The RinkFor the not so ready for prime-time players, coaches, referees, and the people that have to live with them. Discuss experiences in local leagues, coaching tips, equipment, and training.
Sticks: What do you use, what do you love/hate, and what's next?
Jarick, would you recommend the Z9 as a backup to a Total One?
It's pretty cheap (79.99) on Total Hockey right now and i'm eager to try it after you said. What curve did you use and do you recommend it?
My current backup is my roller composite which is awful haha.
Yeah I would recommend trying it in general. I'm not sure there is an engineered kick point or not, it's a hair stiffer than rated, so maybe it's a mid-low kick stick.
Played again this weekend and still like it. The "hotter" blade might have contributed to the rolling pucks and other puck issues I was having, but probably not as much as user error. Usually I have relatively soft hands.
Shots still seem good, a little lower than I'd like, which is probably good as I want all my shots to go bar down and miss half the time
But I had a great, hard slapper with it during the game and another 4-5 shots...not great looks but nothing to do with the stick.
Oh, I added a 3/4" plug (to make it 1/2" longer than just using the plastic cap) which felt perfect for length. I think I cut it a hair short and I have wanted a little more length on my sticks. This didn't hurt the balance at all either.
It is starting to look UGLY though. The white paint is scuffed to hell and there's a big chip out of it. The clear coat on the black part of the blade all peeled off with tape. I might get some white spray paint to clean it up (and paint another stick).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jarick
I will say, after taking lots and lots and lots of shots in my basement, I want to run my 75 flex Easton again. Need to get a blade for it that I like though.
I did this. Got myself a tapered Forsberg wooden blade and curved it up a bit more. Added some loft and a toe to make it more Sakic-like:
Now this stick started out as an SE16 75 flex one piece with a broken blade. I chopped that off and chiseled it out and cut it down (real pain in the ass). Then sprayed it black and gave it a coat of some spray grippy stuff (that feels good but comes off quick and looks nasty).
Either the stick was whippy or the guy broke it in a good amount because it does feel like a nice, comfortable 70 flex even though it's cut way down. And I find wood blades to seem to add more flex to a shaft than composite. It doesn't flex a ton with wristers but has a nice bend and snap on slappers.
It was just a DREAM in warmups. Bar down, post in, off the post, cross bar up into the rafters
Amazingly, slappers feel PERFECT with this thing. Better than anything else I've used. Granted my shot is not great, but it felt like I was connecting much better and they were staying on target to the net rather than going wide. Could have been the 5 lie, could have been the blade bending more...I don't know. But I had some hard shots in warmups and some real risers that rang off the bar.
I finished warmups with my Z9 and that felt a little longer and more comfortable, and sure enough side by side the Z9 was maybe 3/4" longer. So I stuck with that.
Took a couple shifts with the two-piece and it definitely needs to be longer. When I tried making passes, the heel was way off the ice so I was trying to make them with the little lofted hook of the toe...UGLY.
I put a little longer plug on it and might run it again next week. Sanded off the old paint and need to get some white to hit the bottom and blade. Not sure of the other color, maybe flat black again, looks unassuming.
...and now I've got half a dozen sticks piling up again.
Yeah I would recommend trying it in general. I'm not sure there is an engineered kick point or not, it's a hair stiffer than rated, so maybe it's a mid-low kick stick.
Played again this weekend and still like it. The "hotter" blade might have contributed to the rolling pucks and other puck issues I was having, but probably not as much as user error. Usually I have relatively soft hands.
Shots still seem good, a little lower than I'd like, which is probably good as I want all my shots to go bar down and miss half the time
But I had a great, hard slapper with it during the game and another 4-5 shots...not great looks but nothing to do with the stick.
Oh, I added a 3/4" plug (to make it 1/2" longer than just using the plastic cap) which felt perfect for length. I think I cut it a hair short and I have wanted a little more length on my sticks. This didn't hurt the balance at all either.
It is starting to look UGLY though. The white paint is scuffed to hell and there's a big chip out of it. The clear coat on the black part of the blade all peeled off with tape. I might get some white spray paint to clean it up (and paint another stick).
.
Oooooo
That's not good at all. Those were the number one complaints about the stick, it wears quickly in general.
