Black Beauty

[gman 0]

For those of you who have any experience with black beauty, what do you think about the quality of the blades, shafts and sticks? Have you had any issues and if so, how is Black Beauty's customer service? I think I read somewhere that they used to have durability problem with the blades because they were making them so light. Has this problem been solved?

[gman 0]

For those of you who have any experience with black beauty, what do you think about the quality of the blades, shafts and sticks? Have you had any issues and if so, how is Black Beauty's customer service? I think I read somewhere that they used to have durability problem with the blades because they were making them so light. Has this problem been solved?

[teamhystyk 0]

Well I live in MI and I know personally the man who started and invented the concept, with the lie detector and graphics and the company as a whole after litigation he decided to get bought out by his partner, anyhow these sticks only cost $8.00 to make and Im talking a shaft the one pieces cost $14.00 I have seen a million of these sticks break, there is also news in the area that they arent going to be making sticks much longer, meaning going out of business. I would stay away.

[hudsonhockey22 0]

worst durability ever ... knew a guy who worked for them .. and he gave all the kids on his team one for real cheap, almost every one broke in very odd places (handle, just the toe, in the middle) .. just very low sticks IMO, but others liked theirs while they had them

[joshy207 15]

How long ago was this? Can't have been too recently.

Blade durability is better than most composite blades on the market. They may chip a little here and there, but unlike other blades, chips won't affect the integrity (strength, playability) of the blade. They're solid, no foam center, and there's a little "give" in the blade, which creates better feel for the puck. This goes for OPS and replacement blades.

Shafts are carbon/graphite, which makes them light and fairly strong.

One-piece sticks will perform and hold up well, as long as the player is using the correct stick. Junior (Flame) sticks are designed for 8-11 year olds and Intermediate (Warlock) sticks are for 11-14 year olds. There are exceptions--small 12-year-olds may be better off using a Junior stick, but their bigger, stronger opponents will put more wear and tear on that stick.

A Youth OPS, designed for players 4-7 years old, is about to hit the market. It is 35 Flex, has a Lie 3.0 blade, and has a thinner shaft than the Junior stick.

Other exciting sticks are in the works!

As for customer service... as of 2 weeks ago, I work for Black Beauty, handling customer service, returns, shipping, inventory... if you have any questions, feel free to PM me or email me, josh@bbsticks.com

hudsonhockey22--there were some early sticks that broke in strange places, yes. They have been strengthened in those areas. Black Beauty's goal isn't to mass-produce a product that is considered "disposable"--we'd rather hear that a kid used his stick for 6 months, it held up well and he's buying another one because he grew, than have someone go through 6 sticks in 2 months and move on to something else, never to return, and badmouthing our stuff. If we find a problem in quality, we'll correct it.

[gman 0]

Well I live in MI and I know personally the man who started and invented the concept, with the lie detector and graphics and the company as a whole after litigation he decided to get bought out by his partner, anyhow these sticks only cost $8.00 to make and Im talking a shaft the one pieces cost $14.00 I have seen a million of these sticks break, there is also news in the area that they arent going to be making sticks much longer, meaning going out of business. I would stay away.

Thanks, you are not the only one to give me this vibe. It is too bad though, the concept was neat I think. It is a shame a small company cannot break through to compete with the big boys. Although customer service and durability would go a long ways in helping out.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Funny, two guys who worked at the same shop have the same opinion...maybe there was a problem with that particular shop?

Gman - check your PM.

[joshy207 15]

Blade durability is better than most composite blades on the market. They may chip a little here and there, but unlike other blades, chips won't affect the integrity (strength, playability) of the blade. They're solid, no foam center, and there's a little "give" in the blade, which creates better feel for the puck. This goes for OPS and replacement blades.

Shafts are carbon/graphite, which makes them light and fairly strong.

One-piece sticks will perform and hold up well, as long as the player is using the correct stick. Junior (Flame) sticks are designed for 8-11 year olds and Intermediate (Warlock) sticks are for 11-14 year olds. There are exceptions--small 12-year-olds may be better off using a Junior stick, but their bigger, stronger opponents will put more wear and tear on that stick.

