I strongly recommend the Nehu double bend from Kialoa. One of the best paddles I've ever used. I would say it's worth spending $50 extra to get a new Nehu rather than a used Axle.

Alright, you caught me-- I haven't actually use the Axle in years, so I really can't compare it directly to the Nehu. I can speak for the Nehu double bend though:

1. It's a double bend. For me, the feel of a double bend compared to a straight shaft is the single biggest factor. Nowadays I wont even consider a straight shaft. Your bottom hand will have a lot more comfortable grip due to less angle, and it allows you to to get more positive angle on your blade because your wrist wont be overextending.
2. It's well balanced. In my opinion, there are only a few double bend paddles on the market that are well balanced. Hybrid Kialoa's generally are well balanced, so the Nehu to the Axle will probably be similar. But many double bends are not well balanced. For some reason a lot of the double bend blades are huge which makes them blade heavy.
3. And.. the make it or break it for a paddle.. is the catch. The Nehu enables a smooth entry and allows for a hard catch. Obviously the people who make paddles know a lot more than me about this, but I would think that the hardest part to get right is the catch. It seems like a pretty fine line on how much concave to put on the power face. The Nehu actually has more of a lip than any paddle I've ever liked. Just looking at the lip on the blade made me worried, as the paddles that I'd used extensively before it (Makana Ali'i and Kia Kaha) have flatter faces. I've used other Kialoas that plopped with every stroke. In my mind, it was because they had too much of a concave lip. But the Nehu has that same oversized lip and performs beautifully. Goes to show that I really don't know what I'm talking about by dissecting paddle design.

In the end, it's a well made paddle by a very reputable company that feels comparable to the best double bends on the market. I wont go so far as to say it's the best on the market, as I think at that level the top double bends from every large manufacturer (Pure, Broadreach, Makana Ali'i, and Kia Kaha) are comparable to each other and are more a matter of personal preference.
Hopefully that helps.

contact me offline at www.kialoa.ca

I would have to agree with the others - once you've used a double bend paddle for a while, you probably won't want to go back to a straight paddle.
You've got a variety of options ho'okele:

1. If you want a Kialoa, they are quite plentiful - and if you're patient, you'll probably find a used Kialoa posting that suits your needs.
2. Demo (and purchase) a Nehu through OpenOcean
3. If you're really patient, I recall that Kialoa has had an online 'Holiday Sale' a few weeks before Christmas - on some of their paddles (but not all). I don't know if they'll have another sale this year.

I have tried a variety of paddles over the past couple of years - a few different Kialoas, Gillespies, a Pure,and some others - and my current 'go to' paddle - a Viper Va'a NTR from Tahiti. Although I can only speak for myself, it really comes down to the 'feel' of the paddle. I've had the NTR for a few months now, and I can say that I love the 'feel' of the NTR. It took me a couple months to start benefitting from the feel of the double-bend. This year, Viper has started manufacturing some of their shafts out of bamboo, and so far I have had no issues with mine. It's a great feeling paddle. I haven't had any joint issues with the new paddle - unlike some of the other paddles I have used. Also, the bamboo seems to be a little more 'grippy' compared to other wood shafts. There has been no need to use paddle wax or paddle tape for extra grip.
One thing I noticed about Kialoa is there limited blades sizes. If you buy a Nehu, Lanikai, Axel, etc, each model has one size of blade. What might be a good size/weight for a 250 pound dude will likely not be the best for a 120 pound gal. With the Pure, Gillespies, Viper etc. paddles, there are a variety of blade sizes - and you should be able to find a size that is suitable for you. This is when buying a new paddle would be more advantageous than buying used. Yes, you'll end up spend more than if you bought used, but you'll have a better chance of finding a paddle that is more suitable for you.
Cheers.

The Nehu blade is 18 inches long with a width of 9 5/16" and a surface area of 111.25 sq inches
The Axel II blade is 16 1/2 inches long with a width of 9 1/4 inches and a surface area of 108 sq inches.
My experience with the two are that the Axel II tends to plunk upon entry while the Nehu enters much smoother. Might be the fact that the Nehu has a more thinner/sharper tip while the Axel II has a much thicker/not as sharp tip.
In terms of feel, there doesn't seem to be much difference for me to pull harder or softer even with the size difference of the two blades.
I have both the single and double bend versions of the Nehu. For some reason, I prefer using the single bend in the OC6 while the double bend in my OC1. Might be because I sit higher in the OC6 and the entry and catch feels better using the single bend. When I've used the double bend in the OC6, the entry and catch didn't quite feel right.
I'm glad Kialoa came out with the Nehu blade as the double bend Teva Hoe was too much of a beast to use in my opinion. Also glad they offer the Nehu in both single and double bend as it gives paddlers more options to choose from to suit their paddling style.
I know they have a Wacky Nehu available, but I wonder if Kialoa would come out with a Nehu with a carbon (flex) shaft like the Keone for OC1 use?