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B1scu1t

Have things changed

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My first post, so I'll give a little background. I used to play and referee hockey until the real world took over and my career (truck driver) kept me unable to play. The first couple years I was able to play off and on at pick up games or drop in. After a couple years though I hung up the skates and gave up for 13 years.

Well, now I'm back! Joined a Sunday D league team starting the first week of September and have been playing drop in's the last couple weeks to slake off the rust. All my old equipment was wasted after sitting in my parents cellar for a dozen years, so after a little Christmas in August, I have all new equipment. But man, have things changed! Especially stick technology. Flex points, composites, lies, grip/no grip, etc.

That brings me to the point of this post. I bought a Sherwood EK-5 as a "starter" stick because I used Sherwood in my prior time and I like the Coffey blade. I didn't want to spend a lot on a stick with just getting back into playing, but wanted a 1 piece composite, and this was on sale. Fast forward a couple weeks and I have had the chance to try a few sticks of other guys at drop in's (a couple Bauers, Easton, a CCM and Sherwood) and one of those was the EK-15. I loved it. I also tried a guys T-100 and really liked it.

My question is, I read Sherwood is coming out with a T-120. What would the major difference be between the EK-15 and the T-120? Should I just go ahead and pick up an EK-15 or wait for the T-120? Getting back into things my shot is no where near the strength it used to be, but I am fairly accurate still. I always did mix my shots from slap to snap to wrist fairly equally and it seems to be the same for me so far.

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They're two different lines (like Vapor and Supreme in the Bauer world).

Download the Sher-Wood catalog from this site and have a look. They explain all the differences between the lines :)

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Essentially the main difference would be kick point, ek15 is low and the true touch series is mid. They may also differ in terms of shaft geometry and patterns available. There are threads for both sticks that I recommend you check our, might help you decide which is best for you.

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Just a thought, look into a tapered shaft/blade setup. It will allow you to experiment with curves and lies until you find something you really like. A good tapered set up is pretty much equal to a one piece.

Experimenting with sticks can get expensive rather quickly. Sucks to shell out the dough for a stick and not like the lie or the face angle.

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I took 21 years off from hockey and things certainly have changed. Like you, I was way too busy with my career to even give hockey a thought. Then last year I started public skating again for exercise. Now I play pickup hockey a couple times a week.

I bought all new gear since I sold mine a long time ago. Gear seems much lighter these days. I remember playing in high school and thinking how bogged down and restricted I felt in my gear. Not so today. Either the gear is that much better, or I just got stronger... or both.

As far as sticks, I experimented with a few. I am 5'6 140lbs so I got a Warrior 55 flex that had to be cut down about 5". It felt too whippy. Then I got a Sherwood 5030 like I used in high school... too stiff. A couple weeks ago I got a CCM RBZ 80 65 flex. I cut about 5" off that one and it feels just right. From what I understand, the flex should be approximately half your body weight. That is a good starting point.

I am still learning to use the flex though. When I was in high school I was too small to be able to get any flex out of the sticks of that era.

I have not experimented with many of the new sticks though. I just try flexing different sticks at the shop and get one that feels right and costs less than $100.

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For what its worth I love my EK15. I go back and forth between that stick and a t100. I like both sticks. I would have stuck with the ek15 but got an awesome deal on the t100's. The t100 would be a cheaper option if your unsure.

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