Warrior QRL

[KennyWu 23]

Recent Stick History: Bauer MX3, Bauer NXG, Bauer 1N, True XC9 ACF

Stick Info: P92/W03 (the old Sakic)
Height: Uncut
Weight: 400g (apprx)
Grip: Yes
Length: 57"
Usage: 1 month+

Note: The super dolomite skin
Note2: Thanks to Warrior for the tester QRL at Summer Jam which influenced the purchase of a pair of these beauties!

 

Blade:

The blade is made out of HardCore X foam with TwinSpar carbon fiber support stringers and wrapped in 12k weave of Minimus Carbon 1000. I find the puck feel very good and responsive. It's a similar feel to Bauer's PowerSense2. After a dozen or more games the blade is holding up fairly well. I've also used it for over 1000 shots in my basement (95% wrist and snappers) on synthetic ice and there is no splitting or cracking on the heel.

Shaft/Flex:

I am 165 pounds.

75 Flex: I had an hour with this stick at the Summer Jam. It was 60" so on the ice it was slightly longer than the intermediates I am used too. 

85 Flex: I had an hour with this and roughly 250 shots in my basement. I was unable to flex or load this properly.

70 Flex: I found this the most suitable for my weight; slightly stiffer than a comparable 1N but not as stiff as an NXG.

Stickhandling/receiving passes:

Mid-Curve and composition of the blade caused no issues in stick handling or receiving passes. Everything felt balanced.

Shooting:

The low-kick point of this stick really helped pucks fly off the stick on snap shots. I don't have a very hard shot but I found it loaded very well for wristers. 

I found some adjustments were needed to keep the puck down, but that's mostly because of the open mid-curve.

Testing the 85 flex senior alongside the 70 flex intermediate I found a 2-3 MPH improvement on wrist shots and 2-4 MPH improvement on snappers for the intermediate model. This is probably due to the flex.

Weight/Balance:

No issues here, Warrior has done a great job.

Durability:

Some of the graphics are already chipping off from the hacks from opposing players. The feel of the stick is holding up well.

My 1N's lasted around 3 months each (35-40 games each?) and as one to rarely break a stick, the 67 flex was likely the reason. I think the QRL will be more durable.

In puck battles with opposing players the stick holds up well. On face-offs it doesn't feel like it's about to snap with the 1N when fighting at the dot.

The blade has held up well deflecting quite a few hard clappers from opposing players. The Howie's tape ripped but the blade did not chip.

Intangibles:

I think this is a very good value stick especially since models can be found under MSRP. I had a hard time finding 75 flex seniors, most of the stores around here carry only 85. It was also hard to find a 70 flex with the right blade but I finally came across a few.

Conclusion:

I think the QRL is a stick providing great performance for a lower price point than the recent 1S, 1N and 1X lines. QRLs are frequently marked below MSRP around here whereas the latest Bauer products are rarely discounted until the next model is out. I definitely recommend purchasing a few of these sticks. They look and feel great.