Mission Fuel Ti-Pro

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

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[Hobbes_86 0]

Mission Fuel Ti-Pro

Rafalski 65 flex

Reviewer's specs: 5'8 150lbs. On the ice 3+ times a week approx with a SR Womens League.

So far I have only gotten to use this stick twice, but JR wanted me to post ASAP since Geoff Sarjeant of Mission went above and beyond to get me this stick. Thanks to both Geoff and JR! Christmas came early!

Stiff blade; I haven’t noticed any torquing whatsoever. When it comes to receiving passes I did not have the usual liveliness of the puck bouncing off my blade like I do with other OPS. Usually I have to concentrate on using 'soft hands' to receive the puck, but not this time. The VDS (Vibration Dampening System) was amazing. Also, I took a few face-offs with it and got hacked a few times on the topside of the blade and it has not chipped yet.

The stick definitely feels stiffer than 65 in the Mission Pulse and Easton Stealth. The shaft is covered in what Mission calls a “Soft Touch” finish, to me is feels like a powder finish, it is not slick but not grippy either. IMHO the perfect balance between the two. Also down the shaft where your lower hand would go during shooting is a different diamond textured surface to add just a little more grip.

As I stated above the feel of the shaft is amazing. The balance to me is as good as anything else I have tried. Lately I have been using a 2 piece shaft/wood blade combo for better feel of the puck. Off and on depending on the situation I would switch over to an OPS. Sunday when I first warmed up with the Mission I knew it was a keeper. I received hard passes without so much of a thought. The older Pulse somehow felt like it was going to snap, the Ti-Pro felt solid.

Slap shots flew off this stick with better accuracy than what I am used to. Wrist and snap shots seemed about average maybe due to the stiffness. I didn't feel and torquing whatsoever.

For me...this stick is super light but it doesn’t feel...pingy. It truly feels solid. Does the Titanium really make that much of a difference? Balance is superb even after I cut about an inch off.

Like I said earlier I have only used this stick twice, but there isn’t even a chip on the blade from where it got stepped on. Other than my tape job and a few paint swap marks this stick looks brand new.

The finish on the shaft is, once again IMHO, perfect. The VDS technology is amazing in this line of sticks. The graphics are superb. Also a 60 day warranty.

I'll update as I use the stick more.

[Hobbes_86 0]

Used the stick again last night in a much more physical game.

I had an extended warm-up session so I really was able to test the stick out on a variety of shots.

Wristers and Snap-shots felt pretty much the same. I tried out some shots on the off foot for the first time and felt a much improved release.

Where this stick really shined was my slap-shot. The accuracy was amazing. I am not one to shoot for posts but since no one else was on the ice and I was bored just shooting off the boards I gave it a try. I could practically hit any post at will from just inside the blue line. My accuracy usually sux! Another thing about taking a slapper, for me sometimes if I don’t hit the puck just right it gets all wobbly like a knuckle puck sailing through the air. With this Mission I did not have that issue but once…when I was trying to shoot off balance. I haven’t really worked on slap-shots this year so I don’t see how my form has gotten better….could it really be the stick??

In the game, like I said, it was very physical. Lots more heavy stick checking, crashing the boards, slashing, and so on, and still not a single chip to mar the finish.

Performance once again was impeccable. I noticed this game my D was sending me a lot of fluttering passes and I had no issues with the puck hitting my blade and bouncing over.

I can’t believe one year can make such a difference in a company stick. Is the sticks performance just in my head? Am I doing something different that I don’t normally do….extra stick wax….different tape? I don’t know.

But I do know this….my company is not paying me double-time today to write up reviews…time to get back to work.