Grip Flex Comparison

[lee92 2]

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.

Just to clarify, are you saying that if I take a shaft/OPS that I don't normally need an extension for, and cut off enough length to be off-setted by putting this Oggie Grip into it, it will make the shaft/OPS whippier than when it was at full length?

[pantherfan 0]

Are these grips hollow?

[A2rhino 63]

Can they be ordered with different but end sizes? The but end of your traditional style model are a bit big.

[kovalchuk71 212]

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.

Just to clarify, are you saying that if I take a shaft/OPS that I don't normally need an extension for, and cut off enough length to be off-setted by putting this Oggie Grip into it, it will make the shaft/OPS whippier than when it was at full length?

Yes. I put it on a CCM Vector Reg. Flex and it felt whippier with the butt end then it did stock.

[Jason Harris 31]

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.

Just to clarify, are you saying that if I take a shaft/OPS that I don't normally need an extension for, and cut off enough length to be off-setted by putting this Oggie Grip into it, it will make the shaft/OPS whippier than when it was at full length?

Yes

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

There are four different stiffnesses , but I believe those two are the same.

[Oggie Grip 0]

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

Yes, the grip you tried was a 1st gen Oggie. That 1st gen grip is now our custom pro-stock only Whip flex grip for guys that predominantly take wristers and snapshots. The Whip flex grip is not recommended for shot speeds over 73 mph. Not too many pro players asking for this one though, although I happen use this flex grip in my no slapshots, no checking beer league.

[kovalchuk71 212]

Cool. Thanks Joe!

[Neal 41]

Joe, I've got a few of your ergo grips, but the newest is more than a year old. Does that make mine all 1st gen? If so, I'll have to pick up a newer one to try it out. Maybe a red one so I can tell them apart.

[A2rhino 63]

Can they be ordered with different but end sizes? The but end of your traditional style model are a bit big.

The question above was never answered so my next question is;

Would it be best to sand down the butt end of the grip?

[Jason Harris 31]

People have sanded the butt ends, then taped over to make sure the rubber doesn't fray.

[Jarick 5]

Well now I'm tempted to try out an Ergo grip...I tried a Classic grip on an 85 flex shaft that was too stiff and afterwards it felt really strange...like all the flex was up top and I couldn't get any kick on shots anymore. But now I've got shafts that are lower in flex.

Does it mess up your lie in terms of shooting and passing?

[Oggie Grip 0]

Can they be ordered with different but end sizes? The but end of your traditional style model are a bit big.

The question above was never answered so my next question is;

Would it be best to sand down the butt end of the grip?

In addition to the custom flex that we now offer, the pro-stock Oggie grips can also be ordered in either a custom hand-carved modified version of your current grip or we can now actually custom mold your EXACT grip onto a custom flex Oggie Grip AND provide a custom grip feel: from a tacky feel similar to the Oggie's sold in stores, to a feel similar to Powerflex, and also a feel very similar to cloth tape.

Photos of Pro-Stock Oggie Grips

There should be a post on Modsquad showing you how to belt sand an Ergo and tape over it. The grip really looks like hell after you sand it, but add a little cloth or cohesive tape, and it gives the grip a completely different feel.

[Jarick 5]

Well I picked an Ergo up tonight for S&G. I'm glad I read a bit on this site because I grip the butt end in the palm and would have cut the stick down WAY too much without reading about the difference.

I have a Dolomite 300 flex that's about 10 flex too stiff, but I was chicken to cut it down six inches, so I cut down a spare 70 flex Synergy II shaft that was already a few inches too short. All told, the top of the first "G" was level with the top of my other stick, or in other words, the Oggie grip is about 3 inches longer than the normal stick.

First impressions, it's WAY more comfortable in the hand. The rubber was nice and grippy without gloves on, but way too grippy with my palm (repalmed with Durastretch or whatever it's called), so I taped it with white Renfrew. Unlike the Classic grip, which felt really strange, the Ergo seemed to REALLY add a lot of flex. Before, it felt like it was about 77-78 flex or so (it was cut down), but now it feels like a 70. We'll see how this works for shooting. The stick flexed right in the middle, not in the top or bottom. The grip does feel like a part of the stick.

