Silverback Chrome O

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

open

[Justin Liedloff 13]

First and foremost, a big thanks to Silverback Hockey, Chadd and JR for the chance to LTR this stick.

Player Specs:

Height: 6'

Weight: 265 lbs

Position: Left Wing

Level: Silver West @ Anaheim Ice (B- / C+)

Current Sticks: Bauer APX 2-Piece 87 Flex Grip (P89)

Product Specs:

Flex: 90

Pattern: Houdini (Sakic)

Weight: 425 Grams (via digital postal scale)

Initial Impressions:

Appearance. The stick has a very minimal graphics package. The carbon is allowed to show through the blade and up through the middle of the shaft, at which point a matte black finish is applied, with the graphics on top of that. The graphics are well applied without any distinguishable “edges”. It appears that they are all applied below the finish coat. Lastly, it appears that 2 stickers were removed from the shaft next to where the Proof of Purchase label is. Presumably, one of these was the corresponding Proof of Purchase label. I suspect the other is the manufacturing origin of the product, as there are no other markings on the stick with regard to where it was made.

Construction. According to Silverback, the stick is constructed with "100% Toray Industries Carbon". It does not have a solid wrap of carbon, as there is an obvious fuse point, which is not only visible because of the carbon, but because it balloons out from the rest of the shaft.

I originally thought the stick had a slight kick forward where the fuse point was. However, after closer examination, it appears to be an optical illusion caused by the shaft tapering in the front, and the blade tapering in the back. I would personally try to have the taper on the same side of the stick, as it will eliminate the illusion, and provide nice clean lines.

The fuse point on this stick is far from pretty, I would go as far as to say downright ugly. Because there is no paint over the fuse point, you can see where the carbon comes together, as well as a couple of areas where voids were filled. Because most other fused sticks are painted, this very well could be the norm.

Weight & Balance. Light. Very light. So much so, that the UPS delivery guy asked what was in such a large box that weighed so little. When I told him it was a hockey stick, he didn't believe me. The stick is blade heavy, and noticeably so. I don't personally have a problem with that, but some people prefer a perfectly balanced stick.

Shaft & Blade. The shaft is straight and true, aside from the fuse point issue mentioned above. It has a spiral texture running down the shaft, similar to Bauer’s Supreme sticks. The entire shaft has a matte finish, except the spiral, which has a bit of a gloss finish. Silverback states the stick has a “Gorilla Skin” to give the stick “the ultimate shaft texture.” I would say the matte finish is similar to the finish on my APX blades. I’m not sure how much grip I will get from the texture, or the spiral, but I will keep an eye on it.

The blade appears to be very stiff, and is slightly thinner than my APX blades, but not by much. The wrap around the blade isn't the prettiest, as there are several areas where the pattern of the carbon gets skewed.

That's all for now. I haven't had a chance to use the stick yet, but hope to get it on the ice on Thursday for our league game. I will update after my first time on the ice.

[Justin Liedloff 13]

Apologies for not updating last week. I had a crazy work week and just couldn’t find time to write this up. So, this week we get two updates, rolled into one!

1st & 2nd On Ice Usage:

I used the stick for the first time about a week and a half ago. I took some shots in warmups, and pleasantly surprised with how well the shots felt. There was a bit of an adjustment period, as my typical pattern is nowhere near as deep as the Houdini.

Once I got my accuracy a bit more dialed in, I was able to fire of wristers and snap shots with little effort. The stick has a low kick point, which was an easy transition from my APX for snap shots and wrist shots.

However, when taking any slap shots, which, during a game, I rarely do, I noticed that the shaft was very rigid, to the point where the vibrations in my hand were noticeable. I’m not sure if this is because of the low kick point, or the slightly higher flex rating (90 vs. 85). Either way, I’ll keep an eye on it, and try to adjust my slap shot technique in an effort to eliminate the stingers.

