Mission M-1 Grip

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

Product: Mission M-1 / Gaborik pattern (= Easton Modano) / 85 Flex / left-handed

First off since we're talking about a grip stick, I should start there. It's a really nice urethane grip. The only other grip I've used was a 02 Synergy Grip shaft and this one was a little tackier. I did find that I was able to slide my hand down and not get stuck. The good thing is whenever you feel the tackiness has worn off, just wipe it down with some alcohol and you're set. 10/10

Blade - I had a M1 (first batch) and the blade went to hell immediately. This one, the blade did get softer but is still intact...it hasn't gone horribly soft like the first one. I believe the M1's blade is made a little bit softer than most other OPS. I did have some little chips on the inside part of the toe but nothing major. 7/10

Flex - It's an 85. I thought the 85 would be flexy enough for me coming from a 90 Metamorphic (thin shaft flexes easier) but I think I would need a 75 to be fully satisfied. 8/10 (personal preference)

Stickhandling/receiving passes - As you probably know, I'm not a big fan of composite blades. I really could never get used to the feel of them as I prefer wood. However, I did well with this one. I could feel the puck well with it; couldn't with a Synergy. I didn't get that artificial feeling I did with the other OPS. 9/10

Shooting - This is where the M1 shines. I lean into my shots and often find that the shaft opens up when it kicks, especially on slapshots. The Mission/Aldila shafts are the only ones that have reduced this for me. One of the reasons why I got rid of my Innovative Fused was because a lot of my shots were coming off strange when the shaft kicked. My Vector did that too. It doesn't happen with Mission sticks. The release is lightning-quick with it too, especially on wrist/snapshots. 10/10

Weight and balance - Light with great balance. I cut the end-plug flush with the shaft. Once again, coming from the Flyweight, it feels heavy though! 8/10

Durability - Everyone is different with sticks. Some people bust them regularly and then you have guys like me who rarely break any. However, from dealing with stick returns, I've only had one M1 come back this year. The guy used it for roller hockey, taped, on a wood floor so I took it with a grain of salt. 8.5/10

Intangibles - It appears that the fusepoint problem in the stick has been fixed. I did 'crack' the paint around it though. There's a small hairline crack on the INNER wall of the shaft from flexing. The difference is that the first M1 did it too, but the blade came out with it. The blade shows no cracks in it either and I took about 30 one-timers across the slot. The Bimmer-Blue paint job is probably the best out of all of the OPS. Very simple design but attention-grabbing. The logos are painted on, no decals like the Flyweight. 9/10 (one off b/c of the fusepoint)

In conclusion, it's a really nice stick. The only drawback I see for some people would be the softer blade...but like I said, I believe it's made soft by design to prevent bounciness while stickhandling. The stick is wonderful for shooting - I just wish I could get it in a lower flex than 85. 8.75/10

[wristshot19 0]

Product: Mission M-1 Grip / Rafalski pattern / 85 Flex / left-handed

Grip: This is the first grip OPS that I have ever used so I can't compare it to anything but I will try to review the grip the best I can. The grip is nice and doesn't peel like other sticks that I have frequently heard about. It's sticky enough to add a litle extra something to the stick but it doesn't stick too much. It seems to be the right balance with great durability. 10/10

Blade: I was using a CCM Vector 110 prior to purchasing this stick so I was used to a thin blade stick. The blade thickness would have to be my biggest gripe with the stick. The blade seems to be overly large for a composite blade and it has taken quite a bit of time to get used to. When I use this stick I have to change my stickhandling a bit and wristshots seem to be a little harder to get underneath. The blade does have a solid response and it hasn't broken yet so I guess I could give it hirgher marks in these areas. Overall I would rank the blade as a 6/10.

Flex: I am used to a stiff flex stick but wanted to try shaft with more flex so I picked this one up. The flex in the stick is nice, but my wristshots are still dead due to the forementioned blade problem. Also, I haven't been able to get used to the bounce of the stick due to this lower flex rating so catching passes is still something I am tying to figure out with this thing. My hands are almost too soft for a flex like this. It does have a great kick at the end of slap and snap shots but it tends to send shots way too high but this may also be due to the shape of the curve and not exactly a fault of the flex. 8/10

Stickhandling/receiving passes: I have already mentioned my problems with the shaft and the blade so you can see that I wouldn't rate this stick high in this area. The stick is also a little on the heavy side for a OPS so it is a harder to get it going left to right. Mostly I have problems in the blade area due to the blade thickness. I applaud them for not sacrificing durability just for a thin blade, but this blade is a bit too much for a OPS. 6/10

