Pro-Stock Sticks

[habookus 1]

Why don't companies sell pro stock sticks? For instance you could choose a pro curve, order 3 or whatever, and pay the normal price you would for a retail stick. Or are there extra costs involved in making pro-stocks?

[Drewhunz 3]

They do sell pro stock sticks. Just not direct to the consumer.

[quasi 0]

Then they wouldn't be truly pro-stock. Pro stock sticks are not just retail sticks with a different curve.

What you're thinking of sounds like the NBH ID program.

[hockey is life... 0]

I believe they also have different shaft dimensions and heights.

[The Fresh Young MikeyD 0]

I'm not an expert but from what I gather of your post what you seem to want is a custom-made stick. I believe some companies like Christian, NBH through its ID program and Sherwood all do just that (to a certain degree). I believe by definition a pro-stock stick is a custom ordered stick made by a company for a particular professional, but for whatever reason it was never used. It probably has a custom curve and a certain flex and could have other things done to it (e.g. possible reinforcement in certain areas) all to the player's liking.

As for why most companies don't offer this service for everyone, I'd imagine it simply isn't cost effective. It's the same reason clothing designers sell ready-to-wear clothes that you and me buy or if it isn't to our liking leave on store shelves rather than offer tailored made-to-measure clothes. It's much cheaper and easier to make a bunch of sticks (with a few different flexes and curves) that meet the needs of at least 95 per cent of the public than to make everyone a custom made stick. The economies of scale and margin simply aren't there for a large company to make everyone even a handful of custom-made sicks at a time. Again I'm not in the industry but the reason this service is offered to professional players rather than eveyone is for advertising purposes. Again (forgive the example but it's the best analogy I can come-up with right now) it's just like fashion designers designing a bespoke or tailored dresses for actresses at the Oscars. It's worth it for them to make a custom design and make it look very good in hopes that public sees it, remembers it and considers purchasing something from his/her retail line in the future. Again, just like the fashion example even if you were willing to pay the true cost of a custom ordered stick if a company is a very large it simply may not be worth it for the company to stop production at the factory to make you or me a custom because we can't provide the advertising benefits of a professional player. But even then, like everything in life, if you know the right people and are willing to pay enough anything is possible.

[thejackal 46]

Chadd ordered TPS blades in a prostock curve though his LHS a while back, other companies may have different policies.

[Buzz_LightBeer 974]

WHy would stores bother to stock sticks then, if little 15 year old Johnny "Let the stick do the work for me" will come in and make mommy buy 3 of "whatever crosby uses?"

how would you know what __________'s pattern looks like?

what if you dont like the flex ___________ uses?

[habookus 1]

But once the mould for the curve is made, isn't the process more or less the same for making a pro-stick and a retail stick (besides little customizations of course). I think it would be a good idea, like NBH with its ID program, to offer just pro curves, and you choose the flex like a retail stick, therefore it would cost the company just the same as making retail versions. I just don't like any retail patterns, because I've played with numerous pro-stocks and they are just so much better, and I think it would be great if you could get your favorite pro-stock pattern in the stick you like most.

[Krev 86]

Make your way to a team sale, and buy all of the sticks that have the pattern you like. :P

[TBLfan 25]

a mold is only good for x amount of production. It's not worth it to them... but is Joe Blow really worth the effort to make them a custom stick? He's still going to buy our OPS, so what if it isn't perfect for his beer league.

[colt45 0]

they don't sell pro-stock sticks because usually the pros change things like thinner walls so it's lighter, reinforcement in some places...i kno they make custom curve woodies...not sure bout composites tho...

[quasi 0]

Some companies make custom composite blades, but they're quite expensive.

[hockey is life... 0]

MIA does this also but remember that you are only choosing flex, pattern, and (OMFG!!) colour! Unless you are inept to adapt to a different curve I don't find it that crucial to do that.(Unless it is the S17 contest!) :P

[Fire0nIce228 1]

So basically the same as the NBH ID program, except less curves to choose from. (?)

[Chadd 916]

Chadd ordered TPS blades in a prostock curve though his LHS a while back, other companies may have different policies.

We had a great relationship with TPS and our rep at the time.

[hockey is life... 0]

So basically the same as the NBH ID program, except less curves to choose from. (?)

Depends on the company.

[slaw 1]

It's the Nostalga. The Pro's use NBH's sticks almost as a selling tool. I bet if you did a poll of every person who bought a RBK helmet or RBK gloves you'd find a large percentage of sales are due to Crosby using the item or Phaneuf's using it. Same deal with sticks, there needs to be that untouchable aspect that seperates the pro's from avergae joe's and little johnny-my-mommys-rich so that little-johnny-my-mommys-rich will buy the stick Crosby uses.

[habookus 1]

Isn't the NBH ID thing just 15 different curves you could choose from instead of the normal 5-6? If easton started to let people customize their sticks for a reasonable price if bought in say 3 or 6 packs, they could make a killing. But real costomizing, like blade length/width, rocker/no rocker, square/rounded toe and all that fun stuff, that would be quite sweet.

