ENTRY level composite sticks

[Waltah*]

Hey folks, I just started playing roller hockey and use a couple cheap wooden sticks. I figured , why buy composite when i can just use toothpicks. I play a mix of puck/ball.Long story short, the bottom of my wood blades are getting tore up pretty good. Chunks are missing actually. So here I am. I'm playing in a 2 vs. 2 half rink micro league right now which will turn into 4 vs 4 full rink in april. Mix of puck and blal but mostly ball.

Im looking at trying my first composite stick for LESS THAN $70. im scrolling through hockey giant but alot of the sticks have no reviews while some have quite a few. #1 concern is strength/dependability, i dont care about weigh or looking cool. just need a good sturdy composite thatll last me for under $70.


if that was TL;DR

i play recreational puck/ball roller hockey, my wood stick blades are splintering off in chunks, want composite under $70 that wont fall apart.

Click to read more...

 

[Waltah*]

this one tickles my fancy...thoughts?

http://www.hockeygiant.com/missldrstksr.html

 

[doobie604]

i would stay away from 1 piece sticks if your wood are getting torn up so badly. it'll pretty much do the same to the comp blades. going with a shaft and abs blade would be my suggestion.

 

[Jarick]

You should use a two-piece stick so you can replace the blade when it gets worn down. A heavy cheap composite is going to do you no favors. The Reebok 6k shaft is on clearance for $50, I'd get one of those and an ABS blade. If that blade's too soft, go for a cheap composite or wood blade.

 

[ponder]

You should use a two-piece stick so you can replace the blade when it gets worn down. A heavy cheap composite is going to do you no favors. The Reebok 6k shaft is on clearance for $50, I'd get one of those and an ABS blade. If that blade's too soft, go for a cheap composite or wood blade.

Agreed, a composite shaft with an ABS blade is the way to go for rough surfaces. My favourite ABS blade by far is the Koho Crossover, which you can often find in good hockey shops (or online, probably). The pure ABS blades are way too flexy IMO, this one is ABS for the bottom quarter, wood for the top 3/4, and covered in fiber glass, so nice and stiff.

 

[Waltah*]

wow, thanks guys. glad i asked before buying. im taking a look into the pro's/cons of one piece and 2 piece.

 

[ChiTownHawks]

If you are not on ice don't buy a composite as it is a waste of money. Composite blades get torn up on concrete or whatever other surface you play on. If I am playing ball or roller I have a Sherwood 5030 that I use. If I am on the ice then I use a composite.

 

[Waltah*]

ha! im using a sherwood 5030 and love it (the coffey curve is SICK). but its getting chipped up.

the thing is, im going to be playing pick-up ice games as well. i dont want my wood getting soggy (lulz) from being chipped up.

so 75% roller..... 25% ice.

 

[Waltah*]

also, dumb question. how does the blade stay in the shaft on a 2 piece? i picture it flying off like a boomerang when i take a slapper. did some googling and it seems as though you can change blades on the fly? how the heck does that work?

 

[MrKabukiman]

Hot glue keeps it in place. Used to be able to use a blowtorch when shafts were aluminum, but to do it the safe way with composite stuff a heat gun or hairdryer works.

 

[Jarick]

Hot glue shouldn't keep it in place...when you heat up the shaft with a heat gun it expands, then you slide the blade into the shaft, and as it cools the shaft contracts and holds it into place. Glue doesn't really do anything IMO unless it's epoxy. I use a strip of tape or two if the blade is loose, otherwise nothing at all.

 

[Waltah*]

excellent. im looking at a couple abs/fiberglass blades and the reviews say they are great for indoor outdoor and good durability.

the reebok 6k sickkick shaft has awesome reviews as well. really glad i stopped in here.

looks like you need a heat gun to change the blade and glue already comes on it when you get it. pretty cool.

 

[Jarick]

Definitely get a heat gun it's an invaluable hockey tool! I use mine for melting wax onto the blade, putting end plugs in, etc. Also handy are a hacksaw, miter box, and a rasp file.

While I'm at it, check out this long-winded series I have about hockey sticks

 

[Waltah*]

cant thank you guys enough. glad i stopped by.

