Hills 709 Report post Posted April 9, 2016 Sherwood Rekker EK60 85 Flex P26 Stastny Stick History: Sherwood 9950 Wood Coffey, Bauer Supreme (Sport Chek SMU) Kane, Sherwood T70 Stastny, Winwell GX8, Easton RS Parise, Warrior AK27 , Warrior DT1LT Pavelski, Warrior DT1ST Grandlund, Verbero PM44, Sherwood Rekker EK60 PP26 Stick Info: Height: uncut Weight: 387 Grams Grip: No Shaft: Matte Length: 59 inches Usage: 6 Months Personal Details: Male, 6'3", 210lbs, 26 years old. Adult B-level. About me: I played hockey my life as a goalie and about 4 years ago I decided I wanted more ice time and that I wanted to skate out as a player. I had no idea what kind of stick I liked as well as what curve I liked and what flex, this was all new to me and my shot was terrible to begin with as expected. Since then I have obviously gotten better and stronger but I am still figuring out what curve/length/flex that I prefer. Review Details: I have used this stick for about 5 months as my primary stick. I started out using it with its stock length, and then added a plug to attempt to get the stick to my prefered length. I have then taken the plug out as I was having more difficulties with it in than with dealing with the shorter length. Preface: I got this stick for free so I would do a review on it and give feedback back to Sherwood. This stick isn’t my ideal stick in terms of length and curve. I like heel curves more than toes but there wasn’t a real good heel curve option for this stick. Since I am playing forward now more often than defense I figured I’d try out the toe curve. Grip: I am not a huge fan of grip sticks so I opted out for the non-grip version of the Rekker EK60. The shaft is made of a nice matte finish paint that feels great in my hands. I like the matte better than glossy sticks since I feel the matte gives better grip and just doesn’t feel as slippery while not being overbearing in grip. I feel this is a pretty standard matte stick and the only style of grip I have enjoyed more is the Warrior Velvet grip. 9/10 Aesthetics: I think Sherwood does a really good job with their sticks, from the T90 to T120, retro wooden Rekker EK15 to the newest EK60 Sherwood does a good job of using colours as accents as well as showing the “exposed” weave in certain places on the stick. I feel like the orange, black, white and grey colour scheme works really well and is never too gaudy or loud. The small graphene molecule design on the lower part of the shaft is a nice nod to the new material Sherwood is using there. While the design is good and works well over all price points it still isn’t my favourite looking stick (the Easton Mako) but I have absolutely no complains here. 9/10 Blade/Curve: Like I said earlier I like heel curves and there wasn’t an option for one when picking this stick so the toe curve I have on this doesn’t exactly work perfectly for me. The blade in this Sherwood feels extremely firm and since the day I got it has not gotten softer or felt like it has started to break down. This was a bit of a change from what I am used to but I learned to really like the firm feeling blade as it is great for feeling exactly where the puck lands on a hard pass and I have never felt a pass that a puck bounced off of the blade when I believe I should’ve been able to corral it. Blade flex seems pretty non existent so shooting is extremely consistent in regards to the blade. With the toe curve I had to adapt my passing and how I play defense since I found saucer passing to be more difficult and low shots from the point creeping up too high making it harder for deflections and rebounds on goalies with active hands. Because of the toe curve and stick length I have had a bit of a challenging time reaching for pucks and losing pucks off the toe. I am used to flatter blades and toe curves make the blade slightly shorter I find I am losing more pucks off the toe while stick handling. Since I enjoy the blade stiffness so much I will look for this when purchasing future sticks and the only negative I have about the stiffness is you can feel a bit more vibration on shots and passes.. Curve: 6/10, Blade: 9/10 Stick Handling: I am more of a defensive player and will admit to having a set of concrete hands. With that said this stick has created a learning curve for me when I used it and switched from the longer and flatter bladed Warrior DT1LT. I found that I’d lose the puck off the toe pretty frequently as I’d expect a flatter blade to be there, I also had a lot of problems reaching to stop pucks along the boards and found pucks would squeeze under the curved toe. With that said the extreme light weight of this stick makes stick handling easier and makes my hands feel faster than with heavier sticks. The firm blade helps with knowing where the puck is on the blade. The balance of this stick is very good in the sense that you can feel where the blade is at all times, unlike the Verbero stick I reviewed where it felt like you were playing with just a shaft and no blade at all. With the Sherwood you always know where the blade is and there is never that feeling of detachment. My only negatives with the stick handling are because of a curve that isn’t suited to my liking. 