.

Am aware of Sawyers product and they are under consideration.

I do...

The First Gen Pro-Loks were made by Edge, I had a pair of 10' oars that I used on a big jet sled, I beat on them pretty hard, even got them stuck in a few log jams on tight woody rivers with a big heavy boat, never broke one... I used those oars all over the country from Tennessee, North Carolina, Montana, Michigan, Washington, etc...

They were outstanding oars and when I sold the boat they went with them...

Then Dan "Pro-Loks" and Aleks "Edge" had a falling out and Dan began having his shafts made elsewhere and Aleks began making the Edge label oars. Neither of these companies made their own blades, they were made by a third party... This third party went bankrupt at one point and had the molds for their blades along with many many other companies molds that sell oars and paddles, it took them quite a while to get their molds back and during this time, oars were scarce from both companies. I know there have been times throughout Covid that both companies had issues getting product out the door as well, but that could be said for a LOT of companies in all kinds of industries. Of all of these companies, to my knowledge only Edge makes their own shafts and I believe Dan began making his own blades a couple years ago, I am not sure who makes Sawyers Bandit blades, may or may not be them.

I used to be the sales manager for a river boat company, I know Dan, Aleks and Zac "Sawyer" and have met each of them in person numerous times, they are all good people. I had customers that broke all three brands light weight carbon oars (Bandits, Pro-Loks and Edge) in pretty much equal numbers, I am sure most of those breaks were user error, but at the end of the day, most folks that own drift boats would not be considered expert oarsman, just the nature of the situation, heck I have been in the boat with a lot of guides that were not even that good on the sticks. If you are hard on gear or spend a lot of time on more extreme watersheds, none of these oars are for you. There are guys that break a dozen rods a year, then there are guys that fish just as much and could use the exact same rods and don't break a single one, it's really hard to dictate the quality of a product based off humans as humans differ so much in their behavior.

You need to look at it this way, a Porsche 911 would be worthless on an off road course with extreme terrain, but it would be absolutely amazing on the highway or a road course. A Chevy truck would not be so great on the road course, but great on the off road terrain. All three of these companies light weight models (Edge, Pro-Loks and Bandits) would be considered the Porsche obviously and Sawyer MXS and MXS-G or even Square Tops with the carbon fiber wrapping would be the Chevy truck.

Bandits are softer than the Edge or the stiff version of the Pro-Loks, the soft version of the Pro-Loks are really soft and most folks did not like them that I dealt with, the Bandits were stiffer than the soft version of Pro-Loks. I have used them all.

I no longer work for the boat company I used to, have went back to guiding, but lets say you have a skiff and fish a lot of technical water for spooky Trout, the oar lock system and non-rope wrapped oars like Edge or Pro-Loks are amazing. Honestly, most watersheds in the US excluding some of the Rockies, Appalachians and PNW, I think these light weight oars by any of the three brands would be fine from my experience selling a lot of them, that being said, for inexperienced rowers, or more volatile rivers, they would not be my first choice, but there are a lot of guides that use them and love them in these places, Sawyer MXS, MXS-G or Square Tops would be the gold standard for heavy duty oars.

Sawyer is as others have eluded to, probably a more reliable source, because they have been around forever and are a great company, but there are times when even Sawyer has limited stocks. I have heard Edge has made it through a lot of their growing pains and is a pretty great company to deal with nowadays, but I cannot confirm this as I haven't personally dealt with them in a long while now. Dan at Pro-Loks always seems to have a good stock come Winter, but again, been a long time since I dealt with him, I will say, his oars are in very high demand and most folks have nothing but great things to say about him. My experience was this, it was never as if any of these guys were bad people or shady or anything of the sort, it was much more so they made a product, it was in huge demand and then there were some supply chain issues coinciding with an even larger increase in demand as most everyone was not working and wanted to fish during the pandemic, that caused hiccups that impacted some customers, but they are all still around and if you made it through Covid, that is saying something...

P.S. I found this thread when I ran a Google search for "Edge oars" so I could order some for my new skiff I will be picking up in a couple months, this thread popped up and I clicked on it just to see what folks were saying, but thought you may appreciate a little insight from someone whom has dealt with all three companies extensively and used all of the above products extensively...

 

[DBG]

Anybody have experience using these oars?

Just had a negative experience with a competitor so I'm looking at my options. Only interested in carbon fiber. Getting old and looking for a light weight durable option.

Am aware of Sawyers product and they are under consideration.

I've been looking at carbon fibre oars for a few months. I actually ordered oars from Edge last year. I never got the oars and after several months, and no response from the company, actually had to go to their store in Woodland to get a refund. They said that they have had manufacturing issues, which they have supposedly gotten beyond. They are by far the least expensive but I question whether or not you can get them in any type of timely manner. I'm also wondering about strength. Sawyer and Cataract look like better options.

 

[DBG]

I do...

