Easton Synergy SL

[LegoDoom 0]

Posted for product review.

[sherwood21 0]

Product: Easton Synergy SL / Sakic Curve (P3) / 65 Flex (Intermediate) / Left-Handed

Background: 5'9" 140 Lbs. 10-11 years of hockey, 13 years old. RW, finesse forward. On the Ice 7-9 times a week.

Other Products Used: Synergy Si-Core, Synergy Grip, Synergy, Mission M-1, Synthesis Grip (with Synthesis blade), TPS XN10, Vector 110, RBK 6K, Sherwood Eclipse, Various wood sticks.

Blade - I have used every model of Synergy up to this date (02', 03 x4, 04 x2, 05 x1) and this blade is the best by far. It is not overly thin but the feel with it is by far the best that I have used. So far there is no loss of stiffness and the blade is showing that it is a tank. 10/10

Flex - This flex at first I thought would be too whippy for me, but I said screw it and decided to try it out. Now that the shaft is 'opening up,' I can feel it whip on every shot that I take. Soon enough it will be too whippy, but until then this is good enough. 8.5/10 (PP)

Stickhandling/receiving passes - This is one of the areas where this stick really shines. As I said before this blade has amazing feel. I haven't had a problem receiving passes with composite sticks, but with this stick, it feels great. I don't stray from the Sakic pattern, so this sticks lie is perfect for me. Giving passes is fine, as is receiving. I have no complaints here..10/10

Shooting - Easily the best part of the stick. Shots fly off of this stick, like none other. I have used tons of sticks and this one cleans up compared to them. I can definetely say I got some extra kick out of this stick, and the shots are coming off harder than my XN10 was, by a good amount. 10/10

Weight and balance - Lightest twig I have used to date. This stick feels like I have nothing in my hands. Very good balance, there is nothing I can complain about here. 10/10

Durability - This stick is so far so good. It is a truck so far, showing no signs of breakage, aside from the slash marks and paint chipping (and we all know about that). Almost all of the paint is off, except for the part where they have ratings (performance/wear). I don't break a lot of sticks, when I do it seems to be due to something else . This stick is not going to be going anywhere, anytime soon, unless something drastic happens. 10/10

Intangibles - The shaft shape is a little different for me, compared to my other Synergy's. It feels like it has a contoured shape, but there is nothing wrong with that. I am starting to feel better about the shape, and it feels more natural in my hands. One other thing was how slick this stick is/was. I am really used to grip sticks so this needed a solid candycane, and once I threw that on it was perfect. I am going to start getting non-grip sticks and candycane them from now on, I like it that much. 9.5/10

Conclusion - This stick is perfect for me, I don't see me buying any other brand for a while.

Overall Grade - 10/10 (I can't dock it for PP, it's too amazing for that)

[tyler9 0]

Product: Synergy SL/ Drury (P6)/ 85 Flex/ Left handed

Backround: 5'9 146lbs. 13 years of hockey, 15 years old, Lw

Other sticks used : TPS xn10, Tps Response Plus, Tps Response, Grip lite, Z-bubble, Z-bubble grip, Mission M1 Vector 110, Ultra lite

Blade: This was my first time using the drury curve and i absolutely loved it. I found the blade to be quite week and found a crack in it about 3 weeks into hockey season. 5/10 for poor durablility.

Flex: The 85 flex was perfect for me and i will be using this for a very longer time 10/10

Stickhandling/reciveing passes: The stick really did very well for me in this category. While the stick lasted I could recive passes better than some of my other OPS. 10/10

Shooting: The second best stick i have used for shooting next to the xn10. I could really fire rockets with this and the drury pattern worked very well for me with snapshots and slapshots.9/10 because i felt i shot better with my xn10.

Weight and balance: The stick is amazing in this category. I could barely tell any difference coming from my xn10. 10/10

Durabality: THis is where the stick fell apart for me. It lasted me exactly a month and 6 days. This is extremely disapointing considering how much i liked this stick. The stick ended up breaking just below the fuse point. Another problem was how horribly the paint chipped. Its a minor detail but i wasn't impressed. 3/10

Conclusion: This was a very good stick for me untell it broke. I will probably be getting another one and am crossing my fingers for better durability.

Overall Grade 6/10: Overall the stick was one of the best i have ever used. If it had lasted me longer it would definetly be about a 9/10.

