One more question about shafts and blades

[martywest 0]

Alright, explain something to a newbie. First, what would be the advantages of a composite shaft with a wood blade over an all wood stick, especially if you were using the same blade as the stick. For example, a Sherwood 5030 woodie vs a Sherwood Momentum shaft with a 5030 blade. Secondly, I came across an earlier post where the general concensus was that an all wood stick will give you a harder shot, and have a better feel than composite. If this is true, why do 90% of players use composite? I'm really struggling to decide what stick to get and I need a few more answers. Thanks. P.S., I'll probably have a few follow up questions.

[hockeymom 2]

OK, a ton of people here know far more about this than I do... but I've just moved my daughter to a shaft+blade based on what I've learned from the MSH commumity... so here is a summary...

Woodie's can lack consistency from stick to stick and eventually lose their "pop". Yes, they give a harder shot, but it is easier to get a quick shot from a composite shaft.

An OPS gives you better responsiveness in the shaft which allows for a faster shot release... BUT you lose the "feel" of the puck that you get with a woodie, so some people don't like it for stickhandling.

A tapered shaft + wood blade gives you the best of both worlds - equivilent to an OPS for responsiveness and consistency from the shaft for faster shot release plus the puck feel from the wooden blade. Your puck feel comes from the blade not the shaft.

A standard shaft + wood blade doesn't give you quite the equivilency of an OPS. Many people on MSH swear by the tapered shafts and recommend not going with a standard shaft. Some people here say the difference between tapered and standard shafts is relatively minor and the "win" is that you can find a wider number and variety of blades at a cheaper price than you can find tapered blades.

Hope that helps... and if people see anywhere I may have got it wrong they'll jump in with corrections.

[TBLfan 25]

Wood doesn't necessarily give you a harder shot, in fact many people will argue the opposite.

It's not the stick, it's the shooter. What works for one doesn't for another. ~ Dr Suess

[DamnLocust 0]

I used an old cut synergy shaft with both an ultralite blade and a wood blade, and found my shot to be harder with the composite blade (because of its stiffness) but more accurate with wood. The feel of the ultralite blade was pretty bad, but I find the feel with OPS and tapered combos with comp. blades much better.

I still use a standard shaft + wood blade for outdoor roller, but OPS for indoor roller and ice, and I can go back and forth between the two without any problems with feel or anything.

[mack 44]

Wood doesn't necessarily give you a harder shot, in fact many people will argue the opposite.

It's not the stick, it's the shooter. What works for one doesn't for another. ~ Dr Suess

I've had a harder shot clocked with wood over any composite, but composite will continue to produce that velocity whereas wood will become a noodle.

[odp 0]

While we're at it, how do people feel about standard shafts with "engineered" flex zones such as the Easton Z-Bubble, Warrior AK27, and the TPS XN10 Red Lite, paired with a shorter hosel blade like a CCM V40 or the Black Beauty blades?

(the following info borrowed from epuck)

Z-Bubble description

Easton was the first company to perfect the ability to taper the dimensions of a shaft. By tapering the shaft towards the blade, they were able to lower the ''kick point'' of the shaft. The lower kick point provided a shaft that was more accurate and had a quicker release. Where the ''Bubble'' concept came in is with the addition of their proprietary Parabolic Focus Flex Zone. This zone allows Easton to taper the shaft down (and achieve the desired low kick point) and then widen back up to accept a standard blade. This allows the player the widest selection of blades and awesome performance. The Zbubble is of course compression molded (the highest quality method of construction) with cutting edge aerospace materials. The 100 flex on the Z-Bubble is stiff and designed for larger, more powerful players. The 85 shaft is perfect for ''the rest of us'' and also makes a great roller hockey shaft. The tapered shaft design also reduces the torque on the shaft to give you more accuracy on your shot.

AK27 description

The overall design of the AK27 is that of a Low Kickpoint standard shaft. The AK27 utilizes a compression molded process (the highest quality method available). The composite layers of the shaft are designed to place the kickpoint as low as possible on the shaft. This allows the AK27 to do two things: 1) There is very little torque or twist along the shaft when the blade strikes the puck. This keeps the puck headed the direction you intended. 2) The release becomes lightning fast. Think the end of a whip popping. The puck comes off like a bullet out of the barrel of a gun. One thing that you will find with Warrior sticks (just like the old Inno's) is that they are extremely consistent. Warriors reject guidelines are twice as strict as any other stick on the market. This applies to the stiffness (yes - EVERY AK27 shaft that comes off the line is tested for stiffness). So when you get in an 85 - you can be sure that it's right on the money.

XN10 Red Lite description

The composite material in the XN10 Red Lite is an amorphous carbon material that is more damage tolerant than standard carbon on impacts. This makes this shaft more break resistant from slashes than most other top shafts. In addition, the XN10 Red Lite has a better compression to failure ratio than Aramid fiber. Therefore, it has the ability to achieve the same flex and flexural strength with less weight and function, where normal carbon would fail. This allows the XN10 Red Lite to survive more hard slapshots than most shafts. Besides the light weight and outstanding durability, the Red Lite can deliver a really hard shot. Its low kickpoint design focuses the flex towards the bottom of the shaft, reducing torque in the blade thereby making your shots more accurate and powerful.

[bulletproof_funk 0]

If this is true, why do 90% of players use composite?

As also stated in your earlier thread, flex and durability...

[dustwvl 0]

AK27 description

The overall design of the AK27 is that of a Low Kickpoint standard shaft. The AK27 utilizes a compression molded process (the highest quality method available). The composite layers of the shaft are designed to place the kickpoint as low as possible on the shaft. This allows the AK27 to do two things: 1) There is very little torque or twist along the shaft when the blade strikes the puck. This keeps the puck headed the direction you intended. 2) The release becomes lightning fast. Think the end of a whip popping. The puck comes off like a bullet out of the barrel of a gun. One thing that you will find with Warrior sticks (just like the old Inno's) is that they are extremely consistent. Warriors reject guidelines are twice as strict as any other stick on the market. This applies to the stiffness (yes - EVERY AK27 shaft that comes off the line is tested for stiffness). So when you get in an 85 - you can be sure that it's right on the money.

Interesting considering that one of the main complaints of the old inno shafts was how badly they torqued open.

[Chadd 916]

Alright, explain something to a newbie. First, what would be the advantages of a composite shaft with a wood blade over an all wood stick, especially if you were using the same blade as the stick. For example, a Sherwood 5030 woodie vs a Sherwood Momentum shaft with a 5030 blade. Secondly, I came across an earlier post where the general concensus was that an all wood stick will give you a harder shot, and have a better feel than composite. If this is true, why do 90% of players use composite? I'm really struggling to decide what stick to get and I need a few more answers. Thanks. P.S., I'll probably have a few follow up questions.

Most NHL players don't take a lot of slappers and tapered sticks are better for wristers and snap shots. For the average rec player, wood is the best option for feel but the lighter flexes available in composite sticks make it easier to produce a harder shot with composites.