$200 sticks

[coyotesfan]

There is no such thing as a true one piece. All of them are attached just above the blade. Even top of the line sticks. Also the pro stocks have an extra layer of graphite compared to the store bought sticks.

This is not true I have one of the first CCM U+ and you can see from the top of the stick down through the shaft and through the heel of the blade so it is not fused.

No stick is just going to make you a good shooter. I have a decent wrist shot though and I do feel that the higher end sticks add some extra zip to my shots. I also dont really break alot of sticks so I dont mind spending $180 on a stick.

 

[tamtamg]

Flat out wrong these days. S17, One95, U+, Kronk and Mac Daddy are all true OPS. The dolo is the only top end OPS that's still a traditional fused stick, the rest are something in between, where it's still a join but much closer to a true one peice then sticks used to be.

And pro stocks vary. Some do have the extra layer for durability, some don't. I've heard about it most commonly on 10ks, but any company can do that on request.

I'm pretty sure the U+/U+CL and maybe the 10K are the only true OPS out there right now. Heck, the S17 actually has two fuse points(blade to elliptical taper and the elliptical taper to the shaft)!

 

[tentyler]

I got some Bauer Vapor X20 Sr. Ice Hockey Skates off of hockeymonkey.com and have really enjoyed them so far. I just feel like I am faster and more agile then everyone else when I wear them.

 

[cptjeff]

I'm pretty sure the U+/U+CL and maybe the 10K are the only true OPS out there right now. Heck, the S17 actually has two fuse points(blade to elliptical taper and the elliptical taper to the shaft)!

Your definition of fuse point my be different. Warrior claims the Kronk and MacDaddy both are, S17 is claimed to be... Bauer sure claims the one95 is. And Reebok does NOT claim to be one.

I'm not sure, but I think the kronk and MacDaddy are the same stick under different names. But going by the tech lit on each stick, that's the complete list.

 

[deanosaur]

Wow really people? A 3 page discussion on this

 

[BrOrpik 44]

Wow really people? A 3 page discussion on this

That's offseason for ya!

 

[Hockeyfan68]

Wow really people? A 3 page discussion on this

Sure why not, it makes for good reading. I still say $200 for a stick is a waste because it is overpriced.

3 pages ..... sure why not!

 

[rinkrat22]

I have to be honest, growing up very poor and having to "make do" as a kid now as an adult with a good job making decent money I like to spoil myself. I have a couple of $200 sticks. and a whole rack of composite sticks. I am not looking for some magic, but I have very few things in life that are purley about me. with 2 kids playing sports playing hockey is "me time" so thats my thing, I don't gamble, I only usually drink after a late night hockey game and vacations for our family revolve around my kids hockey season. I do however notice a difference in higher end sticks. more feel it seems like to me. Could I still play beer league with a cheaper stick? sure. do I like my vapor xxxx sticks and my new one95. hell yeah.

 

[Patrick96]

When I played hockey (8-9 years ago) the hockey sticks I owned cost $12.99-$24.99 and I never really thought about buying more expensive sticks. I always went with whatever felt good; if I was playing defence I used a longer, heavier stick and if I was playing forward and dangling through players I used a shorter, lighter stick. It's so crazy to see sticks priced at over $200 these days!

 

[BadHammy*]

You can find year old closeouts and they are usually the best buys ever. I still think the money I spent on my 10k was worth it. I can't afford to do that 50 times a year, but 3 or 4? Yeah, it's my biggest hockey luxury I guess.

 

[Jarick]

Especially with the lack of good wood sticks nowadays, getting at least a 2-piece rig is a must for wrist shot guys like me.

 

[Jarick]

Interesting article about stick selection

The conclusion, based on a number of studies, was that players should choose the most flexible stick they can use without breaking it, regardless of material. Personally, since composites are far more whippy than wood, and since they break far less from shooting and maintain a consistent flex, that's why I choose them.

