OPS Technology

[gxc999 7]

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...

I tend to disagree. I think OPS/whatever you want to call them have been improving in terms of feel the past 3 or so years. Another thing I've found is that 2 piece setups often feel a little bit rougher, like pingier, less true to wood, then the OPS version of the same stick.

[IniNew 53]

I tend to disagree. I think OPS/whatever you want to call them have been improving in terms of feel the past 3 or so years. Another thing I've found is that 2 piece setups often feel a little bit rougher, like pingier, less true to wood, then the OPS version of the same stick.

Which is funny because, as a few have already stated, most OPS are simply blades/shafts with paint over them.

[gxc999 7]

Which is funny because, as a few have already stated, most OPS are simply blades/shafts with paint over them.

I know, I can't explain why, but I do notice it. That's true even if I don't know it's an old fashioned 2 pc setup beforehand.

[Jarick 5]

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.

I'm not saying sticks aren't better now than they were 10 or 20 years ago, not at all.

What I do believe is that manufacturers may be going in the wrong direction in terms of stick development. Until the One95 was released, most people's all time favorite stick was the Stealth/CNT or XN10. And those manufacturers discontinued those sticks just to do something different, likely to differentiate themselves from their competitors, raise stick prices (and profits), and to prevent customers from simply replacing the blade as needed rather than buying a whole new stick. Rather than focusing on durability or feel, they are playing with the taper section, and I'm not sure people are having a dramatic improvement in their game as a result of paying $50 more.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool capitalist and am the last person who will blame something on corporate greed. I am just explaining why I see what I see. As Chadd said, until a stick fails at retail, we won't see a change in the business model.

And the marginal performance of a OPS versus blade-shaft combo would be the slightly reduced weight in the hosel/tenon area because it is fused lower, giving slightly better balance. For most of us, we could just man up and hit the gym and get a similar performance benefit, but NHL'ers have maxed out their physical capacity for the most part, and they seem to talk mostly about the weight and release rather than puck feel or shot velocity.

[hyprlte 0]

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...

Hence the Easton EQ50

[DarkStar50 679]

In order to clarify my point, when I discuss pros using S/B combos I am referring to traditional shafts. The number of pros using the T-Flex was minimal. I know that part of the time frame here with regard to T-Flex is around 15 years ago. Some of the guys here were still Mites then.

In the last 5 years the S/B market has dropped to near dead levels at retail. As a buyer for the shop, I can easily trace sales history to see those numbers in real $. Therefore, the companies have no incentive to amp up their R & D technology and manufacturing for shafts. The business is in OPS technology. I know it is obvious that the future will continue to be OPS innovations, but simply put, the shaft is getting the shaft.

[Chadd 916]

Just wanted to give credit where credit is due. It would not surprise me to see a company move that direction at some point...

That would be interesting, I was always disappointed that they never had a high performance stick.

[Chadd 916]

The XN10 was changed when it was transitioned to China, out of a factory that was being shut down. It was never, nor will it ever be (if SWD/TPS continues making it) the same stick as what was made in Wallaceburg.

I preferred the "made in USA" version to the Canadian for some reason. May be entirely mental (especially with me) or just coincidence but it seemed like those had a little more pop.

[Fisticuffs 0]

Not as complex as one might think.

I think the "average Joe" would be disappointed if they saw how OPS and/or shafts were made.

Seriously. I did an internship in advanced composites at a big conglomerate in the late 1990s. The panels we were testing required 1,500 Tons of pressure to produce.

Good vid on how OPSs are made today:

[hamstercaster 2]

I think the "average Joe" would be disappointed if they saw how OPS and/or shafts were made.

Just saw that on the Discovery Channel. Although it was cool to see how it's done, it was nothing really impressive.

[chippa13 1844]

Following the shaft/blade tangent, one rep told me just last night that none of the smaller shops that he services ordered shafts/blades in their latest bookings.

[Scotty 8]

More vids on Easton's factory and making sticks:

Obviously, they've been making the shafts the same way for a LONG time. Compression molding them since the Ultra Lites and such. The rest is just different ways of creating OPS. As SubliTWILL says, it isn't some revolutionary or mind-blowing process.

Following the shaft/blade tangent, one rep told me just last night that none of the smaller shops that he services ordered shafts/blades in their latest bookings.

Doesn't surprise me. Only shop (out of several) here that still carries shafts is Total Hockey's main locations. They have the ST, S19, SE16, Dolomite, AK27, X60, and One95 shafts and that's it.

[gerbe3:16 19]

The XN10 was changed when it was transitioned to China, out of a factory that was being shut down. It was never, nor will it ever be (if SWD/TPS continues making it) the same stick as what was made in Wallaceburg.

Sorry I have to do this... but I am curious why... Never got a chance to even hold one of these legendary things, but what was done differently that made it so much better and why can't that be replicated elsewhere?

Appreciate it in advance.

[Scotty 8]

Sorry I have to do this... but I am curious why... Never got a chance to even hold one of these legendary things, but what was done differently that made it so much better and why can't that be replicated elsewhere?