Shooting: As I mentioned before, the stick does have a great kick but it is probably has a little too much flex for me. I like a solid strike when I hit the puck and this stick almost has too much flex for me. I drive shots more than I lean in to them so I like to have the blade right there with me when I am letting a shot go. With the regular flex the blade tends to trail and then the kick just sends the shots to the moon. Tell the people behind the net to watch out! 7/10

Weight and balance: Good balance but as I mentioned before but this is a heavy stick for a OPS. I have used a Vapor XX, Vector 110, XN10, and a Hespeler Alpha (just got the Hespeler) and all of these other sticks are much lighter than the M-1. Does weight equal performance? Not exactly but the weight does factor in when you are used to something lighter. The one thing that weight does seem to buy you is it seems to dampen the impact of some passes and or shots. I could have probably saved some weight by trimming the wooden end of the stick instead of cutting away part of the shaft, but it is too late for that now. 7/10

Durability: I don't really break a whole lot of sticks. Not sure why, but I have managed to keep even wood sticks around longer than expected. This stick seems to be well built and shows no sign of significant damage yet. The only thing I have seen is that the coating on the blade has come off a bit after removing old tape from the stick. 9/10

Intangibles: As has been mentioned in other posts on this message board, the paint around the fuse point of the blade did crack very easily. Has it had a direct effect on performance? Over a 3 month usage period, it doesn't appear to have changed the behavior of the stick at all. Could it be pointing out a potential future problem? Not sure, but I would have expected the problem to have occured by now if something was going to happen. The only other annoyance I have had with this stick is that glue tends to break off and rattles around in the shaft quite often. It hasn't harmed anything yet but it does get quite annoying. I just adjusted this the other night and some blue/gray glue fell out of the shaft. I wasn't expecting the glue to be this color so I am not sure if there is another potential problem here. Could the shaft be breaking down internally? Doubtful but possible. 8/10

Conclusion: This OPS is nice, but I wouldn't say that it is my favorite. After having it over 3 months now it has not won me over as being a great stick. The last stick that I had that failed to win me over went up for auction on eBay (Vapor XX). I can't get over the feel of the blade, and the flex of the shaft enough to make this stick my starter. Currently it sits as a backup to my quickly fading Vector 110 and new Hespeler Alpha Nemesis. This is an expensive backup stick even if I did get a great deal on it. 7/10

[thejackal 46]

M1 Grip, Carter 85 flex RH

Grip and overall finish: Grip is really really nice and so are the color schemes. 10/10

Blade: Probably THE MOST disappointing graphite blade ever made. I can flex it back and forth like a ABS blade (it's not the same blade as the reg. M1, I compared side by side and the blade on the grip is thinner and not as stiff). It isn't just me either, because I sent back the first one I got for that exact reason, but the replacement wasn't much better. It's holding up alright after 5 or 6 icetimes, but I can feel it bend everytime I shoot, which is no good. 2/10 for the effort

Flex: I usually like 80ish flexes, so 85 isn't a big deal, but if they had a 80 or 75 SR, I'd be in hog heaven. 8/10

Stickhandling/passing: The reduced shaft geometry was good for stickhandling. The butter-soft blade actually helps with receiving passes, although passing wasn't as crisp. 8/10

Shooting: The grip helps a ton with shots (the slickness of my M2 made me sell it). No twisting whatsoever. Wristers and snapshots are really, really good, but slappers lose a bit of speed and accurcy, once again because of the sh!ttacular blade. 9/10 (wristers/snap shots) 7/10 (slap shots)

Weight and balance: I cut the plug flush and the balance is perfect. I don't really see the point of a lighter stick, so the M1 is pretty good in that respect. 9/10

Durability: My M2 shaft was a tank, so this should be no different. Fusepoint looks good so far, but I'm not sure about the blade. I'd give that maybe 3 or 4 more weeks before it explodes. 7/10

Intangible: I got my stick online, so there was no way for me to check out the stiffness of the blade. I would've gotten something else had I known about the problem, but when the blade breaks, I'll have a heck of a grip tapered shaft. Pari it up with a Inno or Bauer Vapor XV, and I should be in business.

Conclusion: Awesome shaft, but I am incapable to find the words to describe the blade. If you can find it for a good price, by all means buy it, but I'd look elsewhere if you have to pay more than $100US. 7/10

EDIT: After a month of use the blade is still pretty much intact, just average for slappers still, but very accurate for wrist shots. New score: 8/10

Edited November 18, 2005 by thejackal