Adults using intermediate shafts/sticks?

[habsfan87 0]

what will we see first to accomodate short stick users, a thicker shaft size on an intermediate stick or a senior length stick with a 60-70 flex that can be cut quite a bit while still being whippy?

[Jarick 5]

I don't think the need is there really. Shorter guys like me will use the intermediates, and taller guys will use the whip flex seniors. I don't know if there's many guys that want an intermediate stick and will add a 3-4" plug on top of it. Especially with the trend today towards longer sticks/shafts instead of plugs.

I'm just going off of what I've read here.

http://www.hockeymonkey.com/bauer-blade-patterns.html

Maybe it differs from manufacturer to manufacturer, but cutting 2" off a stick changes Nike Bauer's flex rating from a 77 to an 84. Is your Mission 65 flex an intermediate or senior sized? I see that Rebellion Hockey makes senior sized one-piece sticks in 65 and 75 flex, but I don't know of anywhere online that sells them. Supposedly a local pro shop does, so I'll have to look next time I'm there.

Mine is intermediate size. It doesn't hurt intermediates are cheaper too!

There are prostock shafts that are 60-65 flex in senior sizes, but they were so hard to find I just went with this. Now I have a stick that feels great (might break in to be a bit whippy) and a stick that's a bit stiff (which isn't so bad for taking lots of draws and slappers).

[HattrickSwayze 3]

I went to the LHS today and looked at some sticks. They had a 7K Sickick senior size in RBK's light flex, which is supposedly 65. It was almost too whippy, but probably would've been perfect if it was cut down a little bit. Then I tried an Easton intermediate in 65 flex, which felt stiffer than the RBK's 65, probably because the Easton was shorter. I actually liked the shaft size of the intermediate, especially if it was a little concave like the Easton. The intermediate stick was only an inch or so shorter than what I normally have my sticks at too. I thought about buying it, but the blade was a little small. I think I might look for an intermediate shaft that uses senior sized blades and give that a shot. Depends on what the length will be though.

[ahbroody 1]

Been screwing around with a tps r6 inter I picked up of hg a few weeks back.

I am 5'7" 160-170 with smaller hands.

I really like the inter stick so far. It feels good and it is easier for me to flex. I think for smaller guys its a good option.

[thejackal 46]

I went to the LHS today and looked at some sticks. They had a 7K Sickick senior size in RBK's light flex, which is supposedly 65. It was almost too whippy, but probably would've been perfect if it was cut down a little bit. Then I tried an Easton intermediate in 65 flex, which felt stiffer than the RBK's 65, probably because the Easton was shorter. I actually liked the shaft size of the intermediate, especially if it was a little concave like the Easton. The intermediate stick was only an inch or so shorter than what I normally have my sticks at too. I thought about buying it, but the blade was a little small. I think I might look for an intermediate shaft that uses senior sized blades and give that a shot. Depends on what the length will be though.

you positive the 7K is a senior? CCM/RBK inters are a bit longer than easton's

[HattrickSwayze 3]

I went to the LHS today and looked at some sticks. They had a 7K Sickick senior size in RBK's light flex, which is supposedly 65. It was almost too whippy, but probably would've been perfect if it was cut down a little bit. Then I tried an Easton intermediate in 65 flex, which felt stiffer than the RBK's 65, probably because the Easton was shorter. I actually liked the shaft size of the intermediate, especially if it was a little concave like the Easton. The intermediate stick was only an inch or so shorter than what I normally have my sticks at too. I thought about buying it, but the blade was a little small. I think I might look for an intermediate shaft that uses senior sized blades and give that a shot. Depends on what the length will be though.

you positive the 7K is a senior? CCM/RBK inters are a bit longer than easton's

Almost positive. It was on the rack with the other seniors, and I'm pretty sure it was the same length. It was sandwiched in between the other 7K's, so I probably would've noticed if it was shorter.

[cbart 1]

Since we're on this topic....I've got some brand new intermediate synergy tapered blades (RH Iginla) that I'm looking to unload. They don't make these anymore. PM me if interested.

[bubbahotep 0]

I bought 10 brand new M1 shafts off ebay a while back thinking they took senior blades like my Easton intermediates. No dice. They only take junior blades.

I'm an adult and I use intermediates. I like to have flex and I prefer the slimmer shafts.

I also use 12" or 13" gloves.

If I could use all Jr. equipment that would be great. It's a lot cheaper. Unfortunately the rest of the equipment I use is regular size.

