Soft vs Stiff blade

[raygunpk 0]

Can somebody clarify the differences? From what I've read around here, stiff blades are better for shooting and soft for passing/stickhandling. But then I read some other threads and people are saying stiff is better for puck feel?

Thanks

[Rustpot 1]

Soft = dead. The blade flexes and torques to the point where the curve will not hold the shape and causes the puck to be lost off the toe easier. Your shot technique will have to change and for some guys the muscle memory they have for shooting makes soft blades feel like rubber.

For puck feel, stiffness is better in my opinion. The puck strikes will reverberate the shaft, letting you know when you make contact. Instead of having the blade move the shaft will try to twist in your hands and you feel that. Softer blades will kill the sensation as they absorb movements in the puck into deformation in the blade.

Accepting passes with super stiff blades means you need good hands. Some guys have written that composite will cause pucks to jump and be lost, but I can catch really hard passes with ease as long as my hands are soft.

Not sure why wood is better at communicating puck position and whatnot, but you definitely want the soft part of the stick to be your hands.

[Engine37 0]

For the most part, I agree with Rustspot. I just made the switch from wood to composite, and WOW, what a difference.

The added stiffness does exactly what Rustspot said already, and also increases your shot/pass velocity (all other things being equal), although not by too much (probably not noticeable to most). Stiffer blades tend to be a little more durable as well.

The term "puck feel" is about as subjective of a term as there is. I agree that the stiffer composite blades seem to do a better job transmitting vibrations through the shaft and into your hands. This vibration tells you more precisely where the puck is on the blade of the stick. The stiffer blade does also tend to torque less while shooting, which can help keep your shots consistent (that is, assuming your shooting motion and mechanics are perfectly consistent).

In the end it's always about personal preference. The stiffer blade can make it trickier to catch passes, but as Rustspot said you just need to get some softer hands and you'll be fine. The added benefits of a stiffer blade are worth the initial "having-a-little-trouble-catching-a-pass" feeling, IMO.

[raygunpk 0]

Did you move to a higher end OPS or a price point? Price points are not any better than woods in terms of blade stiffness correct?

[Rustpot 1]

I had a price point OPS (TPS Intrigue) and I hated it, shaft with wood blade is much better than a price point. They only exist so people on a budget can be all "I have a one-piece, just like Joe Pro!" in my opinion.

The blade was stiff, I couldn't bend it with my hands, and it didn't torque out during shots, but it was just... bad.

When stick handling a ball or a puck before I used it, it just sort of clunked. Once I got on the ice with it (got it during the summer) it had no crispness, no oomph. Hard to explain, but the blade face just had no liveliness to it. I can shoot with a Sakic alright and I had a Nash curve for that stick.

I'm still learning every time I'm on the ice though. Every time I skate I notice something new about how my technique is and try to correct it. I just came from a 90 flex stick to a 65 and when I first shot with it, I was just fluttering everything, no control, trying to mimic how I shot with a flex too high. I played again today with it and I leaned in a bit, caught the flex and was rocketing shots to the corners and above, hitting just off the shooter tutor holes (only 1 goalie :(), but on the mark a lot more often than before.

[raygunpk 0]

So you are using an INT stick now? Since you said 65 flex that's what I'm assuming.

[Jarick 5]

In my opinion, it's not the stiffness of the blade, it's the amount of vibration and the stiffness of the shaft. I have an Endure OPS, which is fairly stiff, but it has a giant rubber dampener on the blade. It stops the puck dead, but puck feel is pretty bad. I also have an L-2, which is very stiff, but the shaft is very whippy, and the puck will bounce right off the thing. But puck feel is great.

[ramensandwich 1]

like the others said, i feel that stiffer is better for stickhandling and puck feel, as well as less torquing on shots. stiffer is better all round.

just work on your hands.

[raygunpk 0]

How do you check if a blade is stiff or not? Is there a certain range of price where blades get stiffer? I'm guessing soft for pricepoints of course.

[cxo 0]

How do you check if a blade is stiff or not? Is there a certain range of price where blades get stiffer? I'm guessing soft for pricepoints of course.

It's more based on material. Wood is typically softer than composite. Depending on what materials the composites are pre-dominantly made up of will determine their overall strength, etc.

[Rustpot 1]

I'm using a 380 AK shaft and Mission Lang blade from HockeyMonkey, senior but whip. I'll probably stick to intermediates until I move up in flex, but it looks like more companies are offering low flex senior shafts.

I check stiffness by grabbing at the heel and toe, putting my thumbs on the backhand and try to "straighten" the curve. My wood blades will bend a bit, my Montreal OPS blade has a little wiggle and the Mission blade I've used has a touch of give while the unused is rigid.

My guess is the additional fiberglass and "filler" materials is what kills the price point sticks. Like I said, my Intrigue's blade was stiff, but it was the cheaper construction that hindered performance.

I have no idea between DET, pre-preg, or any other type of blade. Each stick I've used has a different feel for the puck though. My Montreal OPS is communicative, but I'm not a fan of the stick now that I'm using my new Warrior/Mission combo.

I used my buddy's SL for a few shots and passes and it torqued like mad, maybe due to the thin blade (it was a Lids/100 flex), but the feel on the blade made it seem like I had a knife blade, it was so smooth and made the puck just pop off it. I guess that's why the SL blades were so weak, it felt really brittle but had great shooting qualities.