What’s So Revolutionary about Our Lam-Lok Edge™ Protection?
4-minute read
Our Lam-Lok™ edge protection is changing the landscape of composite canoe and kayak paddles. Its ability to defend against delamination, impact and abrasion will give you confidence in your paddle’s durability season after season.
The Short History of Lam-Lok™
We spent a large part of 2023 exploring and refining better edge protection for our composite paddles made with fiberglass and carbon.
Our reasons had to do with the whitewater kayaking community and its disappointment with the paddles already on the market. Based on our conversations with some of the top whitewater paddlers in the world, their highest priority was durability.
It hadn’t been uncommon for high-end whitewater paddles to start delaminating and chipping after just one season.
Our engineers went to work to come up with a better, more innovative solution. After several months of exploring and testing, we came up with the process of stitching feet upon feet of aramid thread around the edges of the blades.
[Aramid is the same material used in Kevlar canoes, bulletproof vests, aircraft panels and other high-tech applications that demand lightweight, strong materials.]
We called it Lam-Lok™—locking the lamination of the blade layers together.
What Makes Lam-Lok™ So Revolutionary?
Based on extensive testing in our Wisconsin factory, blades with Lam-Lok™ edge protection last a solid five times longer than blades without it.
That means a high-end paddle will last five years instead of one. Or ten years instead of two (based on how tough each paddler is on their paddle).
That’s a significant difference!
The aramid stitching locks the layers of the blade materials together very close to the edges and prevents the layers from delaminating. That, in turn, prevents water from getting in between those layers, making the paddle ineffective.
Note the aramid thread stitched along the edges (Photo: Seth Ezekiel West)
It also provides a stopping point for chipping and rubbing when the blades meet rocks, gravel and other abrasives.
Back to the history: We applied Lam-Lok™ to an entirely new line of whitewater kayaking paddles through our sister company, Aqua Bound, in 2024. Our testers and customers loved it.
In 2025, we introduced it on a brand new kayak touring paddle for Aqua Bound, then on new designs with a couple of our dependable sellers.
Now, moving into 2026, Lam-Lok™ has come to Bending Branches.
How We’re Applying Lam-Lok™ to Bending Branches Paddles
On the canoe side, we developed a brand new composite paddle for 2026 called the Horizon.
This paddle pairs a carbon shaft with a shatter-resistant grip and a fiberglass blade. The blade’s design is a modern take on a traditional canoe paddle look—quite dramatic, but in a subtle way. Then we apply Lam-Lok™ to the lower edges of the blade for that 5-times extra durability.
Our Horizon canoe paddle, new for 2026 (Photo: Jamie Cooper)
[Our wood paddle customers have been used to this durability for decades, as our wood line comes with a different type of edge protection called Rockgard.]
Lam-Lok™ will become a standard feature on many of the new composite paddles we create.
On the kayak fishing side, we’re now applying Lam-Lok™ to two of our Angler Pro models starting in 2026: the Angler Pro Carbon and the Angler Pro in our new Bruiser design.
As we continue to develop new designs for our composite Angler Pro paddles, Lam-Lok™ will become standard there, too. In the meantime, we’ll continue to craft our current designs—Copperhead and Radiant—without Lam-Lok™, which means a slight price break if that extra durability isn’t as important to you.
Angler Pro in Bruiser, new for 2026 (Photo: Seth Ezekiel West)
The Key Role of Continual Innovation
This new edge protection is the latest in a line of key innovations we’ve introduced regularly over our history.
Why is this important to us? Our mission is to inspire meaningful outdoor experiences by offering premium products worth bragging about. Having an innovation mindset plays a vital role in carrying out that mission.
A meaningful outdoor experience to you could mean a family day at the cabin or a 600-mile wilderness canoe trip. It could mean fishing with your kids for an afternoon or going from tournament to tournament around the country.
We’re excited about Lam-Lok™ because it adds to your confidence in our products. Your kayak or canoe paddle blade wearing out is one less thing on your mind while you’re out enjoying the water in ways that are important to you.
What paddling questions can our friendly Customer Service team help you with? Contact us at 715-755-3405 or bbinfo@bendingbranches.com.
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