help picking a flex

[missionrh11 0]

Recently I have been experimenting with different flexes to find something that fits me best. I am a 6' 2" and 170lbs. I usually take snap and slap shots. I always used a 100 flex in my easton sticks and am thinking about trying an 85, but I am not sure if it would be too low for me. I have tried a tps stiff and I can take slap and snap shots but not wrists what so ever. I also tried a sher-wood rm7 in a 95 flex and it was a little better. I am mainly confused on which flexs corespond to other companies (ex: what a tps regualr would be in easton.)

Maybe someone with more experience in flexes could help me figure this out. I am looking at a easton synergy II becasue I would like to try a low kickpoint shaft.

I am sorry for writing so much but there are not many hockey shops around me that carry a variety of flexes so I am just trying to see what people with similar preferences would do in my situation.

Thanks in advance.

[TBLfan 25]

It's all personal preference, try it out... if you dont like it, sell it. Or try a friends.

[missionrh11 0]

yeah i know alot of it comes down to personal preference I just wanted to see if anyone had any input or suggestions. but you have a good point with selling stuff. sometimes i am too much of a pack rat and now have a collection of sticks.

[SR27 0]

Have you used a 100 flex Stealth by chance? The orginal ones not the CNT. That is pretty close to a TPS regular I´d say. Somewhere around 95 and getting down to maybe 90 quickly. I found it fairly easy to switch between TPS regular and stiff, CCM regular and stiff. Easton 100 and 110. The higer flexes maybe a littler better for slappers, the lower ones a little better for wristers. Going down to 85 or whip didn´t work at all for me.

[RadioGaGa 162]

Didn't someone post a formula based on your body weight to calculate an optimum flex to use...or at the very least give you a relative starting point to work from.

[Archangel#16 1]

Didn't someone post a formula based on your body weight to calculate an optimum flex to use...or at the very least give you a relative starting point to work from.

I remember that. IIRC it was like something like half your weight and the flex closest to that was the one to try.

[NYRfan 0]

I think you should try out 85/87 and see if you like it, it sounds like the 95 is almost right for you, and this is next logical step (unless you can find a 90). FYI, TPS regular is around 95 Easton, stiff is around 105.

[english15x 3]

I really played with this subject over the year...

A. How short do you cut your sticks ?

... I used to use one90's 102flex but I cut my sticks really short and that killed the flex. (made it like 115-120)

B. What type of shots do you take most?

I switched from 102 flex to 77 flex nike bauer sticks. Took me about a month to get everything back to normal and all my shots have increased a lot.

I weigh 6'1, 190 pounds if that helps at all.

never a slapper guy, always wrist and snaps.

I hope this helped, sorry for rambling.

[Nealoc187 10]

It's all personal preference. My experience has been that in the switch from a 100 flex Mission L-2 and 100 flex Synergy ST to an 85 flex SynergyII and whip flex TPS RL XN10 my slapshot went straight to shit. I have a strong slapper with the 100 flex sticks but with my 85 flex sticks now, I've got nothing - I look like one of those ridiculous people who never learned how to take a proper slapshot. They just kindof flub off my stick and go about 4' right of where I intended at about 50mph lol.

I play in a non-slapper league in the winter and in the summer 90% of my shots are still not slappers, so I'm going to deal with it because my snapper is much improved which is more important to me. This summer I'll be working on developing the slapper again with the wet noodle sticks and see if I can get some of it back.

[Saint George 0]

I switched from 102 flex to 77 flex nike bauer sticks. Took me about a month to get everything back to normal and all my shots have increased a lot.

I had a similar experience. I switched to a lower flex a few months ago (77 flex NBH, down from 85 Easton), and the result was a significant improvement in the velocity of my slap shots. I am 6' and 180 lbs, but I think strength and style are as important as height and weight. My belief is that a lot of players use sticks that are too stiff simply because those are the most readily available. But, you basically have to try it and find out.

[Chadd 916]

This summer I'll be working on developing the slapper again with the wet noodle sticks and see if I can get some of it back.

Think smooth motion. With a whippier stick it's all about form, trying to power through the shot will produce poor results.

[missionrh11 0]

It's all personal preference. My experience has been that in the switch from a 100 flex Mission L-2 and 100 flex Synergy ST to an 85 flex SynergyII and whip flex TPS RL XN10 my slapshot went straight to shit. I have a strong slapper with the 100 flex sticks but with my 85 flex sticks now, I've got nothing - I look like one of those ridiculous people who never learned how to take a proper slapshot. They just kindof flub off my stick and go about 4' right of where I intended at about 50mph lol.

I play in a non-slapper league in the winter and in the summer 90% of my shots are still not slappers, so I'm going to deal with it because my snapper is much improved which is more important to me. This summer I'll be working on developing the slapper again with the wet noodle sticks and see if I can get some of it back.

this is exactly what i was thinking. i feel that i have a pretty good slap shot and that if i use a lower flex that it will dissappear. thanks for all the advice everyone. i will post once i have tried something new

[english15x 3]

i really also view that people use too stiff of sticks because of pro's. I mean they are pro's and can flex sticks like twigs.

[missionrh11 0]

would it be true to say that deffensmen who primarily use slap and snap shots should use a stiffer stick than a forward who primarily takes snap and wrist shots

[Zac911 317]

This summer I'll be working on developing the slapper again with the wet noodle sticks and see if I can get some of it back.

Think smooth motion. With a whippier stick it's all about form, trying to power through the shot will produce poor results.

X2

would it be true to say that deffensmen who primarily use slap and snap shots should use a stiffer stick than a forward who primarily takes snap and wrist shots

i have seen MANY NHL Pro Stock sticks for D Men..... softer flexes are alot more common than you think.

