mickz

Product: Bauer Tri-Flex (Red/Silver), Linden PL106 Pro. Stiff Flex. Blade - Keep in mind this is the first OPS I've ever owned. I wasn't a very big fan of this curve because I like very thin blades. The blade on the Tri-Flex also chips pretty easily and isn't very durable. 3/10 Flex – I like to use something around a 85-95 Easton. This stick isn't in that range but that is my fault. This stick is pretty responsive on slapshots but not really for wrist shots. My opinion of this stick isn't as high as before... especially after trying out some other people's OPS. 8/10 Stick handling/receiving passes – The thick blade makes it feel un-natural to stick handle. Again, I'm not really that satisfied with this stick so I'll give it a 6/10 Shooting – Shoots pretty well for an OPS. However there are way better OPS out there. Perhaps if I bought a more suitable flex I would've been able to get more out of this stick. I did notice a slightly faster shot from using this stick. 8.5/10 Weight and balance – Another one of the features of this stick that I don't like. You would expect it to be light, which it is. But when I use this stick, it feels like you're using a large metal rod. I guess what's decent is that the blade isn't TOO heavy and makes the stick feel lop-sided. 7/10 Durability – Shaft is good, blade is not. If you want this stick, you might as well buy the shaft versions that it comes in or buy this and chop off the blade. My blade has gotten pretty beat up compared to other blades I've used. The paint on the shaft has only chipped off. This stick get's pretty ugly pretty fast and loses all the gloss we all expect to have from an OPS. 4/10 Intangibles – I liked this stick... for 5 minutes. What was I thinking? There are better sticks out there. However this stick actually feels like heaven compared to other OPS around the same price like the Hespeler Patriot. This stick was probably good for the time when it first came out, however this stick doesn't match up to par for me. You're better off buying a shaft or a different composite. Now it's only $90-$100 Canadian where I live. Save your money and buy yourself a nice shaft and blade instead. Overall score: 6.08/10

Product: Easton Z-Carbon 95 Yzerman. 5-8, 125lbs. Blade: Best feel out of any wood stick I've used. All these other wood sticks with wood blades are simply too bulky for my liking. The blade is very thin and I can feel the puck really well. Yzerman curve, the way I like it. Definately my favorite blade as of today. I used to like ABS blades on wood sticks the most but after buying this stick, no other wood stick can really change my mind... not even the Sherwood 9950. I really liked this blade because of its performance and how thin it was. 10/10 Flex: As it says on the stick, 95 flex. However this stick feels more like a 75 flex stick after being used for a while. The flex is rather consistent. The flex on this stick feels better than some shafts I've tried. The flex changed since I first bought it so it was kind of weird ajusting to it at first. 8/10 for that Receiving Passes/Stick handling: Again, I'm being repetitive... I like the thin blade. Very good control with it. 9/10 Shooting: Very good for a wood stick. I'm not expecting Synergy quality out of this stick since I didn't pay a Synergy price. The stick snaps back into position very nicely for a good shot on goal. Not the best stick for slapshots in my opinion, but if you only take wrist shots... this is a good stick 8.5/10 Weight: Lighter than most wood sticks on the market. Obviously it won't be as light as a composite. One of the lightest wood sticks out there so 9.5/10 Durability: Alot of people on this board have said how much this stick really lacks durability. Maybe this would be the ideal stick for a grinder, but I haven't had problems with this stick myself. The blade is definately more durable than a wood blade. The blade doesn't chip, crack, or split like wood. This blade is not wood, and won't have the feel of a broom stick after using it for multiple times. Due to the slight cracking at the blade I'd have to give this a 8/10 Conclusion: Why don't people like this stick? I think it's because wood sticks are underrated. Everyone wants to have the shiny and expensive shafts or OPS. I'm still a believer in wood sticks even though I only use one as my backup. The only person that can really change my mind is if they can beat Al MacInnis and his wood Sherwood in a slapshot competition. When buying sticks, keep one thing in mind. Spend $40 on an excellent wood stick or $40 on a crappy shaft? Not sure about you, but I'd take the wood stick. Another plus is that I got this wood stick on sale for $16.99 canadian last year. Anyone out there still searching for a wood stick? You can't go wrong with the Z-Carbon. FINAL SCORE 8.83/10

Easton Hybrid Lami Blade, Yzerman Curve STICK TESTED: Blade: Easton Hybrid Lami, Yzerman Shaft/Flex: 85 Flex Synergy shaft cut to accept standard senoir blades Stickhandling/receiving passes: The blade makes the Synergy shaft feel like a one piece stick. Normally someone would expect a blade that isn't fully composite to be very bulky and heavy. This hybrid blade is an exception. The blade is very thin, just the way I like it. I get a really good feel of the puck and I like the Yzerman pattern because the curve on this thing is HUGE! Shooting: Wrist shots with this blade is pretty good due to the huge curve on it. However my slapshot has suffered a but because I like a straighter blade like my Linden (PL106) Tri Flex. However if I used the same blade with a straighter pattern like the Lidstrom then it would be fine. Weight and balance Surprisingly light for something that isn't 100% composite. The blade isn't so heavy that makes the stick feel very lop-sided. Durability I have the Easton Z-Carbon wood stick which uses the same blade. I know some guys on this forum say that the stick hasn't been durable for them, but I've had it for 9 months and it hasn't broken yet. Cracked... yes, broken... no. This blade still gets the thumbs up from me. Intangibles I like this blade regardless of what other people say. I'd rather spend $30 canadian on something like this rather than a $85 focus flex. I know some people that have broken several focus flex blades. I don't see people bashing the focus flex as much as the Z-Carbon. Why? I don't know. Conclusion I would buy this blade for future shafts I might buy. $30 canadian is an excellent price for this blade compared to all the other blades out there for $30. A really thin blade is always a plus. 9/10 overall.