CCM V130

[JR Boucicaut 3795]

Open

[thejackal 46]

Reviewer: 6'2", 195lb, former high school varsity player, now playing men's league. on the ice 3-4 times a week

Reviewed: CCM V130 OPS, prostock TD-13 pattern, 45kp (stiff flex = 100 easton)

First impressions: They had a bunch for dirt cheap at work, having used the 110 and the 120, I thought the price was right and picked one up on a whim. It was probably one of the lighter OPSs i've picked up, with a pretty substantial grip coating. It appears to be the same construction as the earlier Vectors, except with better/lighter materials. Even though this is a prostock I did not notice any difference from the retail model other than slight cosmetic changes.

Looks: Not a huge fan of the Vector look, nor the stickers, especially this being a grip stick, but the overall cosmetics are not too bad.

Grip shape: CCM offers both T (square) and C (round) grips on the V130, Mine is the T version, which suits me fine.

Curve: the TD-13 is a bit like the Drury retail, but with a smaller, shaved blade and less shovel. I've been told it resembles the Darby but cannot comment since I've never seen that pattern. Just a heads up for those looking at prostock CCM/RBK sticks, the numbering scheme is common to all models (i.e. a #13 on the sickick will be the same curve).

Shooting: I'm used to whippier sticks, but the 45kp loosened up a little bit with use, and I can get a bit more zip on my slapshots than usual. I always thought that Vectors kicked very nicely, and this is no exception. The flex point seems to be a bit higher than some other sticks I've tried (M-1, 7k tapered, etc), which works well on slappers. All-around fine shooting stick, especially for defensement who like to rip it from the point. It worked well for me on wristers and snap shots, but nothing really mind-blowing. The blade is not incredibly stiff, which might account for that. 9/10

Passing: Giving passes is not problematic. Receiving is a whole other issue. This one still has what i refer to as the typical "plasticky" Vector feel. The way that the stick is made means that it's sometimes tricky to receive hard passes, which tend to want to bounce off the blade. It does get better as I got used to it, but in tight sometimes I end up having to think a bit too much about not losing the puck. 7/10

Stickhandling: It's an easy stick to stickhandle with. The blade has some heft in it but doesn't weigh the stick down at all. Overall a very nicely balanced stick that won't hurt you if you already have decently soft hands. 8/10

Durability: No problems on that front. The paint chips and the stickers tend to rip off, but structurally it's going on strong after a month and a few smacks against the boards. 9/10

Conclusion: I didn't mind the V110 and thought the V120 was crap, so the V130 is my favorite of the series by far. I tried a 10.0 catapult recently and thought it was another step in the right direction, so CCM is definitely on the upside in terms of OPSs. I can't say that I would have paid full-price for the V130, but if you can find one cheap in your curve/flex pick it up by all means, especially if you're a defenseman who likes to take big shots.

8/10 (not an average)