[thenizzle 0]

Product: Easton Synergy SL Grip LH 100 Flex Forsberg Curve

Background: 5'10, 185 pounds, skate 7+ times a week at AAA Midget level

Other Products Used: Easton Synergies (All other)

Blade: the blade is nice and thin, yet still very hard. It receives pucks well and has a nice feel. 9.5/10

Flex: This thing at 100 flex is perfect for me, as opposed to my 100 flex ST, which feels like a tree branch its so whippy. 10/10

Stickhandling: This feels great on the stick, and I can pull off some nasty moves with it, its feel is sooooo good. 10/10

Shooting: For the most part, the puck simply flies off. No complaints here. 9.5/10

Weight and Balance: at a "whopping" 395 grams, this thing is perfect. Any lighter would be a crime. 10/10

Durability: This is what ruins the stick. I have broken 3 in just over 45 days. It just SUCKS. While this stick is great, the durability is so bad that I will NEVER buy one again, they break so easily. And trust me, I have never broken any type of stick in less than about 2.5 months, so I'm not just a crazy stick-breaking goon. 0/10

Intangibles: the grip doesnt peel like the yellow synergies, and the shaft size is smaller then the synergy st, its the perfect size. The chrome looks very appealing.

Coclusion: While this stick is nasty, its durability is so poor that I would never buy one again unless its $10.

Overall grade: barring durability: 9.5/10. Including its terrible durability: 3/10. 170 bucks for such a breakable stick is rediculous.

[MissConduct 1]

Product: Easton Synergy SL / Forsberg (P4) / 85 Flex (Senior) / Left-Handed

Background: 5'8" ??? Lbs. 6 years of hockey, 30 years old. LW, defensive/forward. On the Ice 4-5 times a week.

Other Products Used: Synergy Si-Core, Synergy Grip, Mission M-1, TPS XN10, Bauer XX, Various wood sticks.

Blade - Puck bounces off the blade more then any other blade I've used, for some reason all my SL's (3 of em) seem to crack/chip in the same place, where the shaft meets the blade (curve) the worst, but also chips alot along the bottom of blade as well. meh.... 7/10

Flex - I tried the 100flex first, and then the 85 and found my slap shot improved a great deal to where the guys where even impressed, guess I'm not strong enough for a 100fx. 10/10

Stickhandling/receiving passes - The SL was the first OPS I had problems receiving passes with, but other then the occasion time it bounces, my stickhandling, passing & receiving is overall greatly improved. 9.5/10

Shooting - This is where it excels for me. Never had I had so many guys come up to me and say "Where were you hiding this shot?" my slap shot has gone from NON exsistent to good (i'm still learning). I can't say enough GREAT things about my shooting with this stick. 10/10

Weight and balance - Lightest & most balanced I have ever used. I like the fact that it feels like I'm not even skating with a stick in my hands. I found most sticks are bottom heavy as well, but the SL was perfectly balanced. 10/10

Durability - I haven't broken any of my SL's yet, but like I said up top, if someone slashes my stick low big chips fall out and when I retape then remove the tape more comes off on the tape out of the crack, and it's always in the same place (blade meets the shaft). The shaft looks and feels super durable, no chips, no cracks, nothing. 8.5/10

Conclusion - This stick is perfect, I have 3 of them and won't be givin' em up!

Overall Grade - 9.5/10 (.5 off for that damn blade problem I'm having!)

[BushLeagueDangler08 0]

Product: Easton Synergy SL / Forsberg (P4) / 85 Flex (Senior) / Left-Handed

Background: 5"8, Been playing hockey for 13 years, play 6x a week. played/playing at HS and AAA level

Other Products Used: 5 other SL's, Easton Z-bubble with Montreal blade, 85 flex fors. Stealth, 85 flex fors. ST

Blade - Very nice touch when I first bought the stick, but after some use Ive had problems with the inside CNT material chipping out of the bottom of the blade. 9/10

Flex -Good flex, Can really feel the quick snap when shooting. Over time it becomes somewhat dampening and looses some flex, but this lightly affects overall performace. 9/10

Stickhandling/receiving passes -Again, very nice touch, with saucer passes becoming easier, and a nice feel with the puck. Loses some consistancy with time, but is only noticable on touch passes. 8/10

Shooting - The SL thrives on this aspect to me. Consistancy is key and thats why I keep coming back to this stick. Very nice, quick, snaps, and great touch 10/10

Weight and balance - Extremely light and is very much like the Stealth. I love the overall balance of this stick 10/10

