TPS XN10

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

Product: Louisville TPS XN10 / Tkachuk pattern / "regular" flex / left-handed

Blade - This is the first time I've used TPS' prepreg blade. Definitely the hardest blade I've found to date. I pounded the hell out of it last night - and it definitely came back for more. Ripped off the tape and no cracks and no loss of stiffness whatsoever. 9/10

Flex - The stick I received was a R, I would've preferred a W. 7/10

(personal preference)

Stickhandling/receiving passes - Most of you guys know that I prefer wood blades as I cannot stand the vibration you get by using a composite blade. Again, this is personal preference, but I found the XN10 to be the worst when it came to this. My forearm and elbow on my top (stickhandling) hand were absolutely throbbing after, especially the first time I used it. However, the feel is there. (As strange as that will sound.) Receiving passes were easy, and it actually has a different sound to it. Almost a ceramic-sounding sound when you receive a hard pass. 6 1/2(personal preference)

***A MONTH LATER - All vibration issues are gone, the stick feels great - ***

Shooting - This is XN10's best feature...it shoots rockets. All of my shots went wherever I wanted them to. Very fast shot release on snapshots - the puck just flies off.. 10/10

Weight and balance - This is the most balanced OPS out on the market. Since the stick length is short compared to what I usually use (Flyweight w/ flush plug, uncut shaft) I had to add a 2" plug to it. It feels just as light as my Flyweight combo, and all of the other OPS I've used feel like bricks compared to it. 10/10

Durability - Nothing on the blade, no chips or creases. 9/10

Intangibles - The double concave shaft is nice - coming from a MetaMorphic shaft, I don't feel like the XN10 is a huge piece of lumber as other sticks do. Last night I was out with my friend on the ice for 2 hrs and I even stood in front of the net and tipped shots from the point. No marks on the stick at all, and I even tipped some off the shaft. The stick doesn't feel slippery either, one of the concerns I had at first. 8.5/10

In conclusion, I like the stick. I've been told that the stick will get flexier and the pinginess will go away after a while, so I'll be definitely using it til it gets to that point. I really would've preferred a W because it suits my shooting style more, and hopefully it would've cushioned the stick some more as it would have more give. I know certain members have had problems with the stick, but so far, I have yet to experience them. Of course, I'll be tracking the stick's progress in this post.

Overall - 9/10

[dgaronzik 1]

TPS XN10 OPS – GI P09 R

background - 5'8 180, Roller Only

Blade – The XN10 has a hard blade but felt a little softer then an Innovative blade. This made the blade feel a little bit more compliant and also gave it the best feel of any OPS blade I’ve ever used. 9.5-10

Flex – After coming from an Innovative flex of 260, I felt the Regular XN10 flex had a little bit more kick to it. The flex felt about the same but the response of the shaft is definitely faster then any other shaft/OPS I’ve used. 9-10

Stickhandling/receiving passes – Like I mentioned above, this stick has the best feel of any OPS I’ve ever tried. It even has better feel then an Innovative shaft/blade combination. I haven’t had any issues stickhandling with this stick at all and can always tell where the puck is on the blade. 9-10

Shooting – This is where this stick really shines for me. Right from the get go I was firing rockets with this stick. The shots were going where I wanted them to go every time I shot. I actually found myself picking corners more with this stick and not just trying to shoot the piss out of it like I had done with Synergy’s. The lightweight combined with the amazing kick gives you a lethal combination of shaft speed along with shot speed. I found myself getting shots off faster then I had been before. Also, I’ve only broken pucks with two sticks and one of them was the XN10. 9.5-10

Weight and balance – The very first time I picked up an XN10 I was amazed at how light the stick is. After having used them for 3 months already, I still get that feeling every game. I have teammates who pick up my stick from time to time also and they all can’t believe that they are holding a stick. 9-10

Durability – I bought two GI XN10’s off Ebay at the end of December. My first XN10 lasted me roughly 5 weeks, which is 10 games for me. The blade broke and I was able to easily make it into a shaft (a very light shaft at that). My second XN10 is still going strong after 15 games and is in no way looking like it’s on its way out. 9-10

