thejackal

colt, what's the shape of the handle on the sickkick, and is yours sr or intermediate?

recently re-armed for intramurals at mcgill helmet: cheap Nike/bauer combo glove: old hespelers from 2 years ago stick: mission toxic 85 flex hossa, ballistik with a sherwood blade pads: mission fuel 85 shin/elbow/shoulder pad pants: fuel 90 skates: fuel 110XP, an old pair of S300 with messed up blades (the pitch goes from -1 to +1 while i skate)

can't imagine kids running across the rink shouting nipple grip. i like warrior stuff, but their naming just makes me scratch my head.

still doing a skate + stick deal this summer, justin?

My tape wears evenly when I use a 5, but I like a higher lie for shooting.

I think it was because the green ones were made in North America and the black ones made in Mexico. I've seen the black ones retail for as low as $30 CAD Mexico is part of NA

RLXN10 is still up there. How come everyone says its been discontinued? One more thing, is it concave like the xn10, round or in-between like the regular RL?

helmet: jofa 690 skates: Mission S300s x2 shins: cooper gloves: hespeler classics, mtl colors elbows: bauer 1000 pants: cheap eastons shoulder: bauer 300 sticks: v110 recchi mid flex, xn10 whip shaft with xv blade, mission m-1 grip shaft with sherwood SOP blade, ballistik 90 flex with SOP

Pre-preg blades

Saw a Nilson XN10 a while back, SW flex, grip. Sweet stick if not for the 9-iron it had for a blade.

Nice racquets. ;) Thanks, i modded the handles a little bit and added some lead to the hoop. It's now around 12.8oz, 12pt headlight.

I vouch for the Mission S-series, can't go wrong if it fits your foot.

http://img328.imageshack.us/img328/9098/stuff20dl.jpg my children.... :D BTW: the Hellmans jar is my bucket o' pucks, and the black shaft is a Ballistik.

Hey Lou-eee, to which lazy slacker did you almost lose your captainship to this yr? Okay I'll lay off now. :D Mack: if you have anything to say, let'er rip. his english IS that bad though....

ladies and gentleman, i present CobraAA jr. J/K He's the captain of my team, good guy, but cant write english to save his ass.

Local Hockey Shop

I second that.

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/8641/p10101201pc.jpg typical lazy backcheck :D

M1 Grip, Carter 85 flex RH Grip and overall finish: Grip is really really nice and so are the color schemes. 10/10 Blade: Probably THE MOST disappointing graphite blade ever made. I can flex it back and forth like a ABS blade (it's not the same blade as the reg. M1, I compared side by side and the blade on the grip is thinner and not as stiff). It isn't just me either, because I sent back the first one I got for that exact reason, but the replacement wasn't much better. It's holding up alright after 5 or 6 icetimes, but I can feel it bend everytime I shoot, which is no good. 2/10 for the effort Flex: I usually like 80ish flexes, so 85 isn't a big deal, but if they had a 80 or 75 SR, I'd be in hog heaven. 8/10 Stickhandling/passing: The reduced shaft geometry was good for stickhandling. The butter-soft blade actually helps with receiving passes, although passing wasn't as crisp. 8/10 Shooting: The grip helps a ton with shots (the slickness of my M2 made me sell it). No twisting whatsoever. Wristers and snapshots are really, really good, but slappers lose a bit of speed and accurcy, once again because of the sh!ttacular blade. 9/10 (wristers/snap shots) 7/10 (slap shots) Weight and balance: I cut the plug flush and the balance is perfect. I don't really see the point of a lighter stick, so the M1 is pretty good in that respect. 9/10 Durability: My M2 shaft was a tank, so this should be no different. Fusepoint looks good so far, but I'm not sure about the blade. I'd give that maybe 3 or 4 more weeks before it explodes. 7/10 Intangible: I got my stick online, so there was no way for me to check out the stiffness of the blade. I would've gotten something else had I known about the problem, but when the blade breaks, I'll have a heck of a grip tapered shaft. Pari it up with a Inno or Bauer Vapor XV, and I should be in business. Conclusion: Awesome shaft, but I am incapable to find the words to describe the blade. If you can find it for a good price, by all means buy it, but I'd look elsewhere if you have to pay more than $100US. 7/10 EDIT: After a month of use the blade is still pretty much intact, just average for slappers still, but very accurate for wrist shots. New score: 8/10

Update: Nike Apollo blade PM6, TPS Redite whip

What are those red stripes? Do they help with the grip?

