So sick of breaking sticks..... Advice?

[gemini8026 1]

Hey guys... me again..

Im getting fatigued of this already. I play 3-4 times a week in rec hockey. ASHL for those of you in the know. Nothing fancy, but I have my fun and I love it! Standard C division.

Anyhow. I appreciate a good stick. Im one of the better players on my teams, and I take a lot of shots. But this is ridiculous already.

In the last year

2 - S19's

2 - Stealth RS's

2 - Crazy Strongs (these broke the easiest oddly enough)

1 - Mako

1 - CCM Stage 2

1- Warrior Widow

9 sticks!!! Good sticks, EXPENSIVE STICKS! Haha.

They are all cracking at the blade. It's not due to poor technique, or anything that I am doing. I tape my blades well, but when you play 3-4 times a week, guys hack at you, step on things, etc.

Anyhow. I love the performance sticks, but I need some durability, Ive spent too much on sticks lately, and I want to find a good balance.

Any recommends for upper end units, that will still have a little more material for some durability?!?

My one friend recommended a Sherwood T90, I havent tried them, but its worth a peek. Anyone else have any feedback or suggestions for any of the newer lines?!?

*also saw the new kickstarter thing for COLT, but thats a ways off yet. I still have a lot of games the next few months until that is an option.

[Larry54 243]

Where are the blades cracking? Does the crack start at the heel, toe, bottom, top, hosel?

[Miseaujeu 291]

Check the DT3 or DT3LT out. They are close to "high end" weight, but very durable.

[Stewie 721]

i dont see any reeboks listed. I have had very good luck with my 11k in terms of durability, although my grip has faded off, but so much ive done to this stick with little showing of wear performance wise.

Their new model is the ribcore. While it is still new tech for them in the construction, you might want to give it a check. The 60 day warranty they offer could be nice for you as well.

subsequently, the 25k is one step down from ribcor. although i have only one game in on it, i am impressed thusfar!

[guitarfreek92 7]

again i ask where your blade is cracking it could be your stick os to long or short or the lie you use is not correct for how you shoot

[gemini8026 1]

Thanks guys. I never thought about Reebok, but they are worth a try. Im going to go check some out at the local shop after work today.

As for the question. They are breaking all over. Ive had some fall apart at the toe, but moreso mostly in the middle of the blade. My widow took a slight slash to the top of the blade. 2 shots later it was split in half, and that was my third session with the stick.

[Chadd 916]

Thanks guys. I never thought about Reebok, but they are worth a try. Im going to go check some out at the local shop after work today.

As for the question. They are breaking all over. Ive had some fall apart at the toe, but moreso mostly in the middle of the blade. My widow took a slight slash to the top of the blade. 2 shots later it was split in half, and that was my third session with the stick.

Slashing will break any and every stick on the market. If you play a lot in a league that allows it, you are going to go through sticks every couple weeks.

[gemini8026 1]

^ And that's exactly what happens. There are ref's, but without contact, guys feel they need to hack away at your stick more to get the puck off of you.

IT's bad enough our league fee's are so heavy, the stick's are just as bad.

FYI, Easton ST's were always great to me. Easily the best for this style...

Either way, going to try a Reebok, any extra longevity is worth it!

[n3gkiwi 1]

I'll throw out a suggestion for Base. Sticks have always been durable for me. And you can always get a shaft/blade combo and then just replace the blade if it breaks... Their blades are very durable. Realistically though if you're getting breakage due to slashing, may not matter.

[mcne0101 16]

I used Eastons exclusively since the release of the original Synergy, i absolutely love the Iginla curve and I love the sticks from a performance standpoint. That said, I just got tired of them breaking on me so I switched to Bauer. So far I've had my Nexus for close to 7 months, its gotten hit by shots, slashes, etc and just keeps on trucking. It could be luck but it feels like more than that, I can even take one timers without feeling like the thing is going to break every time.

[icewalker_bg 126]

Easton ST and T90 X2. They are slightly heavier but should last you long. The ST is proven stick, lots of NHLers used to use it (and maybe some still use it). You can find good deals on them too.

[forbs02 20]

If you keep breaking blades, the practical answer is get a high quality tapered shaft and blade. It still has good performance but now every broken blade will cost you $40-$60 instead of $200.

[romdj 26]

First, definitely say t90 and st are great choices, I'd lean towards t90, great consistent quality and it is still in production. It also has a better feel and shoots better.

At this point there are 2 threads I'd redirect you to just in case.