A Youth OPS, designed for players 4-7 years old, is about to hit the market. It is 35 Flex, has a Lie 3.0 blade, and has a thinner shaft than the Junior stick.

Other exciting sticks are in the works!

As for customer service... as of 2 weeks ago, I work for Black Beauty, handling customer service, returns, shipping, inventory... if you have any questions, feel free to PM me or email me, josh@bbsticks.com

teamhystyk--Black Beauty is not getting out of the hockey business, not even close. Nor have "millions" of those sticks broken. Maybe the earlier versions, but the current sticks are holding up just fine. About half of the peewee team I coach uses them, and I think 2 of them broke all year, one when a kid fell on it.

As for the costs, you may think you know more than I do about that. But do you think any of the other companies pay any more to make their sticks?

[Chadd 916]

The new shafts are tanks but the performance is terrible.

[teamhystyk 0]

I was simply stating my opion notice How I used the post in the first person, and no i didnt see a million break, but I did see quite a few come back to the store and JR for your information I have worked at four local shops in the area in the last ten years and all of them sold black beauty including the company you work for which I onced worked for so where I work now has nothing to do with my opinion. So your point isnt justified. I am not trying to bust anyones balls I am simply stating my opinion, I used a black beauty shaft for a while and it was lacking in the responsiveness compared to other shafts, seemed unbalanced, heavy, and seemed to chip very easily. There is always two sides to every coin. I highly doubt anyone knows the real story behind Black beauty sticks, but I know the inventor personally and if you would like to know the true story you can email me. I was there when he came up with the idea and patent for the lie detector. teamhystyk@yahoo.com

Also on another note I do know that other companies who have their sticks made in China spend around the same amount to have their sticks made however on high end sticks from companies that are made in Mexico and Canada the cost is much higher to develop and research the high end sticks and cost is sometimes triple that of chinese or vietnamese made sticks

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Okay, don't know where you are going with this, but all I said is that I heard the same story from someone who worked at the same store you did - the same person who told me they had problems with BB. Nowhere in my post did I say you were wrong or right, just saying that I heard the story twice. However, it looks like you misconstrued that.

However, if you are stating your "opinion," state that. Because by you saying that you know the guy who started BB then say that it costs $8 to make a stick makes people believe that you're trying to pass that as fact.

After all, you must know more than I do. 4 shops in the past ten years...can't say I've done that.

[teamhystyk 0]

Yes sorry I did take you the wrong way, I thought you were badmouthing the particular company I work for, actually I never worked at St. Mary's only West bloomfield and Royal oak, funny enough we still have some BB's for sale, kids love the flames...

[sdcopp 1]

What's funny is when people throw out a low figure like that to make it seem like a rip-off, when the company has to pay their people, utilities, and R&D and marketing costs, etc. Every one of the hockey companies has made a dog of a product at some point, it's how they go ahead with it.

[prenny207 1]

I was simply stating my opion notice How I used the post in the first person, and no i didnt see a million break, but I did see quite a few come back to the store and JR for your information I have worked at four local shops in the area in the last ten years and all of them sold black beauty including the company you work for which I onced worked for so where I work now has nothing to do with my opinion. So your point isnt justified. I am not trying to bust anyones balls I am simply stating my opinion, I used a black beauty shaft for a while and it was lacking in the responsiveness compared to other shafts, seemed unbalanced, heavy, and seemed to chip very easily. There is always two sides to every coin. I highly doubt anyone knows the real story behind Black beauty sticks, but I know the inventor personally and if you would like to know the true story you can email me. I was there when he came up with the idea and patent for the lie detector. teamhystyk@yahoo.com

Also on another note I do know that other companies who have their sticks made in China spend around the same amount to have their sticks made however on high end sticks from companies that are made in Mexico and Canada the cost is much higher to develop and research the high end sticks and cost is sometimes triple that of chinese or vietnamese made sticks

k, when did you use the shaft. and as for your guy that invented the product and concept, does he hold the patent??? make sure you have all the facts right! if you have used a current model shaft, there is no way that it will be heavy as it competes with most brands in terms of weight... but hey, to each his own. personally, i have used one shaft/blade for over a year... with being on the ice 3-5 times a week. i also have a friend that was breaking a "leading brand" shaft/blade/ops every 4-5 weeks, and switched to a bb and it lasted him 8 months (while winning a scoring title). so like i said, to each his own.

