Tour Cobalt Q

[Chadd 916]

Open for review

[Lufria 1]

2008 Tour Cobalt Q, 100 flex Cernick curve

Intro: I'm 6ft, 180 lbs, 23 years old. I'm playing about 3-5 times a week, and i play roller hockey. I saw the thread about Epucks deal for the stick, so i picked it up. I'm a defensman that really takes slappers, and am currently using a RBK 9K Ellis pro stock stick, and a Easton S17 Stealth.

Aesthetics: Stick is mainly white, which is cool, i personally don't really care how the stick looks.

9/10

Weight and Balance: Byfar the worst issue with this stick. The stick is extremely blade heavy. The weight of the stick is also significantly heavy compared to most sticks. I understand i'm still using a S17, which arguably is one of the most balanced sticks on the market, however this stick is extremely blade heavy. For the price that Tour is asking for, it should be something better in my opinion.

6/10

Blade: Blade is extremely solid, and i can't imagine the blade breaking on this easily. Puck catches well on it, and does very well. I'd also like to say that the Cernick doesn't look like a RBK or Easton Modano curve, more of a Iginla curve if anything. Again, if weight wasn't an issue with the blade I think the stick would be alright.

8/10

Shaft/Flex: I have always been a fan of 100 to 110 flex sticks in Easton. Whippy flex's don't work for me, and on this Tour, i ordered a 100 flex. The stick doesn't flex well. In fact, when i entered the floor, i took a shot and heard a bunch of cracking on the shaft when i flexed the stick. There's no damage done to the stick, and i'm sure it's not a common thing, but i had to include it. The shaft doesn't flex alot at all, and works decently. For a 100 flex, it feels stiffer then normal. I'd suggest to anyone that is getting this, that if you're used to a 100 flex stick normally, i'd go for the 85 flex.

8/10

Stickhandling and Passing: Stickhandling and passing seem good to me. Like I stated earlier, passing isn't that much of an issue, and catching passes works well. Stickhandling is pretty good, nothing spectacular or outstanding about the feel or anything. I do like the curves they offer for stickhandling, as the Cernick curve was a very good curve from me, and i use the drury curve on everything else. The feel for the puck however is pretty rough. Alot of vibration on shots or catching passes.

8/10

Shooting: My biggest asset to our team is the passes and slapshots from the point. I found a very big drop in my slapshot with the Tour Cobalt Q. To be fair, this stick is so stiff i really can't get the pop i normally get with my S17 or RBK9K stick. Another thing with this stick is the snapshots i try to take simply do not release like they do normally. I do believe that this could be fixed by lowering to a 85 flex, however i don't think it would fix the problem 100%.

7/10

Durability: The sticks a TANK. Other then breaking it over the post or in the boards,it would be very difficult to break this stick during the course of a game. One thing i've realized about this stick, is that it isn't a super light top performing stick. It's a stick that's designed for players not willing to spend $200 dollars on a stick, and plan on having it last. This stick is very durable.

10/10

Conclusion: Tour has never truthfully been known for their sticks, so i honestly wasn't expecting much out of this stick. I believe Tour has taken a step in the right direction from previous sticks, having an option not to have the super tacky grip from previous years, and improving the image of the stick. I would hope in the future that they would offer more models and curves, but truthfully , Tour hockey isn't about tons of OPS. If you're looking to get a backup stick, or a cheaper stick that is goign to last you for a long time to come, this would be a good find.

7/10