 

[shotty]

a lighter stick makes handling the puck easier because there's less mass to move with every rep. it also improves your feel for the puck because the impact of the puck on blade resonates better through finer materials, and finer materials cost more. higher end sticks have tapered shafts because research has proven that energy transfers much more efficiently when its channelled. tapering a shaft is a more expensive process.

are these sticks WORTH $200? i'd say not, but do they improve a certain aspect of one's game?

 

[deanosaur]

K.
Whether its $50 or a $500 dollar stick.
The stick you use WILL make a small difference whether people wanna agree or not. Will it give you a 100mph slap shot? Maybe, more likely not. Will a more expensive stick give you a better feel of the puck and more accurate shot? MAybe, depends on how well the guy using the stick already is.
Is a HOCKEY STICK gonna turn a 4th line rec liner into a superstar? Uh no, why anyone would think that is beyond me.
It will, give you a better shot, given you know how to shoot.
Another little thing, unlike woodsticks, and people like to make this great debate about durability. One reason I hate woodsticks cause they go soft, after that first shot the woodsticks quality goes down greatly. Not as much as a composite stick. Where as the composite stick is either in tact, or broken. The wood stick can get soft, it can be "almost" broken but not quite, still usable. But it wont consistantly give you a good quality shot after shot.
Like really, is a Bauer 195 one piece gonna give you better positioning or any improvements in hockey besides shot? No, guaranteed.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

K.
Whether its $50 or a $500 dollar stick.
The stick you use WILL make a small difference whether people wanna agree or not. Will it give you a 100mph slap shot? Maybe, more likely not. Will a more expensive stick give you a better feel of the puck and more accurate shot? MAybe, depends on how well the guy using the stick already is.
Is a HOCKEY STICK gonna turn a 4th line rec liner into a superstar? Uh no, why anyone would think that is beyond me.
It will, give you a better shot, given you know how to shoot.
Another little thing, unlike woodsticks, and people like to make this great debate about durability. One reason I hate woodsticks cause they go soft, after that first shot the woodsticks quality goes down greatly. Not as much as a composite stick. Where as the composite stick is either in tact, or broken. The wood stick can get soft, it can be "almost" broken but not quite, still usable. But it wont consistantly give you a good quality shot after shot.
Like really, is a Bauer 195 one piece gonna give you better positioning or any improvements in hockey besides shot? No, guaranteed.

I agree with pretty much everything you said.

I am never going back to wood ... the composite blades are like new until they finally break and I've only broken one since December.

I don't even use a very expensive stick, my main stick is a harrow $90 tapered shaft with a $35 blade. They are excellent and they shoot well with a great load and release.

I do not miss the weight of wood sticks or as you described the tendency to go limp in the shaft and blade. I hated the puck pocket in the blade made from slapshots which required getting a new stick.

Composites are consistent and that seems to be the most important thing for players.

they don't have to even be expensive is my point in this issue. How much is enough honestly? You can either shoot or you can't.

I can say however that I started to lose some zip after 40 years old and got it back with a composite stick. I'll swear by it and it isn't psychological.

Maybe losing 40lbs and getting in better shape could have been the reason too. I have to be honest and throw that out there.

 

[BadHammy*]

It really does help, even if only a little. I gain 3-4 mph on my slapshot with my pro stock one95 compared to mid-level composites.

 

[Missionhockey]

3-4 mph would be a pretty drastic increase wouldn't it? I have a bottom of the line Easton Synergy. I like it, but compared to the stick I had before it seems like man's first incarnation of the wheel. I had a Synergy Elite and that stick was amazing. The puck flew off the blade. Unfortunately after about 10-12 months the blade cracked long ways. I still have the shaft, but the damage makes it impossible to take a strong shot. I can still shoot the puck pretty hard with my 90$ Synergy though, but I noticed the Elite made it easier to get off shots.

 

[BadHammy*]

3-4 mph would be a pretty drastic increase wouldn't it? I have a bottom of the line Easton Synergy. I like it, but compared to the stick I had before it seems like man's first incarnation of the wheel. I had a Synergy Elite and that stick was amazing. The puck flew off the blade. Unfortunately after about 10-12 months the blade cracked long ways. I still have the shaft, but the damage makes it impossible to take a strong shot. I can still shoot the puck pretty hard with my 90$ Synergy though, but I noticed the Elite made it easier to get off shots.