The first big problem I can see was with stickhandling. Because I would grip the butt end with my palm with the thumb facing me, I could easily toe drag. Now I grip it more like a golf club with the thumb facing up, and I have to REALLY turn the wrist over to toe drag. I'm not the best dangler, but we'll see if this affects me in a game situation. I'd imagine if you have your weak hand up top and control the stick with your bottom hand this would be less of an issue.

But I'm excited to try it out. If I love it, that will make finding sticks much easier, since I can use the 70-75 flex sticks without having to worry about chopping them down way too much and going up to 90 flex.

Oh yeah, the thing about the thumb up. When reading the testimonials on the Oggie site, one mentioned that hockey players should have their thumbs up for more control, and the Ergo facilitated that. When playing around with both sticks, it seems to make sense from the standpoint of control. When the thumb is up, the stick is controlled easier by the wrist (which is designed to go up and down, not side to side). And when loading, you can use your biceps AND wrist easier than simply holding it still to act as a lever. I'll play around with that regardless of whether I keep the grip or not.

[Jason Harris 31]

The first big problem I can see was with stickhandling. Because I would grip the butt end with my palm with the thumb facing me, I could easily toe drag. Now I grip it more like a golf club with the thumb facing up, and I have to REALLY turn the wrist over to toe drag. I'm not the best dangler, but we'll see if this affects me in a game situation. I'd imagine if you have your weak hand up top and control the stick with your bottom hand this would be less of an issue.

If I understand what you are saying, that essentially part of your hand is off the stick to allow more range of motion while puck handling, I know of two solutions. One is to hold the bottom of the knob between your ring finger and pinky, so one finger is off the stick. The second is to sand that knob smaller and apply tape to it, which will allow you to place your hand anywhere on the grip.

Or you can do what we lugs do and just hold it like a ski pole!

[Jarick 5]

I think what I'm seeing is this:

In theory, holding your arm out like you're going to shake someone's hand is the natural way to hold a stick. In practice, I (and probably others) hold the stick with the wrist rotated 90 degrees with the palm facing down instead of thumb facing up. Obviously if you've got your wrist cocked like that, it's easier to open it back up to the natural position of thumb up (which would be the position to toe drag) rather than already being at the natural position and having to over-extend the wrist (palm up).

In other words, perhaps the toe drag is easy due to bad technique. Or I'm mistaken and correct technique is to have your wrist cocked. Maybe it depends on the style.

I do know that I've been playing hockey for a couple years now and after a year developed a ganglion cyst which protrudes when I grip a stick normally. I'm fairly certain incorrect grip is the cause of the cyst, as I've been using computers and playing drums for 15 years without incident.

So if, aside from being able to toe drag effectively, I can continue playing hockey without aggravating the cyst, I see a huge benefit for me.

[Jarick 5]

Tried it out at the range, shooting was very weird. Accuracy seemed to be off a good amount. Then my blade snapped at the hosel. Now it was several months old and I had another of the same model snap at the the hosel before, but I'm a bit nervous.

I'll try it in a clinic tomorrow and see how it does on the ice. Using a backup blade because I don't want to damage a good one.

[Jason Harris 31]

I've used the Ergo for four years and never had any problem with the blade snapping, so I suspect that was just coincidental timing.

Ergo grips allow us to put our elbows and wrists at a more relaxed angle, yet if one kept the normal position of their top hand/arm, I could see how that would effectively alter the lie of their blades. Accuracy would then suffer until one becomes accustomed to the new positioning of their elbows and wrists.

Of course, the way I look at it is I was wildly inaccurate before the Ergos and I'm wildly inaccurate with the Ergos!

[Jarick 5]

Yeah, before I left, I noticed the blade was cracked along the top, then it snapped at the hosel. It's a Christian Torch blade, INCREDIBLY durable, but the hosels are a bit thin. I actually had one crack the first time I used it. More likely is that the stick was a bit longer than normal and I was off skates, so I was hitting the stick on the ground too early.

I did notice that when I went from my 70 flex Synergy II with the Ergo to my 80 flex Dolomite with regular grip, my shots were MUCH harder/faster and more accurate. Maybe I'm getting too much whip on the Synergy. It feels really comfortable though. Stickhandling is still really weird.

Like I said, I'll try it in practice tonight and at the range again. I paid $20 and cut down the stick, might as well.