Skates: CCM Tacks 552, Mission S300 (using both about the same right now) sticks: inno 1100 5/300 with inno pro hull blade M-2 85 flex with TPS genesis pro blade, same curve ballistik ultralight with unknown CCM 1052 blade (modo clone that i tweaked) Easton aluminum i found in a trash can for street :D shins, shoulder pad: Bauer 300 elbows: old model koho (2245) helmet: jofa 690 combo jock: CCM neckguard: itech gloves: hespeler fat cuffs

M-2 Senior 85 flex Reviewer's specs: 6'1", 175, 15 years old, used with pro return TPS Genesis blade (GI Hull) on ice. Usage: 1 week @ a goalie camp, 1 puckshoot, and 1 game. Initial thoughts: I got this shaft as a freebie when I bought a pair of S300s in July. The first thing i noticed when I got it was "Damn, it's so short!". Indeed, it is at least an inch shorter than most shafts because Mission uses a shorter end plug than most companies. I had to add a longer plug. The paint scheme was nice and simple, but I dont like it as much as the black/yellow graphics of my 1100. The shaft shape was also very thin, somewhere between a Cyclone and regular-sized shafts. Its sidewalls were also very slightly concave. Flex: The 85 flex should suit most people well. I'm used to Inno's 300 flex so it wasn't a major problem adjusting. 8/10 (PP) Stickhandling/passing: The thinner shaft is great for stickhandling. I could also feel the puck very well despite the relative thickness of the blade i used. The shaft would flex just a tiny bit on hard passes which give it more speed without too much effort. 9/10 Weight/balance: Lighter than my Inno 1100, but not by much. The balance was a bit off with the test blade however as it was in the 190-200g range. 8.5/10 (if paired with a lighter blade) Shooting: This is where it gets a bit tricky. The M-2 was made by Aldila and was designed not to twist/torque on shots. After using this stick for a week shooting at a goalie camp, I can say that they did a pretty good job. My shots were accurate and very consistant. Slapshots were great even though I didnt have a chance to do many of them. Still, I was beating goalies left, right and right down the middle with it all week. At this point I'd give it a 9, maybe even a 10, but when I first used it in a game, it didnt pan out well. First of all, the thinness of the shaft made it twist around in my hands, secondly, the slickness of the finish made the twisting even worse. My one-timers came out cruddy and most didnt hit the net. I switched back to my Inno and everything went back to normal. It's problably not the stick's fault and more because of my preferences, so I'll still give it a 8/10. Durability: It's a bit early to pass judgement but if it's anything like the M-1s my teammates had, then the shaft should last quite a while. N/A Intangibles: As i've said before, the stick needed a longer plug. But the shaft was so rounded that the ones I had didn't fit. Having to sand it down was annoying. Despite all that, I firmly believe that it's a quality shaft that deserves consideration. However, I probably would have bought a whip Redlite or another 1100 if I had to use my own money. Then again, perhaps another blade can bring it to life and make it my favorite. We'll just have to wait and see. OVERALL: My personal score - 8/10 (PP) Objective rating (based on the shaft's qualities) - 9/10

