How important is flex?

[Jarick 5]

It's absolutely key for me. If I don't have the right flex, I can't get power on my wrist shot, passes are off, shots are off target, really throws off my game. For me it's the #1 thing I look for in a stick, followed by curve and lie.

[gxc999 7]

The flex rating argument is tricky because it largely depends on what type of player you are and that can change. I used to be able to work with a 77- 80 flex, now using such a flex makes me feel out of control, I prefer an 88-90 for my wrist and snaps, and if I'm lucky for one-timers and slappers, than 95 is a minimum for me. I'm only 175 and my max slap is maybe 70, so I'm actually fairly small hockey size wise but prefer a higher flex, but that's just me.

[mack 44]

After tinkering, which I'm still prone to do, I think I put flex above everything else.

[Machinehead2k5 32]

Yeah i use about a 5-6inch plug in the jr stick. And I usually cut down the 70 flex (warrior syko) and 65 (has a two inch plug in it). The problem I have with 85 flex sticks is that once I cut them down, it turns too stiff for me. I'm 5'9'' and while on skates I like my sticks to come up to where my clavicles meet.

The stick in the picture is my 50flex ZBubble.

[ndlancer95 0]

Yeah i use about a 5-6inch plug in the jr stick. And I usually cut down the 70 flex (warrior syko) and 65 (has a two inch plug in it). The problem I have with 85 flex sticks is that once I cut them down, it turns too stiff for me. I'm 5'9'' and while on skates I like my sticks to come up to where my clavicles meet.

The stick in the picture is my 50flex ZBubble.

OK, thanks for clarifying that for me. I just realized that 65-70 were int's, so I understand now. One more thing, would the plugs in the sticks make the flex rating go up or down?

[uclahockey707 1]

Making the stick longer will make the flex rating go down

[Cams 7]

I could never use a 50 or 65 (jr / int.)... for one - the shaft would feel too tiny in my hands, plus would be way too much flex. I am not a big guy at all (5'8", 165ish), and I find the 85 (with an inch or 2 cut) perfect for me (again, this is personal preference). I get a good wrister, good snap, and don't really use slapshots that much anymore, but when I do, I have no issues. I recently picked up an Easton SE 2 pc 85 flex, and after a couple games with it, I am quite used to what it can do.

I have considered moving to a stiffer flex, in the 90ish range possibly, but I can't afford to risk a failed experiement of getting a mid-high range OPS and find I don't like it.

So, for me, flex is a big factor in selecting a stick, then curve (although I am damn picky about something close to the Drury patter if that is not available).

[Machinehead2k5 32]

Yeah the stick flex does go down when you increase the length of the stick. I can ripoff wristers and snappers with ease and actually have a pretty decent one-timer as well. I find it funny that during sticktimes the AAA won't stand in front of my shots with the Zbubble.

It's all about preference and strength when it comes to flex though. Now that I've been working out more, I'm frequently using the Syko 70 flex stick and will probably use that one game in game out with the 50 flex as a backup.

[Jarick 5]

Considering how stiff the Cyclone and Z-Bubble 70/75 flex Eastons were, I'd probably be using a 50 flex Z-Bubble too.

[Machinehead2k5 32]

Considering how stiff the Cyclone and Z-Bubble 70/75 flex Eastons were, I'd probably be using a 50 flex Z-Bubble too.

Yeah. I bought a 75 flex Int Z Bubble and I was surprised how much stiffer it was compared to my other INT stick. I gave it to a friend who in turn gave me a synergy shaft that was labeled 85 but flex waaay more than the Zbubble.

[s4gobabygo 0]

i'm very sensitive to flex. i'm 6'0 and 160 lbs. 77 sticks cause me to have a blooper/fluttering slapshot, and inaccurate long passes. 87 (cut to 96) seems to be the perfect flex for me. slappers are perfect, wristers are perfect, and passing is good. when i move up to stiffer flexes, my passing and one-timers get better, but for wristers and snappers, i get no kick. much better than too flexy, though.

[Jarick 5]

Considering how stiff the Cyclone and Z-Bubble 70/75 flex Eastons were, I'd probably be using a 50 flex Z-Bubble too.

