I have used the Palm paddles, and many other small sized paddles. In fact, I brought my Palm paddle with me on this weekend's trip to Ozarkcon. The Palm is well made, and fairly easy to use. But like almost all small paddles, it has issues. For one thing, like most small paddles the Palm is very hard to secure or hold firmly because it is so small. It's just hard to find a good place to hold on and stabilize it while you send. But it's easier than some because it's longer, and you can hold it without interfering with the mechanism itself. The levers feel a bit mushy to me, but again that's what you get with many smaller paddles. What I like most about the Palm is that it seems very durable. I like how it folds up for transport. I don't think you will damage a Palm unless you really abuse it. Overall, I'd say it's definitely one of the better small paddles.
The small paddle that I like best for "feel" is the Porta-Paddle by American Morse. It's also well made and durable. It's a little harder to secure comfortably, but maybe you won't find it as difficult to do as I seem to. The mechanism is fairly simple, but effective. And I like the way it looks. My version of this is one of the older, original ones Doug Hauff made some years ago. It looks much the same as those sold currently, but not exactly. But I've handled a newer one, and it feels much the same. I'm still looking for the "ideal" small paddle, but until I find it, I'll take one of the above. Dave W7AQK _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
