Easton Z-Carbon

[Easton Z-Carbon]

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]

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.