I was happy enough with the performance during warmups to use the stick the entire game. My passing was on point, with the exception of a few backhand passes, which I attribute solely to the depth of the curve. I suspect that I will adjust as time goes on. My shooting was on target, and the releases were very quick.

Unfortunately, I missed my grip texture. I didn’t notice that the textured spiral provided any added grip to the shaft.

Lastly, of little consequence, but needing to be mentioned, the end plug fell out somewhere in the first period, leaving the end of the shaft open, which I personally can’t stand.

Prior to using the stick in my second ice session (last night) I decided to make a couple alterations, which I do to all of my other sticks. I didn’t do them from the beginning, as I like to let the product speak for itself prior to changing it. However, since the end plug fell out, I had to do something.

I cut approx. 1” from the end of the shaft and inserted a 1” wood extension. I have this same setup on all of my other sticks (except Easton and TPS, as they already use a wood plug). I prefer the wood extension, as I can round down the sharp edges of the plug, which gives a much smoother feeling in the palm.

Prior to cutting the shaft, I noticed that the walls are substantially thinner than anything else I have seen. I’m sure this is where a majority of the weight savings is gained.

The lack of wall thickness may contribute to the vibrations in the stick, but this is only a theory.

I used the stick again during warmups last night. I still felt a bit of vibration, but much less than I had in the past. I think adding the wood plug to the end of the stick definitely helped in this regard.

The stick played well during the game. It was responsive and did what I asked it to do. Unfortunately, my ice time was cut short, thanks to CAHA’s new rules regarding head contact. I received a high stick penalty, which came with an automatic 10 minute misconduct. After siting 25+ minutes (real time, not game clock time), I was freed from the sin bin, my muscles nice and cold. My first shift out, I hit a rut and pulled my hamstring, which ended my night. In total, I played less than half the game, so not too much usage to report on.

Our next game is next Sunday, and provided my hammy is good enough to play, I'll report on my findings after another on ice usage.

[Justin Liedloff 13]

It's finally update time again. I ended up missing the last two games of our season, one on 10/7 due to my hamstring still being tender, and the other on 10/14 due to a scheduling conflict.

After those two games, our season was over, with a bit of a break between seasons. I tried to get out to a few pickup games, but they were all sold out by the time I got there.

Our Fall/Winter season started up again on 10/28, and I used the stick in warmups only, as it had been quite some time since I played, and I needed all the help and familiarity I could find!

Our second game of the season was 11/4, and I ended up using the stick for 2/3 of the game. It felt good in warmups, so I continued using it during the first two periods. My passes were a little off, as were my shots. I also noticed that the stick started feeling a little softer, which I suspect can be attributed to me getting used to the flex pattern. I ended up using my Bauer APX for the third period, as someone stepped on my blade and tore all of the tape off.

Our next game was a week later, 11/12, and I used the stick for warmups and the first period. My passing was crisp, shots were accurate, and the stick performed wonderfully. One thing to note is that I took a massive lumberjack slash directly to the hosel of the stick, and was shocked to find that it didn't break. I suspect that the ice may have taken the brunt of the slash, as the offending player's stick broke. Much like the previous game, someone stepped on my tape, and tore it to pieces, so I finished up the game using my APX.

I find that the transition between the two is relatively easy, as they both have a lower kick point. The biggest difference I notice is the depth of the pattern, and the lack of grip on the Chrome O. When I switch from the Chrome to my APX in the middle of a game, I notice a definite increase in my passing and shot power and accuracy, which, admittedly, could be completely mental.

We had a bit of a break between games, with our most recent game being played this past Sunday night. There's nothing like 2 weeks off, with a holiday focused on eating thrown in! I was sluggish they entire game. My skates were too tight, my lower back was tweaked, and nothing felt right. I used the stick for the majority of the game, and didn't notice any major issues. I would like to say my passes and shots were great, but, to be honest, I don't remember doing much of either during the game.

We play again on 12/5, and will try to update shortly thereafter.