Easton Z-Bubble

[Chadd 916]

Open for review

[roadrunner 12]

Easton Z-Bubble

Background: 5' 9" 175lbs.

Shaft: Z-Bubble 100 Flex

Test Blades: Z-Carbons, Nike/Bauer Woods, Koho/CCM 1052, Ultra Graphites

Options: Senior 85,100,110 flex and grip. Junior 50 flex

Initial Impression:I originally bought this shaft due to a great deal.

Sports shop was going under, so I got it for 100.00CAD. At the time I was

currently using a T-Flex but didn't like the wood only options. This was

about 4-5yrs ago. As I held it with a Nike Ignite blade, it felt lighter than

anything I had tried at the time. I'm not picky on the colors or look of

shafts.

Weight/Balance: It's advertisd at 280grams. When I pair it with Z-Carb

this stick weighs in at 435 grams. It is lighter than any other OPS or combo

I've tried.

As for balance, only feels good with z-carb out of all my test blades.

However, you can certainly tell where the hossel is cause of the flare. It

doesn't pose a problem when playing but you can tell the balance point is

like 12 inches higher than a tapered shaft. 7/10

Shooting/Passing/Stickhandling: This is the reason why I keep coming back to this shaft. With a z-carb shots are like rockets and accurate. I took a

while to adjust to the quick elevation of the puck at first but I've learned

to keep 'em low now. I do find however that with tapered shafts or OPS I did

get more consistent accuracy than I do with the Bubble.

My main shots are wristers and this is where I rack up the goals. I think

that the reason why my wristers are so hard with this shaft is because the

taper starts alot earlier on the shaft than any other shaft. Passing is

crisp as well. Although I am able to adjust my shooting and passing to

almost any tapered shaft, stickhandling is the key. With the Z-bubble-Z-carb

combo I can move my hands faster than any other combo I've tried. It feels like a probe skinny and agile. This gives me confidence to go up against 2 D's at a time and try any move knowing that I won't lose the puck because of lack of feel or a poke check. However paired with any other of my test blades, this shaft is useless to me. With Z-Carb 10/10

Durability: This has been my go to stick for almost 5 years. Played

Ice with it for 2yrs at once a week as well as Ball and Roller at once a

week each during the span. I'm not playing ice anymore but I take alot of

slappers. I don't hack much and try to avoid the hacks as best I can. I have

a brand new one that hasn't been touched due to this ones longevity. On a

different note, two years ago I purchase a Z-Bubble Grip. Playing Ball

Hockey only with it, it managed to break after 2 months use. I'm very proud

of the longevity of this shaft and also give credit to the Z-carbs, I

believe that the "Focus Flex" on the blade really takes the brunt of the

impact before it hits the Focus Flex on the shaft, minimizing the impact

where Z-Bubbles normally break. This green Bubbles 10/10 Overall including MM

Bubbles 8/10. The grip ones are junk for me PP.

Conclusion: As of yet I have not come across a better combo and I've tried

almost everything. I don't know why I keep trying to find something better

when I'm 100% satisfied with the Bubble. When this shaft breaks I will

definately buy another one. Like I stated before this shaft is nothing without the Z-carb or maybe even a PTC or Inno high end blade. Wood feels pretty good but it weighs down the shaft. Overall this shaft is all about performance. For me personally I have no complaints about this particular one so I give it 10/10.

Edited November 10, 2004 by roadrunner

[forsberg91 0]

Background: 5'4" 115 pounds

Shaft: Easton Z-Bubble 50 flex

Test Blades: Easton Z-Carbons, Easton Ultra Lite, various woodies.

Initial Impressions: I got this shaft for Christmas when I was about 11 in replacement for my Ultra Carbon, so I was obviouslty excited.

Weight/Balance: Its listed at 200 grams and when I paired it with a Z Carb, it was so light and balanced. It felt like crap with the Easton Ultra lite and wood blades, so I was using it with a Z Carbon for about a year.

9/10 (Extremely light and balanced, but only with a Z Carbon)

Shooting, Passing, Stickhandling: Stickhandling was no problem for me, passes were good, but shots were amazing. They flew off of the stick. At the time, but slapper sucked because i was only 11, but my wrist shot was amazing.

9/10

Durability: No problems at all with this. I've had it for about 4 years and it is still going strong. I use just in the driveway at the moment, but its fine.

10/10

Conclusion: This shaft is great if you find a good blade for it. I highly recommend a Z Carbon with this shaft, because anything else feels blade heavy. The durability is awesome, and the shots are rockets.