1. if it's broken, you might want to convert your ops into a 2piece, harrow and base make great tapered blades and you'll find plenty from the usual brands:
   http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/7494-cutting-ops-at-fuse-point/
2. if you think you can repair it then a guy had a great advise to make the blade strong again by mixing graphite powder and epoxy and filling the crack:
   http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/64649-stick-starting-to-crack-near-the-heel-can-i-repair-it/

[gxc999 7]

The real answer here, in my mind, is to find pro stock sticks. Ideally, you'll find them in a store so you can physically feel them. I've fallen in love with some pro model Dolos and 10/11/20k sticks. They often are 20-40 grams heavier, but sometimes feature the same tech and are longer lasting. BTW, if you're breaking blades a lot, a thinner blade is not necessarily the best feature to get.

[Wolfpack_1986 146]

My solution for not breaking sticks is fool proof. Be weak and have a crappy shot.

[Sliwka 0]

Aluminum shaft and wood blade ;)

[sickwilly 37]

Add another vote for a high quality 2 piece setup. 11k shafts and blades have been very durable for me.

[Cosmic 178]

2 piece: TotalOne shaft and Warrior blade- the blade seems to have gone "bad" on me after about 20 skates and 200+ hard slapshots, which I am fine with ... I think the shaft is still good as new (102 flex) ... about to move to Easton blade so I can try the Iginla curve- if it breaks, then so be it, I just put a new paddle on and no big deal

[MrData 93]

^ And that's exactly what happens. There are ref's, but without contact, guys feel they need to hack away at your stick more to get the puck off of you.

IT's bad enough our league fee's are so heavy, the stick's are just as bad.

FYI, Easton ST's were always great to me. Easily the best for this style...

Either way, going to try a Reebok, any extra longevity is worth it!

If you liked the ST, you should try a Mako M5 (or M5 II). Apparently they're basically repainted STs. Also, you really should look into the Colt sticks, because they're engineered specifically to address breakage through slashes and impacts on the blade and bottom of the shaft. Sounds like the perfect stick for you.

[retroXvertigo 4]

I've had a lot of luck with Total ones and One95s.

As others have said, a two piece might work well for you if blades are you problem.

[craig9128 0]

I had the same issue. I went and picked up the Warrior Dynasty AX3 when I broke a Reebok 20k. There is a difference in weight but the balance of the Dynasty makes it feel like a high end stick weight wise. I play C level three times a week and the stick feels like the day I bought it. Check out warriors newer sticks you won't be dissapointed.

[mnpucker 33]

Aluminum shaft and wood blade ;)

HA had a guy in a league had this combo ! I watched him saw several sticks in half with it. Then it was my turn....2w sticks in two weeks. The next week I got close he wrapped it around me in a whip style slash. I caught it under my arm, through my own feet in the air and ended up doing a form of a suplex on that Darn battle axe. Awe yeah I did it and enjoyed it, I left the ice to applause and stick clapping. Turned to the guy and said lives a biotch.

[arcsinice 6]

Believe it (or not.......). Give my friends up in Roseau a call at BOA Hockey. Sorry to say, NOT made in China.

[Amiroo39 121]

If you liked the ST, you should try a Mako M5 (or M5 II). Apparently they're basically repainted STs. Also, you really should look into the Colt sticks, because they're engineered specifically to address breakage through slashes and impacts on the blade and bottom of the shaft. Sounds like the perfect stick for you.

The M5 replaced the ST, but it certainly isn't a repaint of the ST. Also, the M5 II is lighter than the M5 and has the same weight as the Mako (first gen).

[meteor 0]

I have a similar problem/observation and I'm wondering if this is something I have to live with or if there is a better way. I play rec league and am not strong by any measure, so I buy intermediate one-piece composite sticks online whenever they go on sale. I try to take 100-200 practice shots each week using a shooting pad in an abandoned tennis court. All this practice has been paying off, but after what I'd estimate to be about 1000 shots I get a distinct degradation of the stick blade. This can be in the form of a longitudinal crack, but what usually happens is the blade will get very flexy and mushy without any obvious physical damage. Simply bending the blade by hand reveals loss of stiffness. No surprise -- this results in a noticeable loss of power and accuracy on the shot. It appears that the stacked layers of material in the blade start to pull apart or de-laminate with use. Even though there's no catastrophic failure (crack or splinters), the stick is almost worthless to me at that point. I've experienced this with Bauer, Easton, Reebok, etc, but these are all intermediate flex shafts that typically retail for under $100.

Is this normal composite stick degradation?