They all have varying properties and some lend themselves to a particular type of Canoe/Kayaking more than others. Generally most people - given enough time will get used to almost anything, but something that can make a lot of difference with polo is how much a shaft flexes. The shafts with more glass in than carbon will flex more. The more Carbon, the stiffer they get.

Just because a shaft is said to have carbon in it does not mean it only has carbon. Though it would be light, it would also be brittle - not very suitable for your average polo game with frequent paddle to paddle contact !

Shafts also come in 3 standard thicknesses - 25.4mm, 26mm and  27mm - all inside Diameter. 25.4mm is probably the most common amongst average to advanced polo players. The thicker shafts are a legacy from General Purpose paddles which seem to favour paddling with tree trunk thick shafts.

Feather is another important factor when ordering a new paddle. This is the angle between the two blades. Most common for polo is about a 85° (degree) angle, though many others have around 75° (degrees). The lower the feather angle, the less rotation in the control hand between each stroke. The control hand is the right hand if you paddle right handed.

Most players who have a General Purpose or slalom kayaking background will usually use a 90° feather due to a very old fashioned argument about cross wind effecting the upper blade - which is complete rubbish as the wind could be coming from any direction and you're unlikely to have a set of paddles to cater for all wind directions, not to mention most people seem to be playing more polo in swimming pools - not much wind in doors !

Pretty much all paddle shafts have a grip of one kind or another.