[quasi 0]

Isn't the NBH ID thing just 15 different curves you could choose from instead of the normal 5-6? If easton started to let people customize their sticks for a reasonable price if bought in say 3 or 6 packs, they could make a killing. But real costomizing, like blade length/width, rocker/no rocker, square/rounded toe and all that fun stuff, that would be quite sweet.

For them to make a killing, they're going to have to charge you a lot more for each stick to offset the cost of all the custom work.

[habookus 1]

just customize the blade though, how many different combinations could there be, 20 max.?

[TBLfan 25]

Just taking the number of retail patterns Easton offers: Sakic, Forsberg, Drury, Lidstrom, Iginla, Heatley... that's 6. Now you offer those in 3 different lie options you're looking at 18 options. To offer fully customizable patterns you're looking at hundreds of options... thousands if you're talking about subtle differences.

[camhockey16 5]

these guys will do custom blades/sticks

i don't know if there sticks are the best out there but at least they are willing to do it unlike virtually all the companies out there

http://www.harrowsports.com/hockeycustom.asp

http://www.harrowsports.com/download.asp?f...CustomStick.pdf

http://www.harrowsports.com/download.asp?f...ustomBlades.pdf

http://www.harrowsports.com/download.asp?f...omGoalStick.pdf

[The Fresh Young MikeyD 0]

Habookus, I don't want to sound rude here, but the level of customisation you seem to be asking companies to provide to every willing member of the public pretty much ended with the beginning the Industrial Revolution, which is arguably the very thing that allowed the emergence of large companies.

Before that people went to the local artisan, like say a shoemaker, and that person measured your foot, took into account what you needed the shoe for, your likes/dislikes and made you a custom pair of shoes. Back then labour was cheap compared to the relative cost of materials, now (in most cases in the industrialised world) it's the other way around. The cost for the service was still pretty expensive, but people could barter in exchange for goods/services they could provide that the artisan needed. The manufacturers who were pushing for industrialisation argued that going to this massed-produced product meant a more consistent (read desirable) product than could be done by hand. Eventually that became dominant because it made things much cheaper for the average person and things could be had much quicker. It also made the manufacturers much more money than even the best artisan could ever make.

Now that almost everything we buy is mass-produced, people want one-kind-customs because it's different from what most other people are using/wearing/etc.—there's also the added benefit that the custom probably better suit people's needs.

Most of companies mentioned in this thread that allow some form of customisation of their sticks are smaller companies. I imagine they do this in hopes of gaining some market share (that they believe they wouldn't otherwise get); in exchange they charge a bit of a premium over their normal retail pricing. My guess is that the few large companies mentioned feel that stick customisation is a distinguishing service they can market. I think it allows them hang on to more discerning customers that don't want/don't have their needs satisfied by the retail produc they provide. It also might allow them to steal customers from competitors. I can guarantee that none of them are getting rich from their stick customisation services and no company would "make a killing" offering the customised service you described.

Now there seems to an emerging trend of more custom-made artisanal things in general. But in order to get that level of cutomisation you must pay dearly for it (just look into the cost of a bespoke suit made by a tailor on Savile Row compared to an off-the-peg suit if you'd like an example) and even then depending what you want and from whom you want it, the person/company may not even be willing to do it for you no matter how much you offer.

It's much cheaper and more profitable for a company to make a whole bunch of something (with as few variations as possible) and convince you and a whole bunch of other people it's selling what you want/need rather than make you and everyone else something customised based on your wants/needs. This isn't even taking into account the benefit that a heck-of-a-lot-of-people don't even have a clue what they want/need in a hockey stick. The minutiae that pro-stock level customisation allows could overwhelm even the informed, let alone the average person. TBLfan did a great job of explaining how quickly customisation can become a manufacturing and inventory nightmare with something as basic as a choice of lie on a curve.

But even if all the above means nothing to you look at this thread about Jagr and his stick. Obviously it's in RBK's best interest to keep him completely happy and confident in his stick becuase a happy Jagr should be a productive Jagr. A productive Jagr should mean a lot of highlights that a lot of potential consumers see. In theory that should translate into a lot of RBK sticks sold.

So by that logic it would make sense to allow him to use his old stick or continue producing his old stick and paint it to look like whatever RBK wants to sell at any given time (likely whatever stick is most profitable). Now I'm not privy to details beyond the article, but if according to what he's saying RBK isn't willing to do that for him, I'm guessing it's because it isn't worth the trouble for the company. If the company isn't willing to do that for him there's absolutely no way pro stock level customisation is worth the trouble for you and me.

[habookus 1]

I agree I got a bit carried away with the complete customization idea, but I still think it would be nice to offer some pro curves but with regular retail flexes.

[Andoy 5]

It would be nice if easton and rbk offered whip(75) flexes for senior sticks. And sticks and blades in lower lies (warrior doesn't count).