Intermediate Shaft

[Hobgoblin Steve]

So after a bit of shopping around, I've noticed there arnt too many Int. shafts out there. I started using Int. sticks recently and like them a whole lot better, but would really like a shaft that isnt over 100$. Preferably Easton as well. Anybody know if they make em?

I searched but really couldnt find a definite answer for this question.

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[kr580]

Go nuts: http://www.icewarehouse.com/catpage.html?ccode=INTCSEAST

 

[LarryO]

Go nuts: http://www.icewarehouse.com/catpage.html?ccode=INTCSEAST

He's looking for a shaft, not a stick.

 

[LarryO]

So after a bit of shopping around, I've noticed there arnt too many Int. shafts out there. I started using Int. sticks recently and like them a whole lot better, but would really like a shaft that isnt over 100$. Preferably Easton as well. Anybody know if they make em?

I searched but really couldnt find a definite answer for this question.

Base Hockey sells tapered shafts and blades.
Here's their pricing.
I opted to buy one of their inter shafts and blades instead of a stick and I love it enough to order a second one.

 

[kr580]

He's looking for a shaft, not a stick.

/facepalm. I'm a moron. You're right, there aren't many intermediate shafts to be had.

It doesn't look like an intermediate shaft is in Easton's lineup this coming year. The SE16 shaft is around $110 on clearance. It looks like the Easton EQ50 shaft will come in a senior 70 flex, if the light flex is what you're after. I know Warrior has AK27 and Dolomite shafts around $100.

 

[Hobgoblin Steve]

Base Hockey sells tapered shafts and blades.
Here's their pricing.
I opted to buy one of their inter shafts and blades instead of a stick and I love it enough to order a second one.

is their flex true to...flex(for lack of a better description)?

How would you rate them to more noticeable brands like Easton/Bauer?

70$ for a shaft would be my price point. Ive dropped money on shafts in the past and find I don't even like them anymore, so this may be a pretty solid idea.

edit: do they fit senior blades? I notice they sell Int blades.

 

[AIREAYE]

yeah Int shafts fit senior blades

 

[Devil Dancer]

Nike Bauer was selling a non-tapered One95 shaft a year or two ago for around $100. See if you can find one og those. I love mine.

 

[greech]

yeah Int shafts fit senior blades

Not all do. Brand to brand it varies.

 

[LarryO]

is their flex true to...flex(for lack of a better description)?

How would you rate them to more noticeable brands like Easton/Bauer?

70$ for a shaft would be my price point. Ive dropped money on shafts in the past and find I don't even like them anymore, so this may be a pretty solid idea.

edit: do they fit senior blades? I notice they sell Int blades.

Before getting the Base inter shaft, I always used senior shafts (which were really too stiff for me) because I wanted to stay with 2-piece and the inter shafts were hard to find. So I can't really compare it to what I've used. But at 5'7" 155lbs, I use their 65 flex inter shaft with 3" cut off making it around 75 Flex which definitely doesn't feel too whippy for me.

Their senior/inter blades have senior taper dimensioned hosels so the same blades are used for their senior and inter shafts. Keep in mind that they are tapered hosels and not standard hosels.

 

[Hobgoblin Steve]

Before getting the Base inter shaft, I always used senior shafts (which were really too stiff for me) because I wanted to stay with 2-piece and the inter shafts were hard to find. So I can't really compare it to what I've used. But at 5'7" 155lbs, I use their 65 flex inter shaft with 3" cut off making it around 75 Flex which definitely doesn't feel too whippy for me.

Their senior/inter blades have senior taper dimensioned hosels so the same blades are used for their senior and inter shafts. Keep in mind that they are tapered hosels and not standard hosels.

thats pretty much exactly what I was asking. Im more or less a big guy, but I just like int sticks. I like to cut my sticks pretty short too, so aside from price the INT is where Ive been going lately.

Base looks to be where im going right now, Id go with the Bauer from the guy above you, but Ive just not had any luck with Bauer stuff. Everything I buy from them I either hate, or break.

 

[DJnet65]

I've been using intermediate 2 piece sticks for a while now. I was using a Int Warrior AK27 70 flex with a Bauer X:20 P92 blade and it was ok.

After a while the blade started cracking and going soft so I replaced it with a Iginla Synergy blade from Easton. It was a much more top end blade and the difference was night and day. Puck feel was much improved and taking hard passes was much easier. Plus my shot was much better.

Then I got a Harrow 300 GS 60 flex 2 piece with the pattern 5 blade and I really like this stick. It has really good puck feel and is a bit whippier. It's a hair heavier than the Warrior but it's also about 3 inches longer, It's also much more blade heavy rather than balanced to the middle like the Warrior stick.

If you are looking for an int shaft I definitely recommend looking at the Harrows. There's another thread about harrow sticks in "the Rink".

I looked at the Base Hockey website, and they look interesting, but I don't like that they don't list any prices.

 

[AIREAYE]

Not all do. Brand to brand it varies.

iirc, all of the newer releases are senior blades only, you might be right in regards to older models though, I'm not sure. But intermediate OPS' are mostly senior-sized blades with smaller shaft dimensions, shorter length and less flex

 

[LarryO]

I've been using intermediate 2 piece sticks for a while now. I was using a Int Warrior AK27 70 flex with a Bauer X:20 P92 blade and it was ok.

After a while the blade started cracking and going soft so I replaced it with a Iginla Synergy blade from Easton. It was a much more top end blade and the difference was night and day. Puck feel was much improved and taking hard passes was much easier. Plus my shot was much better.

Then I got a Harrow 300 GS 60 flex 2 piece with the pattern 5 blade and I really like this stick. It has really good puck feel and is a bit whippier. It's a hair heavier than the Warrior but it's also about 3 inches longer, It's also much more blade heavy rather than balanced to the middle like the Warrior stick.

