Could you suggest some decent paddles to look into? I am currently looking at the adjustable ppc downwind paddle. I know one piece is stiffer but I havent got the length fully dialled in yet.
Black Project Foil X - really high quality and proper DW Foil focused design -
No adjustable option though 
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A good adjustable is plenty stiff - don’t worry about it.
PPC or Ono Ava are good options - but try for the smaller blade sizes. The bigger ones are a lot of paddle.
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How much of a difference does a paddle (controlling for blade size) make in DW?
I have tried a dragonfly and it felt good but cant really tell how much of a difference it makes. 10% ? 15%?
It’s more of a feeling/subjective value -
But with the foil X and that kind of paddle blade (shorter and wider) I feel it’s easier to have higher cadence in the paddle up - since it’s shorter it’s faster to introduce all the blade (catch) and do the release and recovery - Also being wider gives more traction per sq cm.
That’s the main benefit for me -
Gotta keep that in mind when cutting the paddle cause at the same height (vs a tradicional sup blade) you’ll be able to have a couple cms for more reach and not have to bend over that much.
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While they’re impressive to pick up, in use I couldn’t tell much difference between the stingray and higher aspect blades. I was catching the rail more though. I have long arms and broke two paddle blades catching the foil so far so it was getting as expensive as wingfoiling. I picked up a 90 black project lava which is technically a sup surfing paddle and couldn’t be happier. You can find them for $250ish on sale and they’re plenty light. Now I just add another layer of carbon to the bottom third of the blade on all my paddles.
Why does one need a disposable feather weight $600 paddle to make five paddle strokes per run?
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@andreasc601 take a look at the Starboard Foilblade adjustable. Can recommend it
@Bonifacio the Stingray and Foilblade feel quite different. I wouldn’t throw these new blade shapes in the same bowl purely based on their appereance. The catch, stroke and release differ a lot. Weight makes a huge difference, especially when you want to paddle up small foils in fickle conditions. But your technique should be up to it to benefit from it and not deal with breaking a paddle each session.
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I found all foil/downwind blade not fun . They just give you a lot of power when start paddling and then you cannot use them in the air
I prefer the High aspect paddle ( race paddle) , the start might be slower , but then you can generate speed , paddle in the air with super smooth strokes and no effort on the body
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Just ask them, they made me a fixed length 3 piece version, so i guess adjustable should be possible as well.
What size foil x do you have? Can you tell me the width of the blade?
Foil X Small - it’s 83,7 sq inches - but wouldn’t know the width, it’s not published by BlackProject and I don’t have my paddle here -
I’m 70Kgs
I used to use the Sprint X in medium size - and Chris from BP suggested to go for Small in Foil X - not dissapointed at all I really like the blade and it’s not punishing my shoulders.