Conclusion – This is the best stick I have ever used. I think when my second GI XN10 breaks I’m going to have a hard time keeping myself from buying another one. 9.5-10

[Vapor 0]

Product: Louisville TPS XN10 / Nash Pattern/ "regular" flex / left-handed

Blade - I love the feel of this blade. Very "alive", very responsive. Its alive, but in a good way. Very good for stick handeling, gives you the cousining you need, but not to hard to where pucks will be bounching off of it. The blade did break on my original one, but the blade is very nice. 8/10

Flex - Flex on it feels more like a 90-95. I like a whippy stick, so I would have prefered whip flex, but this is still very nice. 8/10

Stickhandling/receiving passes - This has to be my favorite stick for stickhandeling and pace receiving. I prefer it even to wood sticks. The blade is very alive, as I have said, but it isnt to the point where blades will be bouncingoff your stick. Like JR said, if you recieve a hard pass, it makes almost a ceramic sound. Going from this stick to my Mogo true1, I prefer the XN10. 9/10

Shooting - Best stick for shooting. The blade is very alive, and the pucks just soar. Its very easy to pick spots with the stick, and when you pick them, the puck just flys there. Perfect score 10/10

Weight and balance - I thought my True1 was the best balanced stick out there. Compared to this, the True1 feels like one of Kovalevs sticks10/10

Durability - Broke one. I never break sticks. I didnt even know I broke it, untill I went to retape and saw all the composite sticking out. Second stick is pretty beat up too 6/10

Conclusion - Great stick, favorite one to date. Very alive stick, great for shooting, stickhandeling, and passing. Some durablity issuses, in my opinion, but I believe that it is still a very nice stick. When it breaks, I will msot likley buy another one, unless the stealth is just amazing ;)

Composite Score- 8.5/10

[clarkstowncaps15 0]

Product: Louisville TPS XN10 / Nash Pattern/ "junior" flex /right-handed

Blade - I love it! I dont ever put my head down on the puck anymore because i can feel it so great.i swiched from the synergy 03' and the xn10 wut so much better for the puck. 9.5/10

Flex - It feels for like a 35. it flexis so much on shots yet doesnt break or even hear a crack.I love the flex. 10/10

Stickhandling/receiving passes - This has to be my favorite stick for stickhandeling and pass receiving. You feel the puck so well and it has a wood feel but not really. 10/10

Shooting - The best stick ever for shooting. It feels so whipy and fast release point.11/10

Weight and balance - I thought my synergy was the lightest jr. stick ever but i was really wrong. 10/10

Durability - Not even a scratch on the blade and/or the shaft. I broke my synergy 02' in lyk 7months and it felt lyk it was going to break in the first 3-4 months.But the 03' Synergy's have a great duribility feel to. 9/10

Conclusion - Great stick. When it breaks im defenitly getting a nother one if a hurry.great for everything unless you dont like the look of it. 10/10

[kosydar 0]

Product- GI TPS XN10 Legault, R-0997 Regular Flex, curve similar to YP

Blade- Very good feel on this blade for a OPS. No problems whatsoever with the blade. After six months of use there are a few dents here and there, but the blade still has the same great feel to it. 9/10

Flex- Before I bought this I was constantly switching flexes. This was one of the flexier sticks I've ever used and I love it. Great for shooting, but stiff enough when passing and stickhandling. However, I think a SW might be more up my alley, as I pretty much only take wrist shots. 9/10

Stickhandling/Receiving Passes- The curve on this is an open heel, but the blade itself is pretty short height wise. This makes it sometimes difficult to catch passes, and I'll occasionally feel like I'm losing the puck easier when stickhandling. But this could be solved with a different curve. Besides this, the passing and stickhandling is fine. 7/10

Shooting- This is the best thing about the stick. Every shot is a rocket. I have a pretty good shot, but sometimes I'll mess up on the occasional shot. I've found this stick adds to my consistancy. I can't say enough good things about this stick shooting wise. 10/10

Weight/Balance- The weight and balance on this stick is amazing. Whenever I pick up another stick, it feels heavier regardless of what it is. I think that anything lighter could be too light. 10/10

Durability- This is where the stick shines in my eyes. I've had it for around six months now. Its been hacked, slashed, and abused more than you can imagine. Hell, it was even stepped on with a skate and one of the walls was almost completely cut through. A little epoxy and four months later, the thing is still in amazing shape. It feels just like the day I bought it. 10+/10

Conclusion- I love this stick. Hands down its the best stick I've ever used, and I've used a lot. Its been nice to not have to buy another stick for the past six months. When this one breaks, I would be very surprised if I did not buy another one. I can't stop saying good things about it. With a slightly better curve on it, it'd be unreal.

