Review: Warrior Covert OPS

[Jarick]

Might as well kick it off. These are a series of posts I made about my Covert stick and a review at the end.

Warrior Covert DT-2, 55 flex Kopitar grip

About Me: 29 year old C-leaguer, 5'8 and overweight (but dropping!)

Just got this as the warranty replacement for the Diablo that busted at the heel. It seems slightly lighter and better balanced than the Diablo. Blade looks funky with the different weave in the middle and they've gone back to a gloss coat. The intermediate was about 63" long (!!!) so I chopped off a TON of stick. Left it about 1/2" longer than normal, which is just below my bottom lip in bare feet. Grip finish is slightly ribbed and feels fine, maybe not as tacky as my old Dynasty.

Went 55 flex as the 70 flex low kick sticks have been feeling stiff for me and I don't like to drop my low hand and really lean into shots but let the stick and puck do the work for me. It's whippy, no doubt about it. But when I cut what seemed like 8-10" of stick off it feels good, maybe a hair whippy, but good.

Stickhandling with a Smart Hockey ball, the puck feel is excellent and the balance is excellent as well. Should be great for stickhandling. We'll see about the shooting when I get on the ice next week.

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First game with the new Warrior Covert DT2 (55 flex).

This stick is very light and well balanced. Significantly better than the old Dynasty and Diablo sticks. Blade feel is very good but being so whippy the stick was a hair tricky to work with catching hard passes.

Shooting is fantastic. I barely take slappers and will even less with this flex. But the light weight and balance means no lag in wrist shots. There is SERIOUS power with this stick, significantly more than the old 70 flex Diablo and Dynasty...quite possibly the most kick and power I've felt from a stick. I don't know if it's the flex or the design but it's fantastic.

In warmups I was clanging off the post and bouncing out of the zone. Guys seemed fairly impressed. In game, I had a shot on the goalie so hard that when he gloved it he couldn't clamp down and it actually bounced out of the glove and kicked back out front several feet. First time I've seen that.

Downside is accuracy might have taken a bit of a hit with that whippiness, at least until I get more time with it. Might have been a one-off...but might have been too whippy.

The light weight also made stick plays easy. I broke up a few rushes coming back with one-handed stick checks and lifts. Funny play was when I poke checked a really big strong guy while he was shooting and his shot was so hard my stick flew halfway across the ice.

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Another game with the 55 flex Covert DT2.

Missed warmups and then missed the net a ton. My shots come off quick but I'm missing my corners. I think it's a little too whippy and/or a little too long.

Switched to the Bauer Nexus 600 backup which is 3/4" shorter and a little more lag but closer on the corners...of course the puck feel isn't anywhere near as good.

Chopped the DT2 down to Nexus length at home. Feels so light and short now (just below bottom lip in bare feet). We'll see how it goes.

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(At this point, I went to a Miken Z9 in a different curve and jumped around a bit more, then used it a few more times, still have it in the rotation, review to follow)

Click to read more...

 

[Jarick]

Okay, here's your review:

Warrior Covert DT2
Grip Finish
Intermediate 55 Flex
Kopitar Curve

Appearance
Warrior tends to make good looking sticks and this is no exception. The font is easy to identify and there's enough color and interest to draw attention without being overly flashy.

You can see this stick vs the boring looking Nexus 600 and the dated looking Miken Z9:



Shaft Profile & Grip
Like most Warriors, the Covert has slightly rounded corners, and the intermediate shaft felt pretty average compared to other sticks.

Grip felt good to me, there's a bit of texture on the corner and grippy finish on the shaft.

Weight & Balance
Not sure the actual measured weight, but this stick definitely felt light. Didn't have the feather weight feel of my old Vapor X:60 (which was under 400 grams for an intermediate), but quite light in weight, maybe 420-430 grams? Balance is good, neither too blade heavy or light.

Puck Feel
Feel is excellent, as are most high end Warriors the last few years. Not a lot of vibration catching hard passes, but not as soft as wood. Enough feedback for puck handling. No complaints at all.

Flex & Kickpoint
This definitely feels like a very low kick stick that is as whippy as rated. I seem to prefer something between 65 and 70 flex with either no engineered kick point or dual kick points (like the Vapor). I chose the 55 flex because the 70 flex Diablo felt too stiff. Well, the 55 flex DT2 felt a bit too whippy for me, but that's the risk I took.

