Easton SyNergy II

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

Open

[thejackal 46]

reviewer: 6'2" 190-ish lb, on the ice 2-3 times a week at goalie camps, coaching or drop-in.

Product: 2007 Synergy II blade (Iginla curve)

weight: 130g written on the face of the blade, which feels about right. Excellent balance even with an extremely light shaft (original rbk 7k). 10/10

Stickhandling/pass receiving: The blade is quite stiff, but at the same time the feel is very good and not "ceramic-like" at all. I've used quite a few graphite blades over the years (CCM V110/120/130/10.0, Bauer XV, Inno prostock, RBK sickick, Mission M-1 etc.) and this one is the best of bunch in terms of the combination of feel and stiffness (the Inno is a close 2nd, but it's been a few years, so i can't say for sure). 10/10

Shooting: The stiffness and balance lets me put the puck pretty much wherever I want to with good pace, which is exactly what I'm looking for. 10/10

Durability: With all that being said, I probably won't be buying any more of these blades because the heel on my first one ended up cracking after a month and a half. The tape usually wore out at the heel first, which means I probably could have gotten away with using a lower lie, but I find that a slightly high lie helps with my shooting. Also, I already use a pretty short stick (up to my shoulders without skates) and 5.5 feels about right. As a point of reference, a couple of years ago I used to play with sticks 2-3 inches longer and never had that kind of problem. I do have another new SynII, but it seems to me that Easton cut some corners in order to keep the weight down and the feel of the blade crisp, rather than me getting a bad blade. 2/10

Intangibles: Haven't used a Warrior blade yet, but I'll definitely give the Dolo II a try next time around because for $50US or close to $100CDN I expect better durability. IMO the CCM 10.0 is also a good bet - it's thinner than both the Easton and the Warrior and shoots well.

Conclusion: If money is no object then 2 thumbs up. Otherwise enjoy, however long it may or may not last. 7/10 (not an average)

[the_sock 1]

Synthesis Pro Stock (similar to Synergy II, but a bit heavier, 145g vs 130g, and thicker)

Lidstrom/Styles Curve (used both)

On RBK 6K ProFeel Taper Shaft

Weight

Again, using Synthesis, which is heavier at 145g. Moved from Hybrid Lami blade to this, and found a HUGE difference in weight. My current set up is comparable to a full Synergy OPS. Balanced is spot on to a OPS, used a Synergy on and off and it's very little difference.

10/10

Stick handling/Receiving Passes

Took a bit to get the handle on receiving passes, had to adjust from the Hybrid blade. Once you get used to it, pucks don't bounce off. Stick handling is so much better, as the whole stick is lighter and no longer blade heavy as my old Z-Bubble/Hybrid blade setup. Balance is great, no longer blade heavy, feels like using the Synergy Elite OPS.

9.5/10

Shooting

Dang! What an improvement from the Hybrid. Shots have a better velocity thanks to the stiffness of the overall blade and with the short hosel allows for a lower and faster kick.

10/10

Durability

Hmmm...like my old Synergy, had problems with the heel of the blade. Like most full composite blades, it wears pretty quickly and I've had a chipping problem (same like my ST blade on my Z-Bubble). Since the blades cost a bundle...it hurts to buy more. I've helped solve the problem by using Toe Pro on the bottom of the blade (it was recommended by a guy on my team) and retaping the blade often have solved the problem. Could be a problem for those of you who aren't as anal as I.

7.5/10

Intangibles

Overall I've liked this blade. I've used some other blades on friends sticks, Warrior has problems (breakages EVERYWHERE...but great shafts), RBK has some blades that last or some that shatter (pretty even...quality control issue?). I hate the Z-Bubble blade, and a guy on my team has gone through so many breaking in the middle of the blade. With finding a great deal for pro stock Synthesis, I now pay a third for the blades compared to the Synergy II/Elite blades. It's a great deal to pick up the pro stock instead of retail.

