stevoc

Our travel team's all the way in CA, so we shouldn't be crossing paths. ;) We also have the white ones. Standard length shafts w/ 3" plugs...except the TPS. I cut the 3" plug to about 1".

The one shown is a grip. Love the grip shafts. OK, no funny talk on my comment... <_<

The one shown is a grip. Love the grip shafts.

Skate size is 9.5. I got the z-bubble grip from epuck.com. http://www.epuck.com/webapp/wcs/stores/ser...ategory_rn=1803

the important stuff in my modest collection:

I like the red star alloy myself. I have no problem with stripping of bolts....I use a little lock tite on the threads to prevent the axles from coming loose.

Two different pics in two different games. In the 2nd pic, I'm the one on the right circle ready to face off. picture1 picture2

Background: 5'9" 185 pounds Shaft: Easton 2006 Z-Bubble Grip 85 flex Test Blade: Easton Z-Carbon right hand shanahan Initial Impressions - I originally saw this shaft in Easton's 2006 catalog and liked the look. It was by chance I found it at an on-line shop. It was purchased for 90.00 US. In person, the shaft looked even better. 10/10 Weight/Balance - The shaft alone felt very well balanced and light. The addition of the z-carbon blade did make it a little blade heavy, but nothing major. 9/10 Look and Feel - I love the feel of this shaft. I wasn't very fond of the 2005 z-bubble shaft due to the edges appeared to be sharper than the ultra lite shaft (which is what I was using at the time) With the grip coating, the edges are more rounded as the synergy si-core shaft, which I much more prefer. Also, it just looks fantastic! 10/10 Shooting, Passing, Stickhandling - I am able to feel the puck through the shat very well. The energy transfers through the shaft very well, giving the z-bubble shaft/z-carbon blade combo a feel very similar to a one piece stick. Passing and shooting is a snap with this shaft, as accuracy is right on. Also, it has helped my weak slap shot to be more precise and on target, as well as increased it's velocity. 10/10 Durability - I've only had the shaft for half a season, but I've had absolutely no problems with it up to here. Conclusion - I think this is the best shaft I have used. After trying a 2005 ultra lite grip, 2004 and 2005 ultra lite, 2005 z-bubble, and 2005 cyclone, (with flexes varying from 85 to 110) the 2006 z-bubble grip is by far my favorite. 9.5/10

Product:Easton SyNergy Si-Core Grip 85 flex right hand shanahan. Background-5'9" 185 pounds. Blade - The blade appears to be fairly sturdy and secure. I have mostly used two piece sticks in the past, and the feel of a ops may be a bit more defined. 9/10 Flex - I've tried 85, 100, and 110 flex shafts in the past, and the 85 flex feels perfect for me. Anything above 85 is too stiff. With the 85 flex, my slap shot gets a little extra snap and speed...which it needs. 10/10 Stickhandling/Feel - I like the feel of the blade. I get a good feel of the puck with this blade, but I did tend to have a few hard passes bounce off the blade, so a little tape on the blade helped reduce that. Also, I love the grip texture. 9/10 Weight/Balance - The stick over all has a very good balance to it. It does not feel to be heavy ended on the blade side. Nice weight balance overall. 9.5/10 Durablility - I've had no problems with the durability of this stick. My I depend much more on my wrist shot than I do my slap shot, so maybe it's my style of play that has been the factor for the durability. Also, I use this stick strictly on sport court, so there is a little give on the floor. 10/10 Shooting/Performance - This stick has improved my shot overall, both with a slap shot and my wrist shot. The puck seems to shoot off the blade faster than I can recall with any wood stick I've used in the past. 10/10 Overall - I really like the si-core grip stick. My stick has been very reliable. The stick has been beat up quite a bit, but I have been able to depend on it for about 4 seasons now and it shows no sign of giving up. Final score- 9.5/10