No, 3-4 wouldn't be a lot on wrist or snap, 8 or 9 would be but I have seen close to it before. Coming from a total P.O.S. wooden stick to a top of the line, world beating composite really is a huge difference, especially for wristers and snap shots.

 

[Gunnar Stahl 30]

i use a two piece synthesis shaft with a dolomite blade. its an 85 with probably a 6 inch butt end so its like 75-80 flex. that thing is so damn whippy. i have a hard time lifting my shot though cause i have a fedorov curve on it. great for passing though and slappers. my slapper is really good with that stick

 

[krax]

I think the physical characteristics of the stick (flex, blade style, lie...) are more important than the price.
Supposing the former characteristics are equal, I can definitely feel a difference, especially when stickhandling.

But is it worth the difference? Strictly objective: not for a recreational player. But if it makes you feel good, why not. It's frustrating to spend 100$ and constantly think "I should have added 75$ and would have more fun".

Last season, I got a vapor XXXX for myself and broke the blade in my first game. It got stuck in a gap in the boards. I am back to <100$ sticks.

k.

 

[JLHockeyKnight]

for the bolded part. I found me an S17 for $90

I found my Vapor XX for $70. Lightest stick I've ever felt, took me a while to get used to it, but it's nice. I have a tendency to hold my stick in one hand when I skate hard, and would get wrist aches the day after games. They've gone away since switching.

 

[Canad93]

Nope not important. Although lately I've had a tough time finding a stick with a nice stiff flex that I like. I like to have around 100 flex, and now I've found the Easton Stealth works well for me. At $135 though it's not as good as the Vapor V I got a few years ago for $75. But it is proving to be super-durable.

(Story time!) I was going for a puck against the boards, and was pushed from behind. The stick got stuck between my gut and the boards, and I watched as the shaft bent to an almost 90* curve, and the blade bent like crazy too. The stick then sprung back into shape and sort of pushed me back off of the boards. It was pretty neat. Stick has been 100% fine ever since.

That happened to me with a Vector that I had been using for a while, but I was coming up the right boards and the ref backed into my way, causing my blade to hit his skate. I was going pretty fast (and I was pretty little) so that tension on the stick between his skate and my chest snapped it in half. And it hurt like a b****.

That's pretty crazy that your stick survived that. Really impressive.

 

[Devil Dancer]

I found my Vapor XX for $70. Lightest stick I've ever felt, took me a while to get used to it, but it's nice. I have a tendency to hold my stick in one hand when I skate hard, and would get wrist aches the day after games. They've gone away since switching.

I used to have moderate to severe pain in my left elbow, and it went away when I switched from a Vapor XVI a Supreme One95 for ice. It went so well that I switched from a One50 shaft for roller to a One95 shaft.

My arm feels great now.

 

[FootKnight]

I've only been playing for a few years and have been hesitant to get an expensive stick. I've got all cheap wood, the sticks I currently have are: 1 Nike Bauer Supreme one25, 2 Supreme one55s, 1 CCM Vector 04, and 1 CCM Tacks something (it's got tape all down it because it split down the middle, I don't know why I haven't thrown it away). I've got 4 different style blades (Reechi on the CCMs, Lindros, Gagne, and Malkin on the Supremes) between them and don't really notice much of a difference using each, although I haven't used the Gagne yet.

I've been considering getting a composite, but don't really want to spend $100 on a stick just to find out I don't really like it. Only time I've ever even held a composite is in the store. When I was a kid all I played was in the street with my friends and I'd rollerblade down to the store and pick up a $10-$15 wood and use it until the blade was so worn down I couldn't keep the puck on it.

I'm pretty hard on my sticks too, so I'm also a bit concerned about breaking a composite. The consensus seems to be that it will add a little to your shot and make stickhandling a little easier because it's lighter and that's about it? I don't know if that's worth the money to me. If only I could try out a composite before I bought it.

 

[Jarick]

You can pick up a composite shaft on Craigslist or eBay and put a wood blade in it for cheap.