Yeah. I bought a 75 flex Int Z Bubble and I was surprised how much stiffer it was compared to my other INT stick. I gave it to a friend who in turn gave me a synergy shaft that was labeled 85 but flex waaay more than the Zbubble.

Indeed. It felt like it was about 90 flex. So in that case, a 50 flex Z-Bubble might feel 65 flex, which would be just a hair whippy for me. Of course, it would need a pretty good sized plug. The One95 67 flex is a pretty nice whippy standard shaft that has a good amount of length to it. Worth checking out.

[kovalchuk71 212]

Yeah the stick flex does go down when you increase the length of the stick. I can ripoff wristers and snappers with ease and actually have a pretty decent one-timer as well. I find it funny that during sticktimes the AAA won't stand in front of my shots with the Zbubble.

It's all about preference and strength when it comes to flex though. Now that I've been working out more, I'm frequently using the Syko 70 flex stick and will probably use that one game in game out with the 50 flex as a backup.

How do you manage to use the Junior blades though? They are so small and the lies are really low.

[aarondevera 0]

lol I have no idea how any grown male can use an extended junior flex stick without it feeling like a 3rd-grader's gym class ball hockey stick. I'm surprised no one's mentioned anything about the skinniness of a junior shaft!

I picked up a buddy's intermediate 65-flex Synergy Elite and took it out for a game of shinny. Not only did it feel pencil-thin in my hands, the thing exploded on my third shot. Thank goodness for 30-day warrantees.

[Chadd 916]

You have to have a feel for the stick and what it can take. I can always feel when my sticks are starting to go dead, it almost feels like the composite material is tearing on the inside. Then again, almost all of my sticks break on the follow through, not when loading. I still have the last couple sticks that I broke and they're all on the back side of the shaft,

[aarondevera 0]

You have to have a feel for the stick and what it can take. I can always feel when my sticks are starting to go dead, it almost feels like the composite material is tearing on the inside. Then again, almost all of my sticks break on the follow through, not when loading. I still have the last couple sticks that I broke and they're all on the back side of the shaft,

You know, I never really paid attention to how my sticks break. I usually just recognize where they break (i.e., mid-shaft, tenon, blade, etc) and then try to find a new twig accordingly. I never really thought about sticks breaking on either the load or the follow-through, but I think I'd have to agree that most of my breaks happen on the backside of the shaft. Why do you think that is? Is it because the shaft couldn't take the rebound of the loading?

[dtaggs19 0]

5'10" 180, use 77 flex bauers or 85 flex eastons. If you think u can shoot with a 100 flex try and 87, if u think u can shoot with a 87 try a 77. u will be surprised. Bauer showed me an instructional video on how to get the performance out of the stick. I was using 87's for 2 years. He handed me a 77 and said try it. i was reluctant to try it because hey its a 77 flex, guys chirpin you thinking your a wimp or something. but seriously the puck comes off the stick sooo much faster. the proper flex is in my opinion the most important thing in sticks these days. The old guys who grew up with wood will tell u its all the curve because when they are used to wood sticks which isnt the most consistent material and flex ratings were all over the board. Trust me, go with a lighter flex and stick with it for at least a practice. The goalies will be asking questions. Giver a try. Plus most you guys have sticks commin out your ying yangs. whats one more. Ovi uses around a 80 flex when he was usin bauer twigs.

[mrruin 0]

For me flex is as important as the curve. Im a beginner/low intermediate beer league player and a twig thats too stiff just throws me off my game even more. I have sticks ranging from 110 flex to something like 80. The stiffer flex sticks get used on occasion, sometimes they feel better on any give night than my standard 85-90 stick.

It is important for me to feel the stick bend otherwise sticks feel dead to me and throw off my shot. Unfortunately Im still experimenting with stick flex and Im not sure if I have found my perfect setup yet. My latest acquisition is a one95 at 87 flex with a 2 inch plug in it. Im a heavy guy (240 approx) but I prefer feel to force ;-)

On another note I have paied increasing interest to Lie lately and it is really starting to be more and more important to me. I love the fedorov/pm9 blades and also really enjoy the P88 Lindros curve, but the lies are very different for both. I have to put plugs into my pm9 sticks to adjust the lies which in turn always messes with flex. Its a tricky business really!

