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Howdy, I'm with @puckpilot. When you conflate stick length and flex together you end up with weird crap like folks not understanding that a 75 flex stick that had an uncut length of 63" and a 75 flex stick that had an uncut length of 60" _will feel the same when they are both cut to the same length_ (all else, equal, blah blah). That's an important misconception to correct. And using "flex" to represent the stiffness of the stick and "leverage" to represent what that means when its in your hands makes a hell of a lot more sense to me than expecting people to magically understand that this time you're using "flex" to mean "what the stick feels like" and that next time you're using "flex" to mean "the stiffness of the shaft over a set length". Mark

Semantics matter. If your using the word flex when you mean leverage and using the two interchangeably, that causes way more issues than simply clarifying what something specifically means. In casual conversation people use the word "couple" as meaning more than one. I got a couple things from the store. That's fine. But when you use the word casually, in a context where the exact meaning matters, you cause misunderstanding. Your wife asks you how long you're going to be out, because she needs you back to watch the kids. You say you'll be back in a couple of hours and stay out for five. That matters because it's going to have consequences. All that video is doing is explaining what the flex rating is, it's exact meaning. By the industry, this how flex is defined. This what that flex number means. They're not creating an argument, because there isn't an argument. What is causing an argument is trying to insist, in a context where specifics matter, that the casual usage of a word and the exact definition can be used interchangeably without confusion. I gave clear examples of how thinking of flex as changing when you cut a stick can cause confusion, and how understanding that flex doesn't change simplifies the stick selection process. If this is something that you don't find useful, then fine. But don't tell me that explaining the facts is somehow wrong or confusing. Facts clarify. Misinformation confuses.

Sticking with the wrong way of thinking just because it's always been that way is silly. It's like saying I know the Earth goes around the Sun, but we'll just keep saying it's the other way around because it's easier for me to comprehend. You know what's really confusing if you don't know any better? Seeing two Vapor sticks, both 85flex, but one is 3 inches taller. By the old way of thinking, if I cut three inches off the longer stick, it's 100 flex compared to the shorter one that remains 85flex. Imagine buying a stick based on that way of thinking? Oh this is a 100 flex, why is it so whippy? True makes 65 senior sticks now. Imagine trying to compare a senior 65 flex at 60 inches tall to a 70 flex intermediate that's 57 inches tall. By the old way of thinking, If I cut three inches off that senior stick, it's an 80 flex. So if I normally us a 70 flex at 57 inches and want to try an 80 flex stick, I should by that senior 65 flex and simply cut, right? And gosh forbid, what if they they change the stock height of a stick line I like? If I normally cut three inches off, but now it's only one or two, does that mean the new sticks might too whippy for me? Should I go up in flex? That's the kind of crap people have to deal with when thinking that way. And I bet companies like Bauer and CCM love it, because the confusion means more errors when choosing a stick. More errors in purchases means more sales, because there's no returns once you cut and play with the stick. Knowing flex is an absolute number and simply thinking of length as leverage, means less variables to worry about, and it makes all that confusion above go away. if cut a stick my preferred height I lose leverage, so I have to choose a flex that allows me to bend the stick. Simple as that. No need to do math to get a pseudo flex rating. No need to worry about all the different lengths from all the different brands. No need to deal with the change in stock heights of sticks changing the calculated flex rating.

I think it's fair to say that the current nomenclature is wrong and in the case of extended sticks misleading, but the alternative of trying to discuss flex and leverage as separate but related concepts is probably just as confusing for the average stick buyer. We need some new ideas for how to explain this in a simple way. But for the time being keeping the markings on the bottom of retail sticks is maybe the best bad option.

Look around on sidelineswap and you'll eventually come across them. Yes, for pros and customs it's black and grey instead of black and neon. That being said, majority of them are not using the new hybrid outsole.

For what it's worth, I've been using tennis racket overwrap on my sticks for about the last year and I don't think I'll ever go back. They're pretty lightweight and add just the right amount of tackiness and cushion. I can get 6 months out of a single wrap, and a pack of 6 costs $10 US on amazon (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R7LZJT3/).