ops's cost me so much money

[mgchockey 0]

i only play high school hockey and this season alone ive broken 6 sticks which is very common for players my age, i have to have them because they improve your shot so much (imho) but it is costing me a fortune and my parents are not into spending thousands of dollars, in the near future will there be high end sticks with a long life?

[pldhockey4 0]

6 sticks is common?

what sticks have u broken lately or gone through?

[#28 0]

The Bauer Endure OPS was built for durabilty. It has a rubber pad on top of the blade to protect it from slashes and skates stepping on it. The shaft is also reinforced to prevent breakage from a slash.

Check out this link, it has the specs. and details of the stick. Bauer Endure

[whbd18 0]

The sticks have to break in akward situations so you dont get hurt.And actually your shot will be harder and have better release with a wood stick.I would give the Bauer 6000 or 3030 Woodie a shot.

[donkey87 0]

It seems as if the trend for manufactures is to create lighter sticks that give up durability. However, I have heard good things about Salming sticks, and the Bauer Endure is suppose to be more durable. If you break the stick at the blade, you might want to go to a shaft/blade combo.

[Eazy_b97 1]

Grab a few Vector 110's or Graf Lasers.

[mgchockey 0]

2 sl grips,2 rbk 7k's, a bauer xxx lite, and a stealth grip -- almost everyones ops's on my team break before 30 days are up and get a warranty replacement so we end up getting less than 60 days before we need to buy a new one

[pldhockey4 0]

The Bauer Endure OPS was built for durabilty. It has a rubber pad on top of the blade to protect it from slashes and skates stepping on it. The shaft is also reinforced to prevent breakage from a slash.

yeah this kid on my team who goes through sticks like crazy had an endure for quite a long while

the day he broke it he broke another kids stealth to, lol

[mgchockey 0]

If you break the stick at the blade, you might want to go to a shaft/blade combo.

yea i had a synthesis for a while and kind of liked that and i know that easton is coming out with the synergy II and thats a 2 piece if i remember right, anyone know the weight its supposed to be?

[Eazy_b97 1]

If you want durability, stop thinking about the weight.

[Chadd 916]

2 sl grips,2 rbk 7k's, a bauer xxx lite, and a stealth grip -- almost everyones ops's on my team break before 30 days are up and get a warranty replacement so we end up getting less than 60 days before we need to buy a new one

Sounds like bad shooting technique or a hell of a lot of slashing is going on. I can rip slappers all day long and I rarely break OPS. Usually I wear out the blades and by switching to tapered shafts and blades has dramatically reduced my expenses.

[mgchockey 0]

if you read my first post ull see that i need the ops because i like the feel and it helps my shot so much and im wondering if there will be any durable high end sticks in the future, like is there any upcoming tehcnology that will help durability but maintian the way it performs

[Chadd 916]

if you read my first post ull see that i need the ops because i like the feel and it helps my shot so much and im wondering if there will be any durable high end sticks in the future, like is there any upcoming tehcnology that will help durability but maintian the way it performs

OPS do not increase your shot velocity that much and there is far less feel than with wood blades.

[Eazy_b97 1]

if you read my first post ull see that i need the ops because i like the feel and it helps my shot so much and im wondering if there will be any durable high end sticks in the future, like is there any upcoming tehcnology that will help durability but maintian the way it performs

You just said you had a Synthesis, liked it, and made a comment which suggested you may be interested in a Synergy II. The Vector 110's was a decent shooting stick, and the Bauer Endure is made for durability and isn't a price-point OPS. All of the "Ultra-Premium" OPS are made for performance, and not durability.

[Jim A 4]

sorry but if you have to have one...then your technique is pretty poor..the only people I've come across in situations that "had to use one" were kids who never learned how to shoot properly..

buy a shaft/blade and a DVD series

[BigT 4]

sorry but if you have to have one...then your technique is pretty poor..the only people I've come across in situations that "had to use one" were kids who never learned how to shoot properly..

buy a shaft/blade and a DVD series

what he said

[jimmy 194]

In our area, the high school/bantam/JRs break a LOT of sticks. Slashing and hooking are the two main causes. rarely from a shot. Seems they slash sticks INTENTIONALLY. Try to get opponents of their game after breaking their new $220 Stealh. The superlite sticks break like toothpicks. Yet, when I try to steer them to a more durable stick, they don't seem to want it, someone brainwashed them into thinking light is better.