8.5/10 Shooting: I was extremely excited to try this stick out since I REALLY like the Rekker EK15 during my short time using a demo stick (that was brand new). When I used the Rekker EK15 I found that my shots were not as explosive as other sticks by the shot placement and shot consistency was amazing. While my Warrior sticks are 100 flex I used an 85 flex EK15 and they felt pretty similar in terms of flex, so I went with a 85 flex for the EK60. I feel that the flex in the EK60 plays stiffer than it did in the EK15 and in order for me to really get whip on the stick I have to REALLY lean into the shot. I decided to add an extension into this stick to try and help my issue with losing pucks off of the toe and get my prefered reach back, but in doing so the flex of the stick was completely thrown off balance. The stick became much whippier (obviously, adding length does that) but with the extension the flex point of the stick got completely misaligned with where my lower hand placement is. Whenever I’d go for a shot (snap, slap, and wrist) my lower hand would feel like it was pushing against a solid non flexing stick. Lower down the shaft the stick would flex but my hands felt that they had very little to do with it and I felt like I had absolutely no control of the shot and how the stick flexed. I tried the extension for over 2 months until I was sick of flubbing shots. If I didn’t have a shot lined up perfectly I would really “flub” the shot where it would weakly flip end over end in the air and often miss the target by a wide margin. Since I took the extension out my shooting has been much more consistent. I feel that this stick has a very small sweet spot when it comes to really getting off a good shot. If my hands are in the perfect spot and my weight doesn’t go onto the stick in the perfect shot I end up with a mediocre attempt that won’t blast by a goalie because of the quick release, but the shot is accurate. When I really get a hold of a shot with this stick you can tell it is explosive, but my problem is how difficult it is for me to get that explosive shot off. My normal shot with this stick is still considerably better than the Verbero stick I reviewed earlier, but the normal shot with this stick is considerably softer and slower than when I use a Warrior DT1LT/ST. In golf there are “player” clubs and “game improvement” clubs, the “player” clubs give the best performance but you have to be an excellent player to get that performance while the “game improvement” clubs allow regular players like me get a good shot off more frequently. This stick feels like a “players” stick where my Warriors feel more like “game improvement” sticks, and for me the difference is that with the Sherwood 2-4/10 shots become dangerous while the Warriors it is more of 7-9/10 shots are dangerous. I feel this stick has a high ceiling of shooting potential but takes much more effort in getting a good shot off where my Warriors I can get a good release no matter my stance and hand positions. 7/10. Passing: If this stick had a heel curve that I prefer it would easily be the best stick I have ever used for passing. With the firm blade and firm shaft I can make short and long passes with ease without having to worry about a long hard pass becoming a shot (something that would happen occasionally with the aggressively kicking Warrior DT1LT). When I had the extension in the stick I did have the issue with the stick flexing too much on long passes, but I cannot blame the stick on that issue when it was because of the extension I put in it. The firm blade is absolutely phenomenal for passing for both giving and receiving. 9.5/10 Durability: Sherwood advertises this stick to use Graphene in the shaft for increased durability. I really don’t know how much Graphene they actually use but can happily say this stick performs remarkably similar to how it performed the very first time on the ice. There are paint chips like normal but the toe is still in great shape and the blade has blocked shots and been stepped on by the only damage is aesthetics. Durability for this stick has been remarkably good. 10/10 Feel: Since the Rekker EK15 Sherwood has advertised the Rekker line as being the lightest sticks on the market, and they are in fact ridiculously light. Unlike other super light sticks I have used the balance of the EK60 is fantastic. The shaft feels extremely light but I can still tell that the stick has a blade, and at the same time the blade doesn’t feel like an anchor. The stiff blade means I can feel the puck on the stick at all times, with a blade that deadens puck feel you sometimes don’t feel the puck when stick handling but that is never an issue with the EK60. 