[HattrickSwayze 3]

I like to use a soft flex stick as well. I started with a cut down 85, then moved to a 75, and now a 70. The 70 is an Easton shaft, and it's really whippy. My 75 flex Warrior shaft feels a lot stiffer. When I use the soft flex I feel like I can get more power behind my shots. It's so much easier to load up the shaft that I don't have to put as much effort in to it. I never take slap shots, so I don't worry too much about that, but I can still get pretty good speed on them if I take one in warmups.

[Jarick 5]

The annoying thing about intermediate flexes is that they are all over the board. Lots of people say Warrior's 70 flex intermediates are stiffer than 75 flex seniors. My 65 flex Mission is definitely stiffer than my 75 flex Warrior cut to the same size. Every Easton intermediate I've used felt at least 10-15 flex higher than they were rated. That was the nice thing about the 70 flex Easton that Hattrick mentioned, it actually is a whippy shaft. Just wish Warrior would make something that whippy!

Bauers are really the only intermediates that feel like intermediate sticks to me, most everything else feels too stiff.

[Machinehead2k5 32]

I've found that I have more feel with the puck with a softer flex as opposed to a stiff (85-100) flex. It's pretty fun releasing shots without putting too much effort into the shot. Just have good form and let the stick do the work and you can work wonders.

IMHO I believe people start out with too stiff of a stick when they first start playing. They grab a stick that's too stiff and wonder why their wrist shots or slapshots don't do anything and their form form goes to the crapper because of trying to to put too much force/energy into the shot/pass. They just use the flex that their friends have or looks cool because a pro player uses it. I've "converted" more of my friends to lower flex shafts/sticks and they have greatly improved their shooting and passing because of it.

[SolarWind 23]

The annoying thing about intermediate flexes is that they are all over the board. Lots of people say Warrior's 70 flex intermediates are stiffer than 75 flex seniors. My 65 flex Mission is definitely stiffer than my 75 flex Warrior cut to the same size. Every Easton intermediate I've used felt at least 10-15 flex higher than they were rated. That was the nice thing about the 70 flex Easton that Hattrick mentioned, it actually is a whippy shaft. Just wish Warrior would make something that whippy!

Bauers are really the only intermediates that feel like intermediate sticks to me, most everything else feels too stiff.

actually even senior flexes are all over the map between different brands - for instance Easton's 100 flex would feel no stiffer (maybe even a bit whippier) then Bauer's 85.

[Chadd 916]

The annoying thing about intermediate flexes is that they are all over the board. Lots of people say Warrior's 70 flex intermediates are stiffer than 75 flex seniors. My 65 flex Mission is definitely stiffer than my 75 flex Warrior cut to the same size. Every Easton intermediate I've used felt at least 10-15 flex higher than they were rated. That was the nice thing about the 70 flex Easton that Hattrick mentioned, it actually is a whippy shaft. Just wish Warrior would make something that whippy!

Bauers are really the only intermediates that feel like intermediate sticks to me, most everything else feels too stiff.

actually even senior flexes are all over the map between different brands - for instance Easton's 100 flex would feel no stiffer (maybe even a bit whippier) then Bauer's 85.

You also have to consider consistency and kickpoint placement when factoring in the flex. I know I'm beating a dead horse with this, but I am a firm believer that flex on a tapered stick needs to be measured in a different way than with a traditional stick. The important thing is how much effort is takes to load the stick one, two, six, etc... inches at the blade. Making the middle of the stick bend isn't relevant as long as the flex and performance gains are concentrated at the blade.

[Jarick 5]

Every stick is different, that's why it's important to flex them all. I had a Bauer Endure 77 that felt like it was about 100 flex while the new One95 77 feels like it's under 70.

But it seems that intermediates are consistently stiffer than the rating, aside from Bauer Vapors and One95's. Just my opinion though.

[adam14 182]

I find the benefit in lower flexes in standard shafts. In standard shafts I find a preferance in 77 flex one90 paired with a blade with a lie of 6 so I can cut it shorter. However in the ops department I can't go lower than an 80 and higher than a 90, nbh 87 usuallÝ does good in the tapered sticks, although my last true tapared ops was a vapor xxx