Overall- 9.5/10

[Modo9 0]

Player: 190 lbs, 5'10", left-handed shot

Model: GI XN10, PM9, regular flex; Retail Tkachuk, regular flex; Retail Nash, regular flex

Duration: GI used six games (broke); Retail Tkachuck 20 games+(broke); Retail Nash 15 games+

Initial thoughts: I highly anticipated getting my hands on the first below 400 gram one-piece, and seeing them spread like wildfire among NHL players at the start of the '03/'04 season only increased my desire to get one of these sticks.

Weight/Balance: As labeled on the retail, and later pro issued sticks, "Pure Balance" is a more than appropriate description for this stick. This stick is far and away the lightest one-piece I have ever used (have not used a Stealth), and just as importantly the blade-lightest stick I have used. The lighter, stiffer blade allows for lightning quick poke checks and the quickest shot release and fastest swing velocity of any hockey stick I have ever used. Note: the GI stick I used was noticeably lighter in the blade than both retail versions, however the retail versions are still lighter in the blade than any other one-piece retail or GI that I have used. 9.5/10

Aesthetics: Many players do not care what their stick looks like. And granted, performance is obviosuly much, much more important than appearance. However, when I drop $150+ on a piece of high-end equipment, I like it to look as well as it performs! The original unreleased logo--a simple, giant "XN10", was much more appealing to me than the retail, crammed together "Response XN10" logo. I wished they would have ran with the original one. But atleast the entire shaft is paint, no cheesystickers! Overall the XN10 is a slight alteration of the original TPS Response yellowish/orange, with the large white TPS lettering, which I have always been a big fan of. 9/10

Stickhandling/Passing: Catching passes with an XN10 is a dream. It's amazing how such a stiff, thin blade is so forgiving when receiving a rocket hard pass. Blade feel is also translated exceptionally well up through the shaft to your hands helping to keep your head up more. The only aspect where I feel the XN10 is too light is in stick-handling. Once in a while, when stickhandling in tight, it almost feels like I am holding a wiffle ball bat and I over maneuver with the stick causing the puck to fly off my blade. But take that with a grain of salt because I am a c+ stickhandler at best. Overall the XN10's ceramic feeling blade receives and returns accurate, rocket hard passes with unbelievable ease. 9.5/10

Shooting: Just shy of having a laser scope on this puppy, the XN10 allows for the hardest, quickest, pin-point accurate shot of any high-end one-piece period. Whether it's the decreased overall weight, lighter blade, extreme quadruple concave walls (allowing for spring-like action), or the new amorphous carbon composition (minus kevlar), the XN10 has more Snap Crackle and Pop on slap-shots, snap shots, back-handers and wrist shots than I have ever experienced with any other one-piece. And just as important, due to whatever reason, it has the quickest reload response of any stick. It has zero lag when shooting and then re-shooting a rebound that comes right back at you, or when repetively shooting in close--it's like the bionic stick. 11/10

Durability: Like any piece of equipment you drop $180.00 bucks on, you would like for it to last forever! Yeah, in theory. But this is the real world, and sticks break and break often. MY GI XN10 lasted a whopping 6 games before I took too much ice on a clearing attempt late in a game and sent half the taper and blade bobsledding passed center ice. My retail Tkachuck lasted less than two dozen games before meeting a similar fate--breaking on a shot a'la Sundin-style. I am still adjusting to the curve on my Nash and because I do not use it as much will likely last longer. Shaft durability (top and middle) has been phenomenal for me, and the new pre-preg ceramic blades hold up scary-well. The tapered part of the shaft, "kick-point area", however is a very questionable area in terms of strength. 7/10

Conclusion (Pro's vs. Cons): Kudos to Louisville for being the first out of the gate with a senior opc weighing in (according to "industry standards") below the 400 gram mark. As always durability is an issue, hopefully TPS headquarters will continue to work on this and so long as they do not compromise performance to do so! Stickhandling, for me, is sometimes affected negatively due to the lightness of the stick, but the incredible balance, pass catching ability, and shot performance of the XN10 far, far outweigh this. If Louisville could somehow increase durability along the taper--primarily, while maintaining the weight, and offer the XN10 with a subtle, lite tacky grip (God, not Rubber!) I think they just might have the Perfect Stick.