as for working in 4 stores in 10 years. if each of the stores carried them, that would be in the past 1.5 years... so what time period are you really referring to???

you are allowed to think what you want, just be careful what you "put to print". you might want to check your sources when it comes to bb's status. from personal, reliable sources, bb is one of the few composite stick manufacturers that has increased production of goods over the past 2 seasons.

as for returns... very minimal percentage of current production (last 1.5 years) of sticks/blades comes back for return. and by the way, bb is one of the only companies to offer a 30 day "guarantee" on blades!!!

[Dorph 0]

Chad: Do you have any experience with their blades or hear anything on the subject of performance? (Not being smart if it sounded as such, but simply asking because I’m curious about more info.) Thanks!

[Chadd 916]

Chad: Do you have any experience with their blades or hear anything on the subject of performance? (Not being smart if it sounded as such, but simply asking because I’m curious about more info.) Thanks!

I used one of their blades when I tried the shaft. I wasn't a big fan of the feel.

[teamhystyk 0]

Black beauty sticks have been around a lot longer in MI than 1.5 years, they were being sold out of hockey weekly when they first came out. I didnt say that i sold BBS's for 10 years but they have been around for over 5 years and in that time I have worked for 4 different companies. I m not going to talk about this issue anymore. I do have a synergy that I bought when they first came out and has lasted me 4 years. While i broke 3 Z bubbles in one game, two on one shift,,,,nice $300.00 game that was. I think the big names are going in reverse so I am welcome to a small company if they can make something work, I used the BB 2 years ago it was Black and rust color gold, I just couldnt get used to the balance and response, TPS however seems to be getting it right, even though they are a tough sell, plus the company just changed owners again.... Synergy SL's big headache, Vapor XXX lite bigger headache and those are the big dogs...

[prenny207 1]

Black beauty sticks have been around a lot longer in MI than 1.5 years, they were being sold out of hockey weekly when they first came out. I didnt say that i sold BBS's for 10 years but they have been around for over 5 years and in that time I have worked for 4 different companies. I m not going to talk about this issue anymore. I do have a synergy that I bought when they first came out and has lasted me 4 years. While i broke 3 Z bubbles in one game, two on one shift,,,,nice $300.00 game that was. I think the big names are going in reverse so I am welcome to a small company if they can make something work, I used the BB 2 years ago it was Black and rust color gold, I just couldnt get used to the balance and response, TPS however seems to be getting it right, even though they are a tough sell, plus the company just changed owners again.... Synergy SL's big headache, Vapor XXX lite bigger headache and those are the big dogs...

though it is nice to hear of your troubles with other manufacturers... i didn't say bb was only a year and a half old... i talked about durability over the past year and a half... as for being around for more then 5 years... not quite. close, but not 5 years. my reason for discussing the past year and a half, is that is when real changes have been made from the days that you are talking about with the "original designer". as for the color of the shaft you used... they still are the same color, just not the same product.

look, i have not issues with whether the stick worked for you or not... its not designed for everyone... ala chadd. didn't work for him. thats fine. im simply saying, get the facts straight before you bad mouth a company.

[stevoc 0]

I was just at BB's website...do they not make adult sticks? I take it the shafts work OK for adults, right? Also, tapered or standard?

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

BB shafts are constant flex. No engineered kickpoint. Standard only.

[Chadd 916]

We really should combine the ice and inline versions of this question.

[joshy207 15]

I was just at BB's website...do they not make adult sticks? I take it the shafts work OK for adults, right? Also, tapered or standard?

No senior OPS at this time, just shafts and blades. Standard, short hosel.

[gman 0]

We really should combine the ice and inline versions of this question.

Thanks for doing that Chadd. Sorry for making duplicate posts, but it is interesting to see that there were different people posting in each section.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Actually, it was me :P

[gman 0]

Actually, it was me :P

Thank you very much JR.

Edited for politeness and respect :)