stick flex discussion

[Scrub*]

I have an old easton synergy se6 grip, 100 flex. I'm around 5'11 220lbs and i can't flex the thing for wrist shots or clappers. Anyone else used 100 flex and absolutely hate it? Cant wait until it breaks or somehow magically dissapears.

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[Jarick]

I'm 5'8 so I hate anything over about 70 flex.

My first OPS was an 87 flex Vapor XX. Looked awesome, felt light. Couldn't flex it to save my life. I didn't even cut it down for the first several weeks, so it was as tall as I was. Once I cut it to my chin, there was no flexing it. Those were stiff too for 87's.

Then I bought a TPS X-Stiff shaft for $20 and I got tennis elbow really bad from playing with it.

After that I got smart...went down to whip flexes. Tried an 85 in there at one point but it was impossible to flex.

And now I'm all the way down to 65 flex intermediates and 1-2" below the chin in skates.

 

[sanityplease]

I have an old easton synergy se6 grip, 100 flex. I'm around 5'11 220lbs and i can't flex the thing for wrist shots or clappers. Anyone else used 100 flex and absolutely hate it? Cant wait until it breaks or somehow magically dissapears.

Try 85-90, @ 5'-11" you probably don't cut off more than 1-2 inches off of a stick. 100 flex is fairly high. I'm 5'-11" 210, & find a 90 good, but if it's a cheap composite it starts to feel like a wet noodle pretty fast (I don't like feeling flex when I give a hard pass).

 

[Stickmata]

I'm 6'2"/175 and I use an 85-87 flex stick. Can't flex a 100 at all, but I think it's as much about technique as it is size or strength. One of my team mates plays with a 100 that he cuts down a fair bit, so it's probably like a 115, and he's only about 5'11". But he's a very good player with a good shot.

 

[noobman]

Most players use a stick flex that is too high for them.

I'm 6'2 at about 210lb. I can handle a 100 flex stick but I will occasionally whiff a wrist shot because I wasn't able to get good flex on the stick. I absolutely love it for snapshots and slapshots though!

My wrist shots are much improved with an 85 flex, but I seem to have no ends of trouble receiving passes with it. I also like having the 100 flex around as motivation to get stronger.

 

[Jarick]

I had a teammate who was 5'6 150 and used a 100 flex cut WAY down. No idea how he could manage that thing.

 

[dwreckm]

Ack. I just realized I don't understand stick flex right, and I have a stick that is way to stiff for me (and before anyone else says it, "That's what she said.")

 

[r3cc0s]

Ack. I just realized I don't understand stick flex right, and I have a stick that is way to stiff for me (and before anyone else says it, "That's what she said.")

For me, a low kickpoint flex seems a lot different than a mid...

An 85 in any synergy seems to be stiffer than a 100 in a stealth...

I can feel and find the stealth s19 to flex quickly and without much weight, though its a 100 flex

 

[dwreckm]

I've got a Bauer Vapor X20 stick in 87 flex, but it needs about two or three inches cut off. It's got a low kick point, but I'm still thinking it's going to wind up being too stiff for me, and I have trouble with slapshots as it is.

 

[ephmrl]

I'm 6'/160 and I use an 85 flex.

 

[hyster110]

i have a couple Bauer One95s and a total with 102 flex and i absolutely love them, i am 5"10, round 230. i find the flex is perfect for both snapshots and slap shots as i play defence. i also have a couple vapor XXXXs with 87 flex and they feel about the same stiffness as my other bauers. i think it also depends on the kind of stick your buying in terms of which flex to buy

 

[ponder]

Re: low vs mid kicks, I too feel that it's much easier to notice/feel the flex when shooting with a mid kick stick. For example, my 77 flex X60 feels like it flexes about as easily when shooting as the 87 flex one80 I've used, and it feels significantly stiffer than the 77 flex one95 I used to own. I can't confirm that this is the case for all brands, but in general if you're moving from a Supreme to a Vapor, I'd go down 1 flex level, or alternately if you're moving from a Vapor to a Supreme, I'd go up 1 flex level.

Re: the OP, if a 100 flex stick feels way too stiff for you, maybe try an 85/87 mid kick.

 

[shawn1331]

I'm 5'8 125 lbs and use an Easton 65S 85 flex cut down about an inch and a half. I have no problem flexing it and I can shoot upwards of 70 mph with it. But it's really a stickhandling and snapshot stick.

 

[ArrogantOwl]

Re: low vs mid kicks, I too feel that it's much easier to notice/feel the flex when shooting with a mid kick stick. For example, my 77 flex X60 feels like it flexes about as easily when shooting as the 87 flex one80 I've used, and it feels significantly stiffer than the 77 flex one95 I used to own. I can't confirm that this is the case for all brands, but in general if you're moving from a Supreme to a Vapor, I'd go down 1 flex level, or alternately if you're moving from a Vapor to a Supreme, I'd go up 1 flex level.

