Stick Flex Ratings...

[GoHabsGo24 1]

I recently went from an 87 flex to a 100+, not sure exactly, since its a pro stock stick and doesnt list it.

I really like the stiffer stick, i feel like i get more power (even though i heard lower flex sticks have more power)

What is everyone's feeling on this? What do you like/dislike about certain flexes? and also what are you using right now? (Please include your height, wieght, and guess your strength on a 1-5 scale with 5 being the highest.)

Thanks!

[BluXington 0]

Last year I used a 100 Flex Pro Stock Stealth and a 90 or 95 Flex Synergy last year and both felt too stiff for me, I was finding myself fighting against the flex of the stick and it was hurting my accuracy and speed.

I weigh about 150-155 hight is Five Eight and a Half, and I would consider my strength to be about a 3.5 or 4.

During the summer I actually played around with some lower flexes for road hockey ( as low as a 65 flex Junior ) and the lower the flex the more comfortable the feel of the stick got and the more accurate and powerful my shot became ( I also tried them all out with an off ice training ball thats weighted the same as a puck ) so I went for it and picked myself up a 77 Flex Bauer XXX Hossa Curve stick this summer as I caught it half price ( last years stock ) .

My first game will be within the next 10 days so I should be able to report back with how it actually feels on actual ice with a puck and full gear on.

[GoHabsGo24 1]

Interesting...

I am 6ft 165, and i'd say a 4-4.5 in strength. I felt as though every time i took a slap shot, it felt as if my stick broke. I was always checking it after i shot to see why it bent so much. It got to the point where this got very annoying, so i went for something different.

I've played two games thus far with the pro stock flex, i missed most of my shots from the point, but felt like they were rockets...

I usually play centre, but filled it at D for the last two games because that's what the coach wanted. I usually score 1-3 goals a game, but on D i got 0.

I play tonight, so i will let you know if there is any difference, and hopefully i will not have to fill in on D!

[oggy_3 0]

BluXington do you cut your stick down at all and GoHabsGo do you add and extension to your sticks and if eather of you do it will change the flex rating

[GoHabsGo24 1]

I cut mine down 1 1/2 inch. Good thinking, i had actually forgotten that it changed the flex... If you cut it down, it will make it stiffer right?

[tips09 0]

I cut mine down 1 1/2 inch. Good thinking, i had actually forgotten that it changed the flex... If you cut it down, it will make it stiffer right?

yes it will make it stiffer

[raygunpk 0]

Does butt end make it less stiff?

[bobovski 1]

Does butt end make it less stiff?

Yes. Making a stick longer decreases resistance (flex) and making the stick shorter increases flex. I'm not sure if a butt end lessens the flex as much as cutting down the shaft by the same amount increases flex, however.

[fatwabbit 93]

read/heard somewhere that a general rule of thumb is that with every ince you cut off the shaft, you increase the flex by 10%. eg shaft with flex of 80, cut one inch and the flex becomes 88. Something like that...

[Scurvy 3]

For all of last season, I was using Int. sticks. However, during the Summer, I made the jump to a Sr height and flex (85-87 flex). After switching to the stiffer stick, I find that my shot has never been better. I am 5'6 and weigh around 125 pounds (not exactly a heavyweight). As for my strength, I would rate myself about a 2.5/5. Overall, I feel more comfortable and accurate with a slightly stiffer stick. As for the flex conversion, I'm pretty sure that the flex does not increase by 10% every inch. Isn't it around 3% every inch? Can someone confirm this?

[GoHabsGo24 1]

Well i have an update from last nights game. I played D again, since we are still short on defense. In short we won 5-1 i got 3 G 1 A. My first was a rocket of a slapper from the blue line.

I feel like im getting used to the stick, and my shots are harder than ever. I do feel however that my shots are higher than before, although im not sure if that is because of a different curve, or because of the flex.

[wonderenzo 0]

it depends a lot on the stick it self, hi or lo model, flex and company. each manu differs as well as their models. If its a pro stock, it could be softer then the rating, depending on what kind of pro stock. im 5"6 165 and i use a cut 77 which ends up being aorund 95. when the stick softens a little it feels much better.

[Jarick 5]

I walked around Hockey Giant for 20 minutes flexing a lot of shafts (lightly obviously) to get a feel for them. The feel changes with the brands; Bauers feel a little stiffer, Eastons seem to have a bit lower kickpoint, TPS seems whippier.

I'd been using 77 flex Bauers but really wanted to focus on my technique and loading the stick, so picked up a TPS intermediate shaft (about 70 flex I'd say). My wrister is better and slapper is just a bit softer. When I was using a stiff flex TPS, the slappers were rockets but I got some pain in my forearm.

I'd just experiment as much as you can, that's the only way to find the flex for you.

[Jason Harris 31]

Does butt end make it less stiff?

Yes. Making a stick longer decreases resistance (flex) and making the stick shorter increases flex. I'm not sure if a butt end lessens the flex as much as cutting down the shaft by the same amount increases flex, however.

Adding an Oggie Grip will make the stick less stiff, even after cutting the length.

[Jarick 5]

Adding an Oggie Grip will make the stick less stiff, even after cutting the length.

How does this affect the kickpoint?

I did a quick read of the Oggie thread and couldn't find any info. If it adds flex, wouldn't that added flex be up at the handle and not the kickpoint where you want it to be?

I find myself wanting about a 70 to 75 flex senior stick. I've got an 85 flex Synergy shaft (cut from OPS) with a 3" wood plug in it...if I cut it down 3" and put an Oggie in there, what kind of flex would it have and would it affect the kickpoint?

[Jason Harris 31]

Adding an Oggie Grip will make the stick less stiff, even after cutting the length.

How does this affect the kickpoint?

I did a quick read of the Oggie thread and couldn't find any info. If it adds flex, wouldn't that added flex be up at the handle and not the kickpoint where you want it to be?

I find myself wanting about a 70 to 75 flex senior stick. I've got an 85 flex Synergy shaft (cut from OPS) with a 3" wood plug in it...if I cut it down 3" and put an Oggie in there, what kind of flex would it have and would it affect the kickpoint?

Yes, the added flex would be at the handle. However, there must be an added benefit to flex in the wrist, because shot speeds have increased by 2-6 MPH for sticks with a grip. (I'm friends with the inventor, Joe Casasanta, which is how I've learned this.)

I don't know what the flex would be in your application, but I can tell you that Joe had a device that measured flex at the last trade show, and a 50 flex stick improved to around 42.5 with a grip.

[Jarick 5]

It does make some sense as I noticed that my top hand forearm got more tired trying to flex a stiff stick rather than a mid flex. Like I was pulling up with my top hand and pushing down with my bottom (although that's probably bad technique). That might take some stress off the top hand then.

I'm gonna give it a shot and report back if I can find a cheap blade for this shaft. Nothing really to lose other than $40 for the grip and blade.

[Chadd 916]

Do we really need yet another topic on this? I know this has been discussed at length at least half a dozen times.