[Jarick 5]

Quick question,

Are you supposed to cut your stick LOWER than normal with the Ergo? If the wirsts AND elbows are supposed to be in a more relaxed position, should the stick be shorter, allowing more arm extension?

[Jason Harris 31]

I've always cut my stick so it would end up being the same length as it would if there wasn't a grip. I believe the Ergo is around 6" long, so using the "cut to the nose" length while in shoes, I'd cut 6" below that to allow for the Ergo's length.

The truth is I'm not a very aware shooter or puck handler. What I mean is I can't tell whether the puck bounces off the blade more on one stick while receiving passes or bends more on a shot; or maybe it would be better to say that if a puck bounced off my stick while receiving passes, I've always chalked it up to I hadn't cupped my stick enough to cushion the puck. Consequently, I never noticed the different lie with an Ergo -- I only notice it's more comfortable in my top hand.

Regarding shot speeds, according to Joe, his TruFlex machine has shown there can be great inaccuracy of manufacturers' flex ratings on sticks -- as well as different kick points -- so it's hard to determine which flex is best for your shot. The only accurate testing Joe has been able to perform is measuring shot speeds during demo days using the SAME sticks with or without grips. In those cases, shot speeds generally have increased 2-6 MPH on dry land (I don't know whether they've tested on ice), although once they started breaking into the pro ranks they learned that some players had such hard swings they needed a stiffer grip.

[Jarick 5]

Did you grip the butt end in the palm or below it?

Like I said, maybe I just need to move up in flex (again).

[Jarick 5]

Ah, I have another observation :)

I bought the stick used, and it had been cut down shorter than I use. I had a wood end in there to restore about 3 inches. So I cut about 2 more inches off, then put the grip on.

Before, it flexed kind of strange, like it started to bend, then almost felt really stiff like it was about to crack, then bent fairly easily.

I'm wondering how much of that was due to the wood end plug. Looking back, I'm sure that tampered with how the stick flexed (Synergy II 70 flex). And it's definitely more flex now that the Oggie's in there.

So I can't really say whether it restored flex or added flex. But it's definitely higher flex than the wood end plug.

[Jason Harris 31]

I grip it in the palm like a ski pole. I never realized that people played with their hand partially off the stick until a friend asked how he could do that with the Ergo. I had always kept my hand beneath the knob that I had made just big enough to pick my stick up off the ice whenever it would fall out of my hand (which virtually never happens with the Ergo since it's slightly smaller).

I've helped out Joe at his booth enough to confidently say the Oggie added flex. Let's just say I've seen enough wide eyes of people who saw the cut stick with the grip measure noticeably flexier than the base stick.

[RiSeOnFiRe 0]

when will the stiff flex be made available?

[Jarick 5]

Okay, tried it on the ice last night. Cut another 3/4" which made it a bit short for me, but I usually use Dolomite blades which are at least 1/2" longer than the Synergy I had in last night.

It's a lot easier to control and hold while skating. Very comfortable. We spent the first half of practice doing skating drills, and it was nice not having to think about the stick at all.

We moved on to some shooting drills, and it still felt a little off. Shots came off somewhat quick, but they were all over the place. Now that's not terribly unusual (unfortunately), and some of it could be because I had a different curve and shorter stick, but it's something I'll have to keep using to adjust to. I definitely don't have the confidence I normally do while shooting, and the goalie sees me thinking about the shot for so long he doesn't break a sweat.

Stickhandling is a little easier now with some practice. It's still not where it was, but it's not as clumsy as the first time I used it.

One other nice thing was that cutting off passes and poke checking was much easier. I could get more power while sweeping and moving the stick, so I got my blade on a lot of passes and broke up some plays. I could see this being a great tool for defensemen.

I did grab my old stick, but it felt really odd to play with a normal end. It also felt quite a bit stiffer, as it's about an 85 flex instead of the 70-75 flex of the Synergy/Oggie combo. I didn't take more than a shift with it. Either I'm enjoying the Ergo grip, or the transition is too difficult to make mid-game.

I'll keep using it, and hopefully I can get some ice time for open hockey. If it works, it will be nice to lower the flex on my Dolomite. If it doesn't, the shaft was cheap and a bit big for my hands and I'll order a lower flex Dolo instead.