Re: the OP, if a 100 flex stick feels way too stiff for you, maybe try an 85/87 mid kick.

The lower kick will act stiffer because the lever affect is decreased. You have to do more of the work verse a mid-kick.

 

[j0tunheim]

I'm 6'2 180lbs and use a Bauer Vapor x40 102 flex with a PM9 curve. I've been playing ice hockey for less than two months, but I find that my experience playing street and ball hockey growing up has transferred well. The most most difficult part of the transition, apart from skating, has been the weight of the puck. It was surprising at first, but I feel that I've gotten used to it now and have developed my wrist shot quite well on ice. It was never a problem to get the puck up for me, and if anything I usually shoot over the net if I'm not focusing, and I get a lot on the shot so I assume the flex is suitable for me in that regard. I've been working on my snap shot, and sometimes find that I don't get as much on it as I'd like, perhaps due to the stiff flex, but I can't be sure. Also been practicing slap shots recently, and I haven't been able to get much on them yet. Usually they will just slide along the ice. Sometimes I'll hit it just right and I get a great hard shot out of it, and sometimes I'll hit it and it will go way high and the puck will turn on end a little bit (not sure why). So all in all I feel like with a better technique on snap and slap shots, the 102 flex could work well for me, but I haven't yet tried a lower flex stick to see if it makes a big difference for me.

 

[Squidriss]

Its weird i have a itech stick from walmart that was like 50 bux for a compo that i have gotten attached too and a easton eq20 stick.. Whats weird is that the itech stick flexs more for me and it has an 87 flex while the easton i feel is much stiffer yet is only an 85 flex. any of you guys have thoughts on why?

 

[AIREAYE]

Maybe because the Itech stick is crap.

 

[hyster110]

i was going to post that lol

 

[Jarick]

I stand by my rough guidelines:

- Under 5' tall: 50 flex
- 5' to 5'6: 65 flex
- 5'6 to 5'9: 75 flex
- 5'9 to 6'2: 85 flex
- 6'2 and above: 100 flex

 

[sanityplease]

I stand by my rough guidelines:

- Under 5' tall: 50 flex
- 5' to 5'6: 65 flex
- 5'6 to 5'9: 75 flex
- 5'9 to 6'2: 85 flex
- 6'2 and above: 100 flex

It only takes 15lbs more force for a 100 flex to act like an 85 flex. (flex is how much weight it takes to bend the stick 1", kickpoint is where the stick bends the most)

Strength/technique & stick length can modify those quite a bit but looks like great starting points.

 

[Squidriss]

Maybe because the Itech stick is crap.

WooooooooooooooooooooooooooW

 

[johnjm22]

I'm 6'2 but I actually like the 75 flex for roller hockey.

I use the RBK 11K. It's a light stick to begin with, and using the high flex version makes it even lighter; it's close to 400 grams.

Since a roller hockey puck is considerably lighter than an ice hockey puck, you don't need as much weight and rigidity behind it when making contact. I like to use a heavy rigid stick during practice and warm up, then switch the the 11K 75 flex when the game starts. The contrast makes the puck feel ridiculously good on my stick.

It's not the greatest for slap shots though, but I'm a forward so I rarely get a chance to crank out a slapper with a full back swing. I do keep a Bauer 85 flex with me in case I need to play defense.

 

[goonx]

I stand by my rough guidelines:

- Under 5' tall: 50 flex
- 5' to 5'6: 65 flex
- 5'6 to 5'9: 75 flex
- 5'9 to 6'2: 85 flex
- 6'2 and above: 100 flex

Good starting point. I'm 5'8, 140lb and my first stick was 100flex. It's like a ROD.

I've gone to intermediate sticks at 65 flex and it's perfect. Depending on your style of play (d or forward), you can move up or down. Ovechkin uses a 70 flex stick and he's a beast. 200lb+ 6'0. Kessel uses a 60-70 flex stick as well.

It really depends on the rule of thumb is: a whipper stick is better than a stiff stick. A stick that's too stiff can be really detrimental to your techniques.

 

[hyster110]

Good starting point. I'm 5'8, 140lb and my first stick was 100flex. It's like a ROD.

I've gone to intermediate sticks at 65 flex and it's perfect. Depending on your style of play (d or forward), you can move up or down. Ovechkin uses a 70 flex stick and he's a beast. 200lb+ 6'0. Kessel uses a 60-70 flex stick as well.

It really depends on the rule of thumb is: a whipper stick is better than a stiff stick. A stick that's too stiff can be really detrimental to your techniques.

i would think thats a terrible rule of thumb, there are way more factors that come into play that affect what flex you should use

 

[ArrogantOwl]

It really isn't that bad of a thought. The taller you are the longer of a lever you can use and the easier it is to flex. Simple physics.