Old school wood stick vs today's sticks.

[Heat McManus]

I wonder how long this debate will rage .... I would imagine that someday wood will not be available for purchase.

it'll be available. It'll just be about $70 per stick. hehe.

been wondering if people have looked into the viability of using bamboo. there are baseball bats made with it. It's got a natural whip to it, and is green (fastest growing plant on earth I believe)

 

[CanadaBacon]

There always will be a market for wood. Some guys just dont want to drop over 30$ for a stick.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

it'll be available. It'll just be about $70 per stick. hehe.

been wondering if people have looked into the viability of using bamboo. there are baseball bats made with it. It's got a natural whip to it, and is green (fastest growing plant on earth I believe)

You'll find them right next to the wood bow and arrows, wood golf clubs, wood tennis raquets, wood wagon wheels, flint lock musket rifles and leather hockey helmets.

 

[Heat McManus]

You'll find them right next to the wood bow and arrows, wood golf clubs, wood tennis raquets, wood wagon wheels, flint lock musket rifles and leather hockey helmets.

lol.
as a retailer, we have enough customers who are buying wood sticks to make large orders. most stores have a decent selection of wood sticks and companies are still making a few sticks in their line out of wood.

i don't see it happening for the near future at least.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

lol.
as a retailer, we have enough customers who are buying wood sticks to make large orders. most stores have a decent selection of wood sticks and companies are still making a few sticks in their line out of wood.

i don't see it happening for the near future at least.

I know .... there is actually a hockey shop in a rink not far from me that has as many woodies as compos. They even have the new Northland woodies that look oldschool with just plain black text like the old 70s Northlands we used to buy. Not sure who makes those and stuck the Northland logo on them. A very cool nostalgia thing though i almost bought one just to hang on the wall in the game room.

We had to curve those ourselves though back in the day usually with fheat from the stove burner and wedging it in the crack of a door to bend it.

I know people like wood and are set in their ways. I wonder if someone should take a poll and ask if they use wood and what their age is.

Just guessing I would say the old farts use wood and the kids don't. I can call an old fart an old fart because I am over 40 and an old fart.

 

[CanadaBacon]

Technically wood bows are still quite popular ie Recurve, Long.

I see your point thought

 

[Jarick]

That's the kicker, you can get wood sticks for $30 CAN up there, but down here, a 5030 is $40 USD. For $20 more, you get a clearance stick that was $150 last year. Every time I get nostalgic for a wood stick, I remember that I don't have $45 after tax to be nostalgic.

 

[pfloyd75]

been wondering if people have looked into the viability of using bamboo. there are baseball bats made with it. It's got a natural whip to it, and is green (fastest growing plant on earth I believe)

You've never seen Kudzu, have you?

I know bamboo can be used for everything from fishing poles to cutting boards to floors. Not sure why it couldnt be tried as a component for sticks. With a little reinforcement it might be ok.

 

[stick9]

Wood sticks might stay in one piece longer, but they go soft really fast, and the blades die a fast death. Composites break more spectacularly, but they break less often. If you watch on tv, you see sticks flying apart, which gives the impression that they're not durable, when they really are. What you don't see on TV is all the wood sticks thrown out after each game because they have the approximate feel of a wet noodle.

Composites are new until they day they die, and they last a lot longer then most people think, and when they do break, it's often the blade, not the shaft.

Feel has gotten a lot better over the years. There are also a range different types of feel, something you never had with wood. Pick yer poison as it were. I love the feel of a vapor XXXX. Most people hated it. Thing is, you have options.

You can also regulate flex much better, and you can also choose where the stick flexes to create different kickpoints.

Really, the biggest drawback to composites is the pricetag. To mitigate that, look into a two piece setup, closeouts of old top end sticks or pro stocks.

Elshupacabra, where the hell does any stick cost $300? MSRP on the most pricey is around $240, and nobody ever seems to charge the full price.

That pretty much covers it, eh.

One thing people at home may not realize is, pros are ordering sticks made to certain specs and even tweaking them further when they get them. All of which leads to a higher breakage rate.

I remember using a brand new wood stick that felt dead and the curves vary from stick to stick. Anyone who used a wood stick for any length of time knows what I mean. Not the case with composites.

Bottom line, if composites weren't a superior product pros wouldn't waste their time with em.

 

[stick9]

You've never seen Kudzu, have you?

I know bamboo can be used for everything from fishing poles to cutting boards to floors. Not sure why it couldnt be tried as a component for sticks. With a little reinforcement it might be ok.

Because it's heavy as all heck and pretty dense.

 

[CanadaBacon]

An s19 grip is 319$ in some stores here, non grip 310$.

An s17 is 299$ grip, 280ish$ non

But besides the Kronik which is 280$, most top ends are about 260$

 

[Jarick]

It's amazing how much their screwing Canadians on hockey gear prices. $300 for a stick that I can buy for $200 out the door at some shops here, and there isn't much difference in the currency anymore.

