OPS Technology

[VakarLajos 5]

I think(keyword) that Sherwood did one..was it with the RM19 or something. Because one of my instructors at a camp had 3 custom RM19's. Dunno for sure.

SWD had a choice of 6-8 curves, flex, grip/non, and two shaft dimensions with a min. order of one stick. I think they are still continuing the program but sticks will be T100s instead of RM19s IIRC.

[Fisticuffs 0]

I don’t think it’s a hockey question, but more of a society question. I was watching a documentary on PBS the other day where they had a solid proof that the world is currently at a highest peak as far as technology, standard of living ….. There is no alternative to oil and gas so sooner or later we’ll go backwards into the dark ages once we start to run out of natural resources. Up to this point we haven’t; found anything in the ground or space which will be a better alternative to carbon fiber, so any industry dependant on the carbon fiber can only reinvent so much with the same material.It's hard to reinvent a product which is simplified to a single material. Any product which si simplified will be almost impossible to reinvent. M. Kalashnikov tried to improve his AK47 design for about 40 years and could never achieve it, because he invented a very simple mechanism which can't be simplified any further.

Whoever wrote that documentary is, frankly, an idiot.

First, there are plenty of alternatives to oil and gas. We have a couple billion years before the sun burns out, so we figure to have solar and biomass energy sources for another 3 billion or so years. Plus there are other alternatives in nuclear fuels, wave and wind energy, plus all the other things we haven't thought up yet. Oil and gas are cheap now, and that won't always be the case, but alternatives exist, and will likely be mainstream in our lifetime.

Secondly, I'm sure once upon a time they thought nothing would ever surpass aluminum in terms of strength/weight. Of course, along came carbon fiber, which made aluminum much less attractive as a material for everything from airliners to hockey sticks.

In a span of really 50 years, players went from using heavy, wood hockey sticks with straight blades, to having dozens of curves and flexes available, with a variety of kickpoints, made from materials designed to make classified weapons for the military. Just compare a first generation Synergy to a 2010 model OPS, there's a world of difference between the two in terms of weight, feel, and balance.

Sure, new technology isn't going to change the game like curved sticks did in the 1960s, but the bar was set pretty low back then. Fear not, the future is brighter than that documentary would have you believe.

[Drewhunz 3]

They had this option for years. It was called a shaft/blade combo. Unfortunately most people gave up on it because a OPS was one ounce lighter with marginal to no performance benefits.

[Chadd 916]

They had this option for years. It was called a shaft/blade combo. Unfortunately most people gave up on it because a OPS was one ounce lighter with marginal to no performance benefits.

And manufacturers love it because they sell a $200 stick instead of a $50 blade. Even with the same margin, they make a lot more money.

[Scotty 8]

These last two points by Drew and Chadd are great. Manufacturers will tout the increased feel and balance, plus "increased energy transfer, etc", when there sometimes isn't a difference between the OPS and tapered shaft/blade combo. Hell, sometimes they don't even bother to diguise their Bondo-filled painted seam very well on their OPS.

[#96 0]

These last two points by Drew and Chadd are great. Manufacturers will tout the increased feel and balance, plus "increased energy transfer, etc", when there sometimes isn't a difference between the OPS and tapered shaft/blade combo. Hell, sometimes they don't even bother to diguise their Bondo-filled painted seam very well on their OPS.

I don't know much about the business side behind where the market is going, but there's plenty of guys on here that are well more qualified to comment on that than myself.

I will say that I see even more high end materials being used. Aeropsace composites, etc. Perhaps, as someone mentioned, maybe getting into the true biomechanics of it. Different shaft shapes for each stick instead of 1 stick-1 shaft shape. More options...that kinda thing. It's the price tag that I fear. All that advancement, research, materials is gonna cost money. You're looking at potential price points of $300+. When does it stop!?

That's another direction for this thread. What can we anticpate in terms of prices of sticks in the future. Look at what skates are now. I wonder what the older MSHers who were around in the 60s, 70s, think about that!?

