Mission M-2 shaft

[Shorthanded67 0]

Reviewer: 5’10, 165. Inline hockey on SportCourt/similar, competitive & recreational, 6 times a week.

Misc. Notes: This is my first Mission stick I’ve ever used. I’ve held an M-1 OPS at my LHS but have never used it in a game situation. Therefore I cannot and will not compare it to the M-1 OPS (until I get one which may be in the near future).

Price: $89.99-$99.99 USD

Test Blades: Easton Z-Carb (Shanny) and Inno Custom Hull

Usage: Approximately 14 games plus an hour additional shooting.

Shaft shape/Flex: 100 Flex. Immediately when I put it in my hands it felt like a Z-Bubble to me. The shaft is not quite as “boxy†as an Easton Ultralite or Synergy. I have smaller hands so I took a liking to this.

Stickhandling/Passes: No complaints here. Good feel overall, felt the puck well on toe drags without having to take an extra peek down. Passing was fine although I don’t see the big gripe on passing with composite sticks anyway.

Weight/Balance: I’m not even sure of the official weight of this shaft. The stick felt more balanced with the Inno Hull than the Z-Carb. The Z-Carb blade made it feel slightly bottom heavy although I am a more competent shooter with the Z-Carb (haven’t quite mastered that Hull rocker yet). As far as shaft/blade combos go, I’d say this (with the Inno blade) is as balanced as a Z-Bubble/Z-Carb combo or a Novius/Inno blade combo. Keep in mind, the Hull Custom doesn’t have as “much bladeâ€. Those who’ve seen it know what I’m referring to.

Shooting: Shots were popping off the M-2/Z-Carb combo, although that tends to happen with any “fresh†blade or shaft. This is the first time I’ve used a stick without grip for a while, and the stick did not twist in my hands as I expected. Again, presumably because of the shaft shape being not quite as boxy. I hit corners better than I have for a while. This shaft brought me out of my accuracy shooting slump so automatically it earns points from me.

Durability: Quite a few hacks have been taken at it (and given) and nothing has chipped yet. Still has that “new†feel to it which tends to disappear after a few games.

Intangibles: I think I tend to play well with any “new toy†just for the psychological aspect of “I just dropped $100 +, I sure as hell better like it!â€. But seriously, I took an immediate liking to this shaft. Immediately, I’d rank it over the Easton UL and Inno 1100, but more comparable to a Z-Bubble or Novius. Also, as most people will agree, I really like the simple graphics and color.

Conclusion: I definitely think this is a huge splash for Mission back into the shaft market. It’s just a matter of people getting out of their “Easton, TPS, Bauer, etc…. shaft choices. I now look forward to the L-2. I give this Mission M-2 shaft a 9/10.

[chrisg19 5]

Reviewer: 5'9" 208 lbs. League roller Hockey A and B divisions on Sport Court.

Price: $89.99

Test Blades: Inno Robitaille retail - Right

Usage: Approximately 35+ league, and pickup games.

Shaft shape/Flex: 100 Flex. I really like this flex, coming from the more whippy 85 flexs. It is still flexy enough to get off a quick wrister, but really shines above the 85 for snap/slap shots. I find it hard to go back to the more flexy sticks after playing with this for awhile. Shaft feels the same as an M1, which took a little getting used to for me when I switched to the M-1 from a Biomorphic Dangler a long time ago. Difference between M-1, and M-2 is negligible however. I would rate this a 10/10.

Stickhandling/Passes: I like the way the puck feels on this shaft/blade combo. Feel is transmitted well, but truthfuly I think that has more to do with the inno blade than anything. I have had no complaints with either stickhandling or passing. Again a 10/10.

Weight/Balance: Now I have not measured the weights or anything, but it feels very comparable to my M-1's. Really like the balance of the whole combination. 9/10.

Shooting: Shots fly right off of this shaft. The 100 flex has given me the exact performance I wanted, and has remained so since day one. My M-1 has sat on the bench for 2 + seasons because I prefer this combo so much. 10/10

Durability: This is where the M-2 impresses me the most. This shaft has been hacked, slashed, and abused by opponents, and while some paint may have been chipped off, the stick is as solid as ever. I am very impressed with it's durability. I am not normally easy on shafts, but this one has taken everything I have given it. 10/10

Conclusion: I would recommend this shaft to anyone without hesitation. It has held up very well to the abuses of league hockey, and appears as though it will do so for some time to come. I like the feel, balance, and way the shots come off of the shaft. I really have zero complaints, and this combo has kept my more expensive ops's relegated to the bench, and will for some time to come. 10/10.

chris

Edited July 14, 2004 by chrisg19

[thejackal 46]

M-2 Senior 85 flex

Reviewer's specs: 6'1", 175, 15 years old, used with pro return TPS Genesis blade (GI Hull) on ice.