 

[AIREAYE]

An s19 grip is 319$ in some stores here, non grip 310$.

An s17 is 299$ grip, 280ish$ non

But besides the Kronik which is 280$, most top ends are about 260$

This ^

The cheapest top line OPS is prob prostock 10k's and Warriors, ive seen those for ~$100-150

 

[rinkrat22]

hey boys... you're getting f---ed up there. $300 for a ops f-me!

 

[edog37]

I have a composite, but hate it. I have a wood stick I got back in high school (almost 20 years ago) & it still serves me well. They can talk about tourque all they like, nothing beats a good wood stick. These composite pieces of garbage are constantly breaking & are overpriced.

 

[edog37]

Using a wood stick in 2010 is like going to Best Buy and buying an Atari 2600 rather than an XBox360.

you clearly have never played with a wood stick before...

 

[greyraven8]

until a couple years ago, only used wood sticks.

have a low end composite - CCM vector. originally got a pair of them - my 2nd vector broke due to a slash. like them but end of blade seems to be chipping away fairly quickly.

had an octogun - only lasted a half dozen games before blade cracked in 2 spots at end parallel to the ground a couple inches long - useless now. it was chipping away too.

next stick i get i think i will either be going back to wood or getting a 2 piece (if i can find something i like at a reasonable price).
used to use the titans (had plastic along bottom of blade) and have a spare koho stick like that now. would typically last a whole year on average - went soft - usually didn't break and didn't chip away like these cheaper CCM composites. of course i usually played defense and did more passing and hacking in the corners, and didn't (still don't) have a real slap shot.

when i play goal i have some wood sticks with a straight blade - can be a pain to find now days.

has anyone used any low price composites that didn't break or quickly chip away? if so, i'd consider getting a composite again if someone could recommend one (that has right handed blade with little curve, and no weird twists in a regular flex).

when switched from wood was suprised the "feel" of the composite was as good as it was considering what i had previously heard about the "feel" of composites.

for the record, i'm another old fart at age 41 in canada

 

[timnsr72]

im 18 yrs old and most of the time i would choose a wood stick over a composite, i love my bauer supreme one25 and since i cant afford a stick over $100 the bauer supreme one55 would be my favorite ops


im the exception, being a young person that perfers wood sticks

 

[Hockeyfan68]

I have a composite, but hate it. I have a wood stick I got back in high school (almost 20 years ago) & it still serves me well. They can talk about tourque all they like, nothing beats a good wood stick. These composite pieces of garbage are constantly breaking & are overpriced.

A woodie for 20 years? Do you even shoot with it? lmao

If you've read around and actually used compos consistently you would see they do NOT break constantly.

They are more expensive than wood sticks but last many MANY times longer and are actually cheaper to buy than the amount of wood sticks one would use in a year if they actually play.

I'm befuddles me how a wood stick could possibly last you 20 years ... even by accident.

 

[stick9]

I have a composite, but hate it. I have a wood stick I got back in high school (almost 20 years ago) & it still serves me well. They can talk about tourque all they like, nothing beats a good wood stick. These composite pieces of garbage are constantly breaking & are overpriced.

There's about 700+ NHLers that disagree with you.

As far as breakage is concerned. My composites outlast any wood stick I've ever owned.

I agree with the overpriced part, but there are some really good deals out there if you look.

 

[CanadaBacon]

I cant see a woodie last 20 years, i cant get a woodie to last 10 games.

As much as i am still a big fan of wood, comp is the way to go these days.

I cost me less to use high end OPS's over a season then it would to use wood.

Saying all that, i would still use wood over any low end OPS.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

If you have a woodie that lasts longer than 4 hours .... go see a doctor immediatey.

 

[Lososaurus]

For what it's worth, I've noticed that wood sticks have a much better 'feel' for the ice and the puck than composites. On the flip-side of that though, I didn't notice the 'feel' during a game, as much I did during warm-ups. No time to think about it. As far as durability, I use Easton Synergy ST's and neither have broken in 5 months of chops, shots, practice, so I can't offer an opinion. I also haven't had a wood stick break in 5 or so pickups I used them in, so.....I guess I'm gentle on sticks.

 

[edog37]

A woodie for 20 years? Do you even shoot with it? lmao

If you've read around and actually used compos consistently you would see they do NOT break constantly.

They are more expensive than wood sticks but last many MANY times longer and are actually cheaper to buy than the amount of wood sticks one would use in a year if they actually play.

I'm befuddles me how a wood stick could possibly last you 20 years ... even by accident.

I'm careful with it, but I just the feel of the puck on it vs a composite.

 

[edog37]

There's about 700+ NHLers that disagree with you.

look at the amount of times players break their sticks on a shot in a game. It was never this prevalent 20 years ago....