If you are looking for an int shaft I definitely recommend looking at the Harrows. There's another thread about harrow sticks in "the Rink".

I looked at the Base Hockey website, and they look interesting, but I don't like that they don't list any prices.

Their website for online ordering is not ready yet. But their pricing is on their facebook page to which I provided a link in post #4 of this thread.

 

[LarryO]

thats pretty much exactly what I was asking. Im more or less a big guy, but I just like int sticks. I like to cut my sticks pretty short too, so aside from price the INT is where Ive been going lately.

Base looks to be where im going right now, Id go with the Bauer from the guy above you, but Ive just not had any luck with Bauer stuff. Everything I buy from them I either hate, or break.

Be aware that BASE sticks are geared more for high performance and lightness than for durability. While the shafts have a kevlar outer wrap to improve toughness, they are not tanks like the Easton ST. But I read on their facebook page that they're coming out with a "toughboy" model that would be 40grams heavier. I don't know if that applies to the just the senior model or the inter also.

 

[Hobgoblin Steve]

Be aware that BASE sticks are geared more for high performance and lightness than for durability. While the shafts have a kevlar outer wrap to improve toughness, they are not tanks like the Easton ST. But I read on their facebook page that they're coming out with a "toughboy" model that would be 40grams heavier. I don't know if that applies to the just the senior model or the inter also.

I read that as well. I wouldnt say I'm hard on sticks in general, but for example, my X-lite(x-light?) stick, I broke the blade in no time, and in multiple places. Pretty much another broken stick for my "make into furniture" pile.

Harrow might be an option. A while back they had a 50% off thing, have they done that since?

 

[nullterm]

http://www.thehockeyshop.com/player/sticks/shafts/easton-magnum-senior-composite-shaft.html

Technically a senior shaft, but a bit shorter (I think) and at 80 flex, I find it alot more to my liking. Also only $40 a pop.

Compared to some one pieces I'd used that were 85 flex with a few inches chopped off (which increases the flex #). For this shaft, I didn't cut it down and found it to be the perfect flex and length for myself.

You could also try this, an actual 70 flex intermediate for $30, but I have no hands on experience with them:
http://www.cyclonetaylor.com/players/sticks/shfeastontyphoonint.html

 

[Jarick]

So are the Base sticks officially two-piece now? That's nice. Tapered I'd assume?

Glad they finally have a real website up.

 

[ponder]

So are the Base sticks officially two-piece now? That's nice. Tapered I'd assume?

Glad they finally have a real website up.

I recently went down to their office/fake rink and ordered a stick from them (I live in Vancouver, they're in a suburb), and asked them about their 2 pieces vs. 1 pieces. They mostly sell 1 piece sticks, but they are really a tapered blade and shaft bonded together firmly (like most "1 piece" sticks are). They said they are put together with "bondo", which from googling I assume is this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bondo_(putty)

You can order them unbonded, as a tapered 2 piece, but since they are made to be put together with bondo they are a touch loose as 2 pieces, you would have to shim with tape. When you go in to try sticks out they have them as 2 pieces, shimmed with tape (so they can make any combo of height/flex/blade you want), and it performed like any other high end stick to me, but their employee said it's a slightly better fit/slightly better performance when held together with bondo. I ordered mine as a 1 piece, from some googling online it looks like bondo softens and can be removed with a heat gun, it was all with reference to cars (what bondo is mostly used for), but apparently when you heat it with a heat gun it gets soft and can be easily scraped off a car, so I'm guessing the same would be true with a stick. When either the shaft or blade breaks I don't think it should be too tough to turn it into a 2 piece with a heat gun and a piece of rebar to knock the blade out with.

 

[LarryO]

I recently went down to their office/fake rink and ordered a stick from them (I live in Vancouver, they're in a suburb), and asked them about their 2 pieces vs. 1 pieces. They mostly sell 1 piece sticks, but they are really a tapered blade and shaft bonded together firmly (like most "1 piece" sticks are). They said they are put together with "bondo", which from googling I assume is this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bondo_(putty)

You can order them unbonded, as a tapered 2 piece, but since they are made to be put together with bondo they are a touch loose as 2 pieces, you would have to shim with tape. When you go in to try sticks out they have them as 2 pieces, shimmed with tape (so they can make any combo of height/flex/blade you want), and it performed like any other high end stick to me, but their employee said it's a slightly better fit/slightly better performance when held together with bondo. I ordered mine as a 1 piece, from some googling online it looks like bondo softens and can be removed with a heat gun, it was all with reference to cars (what bondo is mostly used for), but apparently when you heat it with a heat gun it gets soft and can be easily scraped off a car, so I'm guessing the same would be true with a stick. When either the shaft or blade breaks I don't think it should be too tough to turn it into a 2 piece with a heat gun and a piece of rebar to knock the blade out with.

Bondo is a company that makes a lot of different kinds of putties, resins, etc. for autobody work so it's hard to say exactly what he meant. Maybe he was just giving a very generic answer. Bondo uses mainly polyester resins but carbon fiber usually uses epoxy resins, so I would think that they most likely use some kind of epoxy.

When I received my blade and shaft, I noticed that they fit a bit loosely, not so much side-to-side but mostly front-to back, especially easy to see since the blade comes without any glue on the hosel. I guess these things indicate that their 2-piece solution was an afterthought. I added a few layers of tape only on the front and back of the hosel, covered it with hot glue, heated it up and inserted the blade. I've been playing 2-3 times a week for 2 months and it's still holding strong. There are a few chips in the finish from a few slashes and stick-lifting, but I guess the kevlar outer wrap is doing its job in stopping breakage so far. Time will tell.