Usage: 1 week @ a goalie camp, 1 puckshoot, and 1 game.

Initial thoughts: I got this shaft as a freebie when I bought a pair of S300s in July. The first thing i noticed when I got it was "Damn, it's so short!". Indeed, it is at least an inch shorter than most shafts because Mission uses a shorter end plug than most companies. I had to add a longer plug. The paint scheme was nice and simple, but I dont like it as much as the black/yellow graphics of my 1100. The shaft shape was also very thin, somewhere between a Cyclone and regular-sized shafts. Its sidewalls were also very slightly concave.

Flex: The 85 flex should suit most people well. I'm used to Inno's 300 flex so it wasn't a major problem adjusting.

8/10 (PP)

Stickhandling/passing: The thinner shaft is great for stickhandling. I could also feel the puck very well despite the relative thickness of the blade i used. The shaft would flex just a tiny bit on hard passes which give it more speed without too much effort. 9/10

Weight/balance: Lighter than my Inno 1100, but not by much. The balance was a bit off with the test blade however as it was in the 190-200g range. 8.5/10 (if paired with a lighter blade)

Shooting: This is where it gets a bit tricky. The M-2 was made by Aldila and was designed not to twist/torque on shots. After using this stick for a week shooting at a goalie camp, I can say that they did a pretty good job. My shots were accurate and very consistant. Slapshots were great even though I didnt have a chance to do many of them. Still, I was beating goalies left, right and right down the middle with it all week. At this point I'd give it a 9, maybe even a 10, but when I first used it in a game, it didnt pan out well. First of all, the thinness of the shaft made it twist around in my hands, secondly, the slickness of the finish made the twisting even worse. My one-timers came out cruddy and most didnt hit the net. I switched back to my Inno and everything went back to normal. It's problably not the stick's fault and more because of my preferences, so I'll still give it a 8/10.

Durability: It's a bit early to pass judgement but if it's anything like the

M-1s my teammates had, then the shaft should last quite a while. N/A

Intangibles: As i've said before, the stick needed a longer plug. But the shaft was so rounded that the ones I had didn't fit. Having to sand it down was annoying. Despite all that, I firmly believe that it's a quality shaft that deserves consideration. However, I probably would have bought a whip Redlite or another 1100 if I had to use my own money. Then again, perhaps another blade can bring it to life and make it my favorite. We'll just have to wait and see.

OVERALL: My personal score - 8/10 (PP)

Objective rating (based on the shaft's qualities) - 9/10

[Eazy_b97 1]

Reviewer: 5’11, 205. Ice Hockey coach, few scrimmages.

Test Blades: Pro Easton Z-Carb (Swanson) and Vic Naslund

Usage: Approximately a dozen or so practices

Shaft shape/Flex: 85 Flex. I've always liked the semi-rounded feel they seem to have in my hands.

Stickhandling/Passes: Fairly decent, it feels very nice in my hands. The feel wasn't terrific, but didn't hinder anything either. 8/10

Weight/Balance: I couldn't even tell you the "weight" of the stick. Balance was decent with both blades, but it doesn't compare, weight and balance wise, to some of the other alternatives, mainly the Xn10 line 8/10

Shooting: Shooting was good. Nothing exceptional. I'd put it on par with the Grip lites, ULs and Tricores I've used. Good pop, but nothing to get excited over. 7/10

Durability: Cannot comment really. It didn't break for the time I had it, but I've always broken my sticks during gameplay and not playing games has made my all my sticks last alot longer. There was a severe amount of paint chipping though. Some when I bought the stick, and then again when I took the tape off (sorry PONTY)

Intangibles: I'm still a little kid at heart and get excited whenever I find something new. After the novelty wore off this became a very average shaft.

Conclusion: I have no complaints about the shaft, but there isn't much I can say posotive. It's a good stick, its not great, its not bad. I'd put it on par with other Companies middle of the line shafts. Ultra Lites, Tri-Cores, GripLite, 1100 and Rubbers. If you like the shaft shape and are looking for something that won't break the bank, but will perform then this is a great buy. If you want performance above all else, this just isn't for you. I give this a 7.5/10.