Grip Flex Comparison

[Jason Harris 31]

Joe sent a few of us a link to this video he posted on YouTube.

He made an interesting modification to his TruFlex machine to be able to compare wooden end plugs versus his grips.

[Jason Harris 31]

I'm sure Joe would be willing to do so.

[5minutesforfighting 0]

My question, not trying to be ignorant or anything, but how would this help? I'm under the impression that you want a low flex point, maybe I'm mistaken. But is it totally necessary for the stick to be able to flex that high?

[A2rhino 63]

I guess my question is what happens to the top part of the shaft that it's plugged into? Will it crack and is it covered under warrenty when using one of these grips?

[msander 0]

Yes, I'm also not entirely sure what the video is actually demonstrating. Isn't it advantageous to have the end of the shaft stiff and load the lower portion of the shaft. From what he's demonstrating, it seems to me that this would be similar to trying to load a bow with a flexible area for the grip. You would lose all sorts of power. (I'm no archer, it just seems to make sense)

[Chadd 916]

My question, not trying to be ignorant or anything, but how would this help? I'm under the impression that you want a low flex point, maybe I'm mistaken. But is it totally necessary for the stick to be able to flex that high?

Bauer made a tri flex stick and TPS is now making a stick with multiple flex zones, including one at the handle. It's not necessary, but it does provide a benefit, especially if you use a stick that's too stiff to begin with.

[Jason Harris 31]

My question, not trying to be ignorant or anything, but how would this help? I'm under the impression that you want a low flex point, maybe I'm mistaken. But is it totally necessary for the stick to be able to flex that high?

Over the years, Joe has also measured shot speed using the same stick with/without grips, and, across the board, people have had harder shots with the grips. Thus, biomechanically, it appears that having flex in the wrist as well as by the blade helps with our shots. I think Joe told me once that he has an idea to build a machine that would illustrate this.

I guess my question is what happens to the top part of the shaft that it's plugged into? Will it crack and is it covered under warrenty when using one of these grips?

It's no different from putting a blade in, so there's no warranty on your stick. However, I'm still using my first stick and grip nearly four years later, so I wouldn't worry about that.

Yes, I'm also not entirely sure what the video is actually demonstrating. Isn't it advantageous to have the end of the shaft stiff and load the lower portion of the shaft. From what he's demonstrating, it seems to me that this would be similar to trying to load a bow with a flexible area for the grip. You would lose all sorts of power. (I'm no archer, it just seems to make sense)

Based on shot speeds, apparently not.

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

Sticks that have a constant flex score higher in shot speeds than a stick with a concentrated flex. That's why wood beats composites when it comes to that.

[A2rhino 63]

WOW, all very cool info.

So when should we expect the Easton S18 TRIPLE THREAT? ;)

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

Hahaha funny you mention S17 and that machine...

[A2rhino 63]

Hahaha funny you mention S17 and that machine...

Why is that ????????

[5minutesforfighting 0]

Hmm, it's making sense now. But if the Tri-flex wasn't so popular, why are other companies trying to use the same technology? Did Bauer just not market it correctly, or did they not have the correct technology?

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

Better materials nowadays.

A2 - not touching that, sorry

[A2rhino 63]

Bah haha...... Someone knows something!!!

[Chadd 916]

Hahaha funny you mention S17 and that machine...

My favorite part was the look on Joe's face

[Oggie Grip 0]

Hmm, it's making sense now. But if the Tri-flex wasn't so popular, why are other companies trying to use the same technology? Did Bauer just not market it correctly, or did they not have the correct technology?

The flex in the Oggie is much different than the flex within ALL of the manufacturer’s composite sticks. The material of an Oggie has the characteristics to flex much more before yield in comparison to a composite end-plug or wood end-plug of the same length. The 1-1/2" of loading in the Oggie is normal, where flexing a composite or wood end-plug of the same length to an 1-1/2" would, in most cases, result in a "catastrophic" failure.

The Tri-flex didn't work because they didn't have the correct material to provide a proper grip flex. Oh, and what happens when you cut your stick? You can potentially cut the grip zone right out of a Tri-Flex or R10. With an Oggie Grip, the grip flex is always consistent, and always in the same place.

This 1-1/2" of flex within the Oggie Grip acts as an extension of your wrist, enabling you to generate much more power in your shot once you install the grip properly, and learn how to load the grip properly. Yes, it takes a bit of practice to load it properly…..sorry.

How the grip works is like this: you shoot, you load the grip, and the grip is acting in the same fashion as your wrist….on steroids. You can dispute it, but you use your wrist when shooting, with or without an Oggie. But just think of an Oggie as you suddenly having a super strong wrist. The biomechanics behind this allows you to increase your shot speed…...only if you have the correct flex.

You'll notice that you can only purchase an Oggie Grip with one flex type right now. The Oggie found in stores happens to be our Enhanced flex grip. We have many pro players on board with Oggie nationally and worldwide. But in the beginning stages of obtaining pro players, we found that a lot of the bigger and taller pro players that were using our enhanced flex grips were actually scrubbing off shot speed! The grips were flexing too much for these players. So back to the drawing board we went, and came up with two additional flex stiffness grips: Stiff and X-stiff. These new grips work very well for players over 6'-2" and for players displaying the strength of a manic gorilla (as a point of reference). These stronger, taller players now see a significant increase in their shot speed with the Oggie installed. Just as another point of reference, the Enhanced flex seems to work well for players with shot speeds of around 68 to 85 mph. Unfortunately, our new Stiff and X-stiff stiffness grips are only available as a Pro-stock item for right now.

