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JR Boucicaut

Ballistik Caliber 45 Stick

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Well, I just got this stick today in the mail. I will be doing a long term review on the product.

I'm 6'3'' and play in a beginner hockey league.

The Ballistik 45 Caliber OPS is the second in a range of 4 OPS they offer.

They have the 22 Caliber (also available in camo), the 45, the 50 and 52.

First impressions, this thing is really light. Up to now, I have used wood, or older OPS (bauer truflex), or the shaft/blade combo, which was usually older heavier shafts.

I was very surprised at the weight.

I'm using a 90 flex, right handed mid-curve (similar to iginla per their site).

The graphics are very nice, red to black fade (it's darker than it looks on the site, nicer in my opinion)

Description of the item can be found here

http://www.ballistikhockey.com/products/item.aspx?id=27

Thats pretty much it for the introduction. This is a stick that seems likely designed for someone at or around my level, who wants to get familiar with an OPS, without the cost of the higher end models.

I have a game tomorrow night, where it will get it's first test drive, and I will be updating this on a regular basis.

So far, from an astethic and feel point of view, I am excited, but what counts is from tomorrow on.

Edit: Some pictures of the stick/blade

http://www.flickr.com/photos/organize/?start_tab=sets

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Update after one game.

First, this may be a little bias, because last week I had the worst game I've ever played, this week, I think I had my best.

Got to the rink early, so got out and was able to take a few shots with it.

I have 3 old shafts, and a Bauer Truflex, pro 102 flex, and a couple of wood sticks.

This is the 90 flex. I am still learning how to take a slapshot, but with this stick it's definately getting a bit higher.

As for the feel, I have heard people describe big differences between wood and composite. I am not a high level player, so for me, the composite felt as good as the wood. I didn't feel the puck bounce off the blade as I've heard others describe.

The mid curve really suits my style, but thats a personal preference, so I'm not going into that, with more use I will get more into the curve.

The stick feels very light coming from what I had been using, but it feels durable.

I took a couple of slashes, and the only noticible effect was very very minor paint chipping on one side where it was hit.

So far so good, as I said, I will try to be as objective as possible, but I had a strong game tonight, so for now, it is being attributed to the new stick.

Stay tuned for more as I get more use for it.

Also, using the very simple balance on the finger test, it's a well balanced stick.

Can't rate durability and other traditional review factors yet, but that will also be charted

EDIT: just adding pic to show the chipping, minor stuff, no damage to stick whatsoever

closestickchip2yj8.jpg

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OK, I have had 4 ice sessions with this stick in the past 2 weeks. 2 of them were league games, one a charity game, and one stick and puck.

I am not sure if it's in my head, but I have played the strongest 2 league games of my career to date, so its either the stick fitting me and my skillset perfectly, or just a confidence boost I've been playing with of late.

As far as the stick performance goes, I really couldn't be happier. What I do not know is the price of this stick to do a comparison to others in the same range. I know it's their mid level offering.

I have found the stick responsive, and very light (Again, coming from wood, and old shaft/blade combos which I had a wood butt end in, so there is a noticible weight difference for me)

I weighed the stick on our digital scales, and it was 1.2lbs, which works out to about 543 grams, for those of you who take weight seriously. Compared to my only other OPS, an old Bauer truflex, wit a weight of 725 grams, you can feel the difference.

I don't find the puck hard to control recveiving passes, I had read about the difference in feel from wood to composite, but I have not noticed and major difference.

I am really trying to test this thing properly, and it has held up great. I know it's only early days, but I've read about durability issues on other sticks. I've had a couple of the guys on my league team who can fire off slapshots better than myself take a few in warmups, and they were all suitably impressed with the flex and feel of the stick to the point of asking where they can be got locally.

For me, slapshots are still a work in progress, so if the stick was going to break easily, it would be from that, either hitting the ice too early, or putting too much of my considerable weight on it before the release.

So far so good.

The only thing that I have noticed is the paint chips really easily, but I don't care about that at all, as performance is not affected.

I have been getting into the corners and mixing it up a little too, now that I am not worried about breaking it first time out (I didn't want to get it, and go out, then come back and my first post to be "It broke")

It can take a beating, it looks like someones skate went over the top of the blade, so there is a tiny nick, but apart from that, it's structurally sound.

