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.
Was that a typo, and you actually meant under $100? There are no sticks that cost even remotely close to $1000 (unless you're talking about having a company make a custom curve for you and including the mold fees, but that's incredibly rare). Absolute top of the line sticks are generally around $250, mid range sticks are generally around $100, and low end sticks are generally around $50.
Nope I have just never bought my own sticks. Either bought them from a friend/borrowed or gotten them as gifts.
I've been playing casually for about eight years and am sixteen. Hockey's pretty serious where I'm from though(Kelowna). Lots of stars played junior here or live here in the summer.
Last edited by VerySuperFamous: 03-12-2012 at 07:24 PM.
I am in love with the Vapor 7.0 in the Stamkos pattern with the Griptac. Great feel and definately a stickhandler's pattern, with a nice snap to it. But Looocy, eet ees espenseeve.
I am in love with the Vapor 7.0 in the Stamkos pattern with the Griptac. Great feel and definately a stickhandler's pattern, with a nice snap to it. But Looocy, eet ees espenseeve.
Ballpark cost? I found one that was $210+tax but I don't know if it's the same one.
Listed under:Bauer Vapor X 7.0 GRIPTAC Sr. Composite Hockey Stick
It depends on your price point. The more you spend on your stick the lighter it will be, as well as more responsive. You get a more consistent kickpoint and consistent shot with higher price sticks due to better energy transfer compared to the lower end, heavier, primarly fiberglass based sticks. Keep in mind an expensive stick doesnt necessarily make you a better player, it may help you but only to an extent.
As for dangles, that's more what you practice, however a mid-toe curve will be better for pulling off those nasty toe-drags but you sacrifice backhand. As for medium to long reach, I just want to say if youre a guy who likes to dangle a lot then a shorter stick will give you more puck control. By shorter stick I mean cutting it down, most sticks are going to be relatively the same height off the shelf. Finally, for good wrist shots and snap shots you want a stick with a low kickpoint.
With all that being said I would recommend 6K/8K/9K/11K from rbk in the p38 (datsyuk) pattern. From bauer use the vapor line (supreme is midkick) so either the X 4.0, X 7.0 or apX in the kane or backstrom curves. From easton you would probably want the stealth line so either 65s, s14, s17, s19, RS in the sakic/hall pattern or a heatley or iginla. I'm not as familar with the CCM sticks, but I know the you would probably be looking for a Tavares pattern from them. Hope this helps.
Nope I have just never bought my own sticks. Either bought them from a friend/borrowed or gotten them as gifts.
I've been playing casually for about eight years and am sixteen. Hockey's pretty serious where I'm from though(Kelowna). Lots of stars played junior here or live here in the summer.
sounds like even though cost isn't an issue, you still want a decent bang for the buck, correct?
if that's the case, i wholeheartedly recommend the sherwood nexon n12, which is their new pro level stick. great stick for the money. about as light as any of the other top line sticks out there but much cheaper. i believe they are the same price canadian as they are for the US market...which makes them that much of a better deal for the canadian market...still an excellent value in the US though at $189 compared to $230+(US) for other brands' top line sticks.
if it's true that the vapor x7.0 is pretty much an updated x60, then that is also a very good suggestion. shoots rockets, particularly for wristers/snappers and is quite light. wasn't too fond of the feel though on my x60...not sure if the blade is any different on the x7.0. found it tricky receiving passes as the blade was so lively on my x60.
sounds like even though cost isn't an issue, you still want a decent bang for the buck, correct?
if that's the case, i wholeheartedly recommend the sherwood nexon n12, which is their new pro level stick. great stick for the money. about as light as any of the other top line sticks out there but much cheaper. i believe they are the same price canadian as they are for the US market...which makes them that much of a better deal for the canadian market...still an excellent value in the US though at $189 compared to $230+(US) for other brands' top line sticks.
if it's true that the vapor x7.0 is pretty much an updated x60, then that is also a very good suggestion. shoots rockets, particularly for wristers/snappers and is quite light. wasn't too fond of the feel though on my x60...not sure if the blade is any different on the x7.0. found it tricky receiving passes as the blade was so lively on my x60.