9.5/10

[stevoc 0]

Background: 5'9" 185 pounds

Shaft: Easton 2006 Z-Bubble Grip 85 flex

Test Blade: Easton Z-Carbon right hand shanahan

Initial Impressions - I originally saw this shaft in Easton's 2006 catalog and liked the look. It was by chance I found it at an on-line shop. It was purchased for 90.00 US. In person, the shaft looked even better. 10/10

Weight/Balance - The shaft alone felt very well balanced and light. The addition of the z-carbon blade did make it a little blade heavy, but nothing major. 9/10

Look and Feel - I love the feel of this shaft. I wasn't very fond of the 2005 z-bubble shaft due to the edges appeared to be sharper than the ultra lite shaft (which is what I was using at the time) With the grip coating, the edges are more rounded as the synergy si-core shaft, which I much more prefer. Also, it just looks fantastic! 10/10

Shooting, Passing, Stickhandling - I am able to feel the puck through the shat very well. The energy transfers through the shaft very well, giving the z-bubble shaft/z-carbon blade combo a feel very similar to a one piece stick. Passing and shooting is a snap with this shaft, as accuracy is right on. Also, it has helped my weak slap shot to be more precise and on target, as well as increased it's velocity. 10/10

Durability - I've only had the shaft for half a season, but I've had absolutely no problems with it up to here.

Conclusion - I think this is the best shaft I have used. After trying a 2005 ultra lite grip, 2004 and 2005 ultra lite, 2005 z-bubble, and 2005 cyclone, (with flexes varying from 85 to 110) the 2006 z-bubble grip is by far my favorite.

9.5/10

[the_sock 1]

Background: 5'10" 185 pound defenceman

Shaft: 2007 Easton Z-Bubble Grip 85 Flex

Blade: Was Easton Hybrid Lami (blech) and now 2008 Easton ST (heh heh...alright)

Initial Impressions

Ooo...I like grip. My first grip shaft (besides my 2000 TPS Rubber) and I love the burnt orange colour. Burnt orange makes you shoot 5% harder.

Weight/Balance

Hmmm...weight was suprisingly low, thanks to the 85 flex. Felt nice and light even though it had a butt end. With my old Hybrid blades, the balance was nicely even, however, when I picked up the ST blade, felt off. I may have to find a composite but end to make it near a OPS, but it's fine for my back up stick. Still heavier than a OPS.

8/10

Shooting/Passing/Stick handling

WOW. This stick, before I got my tapered two piece, made my slapper and snapper ROCKET. Like the Bowie song. I couldn't believe how well it made my shot improve, like over 200%. With the shaft flexing below the tapered part, it made a great improvement on my velocity...aim still sucks, but that's due to my stone hands. Passing is fine, same as most sticks, but it's got a bit more zip. Stick handling is fine, a bit more sluggish than my light RBK/Easton setup.

10/10

Durability

Hmmm, good question. I've seen many Z-Bubble shatter at the point where the taper flares out to accept the blade, but I must say that they either: 1. slap shot too much 2. taken too many hits/chips in that area 3. replaced the blade too often that it weaken the area. My stick has had no problems, replaced the blade a total of 3 times. I'm very careful not to use the stick until the next day, and I Toe-Pro whenever I get chips. I got a big one, and still the stick is in one piece (knock on wood). But, I do find that the area below the grip texture gets chipped more often, which is why I love my RBK shaft better.

8.5/10

Conclusion

Great shaft. I wish it was a long shaft, so I didn't need to use a wooden butt end. A great performance boost from the Ultra-Lite shaft (500 times better) and a good choice for those of you who don't want to find tapered blades (that can be a pain in the arse!). Awesome, but it doesn't replace my tapered two piece in performance.

9/10

Cheers

[xaero604 0]

Background: 5'7" 150 pound forward; 3 years of pickup hockey, very limited game experience

Shaft: 2007 Easton Z-Bubble 85 Flex

Blade: 2007 Easton z-bubble sakic curve

Initial Impressions

I like nice-looking gear so the silver/chrome paint job is definitely a plus. The shaft without the butt-end and in combination with the z-bubble blade is the perfect length for my height (comes right up under my chin on skates). The girth is also just right for my small hands.

Weight/Balance

It's actually kind of heavy, especially when compared to an OPS like the synergy sl. Balance is pretty decent but it's a touch blade heavy unlike the SL. It does vibrate a lot though. I can't really describe it but it's not totally rigid feeling, like the synergy sl.

7.5/10

Shooting/Passing/Stick handling

Thanks to the perfect length, 85 flex is the perfect flex for me so all my shots are at their best/most consisten. Shots just seem to catapult off.