[NJDfan 0]

If you have been using 100 but want to try an 85 go right ahead, at 170 lbs. I would not think you would snap it, especially if you don't take a lot of slappers.

- Mike

[bmclifford 0]

I am about 190 and bought a Dolo 75 flex, but cut it down a couple of inches so it's flex is pry in the 80's. Really like it and it allows me to take quick wristers and snappers.

[Patrick67 1]

I played a tournament with a 85flex last weekend (play with 95-100 normally), it was a breeze to shoot wristers but it really bothered that my slapshot felt weak (and was slower than normal).

Though I'm not sure has much was the flex fault, and how much was due the fact it was a cut OPS. (uncut Synergy Elite 85, cut to fit standard blade the right way (not flipped).

I know you can't/shouldn't try to force power into your shot (see chadd's post above), but I'm curious what the right mix between power and form for a slapshot.

Guess I'll have to shoot my way to the answer.

[Jarick 5]

I'd ask a teammate with a lighter flex and see if you can try his rig for a bit. When I dropped from 85-90 flex to 70-75, there was some adjustment, but my shots improved on the whole. My wrist shots came off quicker and I could hit the corners easier. The slapshot went down a bit but was never that great to start.

My opinion is that I'm nowhere near as strong as a pro, I'm short, keep sticks about mouth height, and that's why I use 75 flex. Now you say you're 6'2" and 170...100 flex isn't completely out of the ordinary, especially if you keep the stick longer. But if you're not terribly strong or cut your sticks down, give it a shot.

[homerocks 0]

I just came across this thread even though it's a few days old. As many people on here have said, if you're under 200lbs, I'd work your way up from an 85.

Professionals and lots of guys with excellent shots use lower flexes than most people realize. A buddy of mine that shoots around 90mph uses 85 flex sticks, and he almost never breaks a shaft on a shot because of his good technique, and my slappers are in the mid 80's with an 85 flex.

Technique goes a long way. If you're used to a 100 flex easton, for example, then you switch to an 85 easton, it may take you a bit to get a feel for it because of the more sensitive flex. Flubbing shots with an 85 flex is due to poor technique, not the stick's flex. I see guys trying to 'club' the puck with an 85 flex....it won't work. Let the stick do the work, use your wrists and time it well. Learning to shoot goes a lot further than looking for a stick that will shoot for you.

I played a tournament with a 85flex last weekend (play with 95-100 normally), it was a breeze to shoot wristers but it really bothered that my slapshot felt weak (and was slower than normal).

Though I'm not sure has much was the flex fault, and how much was due the fact it was a cut OPS. (uncut Synergy Elite 85, cut to fit standard blade the right way (not flipped).

I know you can't/shouldn't try to force power into your shot (see chadd's post above), but I'm curious what the right mix between power and form for a slapshot.

Guess I'll have to shoot my way to the answer.

What Chadd said was right on. It's even moreso true with lower flexes. It's odd, but with your 85, if you get the timing and motion down, you'll shoot harder than you did with your 100. Slappers are bit tricky with a lower flex stick, and most people aren't heavy enough or strong enough to fully use a 100 flex stick.

[lotus 2]

What Chadd said was right on. It's even moreso true with lower flexes. It's odd, but with your 85, if you get the timing and motion down, you'll shoot harder than you did with your 100. Slappers are bit tricky with a lower flex stick, and most people aren't heavy enough or strong enough to fully use a 100 flex stick.

At 5'10" 155lbs (that might even be a little higher than what I am), my slappers with a 70 are harder than with the 85, and I haven't used my 95 dolomite enough yet.

Though it is weird at times when it flexes catching a pass, and sometimes when I one time a shot, it's awkward as the shot kind of loads and shoots itself, then wobbles after. Gotta try it all out, I'm still not certain if I can use this 70 flex all the time.

[AWE46M3 0]

This is kind of off-topic, but how much would the stiffness increase if you cut say 1.5-2 inches from the shaft or maybe 4.5-5" on a OPS?

I've been using 100 flexes for a long time as I find them to be far more consistent than 85s (Z Bubble and UltraLite) I've used in the past; I used 100s then experimented with those 85s a while back.

[rubberduckie 0]

I shoot somewhat equally with my 85 easton and 400 flex dolo shaft when i have time and space, but the 400 flex gives me a lot more 'quality' shots.

I have always sucked at slap shots, but one- timers ( the type you only take back to your knees or barely off the ice) are much better with the 400 flex then my 85 easton.

[D aka speck 0]

I'm 6 foot tall and about 175-180 lbs.

I use a 70 flex Montreal Nitro lite when I play forward.

A Trilage TZ4 when I play defence or take face-offs.

the whippier stick (Nitro) lacks in the slaps while the stiffer one suffers with wristers. Snaps are pretty close though.

depends on your style of play.

[Jarick 5]

At 5'10" 155lbs (that might even be a little higher than what I am), my slappers with a 70 are harder than with the 85, and I haven't used my 95 dolomite enough yet.

Though it is weird at times when it flexes catching a pass, and sometimes when I one time a shot, it's awkward as the shot kind of loads and shoots itself, then wobbles after. Gotta try it all out, I'm still not certain if I can use this 70 flex all the time.

That's when I think it's a good time to try a slightly stiffer stick. While I love my 75 flex Missions, they load a little TOO easily sometimes and can torque on hard passes. But my 80 flex Dolomite doesn't twist around at all. It's harder to load but a bit more accurate because of less torque.

AWE, you'd probably increase the flex 3-5% for every inch you cut off, although if it's a tapered shaft or one piece, it might not be as high.