Overall Rating: Louisville Response XN10- 9.5/10

UPDATE 10/12/04: After using the Easton Stealth for a month, I am still recommending the XN10 as a superior stick. The handle on the Stealth is closer to a countoured shape, like on the Vector 120C. Not as contoured, but the Stealth feels more like a V120C than a standard handle shape. For me, this detracts from my shot. The concavity of the XN10 shaft, while maintaining a more traditional handle shape, allows for an equal grip while stick-handling and a much, much better grip while shooting--resulting in a harder shot (atleast for me and my playing style.) Supposedly equal in weight, the XN10 still "plays" like a regular composite stick in the corners and when stick-checking, where the Stealth "plays" way too light for my liking. The pre-preg blade on the XN10 also still shoots harder and the shaft feels like it has more pop.

Edited October 12, 2004 by Modo9

[Karly14 21]

player: 5'8 145 LH, skting 5-7 times a week, playing uni hocke. Used every major company one piece, and most shaft/blade combos

Model: LH nash regular flex

Duration: Used 5 times.

Initial thoughts: This stick is the lightest i have ever held, even when i wasnt stickhandling or shooting i noticed how light the stick was. Got er cause its got a really good reputation and because of how light and balanced the stick felt in my hands, even compared to the stealth.

Weight/Balance: Lightest, most balanced stick that ive tried. This is what makes the stick "Ultra premium" . or whatever...

Aesthetics: Not the most important thing to me, though, i understand when youre dropping a lot of money on a stick you want it to look nice. probably would look better without the blue behind the 'reponse' symbol. the big TPS going vertically up the stick looks pretty good though. Plus yellow is a good colour for a stick. 8/10

Stickhandling/Passing: I like it for stickhandling because of its weight and blalance. I really feel the puck on the blade and its so light i can go from forehand to backhand with the puck really quickly. Good stiff blade lets the puck go hard and flat off your blade while making a pass. The only problem with the really stiff blade is taking a pass. The puck definitly bounces more off this blade then ive felt with any other OPS excluding the silver or yellow syn. The shaft shape is excellent too this is the only ops i can use without any grip on it, the concave of the shaft allows you too hold the stick tight. Coming from a sakic pattern im really enojying the nash, its not quite as rockered as the sakic i find, which i like better for stickhandling. 9/10

Shooting: This stick shoots hard. I said the puck bounces off the blade while taking a hard pass, but this is beneficial for taking a 1 timer. Even when you just touch the puck in the direction of the net it goes pretty well. The really stiff blade made my snap and slapshot harder, the regular flex is good for wristshots too but im shooting high right now with it. If youre looking for a stick thats gonna make your shot harder this is one to get. the first shot i took gave me the same feeling i got when i took my first shot with a synergy when they first came out. 10/10

Durability: I havent had it that long so its tough to tell, blade and shaft still feel the same on the ice as it did the day i got it. The only thing that worries me is that the blade makes a crunching sound if i bend it a bit, its probably nothing. 9/10 (ill update this in a month)

Conclusion: My favourite stick on the market so far. I reccomend it. 9/10

[Oilpatch 0]

Product: Louisville TPS XN10 / Tucker pattern / regular flex / left-handed

for $130 CAN!!!! with a warranty too!