10/10 Closing: This stick is still my go to stick (since I am getting more and more used to the length and I feel that it is a good valued stick. Sherwood lists this stick at $200 vs $270 for other brands top of the line sticks, to be that feels like a perfect price point for what this stick offers. I rarely got the explosive shot performance that I got from other top end sticks but it is considerably better than anything I have tried before it that are close to this price range. While it doesn’t have the shot power or explosiveness of my Warrior or RS it has stayed firm and has not lost its feel like both the Warrior and RS did. With the lightweight, high shoot ceiling and durability I feel this stick is a great value and a good option for someone who doesn’t want to pay top stick prices. I wish Sherwood would make more curves available and offer different shaft lengths as if I was stick shopping those would be a deal killer for me, but if their offerings fit your play style I would absolutely recommend this stick to someone. Overall Score: 8.5/10 Blade has been well used but has never lost the stiff feeling and doesn't feel like it is breaking down. The heel has damage, but nothing out of the ordinary and it isn't falling apart and doesn't have pieces chipping off. More of the heel. More use at the bottom of the blade. Dents on the hosel and lots of use, but it still plays like it did the first day I got it. Blade sustained a crack from what I think was a skate. Everything underneath seems fine and it has had this for a few months with no ill affects. Toe is worn as well, but holding up better than any stick I had before it (Warrior DT1Lt was good at this too). The paint is chipped heavily from use. But it doesn't flake off easy. Close up of the paint. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Travislicious 22 Report post Posted April 9, 2016 Phenomenal review. I especially enjoyed seeing how things held up durability-wise in the video. Great job 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thinkingjack 51 Report post Posted July 9, 2016 Sherwood Rekker EK60 95 Flex P26 Stastny Stick History: Warrior QRL/QR1Pro/QR1, Sherwood T100/T120, Warrior Dynasty HD1, True A6.0, Bauer MX3, Bauer TotalJuan, STX Surgeon/RX2, STX Stallion, Verbero Latigo Pro, CCM Tacks, Easton V9E Stick Info: Height: uncut Weight: 387 Grams Grip: No Shaft: Matte/grip Length: 59 inches Usage: 6 Months Personal Details: Male, 6'3", 260lbs, 31 years old, Loves Carnitas Burritos. About me: I’ve played goalie on and off since about 1998, and Player since 1996, I also like long walks down short hallways. Review Details: I’ve been using this stick for about 6 months since I received it, on and off with two other brands which lets me offer some detail and differences to be able to tell “oh ok this is different about it” and figure out where and what I like about it. Grip: I LOVE grip sticks, some more than others, some are just too sticky feeling. The Bauer texture bumps grip is fantastic, and the original nipple grip that Warrior has is my main baby. I don’t mind smooth or satin sticks but I just doesn’t feel right, the Sherwood grip is a nice mixture of stickiness without ever feeling like my palms are glued on, and that’s great. 10/10 Aesthetics: Normally, when I get a stick to test out I usually get it in black with just the logo in white. I like to keep that type of look because people look at it and always approach me “hey what’s this black stick about” and BAM hooked, and I’m explaining away and offering to let them try it if they’re a lefty. In this case I got the full regular graphic which I actually liked, solid black base, and the red and white accents. It actually looked snazzy. However I was thrown off when someone said it resembled an original APX which once I looked it up, I guess it made sense but this outperforms that stick. Nothing to complain here, move along. 9/10 Blade/Curve: Currently I want to pay Sherwood or somehow convince them to change the name of the Stastny curve to my name, because that’s my curve, I love it, I live by it. So the curve is perfect, naturally. The blade of course the construction is a little similar to the T120 so that sings my song. It’s nice and stiff, responsive, and hardly any back flex. I LOVE IT. I’ve been violent and abusive to this stick and blade and it hasn’t cracked or snapped, or popped. It’s remained rigid and stiff and the only wear is the air bubbles in the paint popping out but that happens with any blade. The highlight of this stick was the blade, it felt good and it gave good response to any type of shot I tried, and showed little to no wear no matter how hard I tried to damage it including people stepping on it. Curve: 10/10, Blade: 10/10 Stick Handling: The stick being so light, it made stickhandling seem like I was going much faster than I was used to. Sure it’s light, but I’m coming from CCM Tacks, and T120s and V9Eso those are already extremely light. So it’s changing it up but enough to feel then difference but not say “oh it’s too light” like some of the people who tried mine said. Then again they were using mid-level and wood sticks, so of course it was too light. The main adjustment was the whip of the shaft. I was shocked how whippy this shaft turned out to be compared to the T120 shaft, I’ll give it that, 95 flex felt way lighter which played into my shooting. It made it more effortless. In the end you want to be able to stick handle like there’s nothing but your hands and speed of your arms and hands moving the puck for you, this stick won’t get in the way. I play defense and as a center as well, never seemed to have an issue stick handling around and through groups. 