I have to say the V110 is very durable. The cheaper OPS like the Bauer V and RBK 4k seem to be good as well. Lastly, the Salming G1. I'm amazed at how this thing is built. I've taken a 3 lb wooden mallet to it's shaft for over 40 hard wacks and could not get it to break. The stick is a TINY bit heavier than the superlites but it will hold up to slashes like no other.

[DarkStar50 679]

OPS do not increase your shot velocity that much

Than why does 99% of the NHL use OPS? I think velocity is increased. NHLers don't need the benefit of lightweight in OPS. Those guys are incredibly strong. They use OPS for the velocity and speed the OPS gives them. My slapshot is harder now with a OPS than it ever was with a shaft/blade or Sher-Wood 7000 wood/fibreglass stick 10, 15, 20 years ago. I know I'm not getting stronger the older I get!

[mojo122 538]

Consistency is a factor. Wood sticks just aren’t as consistent as their OPS counterparts. Over the years, going through dozens of Sher-Wood SOPs, it always seemed that 6 were great and the other 6 mediocre at best.

[NuggyBuggy 0]

Consistency is a factor. Wood sticks just aren’t as consistent as their OPS counterparts. Over the years, going through dozens of Sher-Wood SOPs, it always seemed that 6 were great and the other 6 mediocre at best.

Here's what I never understood : if you're a pro, why would consistency of wood sticks be a factor at all ? A pro has the time to test your dozen, and throw out the 6 mediocre sticks, wouldn't he ?

[Jim A 4]

I think the puck comes off an OPS faster for certain..not sure if its "harder" per se..but my shots never really jumped off my stick until the use of certain OPS's..XN10 ...that thing was a rocket..my M1 didn't have the same pop..but I liked the balance of it...picking up an XXX today..

if you use a wood stick, some pro's use one a period...so 6 sticks doesn't go very far..even if you go through one a game..that's a lot of time spent figuring out which ones to use and which ones to keep etc..

[mojo122 538]

Here's what I never understood : if you're a pro, why would consistency of wood sticks be a factor at all ? A pro has the time to test your dozen, and throw out the 6 mediocre sticks, wouldn't he ?

But I'm not a pro, so I don't have the luxury of tossing out 6 sticks.

[Jason Harris 31]

Lastly, the Salming G1. I'm amazed at how this thing is built. I've taken a 3 lb wooden mallet to it's shaft for over 40 hard wacks and could not get it to break. The stick is a TINY bit heavier than the superlites but it will hold up to slashes like no other.

Our breakage rate has been about 2.25% during the first 30 days on the G1. More importantly, I've seen players shot speed go up dramatically at a shooting arcade with radar. I only watched two kids before the LPHE show started, but one went from 46 MPH to 57 MPH, while the other went from 54 MPH to 70 MPH.

Having said all that, the G1 is being replaced by the TF Precision. The shape and surface will be the same, but the weight will go from 495 gm to 435 gm. High Modulus graphite is being used for the composite mix. (Retailers told me in Boston that High Modulus is a purer mix of graphite.) The hope is using a purer mix of graphite will allow weight to be taken out of the stick without sacrificing too much durability, but only time will prove whether that bears out.

Another stick, the TF Armour, should definitely become our durability stick. It's a TF1 with an added slash guard. (The TF1 had a 2.5% breakage rate even without a slash guard.)

[ntwusc 62]

Are there any retailers in Southern California who sell Salming sticks?

[Chadd 916]

OPS do not increase your shot velocity that much

Than why does 99% of the NHL use OPS? I think velocity is increased. NHLers don't need the benefit of lightweight in OPS. Those guys are incredibly strong. They use OPS for the velocity and speed the OPS gives them. My slapshot is harder now with a OPS than it ever was with a shaft/blade or Sher-Wood 7000 wood/fibreglass stick 10, 15, 20 years ago. I know I'm not getting stronger the older I get!

The quicker release was the main reason for people originally going to taper shafts/ops, not an increase in slapshot velocity. Your situtation sound more like finding the correct flex than anything else. Some of the guys switched to OPS simply because they thought they were missing out on something by not using an OPS, and that comes directly from an NHL player. That's why he switched.