Blade - Definitely can tell its a prepeg blade. Very stiff. Appears and feels much more durable than my last 2 synergy blades but time will tell. Only thing is that this blade has such a "hot" face that if you are a sloppy stickhandler or just getting used to the stick you might lose the puck sometimes handling the puck in close. The blade has an almost ceramic feel to it, which helps with the feel i think. "B+"

Flex - The stick I got is a Reglar, feels pretty similar to easton 100 flex, but maybe a litte whippier. Perfect for my size, weight, and shooting style. I give it an "A"

(personal preference)

Stickhandling/receiving passes - I am a decent stickhandler, and I find that light weight, balance, and the blade of the stick all make noticible differences in my puckhandling ability. For weight and balance I have yet to see a stick that can hang with the XN10. It is extremely light and the balance makes puckhandling lighting quick. Yet even with the almost nonexistest weight this stick still plays well in the corners, and feel is very good. The only problem i had is adjusting to the reactiveness of the blade face, but I am sure this well get better as I get more used to the stick. Recieving passes is a bit tricky because the blade face is so reactive, but it does about as well as any synergy i have used in this respect. Just practice having soft hands and its not hard to get used to. "B+"

Shooting - This is why this stick is not only good, but "FUN" Man does this thing shoot rockets. If you know what you are doing you will scare goalies, shot blockers, and the people sitting pressed up against the glass.

The double concave shape, the 11" taper, and the super hot blade face all combine to make for a stick with some serious pow pow. When shooting I can feel the stick add a lot of kick to almost all of my shots (slaps, wrists, and snaps and well i guess its not gonna help your backhand...) - this stick has a lot of spring. While i noticed this to a lesser extent with my synergies as well, to get the same effect with those I had to put a lot more into the shots and my form had to be perfect. Accuracy is also really good with this stick. Makes it easier to pick corners when snapping. Also, this stick has an extremely quick reload time. It will still kick even if you are hacking a rebound in front of the net 3 times in a row. Gotta give it an "A+" for shooting.

Passing - This thing is the nicest passing stick i have used. Its easy to thread rockets along the ice through traffic for your teammates. Just make sure you are passing to guys who can take hard crisp passes! "A+"

Weight and balance - Like I said, I have never seen anything as light and well balanced as this stick. Plus even with the light weight it still feels like a solid hockey stick not a badminton racket or whiffle stick. "A+"

Durability - Its a one piece stick. It will surely break someday and I am prepared to be sad about it. In my hands the shaft feels less durable than my synergies but that could just be me. To be fair, TPS says its supposed to be extremely slash resistant because of some type of new carbon they use in it. Can't really fairly rate this until after I break it though. "B" for how it is holding up so far

Feel - great feel of the puck on the stick. Easier to feel the puck then any two-piece or synergy i have used so far. "A"

Overall, great stick. If you already know how to shoot this will help you take your game to a higher level. If you are a beginner, a smaller kid, or you have a crappy shot this won't help you that much. Put a mattress up in your garage and take shots instead because it will help far more and cost way less money - I wouldnt bother with OPS yet as you really need to have good technique and a bit of weight to get much out of high-performance one piece sticks. Overall though a winner for TPS. I don't think I will go back to easton even though I liked them a lot. "A"

[Ogie Oglethorpe 14]

REVIEW: LOUISVILLE XN10 (early pro series/prototype)

PERSONAL STATS 6'1", 228lbs

BACKGROUND: Hockey hack - play twice per week in an adult beer league. Have used this in 12+ games thus far (so, weight write up accordingly).

OTHER (COMPOSITE) STICKS/SHAFTS I HAVE TRIED (just for a point of reference when considering the write up): Busch Carbone, Busch Balance, Synnergy Grip, Bauer XX, Louisville Response, CCM Vector 120c, Mission M1, Branches Fusion, SHAFTS: Inno 1100, Inno Novius, Hespeller Kick-Lite, ZBubble, Easton Pro Axis Alum, Easton EFlex, Easton TFlex, CCM Catapult

FLEX: : This is a pro stick, so the flex is not marked. I'd list it at a little over 100 - will give it a seat of the pants rating of 105 for sake or argument.

CURVE: Adams pro curve - This is a mid curve with no loft. Also, it reminds me a bit of Sher-wood's Leclaire, as the curve "break" is more angular & sharp than traditional curves, which tend build gradually. There is no pronounced toe-lip (I'd prefer it if it did), which makes it hard to scoop the puck with a simple wrist-twist. However, one man's ceiling is another man's floor - back hands on this are are pretty nice.6/10

WEIGHT: (retail) 395 grams (senior). Since this is a pro stick, could be different (especially due to the longer shaft).