Its also strong enough that I could hook a 6'4'' d-man on friday night without him breaking the stick (It was the first time I'd ever been called a "Big Galoot" on the ice)

I am hoping to get out at least twice before my game on friday, so will continue this review next monday.

I am having a really difficult time being objective at the minute because the games I have played with this stick have been the best games I have played, well, ever. I will see how I feel after a bad game, but so far, apart from the paint chipping, it is getting top marks.

Cheers

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OK, time for another update.

I played in my league game friday night, and because we were shorthanded, I was lined up at center for the evening. This meant there was a lot more stick on stick contact than usual for me, in the face off circle, in front of the net and such. So it was a good chance to see the durability of the stick.

Below are a few photos, were you can see there are scuffs from contact.

Just a little scuff

ballistik002mt1.jpg

Little slap in the faceoff circle, left its mark

ballistik003ou3.jpg

Despite the high traffic abuse, the stick itself is holding up very well

ballistik004sd9.jpg

There is only one spot on the blade where it looks like it's starting to be a little worse for wear. The blade is still completely intact, however, there is a little bubble like thing near the bottom of the toe. It is still stiff, and it has not cracked the blade, nor broke the seal, but in the interest of a full and honest review, I thought I would disclose it.

ballistik005pq9.jpg

By the way, what looks to be a scratch on the face of the blade is just some tape residue.

I tried to take a pic of the blade front on, so you could see it hasn't been cracked or affected with the above pictured bubble, but it just looks like I have a mental curve now, but as you see, no cracking

ballistik006zy9.jpg

I also said I would do the balance test thing, so I pulled the bike mount out of it's box in the dining room and you can see, it's got a good balance to it.

(excuse my curious dog, the other one is too lazy to be curious thankfully)

ballistikbalanceaw6.jpg

So, I feel at this stage, I have had the stick for just about 3 full weeks, and have played in 4 full games and a couple of stick and pucks, that this is as good a stick as I've had.

I have not used any high end sticks, nor am I likely to inthe future, but for a mid level stick, this really has everything I need.

My next installment, I will try to do it in the style of the review section as I feel I am close to having played enough with it now that I can give it that sort of review.

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I've had 3 games since my last update, all 3 of them playoff games.

Unfortunately, 2 of them were back to back (not the next day, game 1 at 8.15, game 2 at 9.45).

This past week, has been the first time that I have really not thought about the stick. Before, while I was getting stuck in, I was worried about it breaking, or something, these games I just played, and stick be damned.

I have to say, durability, while I have only had the stick about 5 weeks is the one thing that I'm impressed with. I am a heavy guy, in a beginner league, and by the middle of the second period, of the second game last week, the stick essentially became a third leg/tripod to help me up. I've looked down the shaft from all sides, and there is no bend, still straight as an arrow.

The blade itself has some minor chipping, but no actual structural damage, and it's still stiff as it was on day one.

Now, to prevent my complete bias toward the product, my wife suggested that I take one of my old sticks to stick and puck, to compare the two, because I've only been using the ballistik for the past 5 weeks.

So, off I went with the Ballistik, and a Bauer Truflex (my only other OPS).

First of all, the weight difference is noticible between the two, on the ice and off it. I had said previously, I'm not really at a level to where a few grams here and there will make a difference, but I could feel it.

Secondly, the curve on the Bauer was so wrong for me compared to the Ballistik, so it wasn't as comfortable. I could however lift the puck higher with the Bauer (using the gagne curve, a sandwedge compared to the ballistik mid curve to me)

Thirdly, the flex on the Truflex is pro-102, compared to my 90 flex.

These three things combined made it hard to be objective, because if I had got a different curve and flex, and the bauer wasn't 3 or 4 years old, it may have been different.

I came away thinking even more that the Ballistik was a stick I can stick with long term. I'm not caught up with name brands or such, if the gear fits right (which is why I love my itech pants).

This stick feels right.

I don't know the price of this particular OPS, however, I can definately say that the construction, weight, curve and flex options that they offer, along with the strength/durability I have experienced with it in the first 5 weeks has me thinking, if this becomes available in my area, at comparable prices, I will definately purchase it.

