Harrow V3

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

Open

[Andoy 5]

Length of usage before review: 5+ months

Used with Louisville R2 shaft.

Intro:

I have used several blades prior to using Harrow's V3 tapered composite blade (Easton Synthesis, Synthesis hybrid, R2, Bauer XV) and none of them have lasted me more than 2 months. Since none of these blades offered a Recchi equivalent, I decided to brave it out give the Harrow blade a try which turned out to be one of my best hockey investments to date!

Contsruction:

"These high modulus carbon graphite blades are made with a woven reinforced sock and a foam-injected core for reduced vibration and enhanced feel. The low-kickpoint design lowers the flex for added puck velocity."

-taken from Harrow's site.

Stiffness:

When i first recieved the blade i tried bending it as hard as i could and it was very stiff. 5 months later after use and abuse it still has the same stiffness. I tried bending my R2 blade after 2 months and it twisted rather easily. 10/10

Weight/Balance:

The blade is fairly light but felt slightly bottom heavy when paired to my R2. The R2 was the lightest blade I've ever used and the Harrow V3 blade is around the same weight as the Bauer XV. The hosel is slightly longer compared to most tapered blades. It's slightly bottom heavy (slight!) but it it may not feel that way when couple with a shaft that's a bit more heavier like the 6k. 8/10

Stickhandling/Passing/Recieving passes:

I find that the stiffness of the blade contributes to good puckfeel. The foam injected core does a good job of dampening hard passes and pucks rarely bounce off the blade. I find that the feel is similar to a Bauer XV blade.9/10

Shooting:

Shooting is very good with this blade. Little energy is lost in the transfer when shooting with this blade and the stiffness of it results in a quicker release compared to wood blades. 9/10[

Durability:

When I was at Harrow's site, I read that they had a 30-day warranty on their blades. To best of my knowledge, no other company offers a warranty on their blades (I think Mission does this as well but I'm not too familiar with their products). Aside from your regular scratches, this blade is holding up very very nicely...the R2 and the other blades lasted me only 2 months while this has already doubled the lifespan of my other blades. And it's still as stiff as when I first got it.

Intangibles:

For those that like to spray paint the bottom of their shaft/blades back, Harrow has already done this for you! The decals do not peel off with your taping...call me anal but for something you've spent money on you don't really want it to look shoddy after 1 tape job. A gazillion tape jobs later, my V3 blade still looks fairly new. One thing i'd like to add. Their blade patterns are "clones" of Bauer's and Easton's patterns but they're not exactly like it. For example, Easton's Sakic pattern is a 1/2 mid curve while Harrow's Sakic clone is a 1/2 Heel. Just look closely when browsing at their pattern chart.

Conclusion:

There IS an alternative. For only $39CAD you could have one of the most durable composite blades in the market. Most hockey companies have sacrificed durability for performance. Harrow/Christian have found a nice medium to that in a blade that delivers exceptional performance without sacrificing durability. Performance wise I recommend the R2 but if you want something that performs almost like it but is much more durable, I highly recommend the Harrow V3 composite blade.