The 7.0 is actually a down spec'd X:60. The 60 featured Bauer's best carbon weave, the TeXtreme, while if you look at the 7.0, the carbon weave is much smaller and presumably of lower quality. Same blade core though, but you might or might not notice a different puck feel between the two due to the weave.
It depends on your price point. The more you spend on your stick the lighter it will be, as well as more responsive. You get a more consistent kickpoint and consistent shot with higher price sticks due to better energy transfer compared to the lower end, heavier, primarly fiberglass based sticks. Keep in mind an expensive stick doesnt necessarily make you a better player, it may help you but only to an extent.
As for dangles, that's more what you practice, however a mid-toe curve will be better for pulling off those nasty toe-drags but you sacrifice backhand. As for medium to long reach, I just want to say if youre a guy who likes to dangle a lot then a shorter stick will give you more puck control. By shorter stick I mean cutting it down, most sticks are going to be relatively the same height off the shelf. Finally, for good wrist shots and snap shots you want a stick with a low kickpoint.
With all that being said I would recommend 6K/8K/9K/11K from rbk in the p38 (datsyuk) pattern. From bauer use the vapor line (supreme is midkick) so either the X 4.0, X 7.0 or apX in the kane or backstrom curves. From easton you would probably want the stealth line so either 65s, s14, s17, s19, RS in the sakic/hall pattern or a heatley or iginla. I'm not as familar with the CCM sticks, but I know the you would probably be looking for a Tavares pattern from them. Hope this helps.
looking at a low end stick you wont need to worry about the flex point, cause unless your buying top of the line sticks your not going to have a decent one. as for a good snap shot, that all practice as well, as i find the low kick and the mid kick sticks preform about the same
sounds like even though cost isn't an issue, you still want a decent bang for the buck, correct?
if that's the case, i wholeheartedly recommend the sherwood nexon n12, which is their new pro level stick. great stick for the money. about as light as any of the other top line sticks out there but much cheaper. i believe they are the same price canadian as they are for the US market...which makes them that much of a better deal for the canadian market...still an excellent value in the US though at $189 compared to $230+(US) for other brands' top line sticks.
if it's true that the vapor x7.0 is pretty much an updated x60, then that is also a very good suggestion. shoots rockets, particularly for wristers/snappers and is quite light. wasn't too fond of the feel though on my x60...not sure if the blade is any different on the x7.0. found it tricky receiving passes as the blade was so lively on my x60.
I think the APX is closer to the X60, with a TotalOne-ish blade.
If you're looking to come in under A THOUSAND(!!!!???) then just get an APX or a TotalOne or something. Honestly, I would recommend paying a visit to a hockey store and just seeing what's out there.
When I say good for dangles/snappers it's because I'm a smaller guy(5"7ish) and one hockey stick I've tried practicing was pretty immobile but it turns out it was weigted.
Yes basically money isn't an issue but I hate wasting it.
And an expensive stick not making you a great player is precisely why I'm not looking for a heavy stick that would be good for say Chara size players. Using the right stick is important too though IMO.
The 7.0 is actually a down spec'd X:60. The 60 featured Bauer's best carbon weave, the TeXtreme, while if you look at the 7.0, the carbon weave is much smaller and presumably of lower quality. Same blade core though, but you might or might not notice a different puck feel between the two due to the weave.
If that TeXtreme provides reinforcement, I'm definitely going APX next time around. My X:60 has no business lasting as long as it has.
When I say good for dangles/snappers it's because I'm a smaller guy(5"7ish) and one hockey stick I've tried practicing was pretty immobile but it turns out it was weigted.
Yes basically money isn't an issue but I hate wasting it.