TAPER: I can’t find anything definitive on what the taper length is, but believe it to be 11 inch taper based on their add for the new Adrenaline stick.

WEIGHT/BALANCE: Perhaps it’s just advertising hype affecting the senses, but it does feel noticeably lighter than the first wave of 460 gram OPS.

But, as I’ve said before - I'm not a big believer that lighter is better. I consider anything lighter than 550 grams light (you know the difference between a 550 gram Busch and a 450 gram Synnergy? 1/3 of a 12 ounce soda which translates to just 2 shots of tequila). Slight hint of being blade heavy, but nothing I would have noticed if I weren’t looking for it. This mere hint (which may be worked out on later full production models) is the only thing keeping this from a score of 9 8.5/10

FEEL: Perhaps I’m just starting to get used to the composite sticks, however, puck feel is reasonable. It’s not going to make you think you’re using a wood stick or something, but you get a good idea of where the puck is, and it doesn’t seem to trampoline off the blade when trying to catch a puck. So, no puck bounce noted (so good pass reception), and no excessively numb feel. There is still some room for improvement, on the pre-mentioned areas, but nothing to get worked up over. Also, some other posters have talked about vibration issues, so perhaps I don’t have their heightened sense of touch, as I have no odd vibration noted. 8/10

BLADE: This is about as stiff as concrete. I can’t discern any bend/give at all. It’s rock solid – and that’s a good thing. If I could give it an 11 out of 10, I would – it’s that remarkable. 10/10

SHOOTING: I play defense, so I probably tend to take a lot more slap shots than a forward might. So, I find (distance) shooting to be important. There is no torque twist of the blade in shooting like some of the early OPS had (this is good). Makes it easier to point and get results consistent with your expectations of where the puck is going. Great thing about the stick is that you can get good pop off of a small 12inch wind up (snap shots). On a full wind up slapper you can really get excellent, consistently hard shots off. So… good puck speed for shots. 9.5/10

DURABILITY: So far, not a single hint at durability being an issue. Neither the blade nor shaft have even hinted at fatigue noticed yet (still early, of course). No noticeable chips or chunks missing, and not a single crack. 9/10

MISC: I bought this as a pro return. This is what appears to be the first round of XN10’s. The paint is a flat matte paint (no gloss, what-so-ever) with an unreleased logo. It’s just orange, white, and black. But, you know what? I like it. The paint seems to hold up well and the stick isn’t cluttered with self-pimping advertising glitz. Also, I like the extra long length of the shaft (of course, this might just be because it’s a pro release). I will scale my score down to reflect what I expect most would like, but I’m a fan of the matte finish. 7/10

It should be noted, that the retail release is glossy with more color and glitz. I have one of these, but have not used it yet, so will not comment on it further.

GRIP COATING: n/a

CONCLUSION: This was one of the more hyped stick of the past season. I had fully anticipated being let down. However, it’s actually quite worthy of the praise. I think it’s fair to call this a “shooter’s†stick, as that seems to be it’s best performance attribute. Since it’s still early, I will give this a 9/10 for now, but reserve the right to bump it up (or possibly down) later after more use.

- O.O.

UPDATE OK, I've been using this stick pretty much exclusively (aside from 6 games with a Stealth). The shaft is incredibly durable. No chips or cracks out of it. Still a fantastic shooters stick. HOWEVER, the blade? Well, it was once crowbar like stiff. Now? Merely mortal. It can totally flex in my hands now, and despite the graphite weave in the blade showing no signs of cracking or unraveling, it makes that sound now when you bend it in your hand (sounds more like what I would likely think is the foam breaking down inside - and there appears to be no inner/cross beam within the blade).

There are certainly other OPS whose blades are just as pliable (even when new), but the difference (from when it was new) is dramatic. Bear in mind, this is just after 2 to 3 months after use (2 to 3 times per week) and I am not shooting as hard as I used to (now that I'm old and fat). Someone who's in shape and in their mid to late 20's would likely turn this blade into a limp noodle within the same time (just a guess). HOWEVER, that being said? I'm not let down. The blade is, as I mentioned, still as pliable as 70% (guess) of the OPS out there, but it is looking more and more like it will soon be Christian Fiber Sock like (damn, those things would bend under a penny) within another few months.

