$200 sticks
- Thread starter 190Octane
- Start date
Frankie Spankie
Registered User
Not at all, they're on the shelves for those high school hockey player parents that can only buy the best for their kids. I have used a $75 TPS composite stick and a brand new Easton Synergy. There's no different between performance although the Synergy is lighter (I'm sure there are other $75-100 composite sticks that are just as light) but the difference is my Synergy broke in less time and I'm back to using my TPS stick which is still going strong. I wish I just bought 2 $75 sticks instead but it was a Christmas gift so I'm not too worried about it.
Samuel Culper III
Mr. Woodhull...
Yeah, I like my lighter, whippier sticks better but I don't really care what the price is. Do $130 gloves make you better than $45 gloves? Do $600 skates make you better than $300 skates? Does a $70 cage work better than a $30 cage? Is there any reason, at all, to spend more than "mid-range" if you're not more than a mid-range player?
I played 4 years of college hockey. Hockey is my life. I choose to spend more money for the "best" gear in the one thing that I'm passionate about and, yes, even if it's a placebo effect, I feel that it has its impact, however small it may be.
I played 4 years of college hockey. Hockey is my life. I choose to spend more money for the "best" gear in the one thing that I'm passionate about and, yes, even if it's a placebo effect, I feel that it has its impact, however small it may be.
Hockeyfan68
Registered User
I don't buy much of the top of the line anything. I shoot better than most people and use whatever is available that fits my lie, flex and curve etc.
Jarick
Doing Nothing
Player? No. Better shot? Maybe. But it's not so much the price and technology as it is using the right equipment.
I can't get much flex out of wood sticks because I'm only 5'8" and cut them down below my chin. But intermediate wood sticks torque wide open at the blade because they're too whippy. So for my shot's sake, I really do have to use composite over wood (I'm a wrist shot guy). Whippy flex sticks with very stiff blades work very well for me.
Oh and I use two-piece sticks to save on cost. I buy on clearance or slightly used and usually pay half what they cost new.
I can't get much flex out of wood sticks because I'm only 5'8" and cut them down below my chin. But intermediate wood sticks torque wide open at the blade because they're too whippy. So for my shot's sake, I really do have to use composite over wood (I'm a wrist shot guy). Whippy flex sticks with very stiff blades work very well for me.
Oh and I use two-piece sticks to save on cost. I buy on clearance or slightly used and usually pay half what they cost new.
milkshow
Registered User
- Jun 14, 2009
- 513
- 0
I usually use $200 sticks but this time around I'm using a synergy 777 and there's not as much big difference as you'd think there would be. I find there's cheap sticks out there that have the feel you want, you just have to go find them. It's all about the curve, flex, lie ect.
FLYLine27*
BUCH
When Synergys were just starting to come out I bought 2 STs and 2 SLs ...the SLs broke withing a few games..the STs last about 30-50 games. Yes its worth it to spend an extra 75 on sticks.
bohlmeister
...................
- May 18, 2007
- 17,854
- 456
I just got some pro stock one90's for $100's and they are amazing. I think pro stock makes a difference, but the one95 "Malkin, Gagne, Staal, etc" sticks are a waste of money.
Heat McManus
Registered User
ST - Super Tough
SL - Super Light
The STs are reinforced, the SLs are not. there's a reason Easton rates one higher on their durability scale than the other
A $200 dollar stick will not turn a lost cause into Bobby Orr. It will give you better performance on your shot PROVIDED you know how to shoot.
If your shot mechanics consist of pushing the puck towards the net then there's really no need to spend more money on a stick that is designed to work with proper shooting technique.
A top of the line stick will be lighter, more responsive, but in no way more durable on average than the mid and lower level sticks. More expensive sticks usually have better weight distribution whereas low end sticks tend to be blade heavy.
Right now you might be able to get some of the 08 or 07 models real cheap to check it out for yourself.
Heat McManus
Registered User
Pro stocks are also less expensive because they don't cost as much for the retailer and come with no warranty.
Retail sticks are not a hell of a lot different. They may be reinforced, they may not be.
Many NHLers are using retail curves so unless it's something radically different, you're probably going to get something close to a "Malkin, Gagne, Staal, etc".
bohlmeister
...................
- May 18, 2007
- 17,854
- 456
I got mine from the Calgary Flames equipment sale. They say "swede" on them. Don't know who that would be. The blades height is considerably shorter than most, at least half an inch. So there is a big difference that way. Also the flex is a 77, and it is stiffer than my Easton which is a 100.
Heat McManus
Registered User
Probably reinforced.
Still, many NHLers use retail curves. The Canucks practiced here and I got one of Edler's sticks. It has a retail sticker on it marked "S17 100 Flex Lidstrom". Zetterberg uses a Drury.