 

[doobie604]

i've always used the stove to heat up shaft or blade, never needed a heat gun. if you're playing ice and roller, should have 2 sticks for each surface. by the way, if you're at the rinks lots, look from broken one piece, if they're broken at the blade, you can convert it to a 2 piece. you do need more expensive tapered blades though or cut it super short or flip it around for standard blades.

 

[Waltah*]

i've always used the stove to heat up shaft or blade, never needed a heat gun. if you're playing ice and roller, should have 2 sticks for each surface. by the way, if you're at the rinks lots, look from broken one piece, if they're broken at the blade, you can convert it to a 2 piece. you do need more expensive tapered blades though or cut it super short or flip it around for standard blades.

thanks for the tip

 

[Waltah*]

ordered a reebok 6k shaft (85 flex) and 2 blades. a reebok 2k crosby (ick, hope his name isnt on it) , and a bauer one55 naslund.

looking forward to trying out the new setup, itll be my first composite setup.

 

[ponder]

ordered a reebok 6k shaft (85 flex) and 2 blades. a reebok 2k crosby (ick, hope his name isnt on it) , and a bauer one55 naslund.

looking forward to trying out the new setup, itll be my first composite setup.

The Rbk blade is an ABS blade, while the Bauer is a composite, right? The ABS blade should be fine for your purposes, but don't use the composite blade on any kind of rough surface, those things are made for ice and ice alone, or maybe a smooth gym floor. On normal concrete/asphalt a composite blade will get torn to shreds very quickly.

 

[Waltah*]

The Rbk blade is an ABS blade, while the Bauer is a composite, right? The ABS blade should be fine for your purposes, but don't use the composite blade on any kind of rough surface, those things are made for ice and ice alone, or maybe a smooth gym floor. On normal concrete/asphalt a composite blade will get torn to shreds very quickly.

we play on sport court (smooth/hard gym floor). hopefully both will do fine.

wish i could find the weight on these things. curious to see what difference will be from my old woodies.

 

[ponder]

Seems like this is the ABS blade you got?

http://www.reebokhockey.com/gear/products/player/sticks/product/2k-blade/

Looks like a pure ABS blade wrapped in fiberglass, not my favourite personally, they tend to have strange puck feel and to not have much torsional stiffness when shooting. If you don't like it, look into a Koho Crossover blade, which is mostly made of wood wrapped in fiberglass, but with a strip of ABS along the bottom, plays like a normal wood blade but is way more durable due to the ABS.

 

[Waltah*]

Now you tell me

We'll see how these work for now. I'm sure it'll be a huge difference in puck feel all together

 

[ponder]

Now you tell me

We'll see how these work for now. I'm sure it'll be a huge difference in puck feel all together

I suggested the Crossover blade and warned against pure ABS blades earlier in the thread too

Agreed, a composite shaft with an ABS blade is the way to go for rough surfaces. My favourite ABS blade by far is the Koho Crossover, which you can often find in good hockey shops (or online, probably). The pure ABS blades are way too flexy IMO, this one is ABS for the bottom quarter, wood for the top 3/4, and covered in fiber glass, so nice and stiff.

I've never used the ABS blade you ordered, it might be fine/stiff, but in general I find pure ABS blades are too flexy. But if you play on a real smooth surface, the composite blade will probably have decent durability. If it's very smooth, maybe you can even use tape? If it's not too rough/sticky for tape, then a new tape job every time you play will massively increase the blade's lifespan, but tape is often a pain in the ass on a lot of non-ice surfaces. I personally like Renfrew tape the best, nice thick fabric, compared to sh1tty thin tapes like 3M.

As for the weight difference between your new setup and a wood stick, that depends on which wood stick you were using before. Some wood sticks are as light as 600 g, or even a bit lighter (I think Sherwood 5030s, for example, are close to 550 g), though other wood sticks can weigh over 700 g. Your 6k shaft with the composite blade will probably weight in around 520 g, on the heavy side for a composite. Super light, super high end composites can be as light as about 430 g, they feel ridiculously light, but you'd be nuts to use one of those for road hockey. And honestly I just don't think stick weight is that big of a deal when you're actually playing.