Thoughts on Combat sticks?

[Doctor Hook 0]

I have an opportunity to purchase some discounted Combat twigs since I work for my local beer league doing scorekeeping. I guess my league has some sort of partnership with them. I have my eye on the 45 Cal. However, just some questions:

1) Anyone swinging the 45 Cal and your thoughts? How about the 52 Cal? As a beer leaguer who plays 2x a week ice and 1x a week roller, I like my gear to be somewhere between pro- and mid-levels. I like a mix of performance but with good durability since I don't want to keep buying new gear monthly (but I still do anyway, HAHA!)

2) Second question is more about the Combat brand in general. I see they make softball bats, but how come I rarely if ever hear about them for hockey? How's their reputation? It seems like they put out quality product but just don't have the "sexiness" of Bauer, Warrior, and of course, Mylec.

[krwwc6 0]

I have an opportunity to purchase some discounted Combat twigs since I work for my local beer league doing scorekeeping. I guess my league has some sort of partnership with them. I have my eye on the 45 Cal. However, just some questions:

1) Anyone swinging the 45 Cal and your thoughts? How about the 52 Cal? As a beer leaguer who plays 2x a week ice and 1x a week roller, I like my gear to be somewhere between pro- and mid-levels. I like a mix of performance but with good durability since I don't want to keep buying new gear monthly (but I still do anyway, HAHA!)

2) Second question is more about the Combat brand in general. I see they make softball bats, but how come I rarely if ever hear about them for hockey? How's their reputation? It seems like they put out quality product but just don't have the "sexiness" of Bauer, Warrior, and of course, Mylec.

I've been using ballistik 52cal tapered shafts for 2 years (same as combat). I have nothing but good things to say about them. They are awesome sticks. The only reason I don't use a one piece is because I've got a batch of 20 custom tapered blades. I think they are extremely durable shafts. I don't have one bad thing to say about them.

I think the reason they don't sell as well is simple, advertising. . . . You see every pro using bauer/warrior/easton. Reps get products to those guys so they use them. I've gotten a few guys on my team into ballistik (combat) 1-pieces and they all love them.

[HockeySavants 5]

Combat sticks are great, love their tapered shaft and their 52cal stick is just as good as any other high end composite. Just because or doesn't say Warrior or Bauer people will be quick to overlook them. What's crazy is a friend of mine picked up 5 for $600.

[cooperalls 4]

The 45cal is right in there with the Sherwood T90 in terms of performance vs price. It's a good stick with good durability. The 52 cal is very light, well balanced, but less durable. If you're getting a deal on them, they're all good sticks. At full retail, there's other sticks I'd pick in the same price range over the 52 cal, but the 45 cal is as good as anything I've seen in it's price range.

[chip1441 0]

You don't hear much about them for hockey because they have only done hockey for a year or two now. Same thing with Miken.

I have owned both Miken and Combat bats for softball... And of the two, the Miken is better.

Both companies have done softball bats for years. Just recently have they started to make hockey sticks. They have experience with composite materials, and though they don't dominate the softball market, they do make up a sizable chunk of it. Both have good great reputations in softball.

Not really helping as I have not used either of their hockey products... Just letting you know about my experience with the companies.

[Empieee 0]

I really like the combat/ballistik sticks! used a lower lvl one: .22 but those sticks are durable!!

too bad mine started to chip on the blade from bad shooting...

[team50 20]

You don't hear much about them for hockey because they have only done hockey for a year or two now. Same thing with Miken.

I have owned both Miken and Combat bats for softball... And of the two, the Miken is better.

Both companies have done softball bats for years. Just recently have they started to make hockey sticks.

Not true. They have made hockey sticks for 10+ years. They started under the names Ballistik and Tundra. They made both composite and wood sticks. Steve Sutherland started the company making composite sticks for other companies before creating his own brand, based in Ottawa. The early composite sticks were not good. I know because I owned several including a green shaft that he made for Bauer.

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

We have done Ballistik and Combat Long-Term Reviews for quite some time now. Check out the LTR section.

The 52 and 45 Cal are made by TrueTemper, which is a respected brand.

[chewy91 0]

I have been using a two piece Combat coming off the Harrow two pieces I liked a lot. At least till I got the Combat in my hand. The combat is a much heavier stick than the Harrow, but the weight makes it feel a lot better with the puck. It doesnt have that ping or brittle feel that I found the Harrows to have. The finish is better on the Harrows but nothing really out of the ordinary on the Combats. I would recommend the Combats to you if you are getting at a deal.

[Les213 1]

I've been eyeing the Pure for a while. However, they only make them in 90/100 flexes (or at least as stated on their website) when I usually go for the 75-55 range. It could be possible they aren't as popular just because their flex offering may not be as vast as a bigger company?