Shooting
With my two ice times using the 70 flex Diablo, I didn't quite figure out how to load the stick optimally. It seemed for snappers where you dig into the ice before shooting it would launch the puck, but wrist shots not so much.

For the 55 flex DT2, it's easier to load, so you don't have to dig into the ice, which works well for me since I'm a cup-and-fire shooter. And when I got my timing right, leaning into the shot slightly, it fired some HARD shots.

But I believe the excessive whip hurt my accuracy, as shots tended to spray high and wide compared to similar length/curve sticks in a stiffer flex.

I think the stick best suits someone who likes to take short windup slap shots and quick snap shots over someone who takes wrist shots or big slappers where they really lean into the shot.

Durability
I haven't used this stick consistently over the last several months, but to date there is a bit of wear on the blade, a couple very small chips on the blade that haven't gotten worse over time, and the blade and shaft still feel stiff as new. Much improved over the two ice times of the Diablo.

Conclusions/Recommendations
I think the Covert DT2 is a big improvement over the Diablo. They've retained the puck feel while improving durability, lowered the weight, improved the balance, and updated the looks. The only complaint or reservation I have is that I didn't like the flex/kick of the stick.

If you like a low kick stick like the Widow or Easton Stealth, this is a pretty good value towards the higher end.

 

[Jarick]

At this point, I would say the thread can move into ongoing thoughts, questions from people interested in the product, and of course any other posters' review or experience on the product.

 

[AIREAYE]

Best selling points for this line imo are : True1 construction throughout the line, unique low-kick and flex versatility on top tiered models.

The DT4 is a solid offering in the $100 range while the DT5 is a good stick at that low-mid pricepoint. Great avenues to try that Dagger taper.

So far so good on the durability front, the blade issues some people have on the Widow seemed to have been rectified.

 

[God]

Best selling points for this line imo are : True1 construction throughout the line, unique low-kick and flex versatility on top tiered models.

The DT4 is a solid offering in the $100 range while the DT5 is a good stick at that low-mid pricepoint. Great avenues to try that Dagger taper.

So far so good on the durability front, the blade issues some people have on the Widow seemed to have been rectified.

What were the blade issues on the Widow? They're on sale for 120 at Sportchek right now. Probably won't get one, but just curious.

 

[AIREAYE]

Chipping and delamination on the blade, but based on feedback, it didn't appear to be an S17 or RS-like issue (not as widespread). My Widow has held up for a bit over a year now with occasional use. However, I must stress that if you've never had significant durability issues with a stick before, then you shouldn't worry about this one. $120 for the Widow, S19 and the 'pro stock' all-black AI9 are fantastic deals.

 

[Jarick]

I had a Diablo (Widow with a slightly different blade and construction) and the blade cracked at the heel and snapped on me during the second usage. Very uncharacteristic.

But, I have seen several guys using Widows for 2+ seasons as well.

If you like true low kick sticks, the Covert line is very good.

 

[jsykes]

Best selling points for this line imo are : True1 construction throughout the line, unique low-kick and flex versatility on top tiered models.

Remember though, the DT2 that is being reviewed here is NOT a true 1 construction but a high fused stick.

 

[AIREAYE]

Ah true, forgot about that, thanks for the correction.

 

[Jarick]

Remember though, the DT2 that is being reviewed here is NOT a true 1 construction but a high fused stick.

Correct. It's that funky new Warrior construction method where they fuse a shaft and blade, but instead of just gluing a blade with a solid hosel into a shaft, they make a hollow hosel and the tapered portion of the shaft and fuse that with the rest of the shaft.

Warrior does market this as raising the kickpoint slightly compared to the DT1, but from what I can tell it still acts a very low kick stick as the top portion of the shaft is still pretty stiff.

Just for clarification

 

[God]

Got a DT1. The release is fantastic. I, too, may have gotten too whippy of a stick (75 flex instead of 85) so my accuracy is a bit off. Probably need some more stick and puck time with it. Unfortunately after the first game, there was a giant scratch at the heel. I figure it's a skate blade, but still kinda ugly to have on a new stick. Oh well.

 

[JZCislesHockey]

I tried those sticks. Wasn't impressed.