Ballistik 50 Caliber

[JR Boucicaut 3802]

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[greech 4]

So today, after a long day's work, I come home to find a new hockey stick in the garage. It was all wrapped up so I couldn't tell what it was, aside from the Ballistik shipping info. My first impression is somewhat mixed, but overall is very strong. When I first picked it up, it was light and fairly well balanced and I figured it was their 415 gm. 52 Caliber SE. When I started to open it, the color gave away that it was a 50 Caliber. This stick is still very light at 440 gm., however. There were two or three things I was not a fan of, however. The finish on the blade had minor imperfections in the epoxy that surrounded the carbon weave. This is probably a manufacturing or process problem, but for a Chinese stick fit-and-finish is still above average. The other two issues were all about personal preference. I have been using whip flex TPS R8 shafts, and this 80 flex feels very stiff compared to those. Lastly, the boxy shaft shape doesn't jive well with my small hands, but that's an issue unique to me. In closing, the 50 Caliber looks very promising and I can't wait to get to using it.

[greech 4]

So I used this stick in my senior league game the other night, and I was expecting it to be pretty good. It beat my expectations by a good margin. The thing, even when taped up, isn't so much really light as it is well-balanced. It still is nice and light, but the balance is pretty spot on after I took 2" off of it. Blade is really stiff, it took me a few touches to get used to the spunk it had. It kicked pretty good with the wristers, but I absolutely went bombs-away walking from the point to the top of the circle, and that slapper was unlike anything I'd uncorked before. There's only one chip in the paint after one use, and I can't wait to get on the ice with it again.

[greech 4]

Wow- I've managed to totally neglect this thread, I apologize. Back on topic, however, this stick does one thing that really impresses me more so than anything I have used in recent memory. It's amazingly consistent. It doesn't go soft after a month plus of use, save for a little bit of cosmetic damage to the paint. The blade doesn't feel the puck as good as the one95 I was using prior to this. The 80 flex is a little stiffer than what I am used to still, so I've switched to my TPS whip flexes a couple of times. I've grown to love the shape of the shaft as well- it is relatively boxy and has a very sure feel. Actually, the last couple of weeks I've been off of the ice more than usual, and I find myself wanting to skate just to rip slapshots with this stick. I think this may be a by-product of my time off-ice, though it must be a good sign, right?