A general rule of thumb for Oggie Grip flex is:

Whip flex - for players that predominantly use wrist shots and snapshots.(yes we make a Pro-stock Whip flex now also)

Enhanced flex (Grip you can currently buy in stores)– good for all around use with all types of shots. Predominantly snapshots and slapshots.

Stiff flex – Good for all around use with all types of shots. Predominantly slapshots.

X-stiff flex – for blistering slapshots and one-timers.

And yes the Oggie has got a little bit of weight (4oz). But it will make your stick feel more "blade-light" than ever before. Trust me, some people keep talking that the weight throws off balance, etc., blah, blah, blah, before they even try it. The weight of an Oggie is only about 4 oz. The slightly added weight is intentional and engineered into the Oggie. The weight acts as a counter balance to make a player’s blade feel lighter than ever before. And it won't fatigue a player prematurely because the weight is up high in the grip area.

If you're already using a lighter composite stick like an S17, try installing an Oggie in it. I compare the ultra blade–light balanced feel after installing an Oggie to using stick weights when practicing stick handling drills. If you ever used stick weights in practice and then take them off and go back to playing without the weight, your hands feel all messed up for a short time. But as you keep stick handling with the lighter blade, your hands then feel like lightning over a very short period of time. It’s the same with an Oggie, but in this case, you’re stock S17 feels like the stick weight in comparison to the S17/Oggie combo.

And JR/Chadd, all I can say about Easton is that I've tested many of their sticks over the last two years for yield strength, wall thickness consistency, and flex, and all I can say is that that make a superior product. I’m an Easton fan, and it’s because I see the quality in the testing. I can only hope that they keep up the good work. www.oggiegrip.com

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

Joe - not dogging the stick, just said the test was interesting. You even said so yourself.

[Oggie Grip 0]

It was and continues to be interesting.....

[duckjob 1]

For those of us that don't normally use an extension, or a very short one, how does this perform? Cutting 6 or 7 inches off of a shaft is going to make it a lot stiffer than usual.

[Chadd 916]

For those of us that don't normally use an extension, or a very short one, how does this perform? Cutting 6 or 7 inches off of a shaft is going to make it a lot stiffer than usual.

Adding one of Joe's grips will make it more flexible than it originally was.

[Goonsquad 209]

For those of us that don't normally use an extension, or a very short one, how does this perform? Cutting 6 or 7 inches off of a shaft is going to make it a lot stiffer than usual.

Adding one of Joe's grips will make it more flexible than it originally was.

So does the grip add consistency to the shaft when adding onto the butt of the shaft? Would the idea be to pair similar flexes for the grip and the shaft? I am not sure you would want to have a whippy grip paired with a x-stiff shaft, just because that would mean the bend point of the stick would be much higher and would probably take away a lot of power from what you wanted in the shaft in the first place.

[Chadd 916]

For those of us that don't normally use an extension, or a very short one, how does this perform? Cutting 6 or 7 inches off of a shaft is going to make it a lot stiffer than usual.

Adding one of Joe's grips will make it more flexible than it originally was.

So does the grip add consistency to the shaft when adding onto the butt of the shaft? Would the idea be to pair similar flexes for the grip and the shaft? I am not sure you would want to have a whippy grip paired with a x-stiff shaft, just because that would mean the bend point of the stick would be much higher and would probably take away a lot of power from what you wanted in the shaft in the first place.

Most people use sticks that are too stiff, adding a little flex ends up helping most people regardless of the original shaft flex. If you're using an x-stiff shaft, chances are you aren't loading it on wrist shots and an oggie grip will improve those wrist shots.

[5minutesforfighting 0]

Thanks for the response, Joe. It was a really interesting read. I'll most likely wait until a stiff version comes out. I'm taller, so the sticks are long as it is, when I put in a butt end, it makes it flex even more, which I really hate.

[Jason Harris 31]

The flex in the Oggie is much different than the flex within ALL of the manufacturer’s composite sticks. The material of an Oggie has the characteristics to flex much more before yield in comparison to a composite end-plug or wood end-plug of the same length. The 1-1/2" of loading in the Oggie is normal, where flexing a composite or wood end-plug of the same length to an 1-1/2" would, in most cases, result in a "catastrophic" failure.

The Tri-flex didn't work because they didn't have the correct material to provide a proper grip flex. Oh, and what happens when you cut your stick? You can potentially cut the grip zone right out of a Tri-Flex or R10. With an Oggie Grip, the grip flex is always consistent, and always in the same place.

This 1-1/2" of flex within the Oggie Grip acts as an extension of your wrist, enabling you to generate much more power in your shot once you install the grip properly, and learn how to load the grip properly. Yes, it takes a bit of practice to load it properly…..sorry.

How the grip works is like this: you shoot, you load the grip, and the grip is acting in the same fashion as your wrist….on steroids. You can dispute it, but you use your wrist when shooting, with or without an Oggie. But just think of an Oggie as you suddenly having a super strong wrist. The biomechanics behind this allows you to increase your shot speed…...only if you have the correct flex.

Geez, Joe, I've helped you in your booth and I have no idea what you just said! :lol:

[kovalchuk71 212]

Joe, is the "enhanced" grip stiffer than the 1st Gen Oggie Grips? I had one and found it a bit too flexible.