Do most blades fit most shafts?

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

I have only ever used wood, but as I am slowly, and I mean slowly getting better, I think I would like to move to maybe a 2 piece, or a composite stick.

Do most of the major brands blades fit into most other brand shafts or are their differences in the width etc.

Sorry about sounding like such a dummy.

Thanks for the help

[althoma1 575]

There are two basic types of shafts: - tapered and regular/standard. The tapered shafts are a bit longer and get thinner toward the bottom - they use short hosel blades that are also thinner. The standard shafts are the same dimension all the way down and take a standard blade.

Different brands vary slightly, but in general you shouldn't have a problem fitting a standard blade of any brand into a standard shaft or a tapered blade into a tapered shaft.

The standard shaft has been around a long time and standard replacement blades are readily available in specialty hockey stores and even department stores. Tapered shafts are a more recent development and the blades are usually only available at stores that specialize in sports/hockey equipment. The tapered shaft was developed to lower the kickpoint of a blade/shaft combo and allow for a quicker release - it's supposed to mimick the performance of a tapered one piece composite stick.

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

Thanks for the info, one more question.

Do most brands have both a standard and a tapered shaft?

Is it easy to identify the difference.

I apologize about my ignorance, I move here a few years back, from Ireland, have become addicted to hockey, and am just in the beginner skating/playing part now, and am loving it, but need to get better.

I am trying to absorb as much information on equipment and the likes while I am getting better, so these are the stupid questions that pop into my head

[althoma1 575]

Most of the major brands do have a standard and tapered shaft, but not all brands. It's pretty easy to tell the difference between the two as a tapered shaft will get thinner toward the blade insertion point. If you compare a standard shaft to a tapered shaft the tapered shaft will be longer in most cases (as long as they are both senior shafts and one isn't an intermediate or junior shaft) and the hole in the end of the tapered shaft will be much thinner. Website descriptions often state standard shaft or tapered shaft - for example if you look at the RBK equipment PDF you'll see that the 6K shaft is described as tapered and the 5K shaft is described as standard.

Tapered shafts are generally higher end and it usually costs more for both the shafts and the blades. If you're a beginner you're probably better off going with a standard shaft as it's easier to find the standard blades at reasonable prices and they're also more readily available. A good standard shaft will give you plenty of performance - you can look at the review section to see what other people think of various shafts. I like the Nike Apollo standard shaft I have which you may be able to find on clearance for cheap (I think I saw them at hockeygiant.com the other day for like $39 or something) as they're now no longer being produced.

[golfpuck 0]

most companies do make tapered shafts, not all

rbk, easton, bauer, mission, tps do...

the taper blades are usualy much shorted than the standard

as far as the shafts go, the hole is a little narrower,

0.5"x1" vs 0.6"x1"

a cheap alternative to the taper shaft is a broken one piece, which you should be able to pick up at a resonable price

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

Ok, thanks again, I think I have it.

So if I buy a standard shaft, by say nike, an easton blade, if its also standard, not tapered, should fit it.

Or will nike blades only fit nike shafts and easton only fit easton?

Thanks

[Miserable 6]

Ok, thanks again, I think I have it.

So if I buy a standard shaft, by say nike, an easton blade, if its also standard, not tapered, should fit it.

Or will nike blades only fit nike shafts and easton only fit easton?

Thanks

Yes, most standard blades should fit in most standard shafts. Every once in a while you'll come across a blade that needs a little extra coaxing but that's not often.

[golfpuck 0]

well you have to keep you eye out for one thing is the that easton, tend to have the longer hosel blades, and the shortest standard shafts.

compared to bauer, rbk, innovative, nike their hosels are a little shorter, and the shafts are longer...

the blades will fit, but the lenth will vary.. which could mess up your length

[Andoy 5]

I prefer two piece over one piece sticks as I'm the type that breaks blades more often than shafts. I own a tapered shaft and i'm pleased with the performance. Quick release and w/ the right flex, a fairly hard shot.

A good starter but high performing shaft is the ultra lite. it is an investment but its durability is one of the best in the market. I recommend getting a shaft because I'm assuming you're still fairly new to the sport and you'll probably go through a trial and error process of finding a pattern that suits your game the most.

[Oggie Grip 0]

a cheap alternative to the taper shaft is a broken one piece, which you should be able to pick up at a resonable price

A broken one-piece is a good choice for a person to get into the composite market for a fairly cheap price. But note that because the stick is broken that it will typically be a bit shorter.

The broken one-piece may have broken higher up on the kick point, which will make it quite short. And the broken one-piece may be even shorter because you'll have to make a clean cut where it has broken.

You can still use this short stick by buying a wood extension end plug for about 5 bucks. A wood end plug can add up to 12" to the length of the stick.

Another option is our Oggie Grips. The senior grips are sold in stores for about $19.99 and the Jr./int for about $17.99. Our Classic grip will add 7 1/2" to the length of your stick while the Ergo curved grip will add 6 1/2". They are USA Hockey legal and are reuseable.

Either way, if you can manage to get a broken 1-pc for free, you can get into the composite market for some cheap buckos. Oggie