cracking sound in Synergy elite blade

[schrempsky 0]

ive had my SE for a long time now, its served me well

i was retaping it today and flexed the blade with my hands, and i can hear a cracking noise inside the blade

i retape it every day so theres no visual damage

is the blade broken?should i cut the blade off even though it is in one piece or just play with it until it snaps?

[ljbaron 0]

The blades most likely broken, I would just play with it until it breaks unless its lost its feel.

[top 0]

My condolences towards the loss of you stick, well I'm just warning you ahead of time of whats most likely going to happen to your stick, my SE's did the same crackling sound, and one day I took the tape off my blade only to find a crack of the century on my blade, sometimes they last long sometimes they don't but use it till the blade breaks before cutting it off.

[schrempsky 0]

thanks for replies

ill take some shots with it in warmups and see how it holds up

[english15x 3]

sometimes the cracking noise is only the breaking of the hard foam inside. My one90 did this for 2 months before eventually the shaft broke, not even the blade.

[ghockey11 0]

my synergy elite blade split in two, i could literally open up the blade and see what is inside its past the 30 day warrenty but i dont see this being a reasonable way for a stick to break

[big_bt 0]

same problem with my SL the blade started to get soft and i could hear the sound you're describing.

upon further examination, there was like a tiny tiny hair line crack on top of my blade.

now it is sitting at home looking pretty.

[TBLfan 25]

One of my delmore dolomite blades does that. Its still stiff enough to use, if I was you, i'd be looking for a replacement because it might go pretty soon.

[schrempsky 0]

thats where im lucky, ive got a XXXlite with a warrior blade in it, and the XXXlite is way too whippy for me, but the blade is still solid, so hopefully that will work out

[TomMc#4 0]

my sl did this. at first it was a crunch and i assume this was the top foam strip. after that the carbon began to fray at the start of the blade on top. i just continued to tape over it, putting extra padding on for support. needless to say thogh eventually the blade collapsed backwards on a slapper (changed to a backwards curved lefty lol)

i would say use it as long as you arent feeling it torque too much on shots, and if any cracks appear fill em with epoxy and tape it extra in the area. i would get another backup straight away though as its fighting a losing battle.

[theWB 2]

Practice stick.

[liroadrunners 0]

same thing happened to my s17 im just going to use it till it breaks.

[Aussie Joe 0]

My Yellow grip Synergy died in a similar fashion, it was a long and painful death drawn out by the fact that I had no money for a replacement. I suppose the good thing is that I managed to move onto a better performing stick (Vapor XX) but it broke in less than half the time of the Synergy.

I have seen a few cheap tapered heads on Ebay recently, try them if you want a quick and cheap deal.

[P5man 0]

I would agree with everyone and say that you should use it until it breaks. When it does eventually break, go for the conversion and put a synergy 2 blade in there. I did it with mine and you cant notice the difference

[Luminati 0]

I have similar issue with my SE blade, however cracking sound I'd detected about month ago resurfaced in a form of a crack exactly above the area where I'd felt slight loss of rigidity causing it to become even floppier. It's relatively harmless because that area is located in upper toe-mid section of the blade and it doesn't affect my shots that much unless puck is over an inch in the air.

Nevertheless I was wondering if there is any chemical substance(I doubt any actual glue would last long) that would glue walls of the blade together, stop this crack to spread and slow down the damage.

Also, If I decide to cut it, is the shaft tapered or is it standard? Does this shaft behaves like any other synergy in terms of removing the blade? And If anyone knows any durable blades that have similar feel(doesn't have to be easton)?

Off topic: Is every easton blade as crappy as SE one? I love the shaft and everything but I would expect much more than 3 month from a high-end stick like this one? <_<

[DamnLocust 0]

3 months isn't too bad to get out of a top end OPS, unless you're playing very infrequently. My S17's blade was on its way to mush after about 6 weeks, then the shaft snapped 2 weeks later.

the SE shaft will be tapered, as long as you cut it at the right spot and put a little bit of work into it. (Best bet is to line up a tapered blade, cut at the end of the hosel, and chisel the tenon from the original blade out of the shaft).

If you want to try to salvage the blade, try either gorilla glue or two part epoxy. either one will buy you a week or two, but the blade is going to die.

If you want the same feel (and durability, unfortunately) your best bet is a synergy II blade, or the new Synergy elite blade. I'd stay away from RBK if you want durable. Warrior blades have been good to me, but a lot of people have had issues with them as well.

Welcome to the board.

[Aussie Joe 0]

Started coaching last night for this winter's U/18 season. Noticed my shots weren't going where they should and had a much stronger and larger co-coach try and twist the blade. It twisted at the toe and my fears over the last couple of weeks have been realised. Thankfully I ordered some replacement AK27 heads from IceWarehouse 3 days ago.

I think I'll buy a woodie from my LHS for the meantime.

[Luminati 0]

I guess 5 times a week on ice isn't what you would call infrequent, my last mid-range vector OPS lasted almost 5 months though. Besides, I bought my stick at exactly the same time as my brother got his Vapor XXV OPS. He plays 8-9 times a week mostly on D and slaps it at any given chance while I play forward (center) so if I slap it(what doesn't happen too often) I'm usually trying to be accurate aiming for a deflection rather than blasting through bodies ;) and I'm not as hard on my sticks as he is. Yet, the comparison (from 2 weeks ago) between those two ended in favor of Vapor - no cracking sounds in blade (except for the paint it seamed almost new), shaft had lot of paint chipped off but no signs of any deeper cuts or cracks. He was unfortunate enough to get it stepped on twice during a game last week and it fell apart. It's a shame they make Vapor one-piece sticks ultra tapered... <_<

Anyway, thank you for all the hints and a warm welcome. :)

Btw, does anyone know a curve type that is slightly deeper than Heatly and has round toe or Naslund's clone with a lie 5?

[DamnLocust 0]

Warrior Draper, "4 lie " is closer to a 5 lie than a 4, and the curve is also a Sakic/P92 clone.

[Aussie Joe 0]

Went from being a big Sakic curve fan, to Jovanovski in the Warrior. I prefer the square toe and more open blade.

My recommendation from experience.

[schrempsky 0]

has anyone else tried the clamp method that was discussed in another thread?

where you just close a vice on the hosel of the blade until it breaks, essentially breaking the bond between the blade and the shaft.

just curious as to how strong the shaft is, and if the epoxy or adhesive used to hold the blade in will break before the shaft walls

thanks to everyone for opinions, much appreciated

here is the link to the thread im talking about

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index...st&p=546967

[DamnLocust 0]

Went from being a big Sakic curve fan, to Jovanovski in the Warrior. I prefer the square toe and more open blade.

My recommendation from experience.

The Sakic/Draper is an open mid/mid-toe. Jovanovski is an open Deep Heel, and is a 5.5 lie (Lidstrom Clone).

the Jovo isn't quite what he's looking for, especially since he was looking for a 5-lie blade.