Equipment: STICKS - Buying Guide and Advice

[michaelshu]

I know the answer should be obvious, go for the right handed stick, but I am right handed and right footed which stirs things up. To poke check with my left hand ( I assume the hand you use with a right handed stick) feels awkward and less precise to me, but feels fine with my right. Should I just switch hands when the time arises or consider shooting left. Or am I making a big deal out of nothing.

TLR
Right handed, right footed, like to shoot right. Left hand stick poking feels wierd, what do i do?

You said shooting right feels more natural, so i would go with that. Poke checking is easier to work on compared to shooting/control.

I am looking to buy a new stick (my 87 flex APX broke at the end of my season). What would you guys say is the most durable top of the line stick?

The TotalOne for mid-kick points, and well... APX for low-kick points.
How did you break your APX?

 

[Stories]

Wrong thread, lol

Correct one: http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=49958153&postcount=142

 

[CoutseysCorner92]

The TotalOne for mid-kick points, and well... APX for low-kick points.
How did you break your APX?

lower part of the stick (seems like it's near the kick-point)

 

[AIREAYE]

Finally took the plunge on a new pair of skates. I went to my LHS and found a pair of CCM U+ 09 that were left over on clearance in my size. I got a pretty decent deal on them, $180. I'm now finally wearing a skate that fits my foot. I didn't bake them last night, I'll get them baked sometime this week as I really wanted to try them out on my game (I'm upgrading from a terribad pair of Bauer Silver which were $40 when I bought them and was first learning to skate that was a size and a half too big).

I tried to them during my game last night, and it's amazing how much of a difference a new skate can make. Each stride transferred power to the ice so much better than my old skates, my turns were crisper and faster. The entire boot is so much stiffer than my old one that I can really feel how much better of skate it is. The steel is also much better and digs into the ice much better so I've got much more stability when turning. My first two steps are now much more explosive than before because I lose less power when taking my strides.

All in all, I'm a very happy man. Now once I get them baked, I'm hoping that the boot is a little bit more comfortable Right now, they're not particularly comfortable.

Good to hear haha, but wrong thread

 

[donkers*]

I'm going to get me one of those RBZ's when they come out this Fall. Saving all of my pennies from now until then. Literally.

 

[Stories]

Good to hear haha, but wrong thread

LOL. Oops. Thanks

 

[michaelshu]

I'm going to get me one of those RBZ's when they come out this Fall. Saving all of my pennies from now until then. Literally.

Let us know how they feel!
I couldn't wait for the RBZ so I got the Mako last month, it would've been a perfect stick for me if the shaft is not boxy..

 

[do0glas]

hey guys,

so im buying my second stick.

when i first bought it, i hadnt even ever tried playing. so i ended up with a bauer supreme one55 p92 87 flex 59-60" ~. heres what ive determined.

1. i need a lower flex rating. ideally id like 75.
2. the stick needs to be shorter. standing in bare feet, this one eclipses my nose by about an inch, id like it in bare feet to be between my chin and my top lip.
3. the backstrom curve is a little too much, im leaning more toward the p88 to get the all around feel.
4. the lie, im still undetermined on, right now i use a lie 6, and i feel like i have to get a little further down to execute a wrist shot than id like.

im pretty much set on getting a bauer x:6.0. so keep that in mind

heres my questions for you guys.

1. i see an intermediate bauer x60 and it comes in at 57". i need to take about 2" to achieve the flex rating i want, or close enough that its negligable. im 5'9 145 lb. not overly strong, but not weak either. i can probably outdo my weight class in most areas, but not by a big stretch. will 2" get it to 75 from a 67 flex? also the only lie the p88 comes in is 6, is it a huge deal from 5 to 6?

the senior sticks seem to start at 77, and then are already too tall for most of the guidelines ive seen. so no matter which senior stick i buy im always going to end up with 87 or more flex.

am i just kind of in the middle here?

is intermediate the right way to go?

and is there a stick that would more fit my needs thats comparable?

thanks for your time!

EDIT: been messing with my current stick, and grabbing the top where i think ill cut it down. the lie 6 will probably work. im guessing im not skating with a deep enough knee bend. if i get a lie 6 and cut it down 2" will that affect much?

 

[do0glas]

sorry for the dbl post.

im going a different direction with this.

since im still inexperienced, and newly transitioning to intermediates, i think im going to buy two different low price point sticks, instead of one top end 160$ stick.

im looking about the bauer x 3.0, ccm u+08 and the easton mako m1. would these be good ones to start with?

also should i get different curves on each one?

 

[Jarick]

At your height and weight, the Vapor intermediate would likely be a good fit. They are on the stiffer end of intermediates but nowhere near as stiff as a senior cut down, which is a good thing. Actually most intermediate sticks feel pretty similar in terms of flex with the exception of maybe the Warrior 55 flex.

Skating with a deeper knee bend will put your stick blade more on the heel, which means you'd want a lower lie, not a higher one. The P88 curve is closer to 5.5 lie, but then again so is the P92. You may want to check the PM9 curve which is pretty mild but a 5 lie.


I would recommend NOT going with two cheap low end sticks, and just get one good intermediate shaft and a couple blades to try out different curves and lies. A few ideas would be:

Base hockey - you can get a shaft for $75 and a blade for $55. Two blades plus shipping ~ $200. You'll probably want to get the 75 flex intermediate shaft though as they are whippy.