Durability - This is the category that the SL severely lacks in. Ive gone through 6 SL's and the longest lasting just under 2 months. 4 out of 6 of the SL's break right where the blade curves to meet the shaft. 5/10

Conclusion - The SL is one of the finest one-peice sticks that I have used so far and is extremely consistent. Durability is an issue but I cant stay away from this stick. 9/10

Overall Grade - 9/10

[Scurvy 3]

Product: Easton Synergy SL / Sakic (P3) / 65 Flex Intermediate / Right-handed

Other sticks used: XXX Lite, CNT Stealth, Response Plus, Vector 100, Ultra Lite

Blade: With the addition of CNT, the blade is very stiff and thin. This makes for a nice, responsive feel. However, it doesn't feel as crisp or responsive as the XXX Lite or CNT Stealth. 9.5/10

Flex: The flex on the SL is decent. The problem with the flex is the kickpoint location. From my experience, the kickpoint feels more like a mid-kickpoint as its kickpoint isn't as low as a stick like the XXX Lite. 8/10

Stickhandling/Receiving Passes: In short, this was the highlight of the stick for me. Deking is effortless and passes don't bounce off the blade too much. Believe it or not, the SL is the easiest stick I've ever used for stickhandling. 10/10

Shooting: As I stated above, the flex point is not where I really like it. Snap shots are very good, slappers are decent but the wristers seem to be lacking. Since I'm mainly a wrist, snap shot person, the absence of a wrist shot is very deterimental to my game. 7/10

Weight/Balance: Without tape, the SL feels very light and well balanced. After applying my usual amount of tape, the complete opposite occurred. The balance became horrible and the weight greatly increased. The stick is listed as 395 grams (Int.) but felt well over 500 grams. I had to remove tape from the blade to make it feel slightly less blade heavy. The weight and balance did not live up to my expectations as heavier sticks I have used did not feel as blade heavy. 4/10

Durability: Contrary to belief, my SL seems perfectly fine for durability. As I'm not hard on sticks, my SL has lasted over 4 months and is holding up great. The blade has not chipped as easily as I thought and the shaft is intact. Aside from the paint chipping, durability isn't as bad as I had predicted. 9.5/10

Conclusion: Coming from a XXX Lite and CNT Stealth, the SL does not even come close in comparison. With a fairly hefty price tag, I advise others to pay the extra $20-30 and get a XXX Lite or CNT Stealth. The latter shoot much better, have very good feel, and are not nearly as blade heavy as the SL.

Overall: 7/10

Edited November 6, 2007 by Scurvy

[big_bt 0]

Easton SL - Non Grip

Sakic Curve

100 Flex

Blade- Nice and thin. But it wasn't the greatest feeling blade. It just felt average to me.

8/10

Shaft and Flex- The flex held up like a typical easton, because I haven't had a easton stick go soft on me yet and I've had the ST for 1 year now. The shaft was alright, not much to say other than the cheap blue paint chipping all over the place.

9/10

Stick handling / Passing- This is where I thought the stick was really really good. At first I couldn't feel the puck when stick handling fast because it was an adjustment because it was so light. But after some time it became easier and easier and the feel became better and better. Passes were crisp, but I had a really lively blade for receiving passes, I don't know if it was just me but I had passes bouncing off my stick like crazy.

8.5/10

Shots- Meh, I didn't find the shooting on this stick all too amazing. The blade would torque a lot on most of my shots causing them to be weaker than I had hoped for. Didn't really enjoy shooting with this twig.

7/10

Weight- Really really light. I was using this thing effortlessly for stick checking and found no fatigue in my arms at all.

9.5/10

Durability- Roughly 10 games into this stick, I looked on top of the blade and noticed a hair line crack. I have no idea when this crack happened but it really seemed to destroy my shot. This crack would make my blade torque so much, to a point where my shots would steer to the left all the time. I have no idea how this happened but I felt outraged because the warranty had expired a week before I noticed this crack.

7/10

Intangibles- The blue paint comes off like nothing and one time in a game in front of the net I had a piece of it stuck under my skate. And totally tripped me up.

Conclusion- This stick was too expensive and I wasn't too happy with its performance. I think I probably had a bad batch. But nonetheless the price tag would clearly steer me clear of this stick right away looking for a better alternative. Light light stick, but weight comes with a price and I think I'll toughen it out and have a few extra grams on my stick if it'll last me longer.

8/10