V120 Review: Review's stats: 6'1" 170lb I won this stick from a contest. My whole team received 20 sticks in all and so far 4 (including mine) have been returned because of breakages. Flex: The CCM regular flex feels whippier than years past, more comparable to easton's 85 than 95. It felt great coming from an 80 typhoon. 9/10 (PP) Curve: The lecavalier is a big heel curve, it is pretty much the same as the Kaberle. It is not at all what i am used to so it might throw off the stick's score in other areas. 1/10 (PP) Weight/balance: It isn't light for an OPS, around 500g in my estimation. The balance isn't bad but not quite as blade-light as others (Easton, Inno, etc.) 7/10 Feel Stickhandling is weird because of the heel wedge but the blade isn't quite as bouncy compared to regular graphite blades. Receiving passes is easier as well. 8/10 Shooting: Shots are very crisp. I have trouble with keeping wristers down but snap shots are better thanks to the big taper (18 inches). I dont see a significant improvement in my slapshot's velocity as I already have a pretty good shot but its consistancy did improve and I can get a quality shot off with a small windup. 8.5/10 Durability: Ok, as you might have realized, this stick's durability kinda blows. 4 out of 20 returned within a month for breakage is anything but good, even for an OPS. Also, the grip, which is very nice in the beginning, peels a lot and within 2 weeks there aren't any left on the corners of the shaft. Mine broke right down the middle when i was flexing it. 3/10 (the blade was a tank however) Intangibles: The Vectors are slightly longer than most OPSs and come with a plastic plug ,which tall people will appreciate. The grip isn't bad but as I said after a few week there woudn't be much of it left. I was disappointed in the stick's durability but it did stand up to some slashing and skate marks. I think we just got a bad batch as the other sticks broke just above the blade. The CCM curves arern't that great but this year's new curves (Bonk - mid-toe, lie 5.5, Doan - mid-heel, lie 5) might be worth a try. The Bonk is a renamed Hossa BTW. 7/10 Conclusion: OPS's are over-hyped in my opinion. This stick is worth perhaps $120 US but not more. I could get a 2-peice combo that is perhaps just as good for less. So, when my warrenty stick arrives, I'll either sell or trade it for another shaft. However, if you really liked V110s, it might be worth a try. 7/10 I'll keep you guys updated on the number of breakages on my team.

Reviewer's stats: 6'1" , 170lb Used with SR Easton Typhoon (80 flex) and Inno 1100 (300) Introduction: I got this blade from Kenneth, who used it for a few skates so it arrived in mint condition. The blade shape is quite "special," it is thinner than most blades and has an extremely rockered toe. The lie is hard to judge but it looks most like a 5.5 as the lie of the back third of the blade is quite low but then gradually increases until the toe. The curve is also quite different as it looks like a bigger Easton Sakic to the eye but is actually more similar to an Yzerman because of the shaved toe. Stiffness: Despite its thiness, this blade is very, very stiff. The graphite weave on the blade looks a lot tighter than other's and contibutes to the overall stiffness. 10/10 Weight/balance: The balance, when I put it into my Typhoon, was incredible, on par with some OPS's even though the Typhoon is not a light shaft (340g). Even though it is a standard, long hosel blade, I would say it is in the 170-175 gram range. 10/10 Stickhandling/receiving passes: Since I'm not a great stickhandler to begin with, I cannot really give an accurate read of this blade's prowess. However, the improved balance certainly helps with quick side to side dribbling and the shaved toe makes toe drags easier. I do not personnaly have a problem with the feel of graphite blades unlike some people. I did have some issues with receiving passes, though. Sometime they would either bounce off of the rockered part of the blade or i'd miss miss them altogeter because of the weird blade shape. 7.5/10 (PP) Shooting: Naturally, this is where the blade shines. The first time I used it the shots were as hard as I've ever made but none hit the net ! They would miss high and wide with me being used to small mid and heel curves. However, with practice I've been able to keep it down and there is plenty of kick on all kind of shots. I find myself going with more of a snapping motion on my wrister to gain control as well. Also, one-timers, Hullie's bread and butter, are fantastic. The passes dont have to be perfect for me to launch rockets because, once again, of the rocker. 9/10 Durability: Combined with Kenneth we have probably used this blade 20 times. So far, no chips, dents, or any visual damage for that matter. I am not worried about a breakage as Innovative blades have a good reputation based on their feel and durability. 10/10 EDIT: It broke while receiving a pass about a year after I got it. 10/10 Intangibles: The curve of this blade may not sit well with some people. Personally I love it but most players would prefer a curve that is slightly smaller. If that is the case i seriously recommend that you check out Innovative's retail blades as they do have patterns for every style and their quality is unparalelled. Also, i did have some concerns about the blade fitting properly with Easton shafts but they were unfounded. I put a layer of tape over the tenon and no looseness is apparent. 8/10 Conclusion: Pro patterns are usually tricky to adapt to and this one is no different. I still havnt gotten down the perfect shooting technique for this blade but once I do, goalies better watch out! However, it might totally strike out with other people. Still, it is worth a try, especially with a whippy shaft, then you would know why Brett Hull is one of the most feared snipers in the NHL. FINAL MARK: 9/10