I have not got a goal with it yet, I have had a few assists, and I've been a lot closer to actual goals than I was before. Before I swung and hoped, I've been playing stronger of late, with the puck, and have felt more confident shooting it. I would have had a couple last week, but one hit the goalie on the head, and the other squeezed through the pads and stopped a hair from the net.

But the stick has done everything I could have asked for and more, it's great.

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Well, our summer league finished at the end of August, and our winter league is now underway. Being the strict diciplinarian that I am, I have not seen the ice since then, until Thursday the 4th of October, so I have not had any updates.

Because I'd been away for a month, I decided that I would play the second period of my first game, with my old stick, just for comparative purposes.

My old stick being the tank that is the Bauer Truflex.

That decision lasted approximately 1 shift. Something I had only noticed before when actually weighing the sticks, I now feel on the ice, and thats the weight.

The Truflex felt very heavy comparatively, to the point that I told my wife after, I was becoming a stick snob, and would only use light sticks from now on, to which she laughed (I'm no gretzky)

The one thing I have mentioned before, and I feel like I need to keep mentioning it, because it is something that is vital to stick buyers who play at my level.... Durability.

If I'm going to drop decent coin on a new stick, I don't want my lack of honed technique to cause the stick to last 1 day past it's warranty. The Ballistik 45 caliber is a beast, a lightweight beast. I took a really stupid high sticking penalty on Thursday, and the penalty box door felt the brunt of my stick, but no damage to the stick itself.

It is chipped up pretty badly, but if you look down the shaft, it is still straight as an arrow, not even dents in it, just missing paint.

I've got a comfort level with it now, where I just play with it like it was a $15 bargin basement woodie, because it doesn't crack, it doesn't break. I don't go onto the ice thinking it will.

The blade, which I was worried about after a little chipping round the toe, is still stiff. I've posted the pics of the chipping on the toe, but it's hardly noticible, and hasn't got any worse.

My wife left our camera with her mother when she was back in Ireland a couple of weeks back and we haven't got a new one yet, but we are getting one, and I will post some pics of the stick as it is now.

The reviews should be coming on a more consistent basis now because I have league games right through february. I will try to spot any flaws, noticible wear/defects that come with time and constant use, but so far, it has handled everything this fat wannabe has to offer, and is still golden

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OK, after a 6 week layoff due to a back injury, I finally got back on the ice two times last week.

I have to say, the more I use this stick, the more impressed I am with it in terms of durability.

This thing has taken a beating, from my fat ass using it as a tripod to pick myself up after taking a fall at the end of a shift, to whacking it off the door in the penalty box when taking a dumb penalty that results in a goal with 2 seconds left :rolleyes:

At stick and shoot last sunday I was trying to improve my slapshot. One of the guys who was there switched out sticks with me. He was using a wood sherwood 5030. Again, the weight difference was noticible, as was my ability to get the puck up off the ice.

I have pretty poor form as I'm only learning how to take slap shots. With my stick, I can get it up, not top corner up, but enough to clear goal pads when the goalie drops down. I think its a combination of the curve/flex, rather than technique, because with the wood stick, it was flat on the ice the whole way.

My practicing slappers is also a testament to the durability as I've hit the ice way too soon, in some instances so early that I hurt my hand. But still the stick holds up. It's chipped up pretty bad at the minute, but thats just the paint, not the actual blade or shaft. The integrity of it has not been compromised at all.

I took this stick, along with my old Koho torpedo woodie to my game on thursday night. I went out for the warmups with the woodie, took one shot, changed out to my ballistik, and didn't touch the Koho for the rest of the game.

I think this stick is making me a composite snob. It's the first one I got that wasn't about 3-4 years old, so was light, but durable (as previously mentioned my other sticks/shafts are Bauer Truflex, and some Easton classic/ultra light shafts from the early 1900's it seems).

I think, if I can find a local dealer, I will invest in a couple of their shafts, as I would like to experiment with a lighter flex, and a heavier flex, along with some experimentation with the curves.

If I can find a local dealer, I am definately going to use them going forward.

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