In a way, it feels like a tapered stick because the kick/bend in the shaft seems to be lower.

9/10 (+1 due to bias)

Durability

I'm good with my sticks seeing as I don't hack but I have taken a few of them and the shaft still looks fairly decent. It has gotten a tad whippier and it is especially noticeable when receiving passes or doing quick stick-work as the puck seems to catapult off.

It has seen better days but it's holding up strong for the year that I've used it. Can't say the same for the blade though...

9/10

Conclusion

I've come to like this shaft a lot and tend to use it as my main stick. It may be due to the fact that it's the only true 85flex stick that I have since the rest of them had to be cut, consequently becoming stiffer to flex. All in all, I feel that this shaft is a great purchase and definitely great for senior players looking for a shaft designed with an intermediate player in mind.

9/10

Z-Bubble blade review

I also have to write a bit more on the z-bubble blade (as that isn't available in the blade review section).

It's a great blade but like a lot of forum members have noticed, the durability sucks. I only used it for a year of weekly pickup (much less, realistically) and the damn thing broke. If you're set on pairing this blade with the shaft, I'd only recommend it on the basis that you have deep pockets. Don't get me wrong, it's got great feel, awesome for wristers and decent for snappers and slappers but it's going to probably going to break like a one-piece. The funny story is, I used to get decent slapshots from the blade but lately, I've been noticing that they've suffered. I thought that my stance/grip was off due to experimenting with different curves and lies but my wristers were still the same. After a couple of whiffling slapshots, I looked down at my blade and noticed that it finally split right across the face starting at the heel. I guess the blade was stiff enough for wristers, barely enough for snappers, but would eventually fail after repeated slapshots.

[Scotty 8]

Easton Z-Bubble

Background: 5' 9" 175lbs.

Shaft: Z-Bubble 100 Flex

Test Blades: Easton Z-Carbon/Focus Flex/S15 blades (all in Modano/Forsberg/Zetterberg pattern)

Initial Impression: I had always hated the feeling of super-squared off shafts, but made the transition to some of the first year Synergies and gradually got used to them. After I stopped working at a hockey pro shop after 4 years and my access to cheap Synergys went away, I decided to try a Z-Bubble.

Weight/Balance: With the weight of them now down to a claimed 275 grams (although that is simply the rated weight and they are truly much more than that), I have always paired them with the super lightweight Easton Z-Carbon/S15 blades. It ends up weighing around 470 grams, which is GREAT. The blades really help compliment the lightness and balance of the shaft. However, be aware that using heavier blades will throw off the balance of the stick. These things really need lightweight composite blades. Compared to a OPS, you can certainly feel that the kickpoint is a bit higher, but it isn't something beginners or most anyone is going to notice unless they have plenty of experience and have used many types of sticks. 9/10

Shooting/Passing/Stickhandling: The feel of these sticks is as good as you can possibly as for from a shaft. From Easton's classic combination of compression-molded graphite and Kevlar to the supreme consistency of these sticks, you'll get the same feel every time. The shaft conveys great feel for the puck (as long as you've used a decent composite blade like I recommend) and responds VERY well with shots. I'm primarily a quick wrist/snap shot kind of guy and require a stick that can meet the load demands of my shot with a quick reaction. With the taper on the Z-Bubble, it loads quickly while still maintaining a great amount of flex and gets rid of the puck well. Passing is sharp, crisp, and can be felt very well. No reverberations or pingy feelings through the shaft, just a clean feeling. 10/10 as long as it's paired with a high-end composite Easton/Bauer/Warrior blade.

Durability: I always hear complaints about the durability of these, but I'm not sure why. Mine made it through many rec leagues, tournaments, and then through several years of competitive collegiate hockey. Many faceoffs, slashes to the tapered zone, blocked shots, and overall rough abuse that a stick takes have left mine quite intact and in great shape. I have the blue tinted version and a good amount of the blue clearcoat is coming off to reveal the silver Kevlar underneath, but that's merely cosmetic. Despite my admitted tendency for wristers, I take a fair amount of slapshots too and have never snapped one of these yet. Easton's materials and construction process really lend to durability, regardless of which of their shafts you buy. I have never broken one and have personally only seen a handful break over the years, despite knowing MANY people that used them. 8/10

Conclusion: If you're looking for a solid traditional shaft with a great kick, very light weight, amazing solid feel, wonderful construction, and old-school reliability, the Z-Bubble will always be your shaft. 10/10.

Edited August 24, 2011 by Scotty