Tapered Shaft - Wood Blade

[walkerdb7 20]

Does anyone have any expeirence with this combo?

Will it be better than my upside down synergy and blade?

Also, I have played hockey my whole life, but never as a player. I have a very good wrist shot & snap shot from dicking around before and after practice...

Will I see a big jump if I jump to a good one peice?

[bbruins8 0]

Does anyone have any expeirence with this combo?

Will it be better than my upside down synergy and blade?

Also, I have played hockey my whole life, but never as a player. I have a very good wrist shot & snap shot from dicking around before and after practice...

Will I see a big jump if I jump to a good one peice?

I can answer one question...anything will be better than the upside down synergy...that completely reverses the kickpoint.

[Chadd 916]

Tapered shaft and wood blade is the best combo in my opinion. You get the benefit of the tapered shaft (yes, there is a big benefit) as well as the feel of a wood blade. I hate it when wood blades go soggy so I've been using composite blades to save money in my tapered shaft.

[walkerdb7 20]

That is what I was thinking. I thought the big benefit of the OPS was the tapered flex but I dont like how they feel when passing.

[TheBert 0]

I bought a reg flex tapered shaft from Chadd to pair with some tapered Christian blades. They're a great feel and I'd use it as my main stick if only it were a whip flex and not a reg flex. Let me know if you're interested.

[habsfan87 0]

I used this combo for a few seasons and loved it. I never tried a one piece until last summer and am on my second one but after the its done im probably going back to shaft/wood. my only problem is that shafts are so much more, you can usually find high end one pieces on sale for around 100 bux but to get a shaft and blade equivalent its almost twice as much.

[Sparty4 0]

I just started using a synergy 2 with a sakic easton wood blade and am pretty happy with it. I was using the synergy SE/SL but after i went through a couple of those at $180 a pop I figured I needed to find somthing else. This combo while not as light as a 1 piece has good balance and I found I actually like the feel of a wood blade better than composite. The only problem is that I have found it hard to find the easton wood tapered blades.

[cch 0]

I also am a fan of the tapered shaft-wood blade combo but I really do not like short hosel blades. I'm not sure why but I can feel the puck much better with the long hosel so every month or so I'll buy a standard blade to shave down to fit my tapered shaft and it has been money.

[adam14 182]

ive been trying to find a good tapered wood blade to put in my shogun shaft, but ive been having a hard time, since tapered blades arent popular in switzerland yet, and the new shipping policies that online retailers have. ive been debating ordering some christian/harrow but id buy both wood and composites if i did, to save some money on the shipping.

[jbgordon 0]

I used OPSs for the last 1.5 years, but recently they both broke and have since gone to the tapered shaft/wood blade combo. My shot isn't as strong, but I can catch passes so much better. I was actually amazed at how easily the puck just stuck to my stick. I feel like that's definitely worth it because if I can't catch a pass cleanly then I'm not going to get the shot off anyway.

[Patrick67 1]

adam14: Find a euro retailer that carries taper blades like e.g. www.rexhockey.com or www.hockeyzentrale.de

rexhockey has all composite and wood easton blades + warrior composites. Not sure about hockeyzentrale though.

Otherwise flip your shogun and put a standard blade in it.

[Grave77Digger 1]

I also am a fan of the tapered shaft-wood blade combo but I really do not like short hosel blades. I'm not sure why but I can feel the puck much better with the long hosel so every month or so I'll buy a standard blade to shave down to fit my tapered shaft and it has been money.

I have trying to figoure out the the easiest way to trim down my standard blades to fit tapered. What do you use?

[Jarick 5]

I'd try a rasp file, you can grab them for a couple bucks at the hardware store. That would seem to do a pretty quick and even job. I've used a Dremel and a sanding cylinder, but it's hard to keep it even. I've only used that to shave down the tenon of butt ends though, not blades.

[psh 25]

I have gone to a tapered shaft/wood blade and love it. Won't go back. The feel of the wood blade is superb, and you all know about the performance of a tapered shaft. The only hard part for me has been finding blades.

Durability: I don't think wood blades are that much less durable than comp. blades. My comp. blades have tended to chip up on the toe and then delaminate until they lost all their stiffness. That, in fact, is why I finally gave up on one piece sticks. My comp blades seemed to last a couple of months, and my wood blades are lasting just slightly less than that, especially if I take care to take off the tape after each skate.

Performance: Maybe my shots are slightly less lively, but as far as making passes and receiving passes, wood is the way to go. I really loved an Easton Si-Core I had years ago, but since then, one-piecers have all felt like a board in my hands--especially when receiving stiff passes.

Availability: tapered wood blades are still a bit hard to find in my experience--especially long-hoseled blades. I love the long hosel Sherwood 950s, but they are hard to find. So, when I find 'em, I buy half a dozen. That carries me through a season and, even at $20/blade, it's a lot chaper than buying a high end OPS.

To the guy looking for long hosels, Christian Harrow has a custom order option--including long hosel, if I remember correctly. If Sher-wood drops the 950s, that is my Plan B. Check it out.

Finally, balance: You've got to fiddle around to find the right balance with a 2 piece set up. A long hosel wood blade in my XN-10 is all screwed up. It feels awful because that shaft is so light. Alternatively, a light comp blade in my Sherwood Momentum Comp shaft feels all messed up. But, in my hands anyway, that long hosel wood blade in the Sherwood shaft is just perfect.

Long winded, but that's my 2 cents.

[vitaminZ 0]

I have trying to figoure out the the easiest way to trim down my standard blades to fit tapered. What do you use?

I used a dremel tool, the first one took a while but the second took 5 or 10 minutes

[Grave77Digger 1]

Which dremel bit do you use? the round sander type piece?

[vitaminZ 0]

Which dremel bit do you use? the round sander type piece?

Yeah the cylindrical shapped sandpaper textured one

[habsfan87 0]

Ive used a palm sander I believe to make a standard blade tapered before it worked pretty well actually.

[Chef23 0]

Ive used a palm sander I believe to make a standard blade tapered before it worked pretty well actually.

Do you then use glue from a glue gun to put the blade in the shaft?

[LkptTiger 1]

I have trying to figoure out the the easiest way to trim down my standard blades to fit tapered. What do you use?

If you can't do it yourself and you trust the guys at your LHS enough, take it in and ask them to take it to the cross grinder.

[vitaminZ 0]

Do you then use glue from a glue gun to put the blade in the shaft?

that'll work

I used these but I think its the same stuff as a glue gun

[LkptTiger 1]

It's not always necessary, but an extra strip of tape on the tenon can do wonders, as well.

[habsfan87 0]

Ive used a palm sander I believe to make a standard blade tapered before it worked pretty well actually.

Do you then use glue from a glue gun to put the blade in the shaft?

yeah a little bit of just glue from a glue gun lol, or as lkpt stated, tape works too, therell still be glue on the front and back possibly anyway

[Polishprince85 0]

its all preference thats all. Youll get more response, velocity wise with the graphite combo or a one piece. but with the wood you get more puck feel. but also less blade life. depends whats you're looking for

[walkerdb7 20]

Seems like the xxx wood blade is common enough, I can only find two stores with easton sythesis wood blades...

any experience with a xxx blade an synergy II shaft?