Graf Laser

[Eazy_b97 1]

Product: Graf Laser / G4 Pattern / Stiff flex / left-handed

My Stats: 5’11, 190lbs

Blade - This was the first time I used a blade this thin. It was a strong blade that had minimal “jump” on it. The curve was nice, a small heel curve, but the G21 would’ve suited me better. 4/10

Flex – I generally use the 110 (or comparable) flex, so this stick was right in the range where I normally use. It was alright it seemed to flex at the right points, a little on wristers and a bit more on slap shots. 7/10

(personal preference)

Stick handling/receiving passes – I’ve used Graphite blades in my sticks for the better part of my hockey career, so I rarely notice a “lack of feeling” in my blades. I didn’t notice any added feeling with the Laser. The thin blades provided a little extra feel, but nothing major, I didn’t notice it improved my stick handling at all. 7/10 (personal preference)

Shooting – I’ve used a lot of OPS and I found this to be the worse for shooting. Normally I can feel the “extra-kick” or “quick release” with OPS over wood, but I felt that the Laser gave basically no kick and had minimal performance. 4/10

Weight and balance – This is the heaviest OPS I’ve ever used. The balance felt a little blade heavy, which I don’t mind, but would’ve preferred a better balanced and lighter stick. 5/10

Durability – This stick held up great it has a 45 day warranty and mine broke on the 44th day. Which is great for me, I was breaking OPS about every 4th week at this time. The shaft broke during a slap shot, and had been under a lot of strain. I used this stick something like 40 days out of the 44 it was under warranty. 9.5/10

Intangibles – Busch has been making OPS for a while, and it seems that they chose to keep working with their sticks and focus on durability rather than performance. I am not in the market for a low performing, high durability OPS. If I wanted to sacrifice the quick release on my shots, I would’ve opted for a strong shaft/blade combo. I am pleased if an OPS is durable, but it isn’t my main concern in purchasing my sticks. 6/10

Conclusion – It’s nice to see a company worried about the durability of their sticks, and have the faith to back up the product with a 45 day warranty. I thought the stick was at best less than average. I felt no added kick, minimal added feel, and a lack of curve selection. It would’ve been nice to have a grip option, but they’ve addressed that this year. I was pleased with the durability, but was not impressed with the performance of the stick. With performance as my main objective in buying sticks I saw not a big point in having the Laser in muy collection of sticks. I've had shaft and blade combo's that would be at least this durable and the shot performance would be about the same.

Overall – 5/10

[Ogie Oglethorpe 14]

Product: BUSCH (distributed by Graf) LASER G9 Pattern (think Modano/Tkachuk clone) / "flex" option (est 90-95 flex?) / right-handed

My Stats: 38 year old beer leaguer (although, I personally prefer bourbon), 6'1, a portly 225....

Blade / Curve : Ultra thin and, while not crowbar stiff, is as stiff as someone should reasonably want. Puck feel is just beyond amazing for a graphite (excuse me... Carbon Fibre) stick. Overtime there will be little chips around the edge, but the blade is still solid. I have had other Busch sticks over the years and these take a VERY long time to fatique. However, the high grade is really given for having the best puck feel I've tried in an OPS before (and I've tried a lot). 10/10

NOTE: there is a limitation to the number of patterns that Busch offers. Some won't be fans of it not having a wider range of offerings. THUS, I while I give the blade itself a 10, I give the curve selection a 4/10, as I figure I have to take this into account for the masses (although I am more than fine with the curve I got).

Flex: Like EZ97, I also typically use the 110 (or comparable) flex. The ambiguous "flex" descriptor leaves one for want, but this is not whippy nor ultra stiff. I don't hate it though. The thing I *REALLY* like about the flex is that it is uniform. One of my pet peeves is sticks that, when gripped up high on the stick or in the middle flex a certain degree but when gripped lower (for instance for leaning into a slapshot) flexes differently. I like a nice, uniform flex throughout the stick. I am going to come to a comprimise on this since they don't have a number system (everyone seems to like an Easton scale) and anything 8.5/10

Stick handling/receiving passes: I saw Ez97's review and think he's nuckin' futs on ho-huming the puck feel. As touched upon in the blade portion of the review, this is a stellar puck feel stick to which all other OPS companies should hope to achieve. However, I did used to use woodies (heheh... he said "woodie" Beavis!) so know what the target feel should be like. While being a stiff blade, the pucks don't bounce an inch off the blade before you know it's there. The Modano/Forsberg like pattern isn't great for stickhandling, but that's the musician not the instrument. This is a 9.5/10 for me.