[Chadd 916]

That's another direction for this thread. What can we anticpate in terms of prices of sticks in the future. Look at what skates are now. I wonder what the older MSHers who were around in the 60s, 70s, think about that!?

Until a stick fails because the price point is too high, you will see prices continue to move upward. Considering the relative weakness of the dollar, prices should be going up for that reason as well. Especially if the Chinese government ever allows the Yuan to float to anywhere near its true market value.

[DarkStar50 679]

They had this option for years. It was called a shaft/blade combo. Unfortunately most people gave up on it because a OPS was one ounce lighter with marginal to no performance benefits.

If there are " marginal to no performance benefits", then why did pros give up on shaft/blade combos?

[Jarick 5]

They're the 1% of the population that has literally maxed out their physical potential and can see the benefits...and they aren't paying for it.

I can't complain because I can still buy a shaft-blade combo. The day that I can't, then I'll get ticked off and probably buy mid-level composites.

I'm guessing a part of why some companies are going to elliptical/perforated taper sections is to force consumers to buy a new stick instead of a new blade. Most guys I know using 2-piece sticks are using a broken OPS as a shaft with a replacement blade.

And to their credit, Easton did bring back the ST at its old price point.

[DarkStar50 679]

Jarick, pros not paying for OPS has nothing to do with it. Please explain how I can shoot the puck harder and faster with a OPS now than with a wood stick or shaft/blade combo when I was 20 years younger. I know I have not gotten stronger now than I was 20 years ago. There are performance benefits to using the OPS, regardless of if you are a pro or not.

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

If there are " marginal to no performance benefits", then why did pros give up on shaft/blade combos?

Convenience.

[bostonjuniorblackhawks 1]

Isn't the St slightly more expensive than it used to be?

[DarkStar50 679]

Convenience.

sorry, don't buy it. The pros could tweak a replacement blade more than they could a OPS. That option is gone. Even NHL goalies know and have said players shoot harder and faster with OPS.

[EBondo 233]

The Tri Flex Gold was was a fantastic shaft. I think I still have one in the closet.

What I don't like is replacing an excellent product with something different simply because it is time to change the line this year. Especially when the new product doesn't perform as well as the old one. Repaint, rename and re label until your heart is content, but don't replace until you actually have something better to offer.

Definitely one of my favorite shafts. Still have mine in great condition in the garage. I should find a blade for that...hmmm.

Are you referring to the XN10? Because I know I feel that exact way towards TPS

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

sorry, don't buy it. The pros could tweak a replacement blade more than they could a OPS. That option is gone. Even NHL goalies know and have said players shoot harder and faster with OPS.

At the time that a comparable shaft and blade to an OPS was out there, why bother staying with a shaft and a blade when you can just pull a stick out and hit the ice?

[OldNSlow 3]

I'm surprised nobody has said that the next frontier is improving the blade. Composite blades still suffer from poor feel compared to wood. It's only a matter of time in which a company figures out a way to match the feel of wood (or come close). Also, other tinkering with the blade can be done with respect to velocity or release. There are lots of characteristics to tinker with: materials, stiffness, shape...

[Chadd 916]

Blades have improved, and will continue to do so. Just like performance has, overall, improved with each generation of sticks. That's a given, not really any surprise there. My favorite was the rubber blade and shaft inserts that Hespeler did six or seven years ago.

[OldNSlow 3]

Blades have improved, and will continue to do so. Just like performance has, overall, improved with each generation of sticks. That's a given, not really any surprise there. My favorite was the rubber blade and shaft inserts that Hespeler did six or seven years ago.

Yes, but my point was to answer the question "where is OPS technology headed" -- shaft improvements have been so rapid that the market is currently flooded with gimmicky differentials. There is still a gulf between composite feel and wood, so there is a lot of room there for companies to work with, thus less need to perform magic marketing tricks.

[MattKingDelToro 2]

I'm glad this discussion is continuing- very interesting to read. A couple questions:

Chadd- what makes a stick's kickpoint "artificially" low?

And I'm confused by the performance benefits of a true one-piece vs. a fused one-piece vs. a two-piece. Is a fused one-piece any better than just a shaft-blade combo?