Hockey monkey - get a Warrior intermediate dolomite clearance for $70 then a couple Easton wood tapered blades for $25 each. Total would be ~ $120 with free shipping. These are great shafts and blades. Once you find the blade pattern you like, you can invest in a good composite blade, or just keep using cheap woodies that might have better feel without the durability.

Hockey giant - get a pair of Easton EQ40 one piece sticks for $80 each or the S15's for $80 each.


For blades, you'll probably want one of each:
- Easton Cammalleri ~ Base BM09 ~ Harrow #1 ~ Bauer PM9
- Easton Iginla ~ Base BC88 ~ Harrow #5 ~ Bauer P88

 

[do0glas]

thanks for the advice.

i went ahead with the CCM u+08 and bauer supreme ONE30. with two different curves/lies p88 and lecavalier curves. 5.5/6 lie.

they werent the entry models but one above that, and from what i could see the higher end ones just had a few extra features. both of them normally retailed at 100 and i ended up spending 125 total.

ive been using a senior bauer one55 and the length is annoying, as is the flex. so i went with a 67 flex stick and im going to cut it down 2" to hopefully be somewhere between my chin and upper lip in skates.

the reason i went with two sticks is because since i started with bauer i keep gravitating toward them, so i wanted to see/feel another brand, most of the reviews had decent things to say about each stick.

 

[AIREAYE]

Too bad, you should have opted for one stick at the pricepoint ($100-110) above those; that's where the most value lies imo. The X:40/4.0, One60 are definitely worth the money.

 

[do0glas]

thanks for all the tips guys, ill just live and learn at this point . at my skill level im expecting to feel a big difference just from the flex and length, and then as i progress ill start knowing how itll help me to have a lighter stick/ different kick points and stuff. i had a pretty set price point and i wanted more options to experiment with, so ill let you know how it goes .

 

[michaelshu]

I recently went back to my old stick length (collarbone), but now I feel that even my 67 flex Int. stick is too stiff because I'm short & have to cut it quite a lot. So I'd probably need a 60 flex stick soon.

Can any of you tell me which brands has 60 flex besides Bauer or Warrior's 55 flex?

 

[AD1066]

Anyone here purchased a pro stock stick? How was it?

I have a Reebook 11k arriving tomorrow which I paid about $120 for and I'm not sure what to expect.

 

[AIREAYE]

Anyone here purchased a pro stock stick? How was it?

I have a Reebook 11k arriving tomorrow which I paid about $120 for and I'm not sure what to expect.

That's it right there, you never know what to expect. Reebok/CCM sticks have various codes. Post them when you see them. There should also be a 2 or 3 letter abbv. in the crest where Sickick 3 is iirc, post that too.

 

[AD1066]

That's it right there, you never know what to expect. Reebok/CCM sticks have various codes. Post them when you see them. There should also be a 2 or 3 letter abbv. in the crest where Sickick 3 is iirc, post that too.

H-14 (curve)

1490
Tr
085
2771A
A1

 

[Jarick]

I recently went back to my old stick length (collarbone), but now I feel that even my 67 flex Int. stick is too stiff because I'm short & have to cut it quite a lot. So I'd probably need a 60 flex stick soon.

Can any of you tell me which brands has 60 flex besides Bauer or Warrior's 55 flex?

Miken has a variety of lighter flexes. Easton has a lighter intermediate flex. Base has 65 and 55 flex intermediate shafts. Harrow has a 60 flex shaft.

 

[AIREAYE]

H-14 (curve)

1490
Tr
085
2771A
A1

H-14 (and H-11 among others) are 'stock' pro-stock curves available to anyone who orders a run of custom sticks from Reebok/CCM. One can either choose from a preexisting database of curves or pay to send a mold of their own unique custom curve. H-14 is one of those database curves if I'm not mistaken.

Tr is traditional shaft dimensions (straight side walls and rounded corners iirc)

85 flex

The rest are construction and specific model number designations I believe.

Does it say FV, FC, SV, SC or TLL anywhere?

 

[AD1066]

H-14 (and H-11 among others) are 'stock' pro-stock curves available to anyone who orders a run of custom sticks from Reebok/CCM. One can either choose from a preexisting database of curves or pay to send a mold of their own unique custom curve. H-14 is one of those database curves if I'm not mistaken.

Tr is traditional shaft dimensions (straight side walls and rounded corners iirc)

85 flex

The rest are construction and specific model number designations I believe.

Does it say FV, FC, SV, SC or TLL anywhere?

I do not believe so. And thanks, by the way.

 

[Debrincat93]

Just got the new 52 cal reloaded combat.... thing is like a whip.. takes a lot of getting used to again after being with the EQ50 after my other combat broke..

 

[Trl3789]

I'm interested in knowing which tapered blades you guys like. I just got a vapor X60 shaft and am trying to figure out what blade to try out.

 

[do0glas]

so i went out and bought a 25$ wooden left handed stick to make sure i couldnt possible improve by switching hands. i think i chose correctly by initially getting a right handed stick, i could get shots off and stick handle with the lefty, but the precision just wasnt there and even if i decided to start from scratch with it and improve that side, it wouldnt have improved me overall. as in i wouldnt necessarily be better with my left than my right.

just wanted to make sure though!

 

[Trl3789]

Also, does anyone know anywhere online i can find composite tapered blades? I've been having a hell of a time finding any.

 

[Jarick]

Ice Warehouse
Hockey Giant
Hockey Monkey

I like Warrior and Bauer tapered composite blades. Easton for tapered wood.