[xaero604 0]

tjdb, i do not know of any other companies that have matching curves for both their Jr and Sr offerings. This is because I started playing hockey pretty late in life and only bought senior equipment.

anyway, back to your situation, you can reap in the savings or at least it won't hurt your wallet as much when you want to experiment with the different clearance jr. blades on hockeymonkey!

oh yeah, not to be a debbie-downer but i do recall having one hell of a time wrestling the jr. tapered blade into the m-1 shaft. i contacted the ebay seller and long story short, he got me to remove all the glue from the tenon/connector, and with a razor shave off the layer paint to get that blade to fit in. I was a little suspicious at the point as to whether the shaft was truly tapered to begin with - especially when it had "gaborik" written in the namestamp. Then again, I only had a stove heating element as a heat source, not the super handy heat-gun that I have now (a REAL necessity for gearwhores!)

[phoenixgold 0]

at walmart they sell one piece sticks... i didn't like the curve on the vector i bought so i cut it thinking i could stick a blade in it.. a senior blade didn't fit but the junior fit right in and boy can i wire the puck with it. I took our goalie out of the game in warm up with one to the shoulder from outside the blue line. some serious flex on it. hasn't broke yet.. although i don't use it anymore on account that not everyone has health insurance..lol but it is awesome. i have a pic where the stick is bent almost in half when i was shooting.. and it's firm enough for passing as well.

[raygunpk 0]

at walmart they sell one piece sticks... i didn't like the curve on the vector i bought so i cut it thinking i could stick a blade in it.. a senior blade didn't fit but the junior fit right in and boy can i wire the puck with it. I took our goalie out of the game in warm up with one to the shoulder from outside the blue line. some serious flex on it. hasn't broke yet.. although i don't use it anymore on account that not everyone has health insurance..lol but it is awesome. i have a pic where the stick is bent almost in half when i was shooting.. and it's firm enough for passing as well.

Was it a senior or int. stick to begin with?

[phoenixgold 0]

well i am not too sure. they say senior but the ones at walmart aren't quality sticks.. it is smaller then say my mission or my easton shaft.. i mean the width. with the normal one piece sticks you can cut them and put the senior blade in it no prob. i actually had to turn it upside down and then the junior fit in. the flex is rediculos

[tdjb 0]

Doesn't look like this experiment will happen :(

Without going into all the details, the shafts were not quite what I expected quality wise so I'm getting a refund (still stuck with a junior blade though if anyone is interested).

Anyone have a lead on some 75-77 flex shafts for cheap?

[Jason91 0]

I had a M-1 shaft with an intermidiate Synthesis blade years ago and it worked good for me, but i'm sure you would be able to find something for a good price that would be worth a try.

well i am not too sure. they say senior but the ones at walmart aren't quality sticks.. it is smaller then say my mission or my easton shaft.. i mean the width. with the normal one piece sticks you can cut them and put the senior blade in it no prob. i actually had to turn it upside down and then the junior fit in. the flex is rediculos

Well then it must be a junior if you flipped it and you could still only fit a junior blade in..

[DaveROR 0]

I do, sometimes anyways. I use a range of mid 60 flex up to 87 flex sticks, the Int. sticks I don't tend to cut at all, I generally use low flex sr sticks (77/75 flex), cut to around 85-90, and haven't used an Int. stick lately, but I still carry one in my bag and tend to use it for shootouts for some reason (probably because my first SO goal was with that stick).

[Powerfibers 8]

I have a TPS Intrigue Intermediate that is a fine stick for the $50 I paid, but the one I really like is my Mission Ti Fuel in 75 Flex. It is a great whippy stick, and I have really improved my shot with it. It is a nice easy shooting stick and built well. It will last a ling time from what I can tell so far. I have had it four about 4 months and still going strong.

[Guitarmy 0]

I used to use inter sticks because they were the perfect length and flex for me. With senior sticks I usually have to cut 3 inches off the top which makes it a bit too stiff. The only thing I didn't like about inter sticks is they are too narrow. Which is why I stocked up last Xmas on all those 400 flex Warrior shafts. ^_^

[Allan1875 0]

This topic is very interesting and got me thinking about a lot of things.

First of all, Hi, its my first post here, im from Scotland and i play reccy hockey. Ive only been playing ice hockey for 1 and a half years.

Im currently using a 102 flex Bauer XXX, Samsonov blade. At the moment i hate the blade but i needed a stick and its all the shop had, that was my first major mistake. Secondly it feels way to stiff for me, its a 50% chance whether i hit a slapshot cleanly. My 3rd problem is, is it the right size for me?

