RBK 5k Blade

[JR Boucicaut 3802]

Open

[ultraman7k 0]

Reviewed: RBK 5K blade, P38 Datsyuk curve, Left Handed in Nike Apollo shaft.

After my Apollo blade died, I was looking for something to use in place of my shaft. Since I did not feel like using wood, I opted to go for the RBK 5k blade.

Stiffness:

On the blade it says XX-STIFF, so I figured that the blade would be pretty stiff, and at first it was. However, I've used it for 6 or 7 games now, and the blade is noticably less stiff. The blade is at the point where it's as good as it gets, being not too stiff, not too soft, just right. 6/10

Durability:

This blade has chipped at the toe pretty quickly, and has got some scratches and gashes along the blade. As the hosel part is white, sratches tend to show pretty quickly. However, no cracks or anything, so it's holding up, but it's no tank. 6/10

Weight:

Much lighter than my Nike Apollo Blade, and it balances quite nicely in my Apollo shaft, so no complaints there. 10/10

Stickhandling/Passing:

I know people have said RBK feels like crap, but I like the feel, so it's PP. I find that I'm able to stickhandle a bit better with this, as I can feel where the puck is on the blade. As for passing and recieving passes, it's a beauty, it takes hard passes very nicely as it just settles it without problems. Making passes are pretty good too, nothing special though. 10/10

Shooting:

Most noticible with the RBK 5k blade, is my slapshot. Simply put, I'm not that satisfied with it, shots don't seem to fly off quite as nicely as my previous blade, but that may be the fact that the Dastyuk is somewhat less extreme than the Naslund. Wristers are adequate, but backhanders are nice. Again, this is largely due to the curve, but for the most part, shooting is just average as my shots seem to flutter more that usual. 7/10

Conclusion:

This is an OK blade, I wouldn't say it's the greatest, but it definately isn't the worst. It does say XX-STIFF, but doesn't seem to retain it's stiffness as it should. Shooting is ok, recieving passes is great, and making passes are ok. In retrospect, given the choice between the Apollo and 5k (similarly priced) I think I would go with the Apollo.

Final Rating: 7.8/10

[Doctor Hook 0]

Reviewed: RBK 5K blade, P38 Datsyuk curve, Right Handed in Bauer Endure shaft.

This was my second foray into composites and a first into a composite shaft. I wanted a decently priced blade to go along with the new shaft, so I figured the $50 RbK 5K blade would do the trick.

I was wrong.

Stiffness:

I didn't really notice whether it was stiff or not, but maybe it was this supposed XX stiffness that lead to a hosel crack after a month of beer league usage, or about 6 ice sessions. 5/10

Durability:

Terrible. Scratches appeared after the first night of pickup, and only got worse. Then of course we have the aforementioned crack. Wish I could return this. 0/10

Weight:

Very light, but also very delicate. 6/10

Stickhandling/Passing/Shooting:

It had decent feel as far as composites go. My shooting was noticably faster, and wristers also had nice zip. I liked how it shot, but it obviously couldn't stand up to the use. I didn't even take that many shots with it before I noticed the crack. 6/10

Conclusion:

Don't waste your money when there are better, stronger, and less expensive blades to choose from. Very disapointing and I will never buy another RbK blade.

Final Rating: 1/10

Edited January 17, 2007 by Doctor Hook

[HattrickSwayze 3]

RBK 5k tapered composite blade. Right hand Datsyuk curve. I'm about 170 lbs, 6'0, playing low level rec league hockey.

This was really only the second blade I've had, since I just started playing hockey about 6 months ago, so some of my descriptions might be a little vague. Partly because it's hard to tell if it's the blade/stick, or just my skills getting better.

Stiffness: The blade was really stiff. It was part of the reason I bought it. It felt rock solid, and I figured it'd be a good thing. Not sure how to rate this one, but I'll give it a 9/10.

Durability: Pretty terrible actually. I spent around $60 for this thing, and it started to chip on the bottom after a few games. A piece about a 1/2" long chipped off the bottom of the blade. Maybe a week or two later, the toe started to chip apart. It wore down to the wood, and then started to split into two pieces, both vertically and horizontally. I expected WAY more out of this blade. 1/10

Weight: Pretty light. Not sure what the weight is, but I'd assume 170 grams or so? Upside to it not being as light as a feather is it balanced the stick out kinda nicely. 7/10

Stickhandling/passing: I've heard people say composite blades don't give you very good puck feel, but I liked this blade a lot. I thought I could feel the puck on my stick a lot better than with my old wood stick. Passing felt fine to me. I was no less accurate than before. My problems receiving passes comes from my low skill level, not from the blade. 8/10

Shooting: Once I got used to the curve, my shot was pretty accurate. The Datsyuk curve with the somewhat open face helped me get the puck into the top corners easier. It wasn't bad for backhands either. 8/10

Conclusion: I liked this blade, but the durability really turned me off. I bought a Warrior Dolomite 2 for a replacement in a Robitaille pattern (pretty close to the Datsyuk curve) instead of another RBK blade. I really didn't want to spend another $40-$60, and have a different RBK blade break right away again. It'd be different if I was a higher level player, but our level games are pretty slow and not very hard on gear. Just seems like the blade should've lasted longer. It seems like it's a trend for these things to be fragile, judging by the other two reviews so far.

Rating: 3.5/10