And an expensive stick not making you a great player is precisely why I'm not looking for a heavy stick that would be good for say Chara size players. Using the right stick is important too though IMO.
I'm just not sure if you understand the available options. I don't understand what you're talking about when you say "heavy stick that would be good for Chara size players", unless maybe you mean a stiffer flex? Seriously, you should make a trip to a shop to see exactly what differentiating factors there are. When you're looking for a stick, you should take these factors into consideration:
Blade lie
Curve
Flex
Balance
Puckfeel (best to go by word of mouth or reviews on this, hard to judge without actually using it)
Weight isn't really a concern, most mid to high end sticks are going to be around the same weight anyway. More expensive sticks will definitely not be heavier.
Very interesting. So the larger the weave, the less material needed, and lighter weight. That would explain the lighter weight and better balance of the X:60/APX compared to most sticks on the market.
I'm just not sure if you understand the available options. I don't understand what you're talking about when you say "heavy stick that would be good for Chara size players", unless maybe you mean a stiffer flex? Seriously, you should make a trip to a shop to see exactly what differentiating factors there are. When you're looking for a stick, you should take these factors into consideration:
Blade lie
Curve
Flex
Balance
Puckfeel (best to go by word of mouth or reviews on this, hard to judge without actually using it)
Weight isn't really a concern, most mid to high end sticks are going to be around the same weight anyway. More expensive sticks will definitely not be heavier.
I'm saying I don't want something like that. Because some are less mobile than others. That was my explaination of why I said good for dangling/stickhandling/
I'm saying I don't want something like that. Because some are less mobile than others. That was my explaination of why I said good for dangling/stickhandling/
There's no such thing as an intentionally heavy stick, though. Heavy sticks are heavy because they're made of cheaper materials. All I'm saying is you seem to be very unfamiliar with what options and variables exist. There's nobody that says "man, I really need a heavy stick, that would be great for me". Choosing between heavy and light is not a choice you have to make.
There's no such thing as an intentionally heavy stick, though. Heavy sticks are heavy because they're made of cheaper materials. All I'm saying is you seem to be very unfamiliar with what options and variables exist. There's nobody that says "man, I really need a heavy stick, that would be great for me". Choosing between heavy and light is not a choice you have to make.
Unless of course it's for practice.
I think I was just doing a bad job of explaining what I view as a heavy stick. One that's more power(which must be more flex) than mobility.
It just sounds like you're not sure what you need in a stick, that's why I merged with the big thread. We can definitely give you advice and get you moving in the right direction, but it might be easier if you have the basics down, which is all covered in the first couple posts.
I think I was just doing a bad job of explaining what I view as a heavy stick. One that's more power(which must be more flex) than mobility.
Point is, that's not a tradeoff you have to make. If you're willing to spend up to 250 bucks, get a Vapor APX. Light as a feather with crazy shot power. Awesome for stickhandling, great puck feel.
just wanted to ask a question about taping the blade of your stick.
the video i watched first when i was learning said to tape from TOE to HEEL, so the puck will roll easier from HEEL to TOE. basically the edges of the tape are essentially covered.
I noticed in your guide you say to tape from HEEL to TOE as this will create more friction. in this way the puck is actually hitting the edges of the tape. have you tried both ways?
I have and it's easier to tape heel to toe for me, that's why I do it.
Honestly I don't notice much difference but a lot of people say they do. I actually have been taping with almost no ridges and haven't seen any difference. If I could somehow tape with one giant strip I probably would because the tape is gritty enough on its own.
just wanted to ask a question about taping the blade of your stick.
the video i watched first when i was learning said to tape from TOE to HEEL, so the puck will roll easier from HEEL to TOE. basically the edges of the tape are essentially covered.
I noticed in your guide you say to tape from HEEL to TOE as this will create more friction. in this way the puck is actually hitting the edges of the tape. have you tried both ways?
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