The First Gen Pro-Loks were made by Edge, I had a pair of 10' oars that I used on a big jet sled, I beat on them pretty hard, even got them stuck in a few log jams on tight woody rivers with a big heavy boat, never broke one... I used those oars all over the country from Tennessee, North Carolina, Montana, Michigan, Washington, etc...

They were outstanding oars and when I sold the boat they went with them...

Then Dan "Pro-Loks" and Aleks "Edge" had a falling out and Dan began having his shafts made elsewhere and Aleks began making the Edge label oars. Neither of these companies made their own blades, they were made by a third party... This third party went bankrupt at one point and had the molds for their blades along with many many other companies molds that sell oars and paddles, it took them quite a while to get their molds back and during this time, oars were scarce from both companies. I know there have been times throughout Covid that both companies had issues getting product out the door as well, but that could be said for a LOT of companies in all kinds of industries. Of all of these companies, to my knowledge only Edge makes their own shafts and I believe Dan began making his own blades a couple years ago, I am not sure who makes Sawyers Bandit blades, may or may not be them.

I used to be the sales manager for a river boat company, I know Dan, Aleks and Zac "Sawyer" and have met each of them in person numerous times, they are all good people. I had customers that broke all three brands light weight carbon oars (Bandits, Pro-Loks and Edge) in pretty much equal numbers, I am sure most of those breaks were user error, but at the end of the day, most folks that own drift boats would not be considered expert oarsman, just the nature of the situation, heck I have been in the boat with a lot of guides that were not even that good on the sticks. If you are hard on gear or spend a lot of time on more extreme watersheds, none of these oars are for you. There are guys that break a dozen rods a year, then there are guys that fish just as much and could use the exact same rods and don't break a single one, it's really hard to dictate the quality of a product based off humans as humans differ so much in their behavior.

You need to look at it this way, a Porsche 911 would be worthless on an off road course with extreme terrain, but it would be absolutely amazing on the highway or a road course. A Chevy truck would not be so great on the road course, but great on the off road terrain. All three of these companies light weight models (Edge, Pro-Loks and Bandits) would be considered the Porsche obviously and Sawyer MXS and MXS-G or even Square Tops with the carbon fiber wrapping would be the Chevy truck.

Bandits are softer than the Edge or the stiff version of the Pro-Loks, the soft version of the Pro-Loks are really soft and most folks did not like them that I dealt with, the Bandits were stiffer than the soft version of Pro-Loks. I have used them all.

I no longer work for the boat company I used to, have went back to guiding, but lets say you have a skiff and fish a lot of technical water for spooky Trout, the oar lock system and non-rope wrapped oars like Edge or Pro-Loks are amazing. Honestly, most watersheds in the US excluding some of the Rockies, Appalachians and PNW, I think these light weight oars by any of the three brands would be fine from my experience selling a lot of them, that being said, for inexperienced rowers, or more volatile rivers, they would not be my first choice, but there are a lot of guides that use them and love them in these places, Sawyer MXS, MXS-G or Square Tops would be the gold standard for heavy duty oars.

Sawyer is as others have eluded to, probably a more reliable source, because they have been around forever and are a great company, but there are times when even Sawyer has limited stocks. I have heard Edge has made it through a lot of their growing pains and is a pretty great company to deal with nowadays, but I cannot confirm this as I haven't personally dealt with them in a long while now. Dan at Pro-Loks always seems to have a good stock come Winter, but again, been a long time since I dealt with him, I will say, his oars are in very high demand and most folks have nothing but great things to say about him. My experience was this, it was never as if any of these guys were bad people or shady or anything of the sort, it was much more so they made a product, it was in huge demand and then there were some supply chain issues coinciding with an even larger increase in demand as most everyone was not working and wanted to fish during the pandemic, that caused hiccups that impacted some customers, but they are all still around and if you made it through Covid, that is saying something...

P.S. I found this thread when I ran a Google search for "Edge oars" so I could order some for my new skiff I will be picking up in a couple months, this thread popped up and I clicked on it just to see what folks were saying, but thought you may appreciate a little insight from someone whom has dealt with all three companies extensively and used all of the above products extensively...

This is a very good report and very helpful. I posted my limited experieince before reading your post. I love Edge/North Compaosite rod blanks. I've been making my own rods for several years. Their customer service is not always great.That being said I may give them a second chance on the oars. With the strongs arm oar locks they provide they are about $500 less than Sawyer and Catarac.

 

[Landlocked]

I’m not sure this opinion matters for squat, but I’ve rowed a buddy’s Stealthcraft Sniper with Smoker Bandits the same day I row my Clack with Square tops. Many days we switch off while on floats. I can’t get used to the feel or flex of the carbon Bandits. They just feel weird. Maybe it’s with them being 8-footers on a heavier wider boat, and I prefer a longer oar with a flex I can “feel”. Prob why I still like to throw the Z-Axis, and prefer a “noodle” for a ski. There’s a personal reaction to the flex. I don’t get that mental reaction with the Bandits.


To each their own.