CCM Vector U+

[JR Boucicaut 3802]

Open

[Standard63 0]

Background:

24y/o

5'7" 165 lbs.

Coach/Forward

Last Used Stick(s):

Synergy ST

TPS XN10

Stick Reviewed:

CCM U+ 100 flex, Clear, Recchi curve, cut down about 5 inches.

Time Used:

One Month (20hrs. Ice)

Feel:

Coming from a Synergy ST about a year old, the first thing I noticed was the sticks amazing balance. Not too blade or shaft-heavy, so no complaints there. Stick handling is outstanding and you can feel absolutely everything. The blade feels nice and stiff and doesn't whip out. The rounded square toe is outstanding for controlling toe drags and pull-backs. I found myself having to look down less to see where the puck was because I could feel where it was on my blade. The U+'s feel while skating is also impressive. The balance makes backchecking a breeze whether two or one-handed. In my opinion, the best part of this stick is its feel.

10/10

Weight:

This stick is featherlight. My ST feels like a woody after using the U+

10/10

Durability:

This is the area in which the U+ takes a hit. The stick, being as light as it is, has shown that CCM made some compromises, namely in the blade. The blade has been made so thin in order to balance the super-light blade that the durability is drastically reduced. The toe is already chipped up pretty bad and I haven't even used it outside of practices yet. There are some impact marks on the front of the blade and the clear coat is starting to bubble off on the bottom of the blade. Even after double taping the bottom and the toe, it has continued to chip. As bad as the blade has been, I have not had any problems with the shaft yet, taking some considerable pokes and slashes. I suppose that it is a "Pro Level" stick, so i suppose it would be great for the pro player who can use it for a game or two and then break out a brand new one.

6/10

Shooting/Passing:

My snap shot has always been my strongest asset, and this has been a great stick for me. After getting used to it, as the kickpoint is quite low, it has been awesome. Even being a 100 flex, it feels more like a 90ish. The wristers and snappers load up well and explode off the blade. The slapper is the toughest to adjust to, maybe its the stiff flex, but it seems to push right, but I plan on working that out. Delivering passes is easy and effortless, but receiving seems to encounter the same problems that other ultralight sticks have such as jumping and skipping over a firm pass. Still, not going to hold it against the stick. It's definitely a offensive stick.

9/10

Looks:

This stick looks awesome. The stick is mainly black with blue and chrome accents. Part of the chrome "U+" has chipped off a bit, but thats to be expected. It doesn't really matter though right? ;)

Overall:

After all is said and done, the U+ is one hell of a high-end OPS. The person I would recommend this stick to is a finesse player with a big budget for sticks. Aside from the durability, this is the best performing stick I have ever used. You definitely have to baby the toe, but what CCM has done is shake the vector image as a bumbling "shot from the point" specialist and evolved this top end OPS which can snipe and dangle better than anything i've used.

8.5/10

[the_sock 1]

Background:

29 y/o

5'11" 190 lbs.

Defense

Last Used Stick(s):

RBK 6K Shaft w/ Easton Elite blade

Easton Z-Bubble Shaft w/ Easton ST blade

Stick Reviewed:

CCM Vector U+ Grip, 85 flex, Lecavalier, cut 2.5"

Time Used:

Three months (average 3 hours ice plus time on the pond)

Feel:

Feel is like no other stick. The hollow heel allows me to have more sensation with the puck, I can tell more if the puck is touching the blade. Very responsive, I don't have to look down all the time to see if the puck is on the stick now. Coming from a two piece which deadened the feel of the puck, this is the only OPS that made it feel different than my two piece. It converted me to OPS.

10/10

Weight:

Fantastic. Light even with taped blade and handle, lighter than my roomies ONE95.

10/10

Durability:

Great stick, bad durability. A few inches up on the shaft from the heel the graphite layers started to chip away, peeling slightly. Taped it down, but so far not contributing to the performance. Could be an issue if continues to peel as it is a weak point if I get the right slash there. The heel cover popped out of the blade, and even though I don't really miss it, I does make a difference cosmetically. Don't like paying $279 for a stick that the best feature of it looks like it's the weakest part. The grip material is peeling on the corners, but that is natural of most CCM/RBK sticks.

5/10

Shooting/Passing:

Wrong flex, so shooting and passing are a bit harder. Being the 85 flex, it's too stiff for me. Hard to judge, but my clappers are great, snappers are not as good. Can't be a good judge. If it was a mix flex 75, probably be best for myself

8/10

Looks:

Grapically, it's a lot on a stick, but not the worst. I prefer the cleaner look of the ONE95.

Overall:

This stick converted me to OPS, after not seeing much difference between my tapered two piece setup. Light, somewhat durable, great feel and good clappers. I just picked up a CL, so let's see how well CCM did to fix the first gen U+.