If it's good enough for Jaromir, it's probably good enough for beer leaguers like us...

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

Different OEM for the Pure, nothing to do with Combat's size.

[adam14 182]

I literally just got a combat back from warranty, it's the 52calR, i was a big fan of the 52calS I was using before. anybody know what the difference is between them?

[sharks25 9]

I literally just got a combat back from warranty, it's the 52calR, i was a big fan of the 52calS I was using before. anybody know what the difference is between them?

I believe its the shaft shape. I think the 52r is rounded more.

[romdj 26]

Different OEM for the Pure, nothing to do with Combat's size.

really? the pure is made by a different manufacturer?

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

Yep. PURE is made in Canada.

[tareatingrat 4]

Guy I know who runs a shop says the sticks are built like tanks, but company wise, they're not the easiest to deal with.

That's all hearsay, so take it for what it's worth.

[cbart 1]

Been using their sticks for about 8 years now...2008 version of the 52 Cal was and still is the best stick I have ever owned (tapered shaft and converted many OPS to tapered). Smaller shaft shape with rounded corners...295 grams (tapered shaft)..great kick. I keep searching high and low for it...

Things changed slightly with the recent offering in the 52 cal line (yes "R" is round shape and "S" is standard). The rounded corners are bulkier now than the previous versions (enough for me to shy away, but I like skinny, round corners).

My biggest beef with them is that they are very hard to find at the LHS (Minnesota, the "State of Hockey"), and around here that is inexcusable. Also not in their favor is no retail tapered shaft or blade option (booking orders only). Had some terrible experiences in the last few years with their customer service when trying to place orders for tapered shafts...delays, wrong flex being sent, standard instead of tapered sent, etc...The local rep here is a big softball guy, so he spends most of his time pushing that line, at the expense of the hockey gear.

[Scotty 8]

I looked for a long, long time for a shaft that I considered to be near perfect for my tastes. After originally sticking with Easton for a long time, then venturing to various Warrior and eventually Bauer sticks/shafts, I found what I was looking for in the 52 Cal R shaft. I found a site that would place an order for me for a tapered version of the shaft and although I waited a long time to get it, it is exactly what I was looking for. Great quality and finish, quite light (not the lightest shaft I've ever used, but right up there with it), good pop on shots, and nice puck feel (though most of this comes from whatever blade you use in the shaft). Shaft shape and texture is almost perfect for me: Imagine just a touch more round than the X60/APX, but with the clearcoated Kevlar texture of previous Easton sticks.

[innotastic 12]

how do you guys describe the kick point on the 52cal? the description out of the catalog makes it sound like a tps r6 how it gets stiffer towards the blade.

also, how square is the 52cal s? comparable shaft?

[Scotty 8]

how do you guys describe the kick point on the 52cal? the description out of the catalog makes it sound like a tps r6 how it gets stiffer towards the blade.

also, how square is the 52cal s? comparable shaft?

In my opinion, it feels about like a One95 as far as kick goes. Not completely mid at all, but definitely moved up a bit because of the stiffened lower portion of the shaft.

[CTHockey 2]

I got to shoot around with the new 52cal the other day and I was amazed with how the stick felt and reacted. Ive used the TotalOne for the past 2 years and this was a very easy switch for me. The matte finish felt great and the flex was very responsive every shot. I can definitely see this stick selling very strongly, the toughest part is going to be getting the customers to put down the Bauer or Easton and try a Combat they barely see in the NHL.

[Sofer 0]

great sticks. very light and responsive. i see that they are getting more popular

[Doctor Hook 0]

I've tried the 45 Cal in a few beer league games, and it is my backup to my Vapor X3.0. Not a bad twig, seems sturdy, I like the grip, but at the moment just don't dig it as much as my Vapor.

[iceman8310 103]

ballistik used to make the shafts for bauer and mission if I remember correctly

[icewalker_bg 126]

I have used 52 cal r, when it came out it felt better than any other high end stick, so light and so well balanced, I think its still ahead of many high end stick even today. Very durable too.

People dont know the brand and its really not popular, here it sits on shelfs until every single line goes on liquidation because no one buys to try. Some people rather spend 299$ + tax for bauer and easton just because of the name, but in reality they know nothing about the stick and differences, just the brand matters to them, nothing else.

I've tried the 45 Cal in a few beer league games, and it is my backup to my Vapor X3.0. Not a bad twig, seems sturdy, I like the grip, but at the moment just don't dig it as much as my Vapor.

I have not used the 45, but my guess would that its a better stickthan the 3.0? Its only one level below combats high end and the x3.0 is like 5-6 levels below.