blades in your butt--does it affect performance?

[cause4alarm 7]

I've been on epinions.com reading this guy puckmugger's reviews/advice. According to him, a broken OPS shaft is not the same as a composite shaft. Here are his words:

When the blade breaks in a one-piece it is not always a simple matter of replacing it as it is in a two-piece. Depending upon the brand and style of stick, replacing a blade might be impossible. At the very least, it will change the characteristics of the stick.

When putting a blade in a one-piece stick the broken end gets cut off. In many one-piece sticks this will become the new top of the stick as a blade will not fit in this tapered end. Flipping the stick changes the flex dynamics of the shaft. Unlike wood, one-piece sticks do not flex at a consistent rate throughout the shaft. An advantage of space age construction is the ability to put flex zones closer to the blade. This is one factor that allows players to increase their shot power with this style of stick. Flipping the shaft changes this putting the flex zones at the top.

http://www.epinions.com/content_3839271044

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So this would contradict two things I previously believed:

1) that it doesn't matter what end you put the blade in. Can anybody verify that putting a blade in the butt end will alter your shot? Has anybody experienced/noticed this flex difference?

2) that OPSs are practically identical to composite shafts, since after all, most of them are actually two-piece sticks, with the blades fused (glued?) in place and covered with a pretty paint job. If it's so difficult to replace a blade on the original end, then that means there are some fundamental differences between the OPS and the shaft-only versions of a model, right?

Can someone settle this for me?

[tyler9 0]

1) It does defeat the purpose of the taper on the one piece stick if you put a blade in the butt end of the stick. It won't nescasarilly make your shot worse.

2) OPS are practically the same as there shaft counter parts. There blade is fused in instead of glued so in most instances you have to cut the blade off the chip out the tennon.

[cause4alarm 7]

1) It does defeat the purpose of the taper on the one piece stick if you put a blade in the butt end of the stick. It won't nescasarilly make your shot worse.

2) OPS are practically the same as there shaft counter parts. There blade is fused in instead of glued so in most instances you have to cut the blade off the chip out the tennon.

What's the tenon and how does that compare to the hosel?

[Chadd 916]

1) It does defeat the purpose of the taper on the one piece stick if you put a blade in the butt end of the stick. It won't nescasarilly make your shot worse.

2) OPS are practically the same as there shaft counter parts. There blade is fused in instead of glued so in most instances you have to cut the blade off the chip out the tennon.

What's the tenon and how does that compare to the hosel?

The tenon is the part that is inserted into the shaft.

[cause4alarm 7]

I thought that was the hosel. What's the hosel then?

[Chadd 916]

The part below the tenon and above the blade that desn't get inserted

[puckmugger 0]

2) that OPSs are practically identical to composite shafts, since after all, most of them are actually two-piece sticks, with the blades fused (glued?) in place and covered with a pretty paint job.  If it's so difficult to replace a blade on the original end, then that means there are some fundamental differences between the OPS and the shaft-only versions of a model, right?

Can someone settle this for me?

If you cut a Vector 120 OPS you will note that there isn't any way you are getting a blade in the original end. They are typically triangular on the inside. The sticks with fused blades are easier, but sometimes the tennon seems longer than normal. I cut about eight inches off a Synergy for a guy a couple of weeks back before I could got to the end of that mess. You just never know