Once the blade goes to hell, the shaft will be recycled. It is important to note, that the one I've been using looks like it is likely one of the early prototypes. I also have one of the newer ones, so don't know if the blade will stay rigid longer on it.

Still a great stick. I'm not sorry that I bought it at all. In fact, even with the softening blade, I still prefer it over my Stealth (personal preference).

Edited April 3, 2005 by Ogie Oglethorpe

[hockeyizlife94 0]

Louisville TPS Response XN10/right handed nash curve/ regular flex

About the user: 5'7 155 lbs skates everyday, high school hockey, center

previous sticks: Easton synergy, Easton Si-core(2), easton synthesis.

Blade- i found the blade to be the stiffest ive ever used, especially coming from a sicore, which i thought was the sofest blade ever...Everyone on the site is right when the say the shots rip off the blade. i was amazed after i took my first couple of slapshots. the blade i also found to be long lasting, because my shaft broke after about 2 months.

Flex: Being that this is my first stick from TPS after using easton since 1st year peewee, i figured flex's would be equal with eastons 85,100, and 110. I think TPS's flexs are off, the whip is like an intermediate, and the regular is like a 110. theres no "100" flex like easton. this is the only thing i have wrong with the stick.

Stickhandling: i thought the stick handled really well for such a stiff blade. my personal preference must be stiffer blades, because i liked the feel alot.

weight and balance: unbelievable...the balance is perfect, along with the weight of the stick is equal with the stealth, and RBK 7k sharing the title as the lightest stick on the market.

durability: A normal stick that has finally outlasted its warrantee. after using pro stock sicores, which lasted me about 2-3 months each. my synergies would break with 1 month, and the xn10 lasted over 2 months. it broke right around where the shaft starts to taper in. which is unusual for me because i usually break where the blade meets the shaft.

Pros-

weight and balance is amazing

the stiffness of the blade

durability

Cons-

while there is nothing really wrong with the stick, theres just a few things tps could do, like a better range of flexs, and maybe a form of grip, because the xn10 can get slippery when wet.

[EBondo 233]

Product: TPS Response XN10, Intermediate Flex, Messier curve.

Player specifics:

Age - 16

Height - 5'4"

Weight - 125

Level of Hockey - Midget Minor A.

Previous Sticks - M-1 multiple times, Hex-1, L-2, Response, Response Plus, Synergy, Synergy Grip, Synergy ST, currently XN10 and Warrior Dolomite

Time of use before review - 10 games+, 10 practices+

Blade - I got this from a friend, in perfect condition. The blade was very responsive. I thought the thickness would make it blade-heavy, since the shaft was wicked light, but that wasn't the case. 10/10

Flex - The stick I have is an intermediate flex, and it may be the whippiest intermediate flex I have used, not that that's a bad thing. I couldn't get used to the Easton 65 flex, but this seems to be perfect. 9/10

Stickhandling/receiving passes - I'm usually one to like tapered shafts with wood blades, but this blade surprised me. Stickhandling and recieving passes were definite pluses on this stick. There is no vibration, and the blade hugs the pass like a child. 10/10

Shooting - As JR said in his review, this is the best quality of the stick. I feel my wrist and snap shots have improved enormously from not hitting the net, to being able to pick my corners now. The XN10 fires rockets at the net, and I was very pleased. 10/10.

Weight and balance - The XN10 is extremely light. It's marked at 355 grams, but feels around 340. I thought the blade was going to throw off the balance, but it wasn't the case. This stick is the most balanced OPS I have used, next to my Dolomite. 10/10

Durability - The stick has been a tank, no chips or cracks in the blade. Paint chipping is noticable, but it doesn't bother me. 10/10

Intangibles - The shaft is very nice. It's not boxy, but it's not too rounded. Very durable.

Conclusion - This is a very, very nice stick. I highly recommend it, although it;s being discontinued. If you can get your hands on some, I recommend you pick some up. It's worth it.

Overall - 10/10