There are always going to be guys that have crazy toe-curves and what-knot though.
EXACTLY. I've seen plenty of kids and beginners who blow jack on top level sticks and are disappointed they suddenly can't skate, shoot etc much better. The truth is, getting a really good wrist shot takes tens of thousands of repetitions. Fast skating takes a lot of work on stride and time on the ice and in the gym. There are NO shortcuts in hockey. It takes many years to get good at.
Matrix360
Registered User
The only reason I keep buying the more expensive sticks (even at $150) is becuase they no longer manufacture or carry as many good well priced sticks as the use to. Id be all over buying wood sticks again but trying to find a curve I like on a cheaper stick is next to impossible when the majority of the inventory is made of the expensive sticks. Looking back at some of the team mates I had growing up, some of the best players on my teams were kids that played with the old school canadian tire stick.
Dr Acula
Registered User
- May 1, 2009
- 216
- 1
There definitely is a difference between cheap price point OPS and the expensive top end sticks. I always buy the high quality sticks because I feel it enhances my shot and handling. Provided that you have proper technique, most people can feel a tangible difference between a low end cheapOPS made mostly of fiberglass and a high end composite.
Also, I am very easy with my sticks so they are a good value for me. Most of the time my broken sticks are due to some hack swinging his Sherwood around like a ****ing Pejorative Slur.
Also, I am very easy with my sticks so they are a good value for me. Most of the time my broken sticks are due to some hack swinging his Sherwood around like a ****ing Pejorative Slur.
i'm a true believer that quality costs. sure, some might call me a sucker for marketing, but if i feel an improvement, and see value what else is there?
i can't stand bulky heavy sticks, so i spend extra to get what i prefer.
what's the difference between a BMW 530i, Toyota Camry and a Chevy Impala? they're all four doors, they all come in white, but the prices are significantly disproportionate.
i can't stand bulky heavy sticks, so i spend extra to get what i prefer.
what's the difference between a BMW 530i, Toyota Camry and a Chevy Impala? they're all four doors, they all come in white, but the prices are significantly disproportionate.
cptjeff
Reprehensible User
Yeah, the only real difference in pro stock sticks is the custom options they get like grip setups and reinforcement which they may or may not have depending on the player, as well as the different curves, which still fall into pretty similar categories. Heel, mid, toe, open, slight open, closed. Round toe, square toe. Lies are typically in the 5-6 range... very few pros have really strange curves.
Hockeyfan68
Registered User
There is nothing wrong with that mentality. The most important thing for all hockey players at all levels is to be comfy with their equipment.
Some guys don't care if they use a broom stick with a washcloth tied to the end of it.
the only hockey equipment i will pay top of the line money for are the sticks. It's not going to make you suddenly learn how to play, but it definetely makes a difference if you know what you're doing. I easily feel a difference between the top sticks like one95 or s17 compared to the lower models.
Devil Dancer
Registered User
- Jan 21, 2006
- 18,460
- 5,447
The switch from a Vapor XVI to a Supreme One95 made a huge difference in my game, but I may be unique. I am relatively small and not very strong, so switching to the significantly lighter One95 increased my hand speed by a lot.
Suddenly I'm winning faceoffs and puck battles in the corners that I used to lose consistently because my hands move faster with the new stick. My shot is improved as well, though that difference isn't as noticeable as the hand speed.
So in my case the $170 (intermediate FTW) stick made a big difference.
EDIT: Plus I was experiencing chronic pain in my left arm with my old sticks, which has subsided a bit after the switch to the One95. Again I think stick weight is the difference there.
Suddenly I'm winning faceoffs and puck battles in the corners that I used to lose consistently because my hands move faster with the new stick. My shot is improved as well, though that difference isn't as noticeable as the hand speed.
So in my case the $170 (intermediate FTW) stick made a big difference.
EDIT: Plus I was experiencing chronic pain in my left arm with my old sticks, which has subsided a bit after the switch to the One95. Again I think stick weight is the difference there.
190Octane
Registered User
You do realize that the difference is less than half a pound right? How much tape do you put on your stick?
Devil Dancer
Registered User
- Jan 21, 2006
- 18,460
- 5,447
Considering most composites are less than 2 pounds, and the One95 is close to 1 pound, that's a huge difference.
190Octane
Registered User
Do you really think half a pound makes you that much faster? It's funny how a lot of these great gains people are talking about are perception.
cptjeff
Reprehensible User
It's not about the absolute weight, it's about proportion. Simple physics will tell you that a stick that's 50% lighter requires 50% less energy to move, so yes, it does allow you to move that stick around faster.
Same thing with skates. You do skate faster with lighter skates because it allows you to move your feet faster. Throw on a pair of ankle weights next time you skate and you'll see what I mean. While you're at it, tape a few weights to your stick. Makes a huge difference.