For 80 bucks I might try it but it's definitley something to keep an eye on. If something more serious happens, let me know haha.
EASTON MAKO -i had about 6 or 7 se16's and this was supposed to be the same thing, wasn't anything like it and i don't really like the stick.
sherwood t90 - bought this as a filler stick while i was at school and couldn't afford a top of the line stick, really good for the price, nice feel and it comes in many different colours. i got the blacked out version.
EASTON S19 - bought 2 of these on sale at sportschek for 129 bucks each. bought a grip and non grip, the grip worked great for about 2 months and the non grip one broke rather quick. both broke right about the blade but overall great stick, light weight and great for shooting.
Used my 75 flex Easton SE16 shaft with a 4.75 lie Drury pretty much the whole night last night.
Playing around in the basement with my new shooting tarp. I found that I got the puck off with WAY more velocity using the Drury than the other sticks. And the senior 75 flex was feeling good somehow (again, I was using a 55 flex intermediate a month ago...so weird).
Missed most of warmups getting there late, so I only had a few shots in warmups. There were all just ROCKETS and of course they all missed the net high and wide by a few inches. In game I was again shooting hard shots and sometimes slightly off. Usual Drury I guess for me.
Got some spray paint though and might spray the stick black and/or white. Dunno yet.
I've been using a Miken ZL since last July as my main stick. I really like the way it loads and the kick when shooting. I was originally concerned when it started chipping a bit after a few times out, but aside from a couple dimesized chips near the base of the shaft, there's no noticeable damage and it doesn't seem to have affected the structural integrity of the stick.
I've just bought a Reebok 20k from someone on ModSquadHockey and I'm excited to try it out this weekend, assuming it comes in before Saturday.
I told myself the next stick to buy was another X:50 (this time in a 67 flex), but I jumped over to a more expensive Easton 75S in a P3/E3 75 flex. Compared to senior X:50 that I have cut down to an 84 flex, the 75S is much lighter, and better balanced. The X:50 is slightly heavier and slightly blade heavier, but I don't mind things like that for a stick that I thought was pretty light. Comparing shaft dimensions to an old intermediate Warrior Bentley, and to the senior Bauer, it falls right between them. Not as skinny as the intermediate, but not as beefy as the Bauer. It feels pretty good in the hands.
I was able to shoot the 75S at Pro Hockey Life's shooting zone, and I was really impressed by it. Puck release was quick, and speed is something I base my game around: quick snaps and wristers. The blade is also really thin, so I've gained some insight as too why most of the breaks on the Stealths are with the blade. The stick cost me $170, so this is the most expensive stick I have purchased to date, and I cannot wait to use it.
I also had a question the sales person was not able to answer for me... I have been told that Easton sticks advertised flex is actually an inch or two down from the top of the shaft. On the 75S there are no numbers that would indicate this. So if I cut down 2 inches from the stick, will I hit the "actual" 75 flex mark?
I told myself the next stick to buy was another X:50 (this time in a 67 flex), but I jumped over to a more expensive Easton 75S in a P3/E3 75 flex. Compared to senior X:50 that I have cut down to an 84 flex, the 75S is much lighter, and better balanced. The X:50 is slightly heavier and slightly blade heavier, but I don't mind things like that for a stick that I thought was pretty light. Comparing shaft dimensions to an old intermediate Warrior Bentley, and to the senior Bauer, it falls right between them. Not as skinny as the intermediate, but not as beefy as the Bauer. It feels pretty good in the hands.
I was able to shoot the 75S at Pro Hockey Life's shooting zone, and I was really impressed by it. Puck release was quick, and speed is something I base my game around: quick snaps and wristers. The blade is also really thin, so I've gained some insight as too why most of the breaks on the Stealths are with the blade. The stick cost me $170, so this is the most expensive stick I have purchased to date, and I cannot wait to use it.
I also had a question the sales person was not able to answer for me... I have been told that Easton sticks advertised flex is actually an inch or two down from the top of the shaft. On the 75S there are no numbers that would indicate this. So if I cut down 2 inches from the stick, will I hit the "actual" 75 flex mark?