[Chadd 916]

I'm glad this discussion is continuing- very interesting to read. A couple questions:

Chadd- what makes a stick's kickpoint "artificially" low?

And I'm confused by the performance benefits of a true one-piece vs. a fused one-piece vs. a two-piece. Is a fused one-piece any better than just a shaft-blade combo?

Engineering. My guess would be a stiffening of the area that normally flexes, pushing the kickpoint lower.

True one piece sticks don't really exist. They are all fused, just in different ways and locations. A traditional Synergy style shaft and blade fused OPS is no different than a shaft and blade combo made from the same pieces.

[Drewhunz 3]

That all depends by what you mean by "true one piece". Depending on manufacturer lingo, this statement alone poses several questions in itself.

[Scotty 8]

OldNSlow, I believe the One95 blade was heading in the direction of where composite blades should be going: relatively light, strong as hell (comparable to the old Easton graphite blades or current ST blades. Just tanks.), great "soft" feel for the puck, responsiveness, stiffer than most composites, and just all-around great. If Bauer is truly heading in a direction slightly away from those blades on the Total One, they're making a huge mistake.

As for those questioning the difference in performance between say an SE16 OPS and SE16 shaft/blade, there is none. It is for this reason that I enjoy shafts immensely.

[NextBobbyOrr 0]

I remember Busch from a while back..but I heard they claimed to make the only true one piece sticks on the market. What about Bauer though. Don`t they have like a monocomp tech or something. I dunno about Easton, but the last one I actually had, you could feel the fuse point(Synergy 300). And I doubt warrior is..no clue about rbk..and now I`m just lost.

OldNSlow, I believe the One95 blade was heading in the direction of where composite blades should be going: relatively light, strong as hell (comparable to the old Easton graphite blades or current ST blades. Just tanks.), great "soft" feel for the puck, responsiveness, stiffer than most composites, and just all-around great. If Bauer is truly heading in a direction slightly away from those blades on the Total One, they're making a huge mistake.

As for those questioning the difference in performance between say an SE16 OPS and SE16 shaft/blade, there is none. It is for this reason that I enjoy shafts immensely.

I spoke to a guy on the Bauer fb page, he tried it a while ago. He said the stick was out of the park. The blade was great and the other adjustments(spiral-tac) was a nice touch. His name was Jon K..I can`t spell his last name.

[Scotty 8]

To DarkStar:

DEAD WRONG. I lived it and saw it first hand!

They believed the hype of the original Synergy and how so many players bought into it and all of a sudden, there was a feeling that they (each player) had to have it because there was something "there."

How do you think TPS went from 0 to 100 players on day one of offering the stick? Easton couldn't handle how many players wanted a OPS and players were desperate to have one.

Agreed. Players were so desperate around that time that they were using each others' sticks, regardless of its flex or curve. Think about that: NHL players, who are so notoriously picky about their own personal sticks, were actually using something potentially largely foreign to them simply so that they could utilize the newest and greatest... when in reality it wasn't much more than a fused and repainted T-Flex shaft/blade combo.

If you don't believe that, then consider the fact that some players were going to retail stores and buying the regular retail patterns just to be able to use the Synergy. It was all in the hype. Were the shots faster? Who knows. Many since then, as SubliTWILL has said, have somewhat recanted that and said that the release was simply a bit quicker, which comes naturally with a lower-kickpoint stick such as the Synergy over something such as a wood stick or standard shaft.

SubliTWILL, just out of curiosity, what did Sakic's famous wrister have to do with anything? The fact that he switched to the Synergy very early? I've always been a huge fan of his patented wrister and he's probably the reason why I practiced and formed my own shot so well based on that.

[Chadd 916]

Busch?

Great sticks, far ahead of their time when they came out. Let's be honest though, they aren't a player in the North American market anymore and haven't been for a while. I thought about mentioning them, but the vast majority of our members have never seen one and I was being lazy in not wanting to have to explain it.

It is design, engineering, and finally manufacturing in how the carbon is laid and at what angles.

I was thinking the net effect more than the manner in how it was done. But yes, it's a complex task.