8/10

[mik3 1]

CCM Vector U+

Flex - 85

Finish - Grip

Curve - Ovechkin

Height - 6'

Weight - 210

Position - Roller defenseman

Used since September

Initial Thoughts - Although a little "busy"(not nearly as much as other sticks) the stick is easy on the eyes. The use of the chrome U+ and CCM logos stand out but aren't obnoxious.

Weight/Balance - Not the lightest stick on the market but the balance is pretty good, slightly blade heavy. When you're playing you don't notice the weight at all. - 8.5/10

Blade - Very solid feeling blade, doesn't feel plastic or anything when using. After a couple months of use the blade is still quite stiff. I also haven't had any problems with the heel insert that others have had. - 9.5/10

Shaft/Flex - This stick plays very true to it's 85 flex, which I like. The contoured shaft shape feels good in your hands without feeling too small. I'm a big fan of the grip on this stick, I like that there's resistance on your palms but it's not overly tacky feeling like say stick'um is. - 9/10

Stickhandling and passing - I use attack pads so my review of the feel might be a little swerved but I have decent feel while stickhandling with this stick. Very good feel when passing. It also receives passes really well. I feel like the heel insert is more than a gimmick, you definitely can catch passes around the heel without having to "peek" 'cause you'll feel it's there. - 9/10

Shooting - Probably not my favorite stick for slappers but by no means are they hurt by it, I just feel like other sticks get them off slightly better. Snap and wrist shots are great, on the other hand. Very responsive, lots of pop even after a decent amount of use. - 9/10

Durability - After months of use the stick still plays like an 85 flex. I took a decent slash about a month ago and the stick didn't flinch, it chipped the clearcoat but it's still great structurally. Stickers have chipped off her and there but it's not bad at all. I feel like this stick, with regular use, still has a lot of life left in it. 10/10

Overview - I'd definitely recommend this stick to pretty much anyone, any sort of playing style, it's a very well-rounded stick. At the 139 or so they're going for right now I see no reason not to pick up a few. - 9/10

[B-Nads 0]

CCM Vector U+

Flex - Stiff

Finish - Non-Grip

Curve - Thornton

Height - 6'3

Weight - 230

Position - Usually winger (some D)

Initial Thoughts - I ended up grabbing this because it was a similar value to an broken Easton OPS I returned to the store. I wasn't nuts about the curve, but I needed a stick that night and liked the overall feel of the stick. It looks great - not too blingy.

Weight/Balance - I really like the weight and balance of this stick - especially after getting a plug and tape on there. It isn't heavy at all, but is not overly light, which helps smoothen my less than sliky stick-handling. It's personal taste, but I give it a 10 / 10 in this category.

Blade - Disappointing. It felt great for about 3 or 4 outings, then went into a rapid decline. The white cover over the heel pocket was cracked up after the first night out, and the blade, which was pleasingly stiff on the first couple practices I ran with it, got softer and softer, and after the 4th night out there was a stress line the height of the puck down the back-side of the blade. 5 / 10

Shaft/Flex - The flex of this shaft is excellent. I power through my wristers, and load a lot of weight into my slappers. The shaft of this stick performed great for me on both applications, performing comparably to my all-time favorite, the Response XN10. 10 / 10

Stickhandling and passing - As stated earlier, I am not a stick-handler, but this stick definitely made me feel more confident carrying the puck. The feel beats any other OPS I've tried at this point, and the weight and balance seem to match my style perfectly. The Thornton curve is a pretty huge step for me, as tend to go between Modano and Spezza, so the passing and aim were...a little off, but that is a product of a poor blade pattern for me, so I can't knock the stick.

Shooting - I could not do a slapshot to save my life with this pattern - at least not with any consistency...one would be high, one burning across the ice...again, not the stick's fault. The shaft loads up great for slappers, but the curve was more than I could tame. Wristers, ont he other hand, were savage. The long taper of the shaft seems to load up quickly for my style of wrist shot, and the heavily pronounced toe curve of the Thornton pattern lets me whip wrispers as if I was throwing the puck - it is a beast in close, but long-distance wrister seemd to lose zip. 8 / 10

Durability - The shaft is extremely durable - it has faced many slapshots and hacks, and has remained close to its original rigidity. The blade, however, has died pretty quickly. I'm not sure if another tapered blade can be fit into this shaft, but if it can, I will be buying another and loppign the blade out right away. 10 / 10 for the shaft, 4 / 10

for the blade.

Overview - It's tough for me to give a fair review of the performance of this stick due to my lack of control with a Thornton pattern. That being said, the balance, feel, and performance of the shaft was excellent. The blade left a bit to be desired in the durability department - how much of that was a result of poor technique on my part combined with a blade set-up I'm not accustomed with I don't know, but it lasted little time before being finished. I would love to try this stick with a pattern more suited to me, as the perfomance of the shaft rivals everything I've tried to date.