Best Feeling Int. Stick

[kovalchuk71 212]

Anyone have any reccomendations? I have the CNT and I dont like the feel of it. Any ideas?

[hockeymom 2]

MissD loves her R2 XN10

[kovalchuk71 212]

What about SW?

[KYHockey3 0]

sl grip

[drisco487 0]

Stay away from the SL, they break way to easily.

But i would say the dolomite and I have used the vapor xxx lite, and the one90 and i like the dolomite the best id say go with that

[jm47 0]

I'm not a big fan of the XXX Lite.

[Chadd 916]

Wood

Either a wood stick or a tapered shaft and wood blade is going to feel better than any comp.

[kovalchuk71 212]

Then wht do you reccomend chadd? Should I get a stiffer shaft since the wood blade will flex

[mack 44]

Never adjust your shaft's flex to compensate for the blade. Blades are going to flex, there's not much we can do about that.

I remember you not liking the flex on the Warrior Int. so maybe TPS (either Int. or Sr. Whip) would do you well. If you can wait, maybe the XXX Lite tapered shaft in the 77 flex would be worth it.

[jon93 0]

The tps response armor is the best feeling sticks i have used

[Chadd 916]

Then wht do you reccomend chadd? Should I get a stiffer shaft since the wood blade will flex

Like Mack said, never go with a stiffer shaft because your blade may flex. I just remove the tape on my wood blades after every game, then replace the blade when it starts getting soft.

[marc_9 0]

The tps response armor is the best feeling sticks i have used

yeah the feel is good but the durability is questionable mine is cracking around the hosel after only a few ice times.

[jon93 0]

The tps response armor is the best feeling sticks i have used

yeah the feel is good but the durability is questionable mine is cracking around the hosel after only a few ice times.

mine hasn't cracked yet but its is really chipped um on the shaft and blade. Blades still super stiff, i will defiantly buy another one this one is gone.

[marc_9 0]

i think it might just be a manufacturing defect and i have untill the 26th for it to break. if it isnt a manufacturing defect i dont think i will be buying one of these again

[Jason 65]

Feel is so subjective. Some people like a stick that dampens the puck alot, like a Warrior or a wood stick. I myself like the "feel" of a stick that has what I call a more "precise" feel (a stick that doesn't dampen so much), such as a Synergy SL. If you are looking for a balance between the two sides I have described, try the XXX-Lite. It has just enough dampening and still has a "hot" or fairly explosive blade face. I find that Easton has the "hottest" or most explosive blade in hockey. Granted, I haven't tried all sticks and blades, but that is what I have found. I've used such sticks as the Easton Synergy SL, Stealth, Stealth CNT, Vapor XXX, XXX-Lite, Warrior Dolomite, Innovative 1100, TPS Response, TPS XN10, Mission Hex-1 and a few wood sticks. The SL and Stealth had the best kick on shots IMO. I also use an 85 flex most of the time.

Another thing to note is that I broke Synergy SL's like crazy. Sometimes they would only last me a week or two. Durability wise I wouldn't recommend that stick. I am a center, take lots of face-offs and am somewhat hard on my sticks.

[drisco487 0]

yeah i agree with you on that the SL's break insanely fast

[Chadd 916]

Feel is so subjective. Some people like a stick that dampens the puck alot, like a Warrior or a wood stick. I myself like the "feel" of a stick that has what I call a more "precise" feel (a stick that doesn't dampen so much), such as a Synergy SL.

I'll agree with you to a point. More often than not, the preference is for the performance of one stick regardless of feel. I reffed a jr high game tonight and I lost count of the number of times decent players just lost the puck off their blade because they couldn't feel it on the blade anymore.

[kovalchuk71 212]

Ok, then what wood blade is really stiff?

[kovalchuk71 212]

Never adjust your shaft's flex to compensate for the blade. Blades are going to flex, there's not much we can do about that.

I remember you not liking the flex on the Warrior Int. so maybe TPS (either Int. or Sr. Whip) would do you well. If you can wait, maybe the XXX Lite tapered shaft in the 77 flex would be worth it.

Actually Mack, I actually kind of liked that shaft. The flex was weird, but I dont think i gave it a fair shot. The dimesions were so nice

[mack 44]

But I thought you sold it because the flex was too much?

[kovalchuk71 212]

it was a bit much, but I didnt give it a chance. I only used it for like a week

[Jason 65]

Chadd,

I guess my point was that some people like a stick that has a blade that dampens the puck more because they either aren't as good a stickhandler or they just simply are used to that type of blade, etc, etc. I think Naslund and Spezza use wood sticks because it is what they are used to. They work for them and they aren't willing to mess with success. Mind you Naslund isn't really having much success lately, but that is besides the point.

I just think that more stiff and explosive the blade face is, the more precise that you have to be when stickhandling. However, if you are an advanced level player with good hands and you are used to blades like I am speaking of, you will get the best results. It's hard for me to explain myself.

[DamnLocust 0]

Kovy, It looks like you're looking for a ops, but have you considered an easton cyclone? they come in 70 flex and have an even rounder shape than the dolomite. no grip version, though. I use a dolomite for ice and a cyclone (95 flex) for roller.

[Cavs019 710]

Jason I agree with you completely, right now I feel like my CNT's are giving me the best feel out of any OPS I've used. I love that crisp, "precise"" feel as you mentioned. I feel that with an ultra stiff blade I can always tell exactly where the puck is on my tape due to how responsive it is. Also, I've never felt that me catching or not catching passes was due to my stick, regardless of what I use. The first synergy, which apparently required a softer blade face because no one could catch passes with it (SiCore), never gave me an issue.

[Jason 65]

Cavs,

Glad to see that someone understands me. I just picked up a CNT and love it. Looking forward to getting my hands on an SE when I can too. I held a Getzlaf pro stock the other day and was highly jealous of it's owner. Crisp is another word that describes the feel that I like. You're right, it allows you to tell exactly where the puck is due to it's responsiveness. I think the reason that composite has caused problems for some people when catching passes or stick handling is because they are not used to it or are not advanced level players. One of the two. Especially with 1st generation Synergy's.

The funny thing was that when I first started using composite ops' about 4-5 years ago, I absolutely hated the feel of them. I went back to wood a few time. However, I didn't give up on the technology and now I could never go back to wood. I just don't see the reason to.