Conclusion

Find pro stock blades. Cheaper. Same performance. Great blade if you don't want to spend a bundle on new OPS all the time. I'm not buying OPS anymore, just these blades (or Syn II or Elite pro stocks) from now on. If you take precautions like retaping often or using Toe Pro (I highly recommend it) along the bottom and toe of the blade, you'll have good times. Or sexy parties.

9/10

Cheers

[Jarick 5]

EASTON SYNEGY II / ELITE BLADE

Curve: Iginla (Elite), Drury (II)

Shaft: Easton Synergy II, Warrior Dolomite, TPS XN10 R2

Time Used: 6 months

I have used both the Synergy II and Synergy Elite blades, which are supposed to be nearly the same. This review covers both as well as a bit of a comparison between the two.

Weight & Balance

This blade is quite light, especially due to the slightly shorter hosel on the Synergy Elite and the very short hosel on the Synergy II (the only real difference between the two). I'm sure lighter blades exist, but I'd imagine it would throw off the balance, especially with a shorter blade like the Iginla. 10/10

Stick Handling & Receiving Passes

This blade is a bit on the soft side, which makes it easy to catch passes. Especially with the Iginla curve, it knocks down passes off the mark easily. It has good feel and feedback for the puck so there were no problems stick handling. 10/10

Shooting

Shooting was fine with this blade. It seemed quite stiff when laying into a shot even though it seemed a bit soft for stick handling. 9/10

Durability

I found the Synergy Elite blade got a bit soft after using it about a dozen times, which is quicker than the average composite. The real problem with these blades are heel wear, as they crack and chip very easily and that leads to it softening up even more. After a couple months, it could be flexed quite a bit by hand and made a lot of cracking noises. 4/10

Price

These blades new are more expensive than other manufacturers, even though the durability is lower. You're paying for performance. 7/10

Intangibles

Matches up great with the Synergy II shaft in terms of looks, but looks out of place on other shafts. As I said above, the older Synergy blades had extremely short hosels and the newer ones are a bit shorter than average, so take that into account when purchasing.

Conclusions

These blades are expensive but have great feel. If you can handle the higher price coupled with replacing them frequently, they are a good choice. For most recreational players they will probably want something more durable.

Overall 8/10

[Cams 7]

EASTON SYNERGY II BLADE

Curve: Fischer

Shaft: Easton Synergy Elite

Time Used: 1 full season

Weight - This blade has good weight to it. It meshed well with my Synergy Elite shaft. Stick with the blade felt good in terms of balance. Without a plug it tends toward blade heavy, but that is it expected. 9/10

Stick Handling/Passing - I had no problems with the blade feeling soft, or too fragile. Stick handling with this blade was un-noticeable, which is a good thing. I could feel the puck well. Making and receiving passes with this blade gave me a good comfort zone knowing the puck wasn't going to bounce off the blade. 10/10

Shooting - The only issue I had with shooting, was getting a feel of the curve at first. Fischer pattern is very similar to Drury, and I generally prefer the heel curve open toe style pattern. I was able to place my shots were I wanted, and again, I could really feel the puck well for shooting. 10/10

Durability - Now this is where I would place the only knock on this blade. Although I think it is the case with most Easton blades. I didn't really feel the blade get soft, or lose any feel to it. I did however, find the heel chips very easily. I couldn't even remember how, but out of no where, I had a sizable chip at the point of the heel. The blade was still playable in this condition, and in fact I used it with the chip without any ill effects. 3/10

Price - The price on this blade was very reasonable - hence me purchasing it for what I think was about $39.00CDN at a LHS. If you can get this blade for about that price, then it is definately a worthwhile purchase. I would say stay away from it though for much more than that, due the the heel chip issue. 9/10

Conclusion - This blade matches perfectly with the Synergy Elite shaft. Feel is great, price at the time was great, and if not for the heel chip issue I experienced I would rate this higher than I have. If you can pick it up on the cheap - go for it!

These blades are expensive but have great feel. If you can handle the higher price coupled with replacing them frequently, they are a good choice. For most recreational players they will probably want something more durable.

Overall 7/10