OPS Composites Outdoors

[AmoriZep 0]

hey guys...i'm new to the boards...this is a REALLY GREAT site....VERY informative and i look forward to talking with all of you guys :)

i have a couple questions you guys might be able to help me with....

in the last 4 or 5 months or so, i've converted to ice and still play roller in an outdoor league on a pretty smooth cement that is very similar to hard court tennis courts....as a result of making the transition to ice, i've finally changed from being a strict wood stick player to using composites....

i've been toying with the idea of buying a composite shaft and just buying replacement crossover blades for it to use outdoors, but also have an older OPS that i'm not really using because it was the first i bought and didn't like it for ice, but believe it will be ok for roller (SWD RM5)...the questions i have are:

1) how well would the Sher-Wood OPS hold up outdoors? or any lower end composite hold up?

2) as it is hard to find some curve variations instead of just the standards found in stores, which crossover or ABS blades do you recommend?...i would used wood outdoors, but they get ripped apart too quickly on me...

anyways.....thanks so much!....looking forward to talking to you all!

cheers!

[-moose- 0]

I run an outdoor roller league similar to the surface youre talking about. Some people tried using nicer composites but in my opinion its a waste of a stick. They don't last at all. I had a synergy that had a crack halfway up the shaft and even using it without taking slapshots the blade was junk after a week.

I use a shaft with crossover blades. Best bang for the buck.

[AmoriZep 0]

EXACT surface i play on right there.....

yeah...was thinking the same thing....that the shaft would just crack starting at the blade.....

do you get your blades online or at pro shops?

[-moose- 0]

the local play it again carried the crossover blades, which held up very well on the cement.. i take TONS of shots and usually a blade would last a month, for $20 ea you cant go wrong

[mattzilla 0]

if youre really set on an OPS for outside, go with the ccm vectors. the abs material will last longer outside than any other ops.

besides that i would suggest the koho crossover like moose said.

[AmoriZep 0]

sweet....thanks guys.....i think i'm gonna get a decent shaft and use the crossovers....

[piperclap 0]

2) as it is hard to find some curve variations instead of just the standards found in stores, which crossover or ABS blades do you recommend?...i would used wood outdoors, but they get ripped apart too quickly on me...

anyways.....thanks so much!....looking forward to talking to you all!

cheers!

I've been a huge fan of the durability and feel from the RBK 1k blades

[chew 0]

I am a fan of the Crossover as well, but I can't seem to find any right handed ones at my LHS. Anyone know any places online?

[Hede 2]

I use Koho crossover to and the RBK 1k is the new crossover is what i have heard. Some players on my rollerhockey team are using the Frontier Hydrid blades and they think its just as good as the Crossover. I am thinking of gething some Frontiers to try together with a AK-27 shaft.

Inlinewarehouse.com has Crossovers.

[-moose- 0]

i LOVE the 1k. had to order mine online as playitagain only had a few and i used em all up.

for concrete it gets the most snap out of every shot. the heel of the blade doesn't drag anywhere near as bad as the crossover.

if i could order 10 of these in bulk to start our summer season i would in a heartbeat. for like $20 a pop they are the best possible stick for outside. cant believe i didnt think of them when you were talking about using a two piece earlier.

[AmoriZep 0]

wound up ordering these at ice warehouse...

http://www.icewarehouse.com/Viewlarge.html?PCODE=V6.0SH

http://www.icewarehouse.com/Viewlarge.html?PCODE=K2260B

though, with all the good input about the 1k, maybe i'll try that out when this blade goes :)

[Ultimus 0]

I play on a roll on surface....

I use a crew blade from Ebay in one shaft that thing is a tank... it has lasted me over a season.

[nyrmetros 0]

The RBK 1k has several options. There is a OPS red IW stick, a red IW blade, and a black legal blade.

I have both the red IW blade attached to my Easton shaft, and the OPS red IW stick as my backup.

I play outdoors on rough asphault. The blade seems to give the most support (I found the koho crossover to thin for me), and it seems to hold up the best.

This blade used to be marketed under the Jofa brand.

http://www.icewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=1KRB7

[Rick 0]

Good topic.

I had considered a Reebok 4K stick but decided against it because I play on concrete and blacktop. What do you guys think about the Easton Synergy ABS sticks? I bought a yellow one and a red one on closeout for like $12 each but I have not tried them yet. They seem to be exactly the same stick just different colors. Is the Reebok 1K better?

Rick Henry

[li7039 0]

i used the easton ABS for street for 2 years great sticks

[cxo 0]

i used the easton ABS for street for 2 years great sticks

Are they still as ungodly heavy as they were about 5 years ago? I haven't used one since then, because it was the heaviest blade I've ever used. I'm not a "weight whore" by any stretch of the imagination, but they made water-logged wooden sticks feel light to me.

[JR Boucicaut 3760]

We sell the 1k. It is the old Titan/Jofa ABS blade/stick.

[cxo 0]

We sell the 1k. It is the old Titan/Jofa ABS blade/stick.

How often are companies just renaming/refinishing old product? I know they do it, but I'm just curious to know if it's more or less often than I think.

[TBLfan 25]

It's common practice on low end sticks. They don't use valueable R&D money/time in a wood stick with an abs blade. It's as good as something at that price point is going to get. Sometimes they keep the old name, sometimes they change it. Go to sports authority, they have koho labeled sticks with ABS blades, eventually they will probably be RBK labeled sticks.

[DamnLocust 0]

I don't know if they've re-done the blades on the Easton ABS blades, but the outer wrap used to delaminate after a very short time on asphalt/concrete leaving a very soft blade that was pretty much worthless. I don't know if they're changed it.

the 1K is probably the best bet, and the 3K is useable too. the 3k is a bit more expensive, but you have more curve options. It's similar to the CCM V2.0/4.0. Those hold up nicely as well. for a tapered shaft, take a look at the RBK 5K.

[nyrmetros 0]

We sell the 1k. It is the old Titan/Jofa ABS blade/stick.

Yes, that's the combination that someone told me the rbk 1k blade was.

[JR Boucicaut 3760]

I mean, MS and IW have been around FOREVER. I was a Koho Street Revolution/Ultimate guy.

[piperclap 0]

the 1K is probably the best bet, and the 3K is useable too. the 3k is a bit more expensive, but you have more curve options. It's similar to the CCM V2.0/4.0. Those hold up nicely as well. for a tapered shaft, take a look at the RBK 5K.

Although, the 3k is like playing with a cement blade. I got a three pack last year, and thankfully, I killed the last one last week. Not as much feel as the 1k, and it wears down a lot faster on concrete. It also is very resistant to DiY curves, which is lame.

[saba 0]

Warrior Dolomite shaft tapered CCM Vector 5.0 or some of my dead Mission prostock blades after their month/2month service on ice. NBH also has a decent blade option

[li7039 0]

i used the easton ABS for street for 2 years great sticks

Are they still as ungodly heavy as they were about 5 years ago? I haven't used one since then, because it was the heaviest blade I've ever used. I'm not a "weight whore" by any stretch of the imagination, but they made water-logged wooden sticks feel light to me.

yea they are still very heavy