Shooting: I think a lot of people have gotten used to a tapered stick (I have found myself leaning towards this as well). This is NOT a tapered stick (well... ok, perhaps there's the 4-6 inch taper of the tenon, but...). What I do like, as I mentioned, is the uniform and predictable flex of the stick regardless of where you grip it. There is no "pingy" vibration after uncorking one, no dead spots on the shaft, and I feel like if I want to muscle one through the stick won't break in my hand or cause a stinging sensation in my hand from shaft wobble/vibration or gipping in a place where it's suddenly rock stiff. I'm struggling to remember if they've engineered a kick point in the stick or not (although, I have heard some hypothize that the concept of a kick-point is marketing fertilizer anyway). I think the downside of the stick is going to be this lack of taper/kickpoint science. Probably works just as well with a full windup on a slapshot, but with snapshots? Probably not so much. Busch was one of the first OPS (and a TRUE one-piece OPS at that) and testing was done at the time (at Windsor perhaps? Can't remember) saying, on average, there was a 10% increase in speed over standard wood sticks. I've given this one a lot of thought.... I think the materials of the stick are superior, the one-piece stick concept is superior to fused, flex is superior but with the taper science lacking? A difficult decision but 6.5/10

Weight: Compare my review to that of EZ and this will show the whole personal preference aspect of things. The Lazer comes in at 500 grams. Is that "brick-like"? The lightest stick on the market is 395 grams perhaps? So this comes in at 3.5 ounces perhaps more carried across two hands? That's barely over 1/3 a can of coke, approx 2 shots of your favorite post-game shot hard-liquor? I don't deem that significant really. In fact, I sort of like it as it makes it feel like it has substance. It does lack the "wow-factor" that light sticks get when folks check it out in the locker room. Even if I bear in mind that there used to be wood sticks back in the day that exceeded 800 grams (What was it? Bauer 3090 that was a wood stick with iron-carbon inserts in the side laminent to stiffen the stick? Now *that* was a brick) in today's age almost everyone wants it lighter. I'm torn on this one.... 500 grams.... too heavy? Not in my opinion, but I do see how folks who scrutinize such things would think so, plus if you're shelling out over $100 for a stick don't you want every possible and imaginable advantage? I'm torn on the grade but will grade accordingly for the masses: 6.5/10

Balance: This is one of the best balanced sticks made. Hold it on your index finger right above the C in BUSCH and it balances right about the 45% point of the stick from blade tip to handle end. 9/10

Durability I've used a bunch of Busch sticks ranging from when it was the Sherwood Carbone to the Itech Balance to now when it's distributed by Graf. I can easily say that this is a fantastic stick regarding durability. I went through countless Synnergy type sticks over the span of one of these. I have never had a shaft break - just the blades (and those were from getting caught in a zam door, being stepped on while on the bench). The blade does eventually fatique I suppose (had one like that, but even if not factory-new stiffness, still on par with a new wood one). These are built to last. 9.5/10

Intangibles A true one-pice with seemless infusion. Back in the day, the performance was far beyond wood, but other companies have subsequently surpassed it with other technologies such as taper and weight saving ideas and materials. Furthermore, if you break the blade, you can't as easily "recycle" the shaft like you can other sticks - although, it CAN be done. Unfortunately, it's by augering the shaft out and it will then only take junior blades (forget about wood Jr blades too - it will just snap at the tenon if you're a person of size). It's durable, well balanced, great feel, but performance is now falling into the merely adequate range as folks like Easton and CCM shell tons of money into R&D and the extra weight aspect will have the gram-monitors turning their noses up. For the price? Folks will look past the Busch stick. I'm taking this all into account and give it a sub-par 5/10

Conclusion: This stick is going to be the quintessential personal preference stick. You want great puck feel? Great balance? Great durability? This could be it for you! Only.... so long as you don't mind what some might perceive as being too heavy at 500 grams (the Goldline series is even heavier at 550 grams, but built with an even larger focus on durability). Also, those that have come to like snapshot "pop" that tapered kickpoint specific sticks that have come to be common place in the marketplace today? They're going to be on the opposite end of the spectrum on this one. Personally? I love the stick and keep coming back to it every so often, but it's not a regular in my arsenal as there always seems to be something new and shiny on the horizon for me to try (I'm a stick-ho like that). I will always insist on having one in my closet, though. Taking all factors and the masses into account, I think that this would make a great price-point OPS. However, if they won't throw more into the R&D, reduce weight, put in a sick-taper, etc? I don't see the masses flocking to it over a similarly priced TPS, CCM, or Easton offering (especially with it's limited curve selections). Me? I'm a fan and I recommend everyone and anyone to pick one up *IF* the price is right (read: on closeout somewhere or on heavy discount) However, taking it all into account? If the price tag is at $150+ I just can't see someone picking it over a R6, V10, or S15. Overall – 7/10

Edited February 27, 2008 by Ogie Oglethorpe