I had no idea that any pro players used under 102 flex and i was surprised to read some of the stuff in this thread.

I was told that the height off your stick should generally be between your chin and your nose when your standing on your skates, is this right? I've been getting the puck caught in and around my feet lately and i've been thinking my stick may be slightly too long.

Any help is much appreciated as i just want to become a better hockey player.

Edit: Quick edit, im 5" 10" and weight 145lbs, so i don't get much whip at all on a 102 flex.

[Taliondragon 0]

Doesn't look like this experiment will happen :(

Without going into all the details, the shafts were not quite what I expected quality wise so I'm getting a refund (still stuck with a junior blade though if anyone is interested).

Anyone have a lead on some 75-77 flex shafts for cheap?

Since you already have the junior (tapered?) blade, why not try the intermediate Mission L-2 shaft? There's still a few clearance deals that get you the shaft + 2 blades.

[HattrickSwayze 3]

Stick length is mostly personal preference. The "between your nose and chin" thing is a rule of thumb, but not a law. Right now I have my sticks cut to right around my nose when I'm not in skates. It seems to be a good length for me. Then again, I haven't experimented much with stick length. I think I've only used a shorter stick two or three times. I didn't really notice much difference. I think what might be a little more important than stick length is the lie of your blade. If your lie is wrong, it can cause problems when you get the puck. As far as getting the puck stuck in your feet, well, that happens to a lot of people. Might not be a problem with your stick length. I can't kick the thing out of my feet for shit.

I would definitely recommend going to a softer flex. 102 flex is most likely way too stiff for you. I'm 170 lbs, and I use 85 flex and softer. What I noticed the most with using a whippier flex was that my shots weren't harder, but if I loaded up the shaft I got the same speed on my shots with less effort. It was cool. A little drawback I didn't like though is it seemed hard passes were almost springing back off the blade. It might've been in my head, but I swore I could see the shaft moving a little when I got a hard pass. If you're a cup-half-full guy though, I suppose you have to work on having really soft hands to absorb the pass.

The thing with sticks is there's a lot of variables to find what you like. Balance, weight, length, lie, curve. It can be a little bit costly to find what you like, but having a stick you're really comfortable with helps a lot on the ice.

[chilimax21 0]

I'm 5'10" 150lb. and use int. sticks also. Right now I'm using a Easton Synergy ST 65 flex with Forsberg curve. Kinda whippy and getting used to it, but I can recieve passes without it popping off my blade and can load it alot. This stick I did not cut. I used a CCM Vector 10.0 75 flex Recchi curve and Warrior MacDaddy 75 flex Federov and found they were a bit stiff for me, but thats after I cut about 3 inches off the top of each. I'm thinking I should n't have cut the Warrior since the lie was low enough for me. Puck feel I think is better with a stiffer stick.

[ironic_chef 0]

I use an intermediate stick, and just bought a Christian OPS from Harrow. I was using an older Sherwood OPS Crosby pattern that was 85 flex cut down to a Jr size. The Christian is a 60 flex and I cut it down about 4-5" as well.

The first snapshot I took with my new, flexier stick was noticably snappier. Very happy - give Harrow sticks a try, it looks like their patterns are consistent across Sr and Int sticks. I know Harrow has an online store with set prices, but I didn't pay sticker at the local store ($50).

[flyerman 0]

I recently picked up an RBK 7K Pro Snake Grip Reg. Flex OPS from HM as they were on clearance and I heard great things about them. Well, I really like the feel and responsiveness of the stick, but it is too stiff (I cut it down about 5"). I can't find the this stick in Med. Flex anywhere. But....

I did find a deal on a 2-pack 7K Pro Lite in Light Flex, which is listed as a 60" Intermediate stick.

Questions:

Does anyone know the dimensions of this shaft? Same as an Easton or Sherwood intermediate, or slightly larger (I hope)?

How does the RBK Int. Light Flex compare to a Sherwood 75 Flex or TPS Whip Flex (I know it measures as 70 Flex in Easton, I am more interested to hear how whippy it actually feels, comparatively).

THANKS!

[thejackal 46]

its about a 65 flex uncut

[snipez96 4]

If your height and weight allow you to use intermediate i say go for it. Im 5'7" 150lbs Warrior Dolomite Int. is perfect. I don't have to cut the stick and i get a pretty good snap shot off. Couldn't be happier.