8/10 Shooting: The whip is the only issue for me and although sometimes it was annoying, there were some great benefits like using it for taking quick wrist shots from the point and I actually scored a few goals off the faceoff. That being said, shots came off hard and crisp, like my passing as stated below, it felt like this added some extra power to everything. Sometimes it felt like a good thing sometimes it did not. I think what would have made a bigger difference was going up on the flex scale to make it feel closer to the actual flex I use. I think that would have made me happier. I essentially didn’t like the low kick and how whippy it was. Comparing the low kick and taper to something like Warrior’s QRL taper, this felt whippier and it threw me off and made me over correct and adjust too much. I had to cut down the stick an inch to give it some stiffness which already gave me an issue, I use tall sticks because I’m tall, cutting them down makes me crouch lower from my comfort shooting zone and creates havoc. Ask the goalies I play with, they don’t enjoy mask shots. I did score plenty and get good assits, the one timer was too whippy but a wrist and snap shot while skating or standing still was very good, and shooting was as effortless as cutting a deck of cards for the dealer at a table. If you skip arm day, this stick will still give you a good hard shot. If you don’t, you might murder someone. So hey, it worked ok sometimes. 8/10. Passing: Passes were coming off harder than normal and people were having trouble handling them. Some folks had their sticks blow out of their hands and one in particular asked me to stop shooting the puck at him. Once I began adjusting the force of my passes, the stick was still whippy but was used to my full advantage. I was able to clear the puck out of my zone on penalty kills like nobody’s business. Receiving passes was another adjustment I had to make, with the stick being so whippy accepting passes sometimes shot the puck right back just off the shaft flexing back and then forward. It only happened twice, but it made us stop and stare at my stick and go “uh, let’s try that again and see if it actually happened. This is more user based, if you’re putting some hammer into your passes like you should, sometimes the flex of the shaft will just give err a little more than you think 10/10 Durability: Sherwood states even on the stick itself and on the description on the site that they’re applying Graphene for durability in the slash zones most sticks take the damage. You better believe it sure has stayed strong in my case with banging it over the crossbar and on the bench and glass in frustration. It has been stepped on; it has been slashed and has refused to die. Someday it might but it hasn’t yet. Most sticks also wear down and you can feel the decrease in performance, one thing about Sherwood is they’ve kept KEPT KEPT, the performance on all sticks from start to finish entirely and majorly consistent. I didn’t have this issue with the T line, and I haven’t yet with the EK line. Sherwood will always keep me happy with consistency and durability. This stick hasn’t let me down at all. 10/10 Feel: Graphene is a very strong and light material that can be stronger than steel but lighter than a feather. It sure as heck is light, paired with the stiff as hell blade I love; I can feel the puck wherever I roam. The puck feel is phenomenal and I haven’t had a single issue with it, ever. This is one of the saving graces for the stick, just being able to know the puck is somewhere on the blade and know where it will be when firing any shot. Off the toe, off the heel, off the middle, either or. 10/10 Closing: Would I recommend this stick? Absolutely. If you’re a guy using lighter flexes and low kick sticks, this is the stick for you. It gives you great hard shots, low kick performance like no other, a great price, and the durability alone pays you back. Which let’s face it; today’s hockey market is plagued by great shooting sticks, that have Eggshell technology for durability. Not this one, no, absolutely not this one. This is a mold breaker when it comes to performing but lasting. It’s outlasted two pairs of skates of mine already. Yet feels like the day I took it out of the box. If you’re more of a guy who likes mid kick sticks, for more power than snapping out quick shots? It might not work out for you but for the price point, you can try it. People vie converted to it have loved it already. Overall Score: 8.5/10 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