I know Warriors are this way, their flex rating doesnt start till upwards of 5-6 inches down the shaft. FWIW I have cut down an INT 65 flex RS and I hated it, completely changed the way the stick shot. Dont think the difference will be as significant with the senior stick.
I also had a question the sales person was not able to answer for me... I have been told that Easton sticks advertised flex is actually an inch or two down from the top of the shaft. On the 75S there are no numbers that would indicate this. So if I cut down 2 inches from the stick, will I hit the "actual" 75 flex mark?
The stick will feel a little stiffer, but it won't be night and day with 2". But there's no scientific standard for flex. Just choke up on the stick about where you'd cut it and that's what it will feel like.
Yeah. I have just been trying to get senior sticks in low flexes, so that cutting them down won't bump them past the 85 mark. I know Sherwood sticks have the "Flex Free" part at the top of their sticks. I wish Bauer did that.
Any input on the Supreme ONE60 stick? Broke one of my AK27's last night and shopping around. I felt the Supreme's when my LHS had them in stock but have never used one (always used Easton/Warrior). Just looking for some advice on the Supreme's.
I just got myself an AK27 and love the low-kick, you might have a hard time adjusting to a Supreme which is a mid-kick stick. Vapor would be Bauers low-kick line, Nexon for Sherwood, dunno about the others.
Yeah. I have just been trying to get senior sticks in low flexes, so that cutting them down won't bump them past the 85 mark. I know Sherwood sticks have the "Flex Free" part at the top of their sticks. I wish Bauer did that.
"Flex Free" just means the stick has a really low kickpoint. Can't get around the physics of changing torque.
Really though, the best thing to do is when you go to the store, grab the sticks where you would cut them off, then give them a little lean. Just ignore the flex numbers...
"Flex Free" just means the stick has a really low kickpoint. Can't get around the physics of changing torque.
Really though, the best thing to do is when you go to the store, grab the sticks where you would cut them off, then give them a little lean. Just ignore the flex numbers...
I just got myself an AK27 and love the low-kick, you might have a hard time adjusting to a Supreme which is a mid-kick stick. Vapor would be Bauers low-kick line, Nexon for Sherwood, dunno about the others.
I've honestly never really paid attention to the kick points. Would the adjustment from a low kick point to a mid be that big of a difference? I'm a dman that relies heavily on a quick release snap shot with a slap shot mixed in every now and then.
It depends on how much flex you like. If you use a stiff stick now, you probably won't tell the difference (doesn't matter high vs low kick if it doesn't really flex). With a whippy stick, it could throw off your timing or help.
It depends on how much flex you like. If you use a stiff stick now, you probably won't tell the difference (doesn't matter high vs low kick if it doesn't really flex). With a whippy stick, it could throw off your timing or help.
I've always used 100flex (at least the last 5-6 years.
Another question, I've switched from Easton (Sakic/Hall) to the Warrior (Kopitar/Draper) and now I'm gonna give Bauer a go (I've never used Bauer sticks in all of my years of playing), if I'm looking at patterns right then the Backstrom P92 is the closest to the Kopitar/Draper Warrior pattern? Or would it be the P88 Kane?
I've always used 100flex (at least the last 5-6 years.
Another question, I've switched from Easton (Sakic/Hall) to the Warrior (Kopitar/Draper) and now I'm gonna give Bauer a go (I've never used Bauer sticks in all of my years of playing), if I'm looking at patterns right then the Backstrom P92 is the closest to the Kopitar/Draper Warrior pattern? Or would it be the P88 Kane?
You might end up liking the P88 a lot. I know quite a bit of people who loved the Hall, but tried out the P88 and loved it even more.
Then again it is a 150 plus dollar experiment so maybe just ignore me.
I've had two APX's, P14/P92, both blades cracked. On the P14, on the end of the blade and on the P92, on the bottom, near the beginning of the shaft. I picked up a NEXUS600 P92/Griptac and it felt pretty good but certainly heavier. I liked the feel of the heavier twig but I haven't used the APX's since, so I'm not sure how they compare. Ordered a P14/ No griptac and it's supposed to come in sunday, anyone know how the 600 feels without grip compared to w/ grip?