Appreciate it in advance.

To my knowledge, or at least what has been conveyed to me by those in the know, is that it was a higher (more expensive) grade of graphite that was used. Didn't have a reputation for being any stronger, but supposedly produced a hellacious kick. Chadd states that his Regular flex sticks (around a 95 on Easton's scale) load as easily as an 85 flex, but kick back and snap like a 100+ flex loaded to the same point. I've seen them before when I managed a hockey shop years ago, but never used one or knew how legendary they were at the time.

[hamstercaster 2]

Doesn't surprise me. Only shop (out of several) here that still carries shafts is Total Hockey's main locations. They have the ST, S19, SE16, Dolomite, AK27, X60, and One95 shafts and that's it.

Here in my area I'm pretty hard pressed trying to find any decent shaft. My closest LHS still has a few older Easton Shafts but can't remember the names. No S16, 17 or 19, no Bauer whatsoever.

[NextBobbyOrr 0]

I'm just curious too, what was so great about the XN10. MSH was the first place I'd ever heard about it.

[MattKingDelToro 2]

I'm just curious too, what was so great about the XN10. MSH was the first place I'd ever heard about it.

I too have the same question. I'd be curious to know how people think the current Responses compare to the XN10.

[Scotty 8]

Guys, I basically summed up what everyone thinks of it/why they love it on the last post of page 5.

[bostonjuniorblackhawks 1]

Apparently they kick harder than most sticks. If you want more info on the stick, just look here there are plenty of threads on the stick

[DolomaticDangles 13]

They don't.

The R8 is one of the best sticks Ive used, it kicks SO hard, its super durable too. I dont have much experience with the XN10, but the R8 is crazy.

[Chadd 916]

To my knowledge, or at least what has been conveyed to me by those in the know, is that it was a higher (more expensive) grade of graphite that was used. Didn't have a reputation for being any stronger, but supposedly produced a hellacious kick. Chadd states that his Regular flex sticks (around a 95 on Easton's scale) load as easily as an 85 flex, but kick back and snap like a 100+ flex loaded to the same point. I've seen them before when I managed a hockey shop years ago, but never used one or knew how legendary they were at the time.

That's probably the easiest way to describe it. They kick like a stiffer stick and load like a softer stick.

The R8 is one of the best sticks Ive used, it kicks SO hard, its super durable too. I dont have much experience with the XN10, but the R8 is crazy.

My old shop had a lot of breakage problems with the ones they got last year.

[DarkStar50 679]

Chadd,

When my shop had XN10's they sold ok. There was no buzz going on at the time as a must have OPS.

[Chadd 916]

Chadd,

When my shop had XN10's they sold ok. There was no buzz going on at the time as a must have OPS.

Nope, no buzz at all. The people that used them, loved them but there was not much demand. Most shops wouldn't carry them and TPS was never really in demand other than the original Response.

[DarkStar50 679]

Back then, I had the Response Rubber Grip OPS with a Morrow blade. That was Lidstrom. I liked that OPS a lot. It lasted about 9 months and took a lot of abuse as I play defence.

[TBLfan 25]

Being the person that initiated the topic in the other thread here are my thoughts:

The TFlex turned into the Synergy OPS. The 2nd-gen Synergy OPS did feel a little more balanced than the TFlex did but as far as I know the only difference was the coating on the stick and a fused blade. The SL is where Easton hit a homerun as far as performance, the SE feels exactly like the SL but with a more durable heel to the blade. The SE16 feels like they tried to bring it closer to the ST.

The 05 Stealth actually felt like a SL but different, I can't really describe it other than it feels more solid than the SL/SE and it feels different when you shooting/passing etc. The CNT was fantastic. The shaft shape was big and concave, it kicked like a horse and the blade is also stiffer than the 05 Stealth. The S17 felt completely different, in the hands it feels fantastic. Great balance, stiff blade but it didn't perform like anything special in comparison. If it wasn't for the weight of the stick I'd think I was using an original Synergy. My only experience with the S19 is in-store, the blade isn't stiff enough for me to waste money on. With past experience I know that I don't like sticks with blades that feel that soft in-store, I will have torquing issues as time goes on.

This is where my issue with Easton is. I wish they would improve on what they got right AND mend issues the product has. Why seemingly focus on one and ignore the other? We know there was an issue with the SL blade, so Easton re-released the stick with new graphics and strengthened the heel, enter the SE. So the SE apparently wasn't durable enough, so just slap on some weight and make it more durable, Ugh. Now the stick feels a little blade heavy, so lets add weights to the end plug.

Bauer's XXXlite wasn't very good, in my opinion. The XXXX took the XXXlite and did what Easton did to the SE, tried to make it more durable. The X:60 on the other hand feels more like the grandchild of the 05 Stealth. The one95 feels like where I imagined the Synergy line was going. To me it seems like Bauer is making Easton sticks better than Easton is and that is rather frustrating since Easton should have already raised that bar way out of Bauer's reach.

I can understand TPS's issue with the XN10; lack of exposure, not enough margin and limited sales... but how does the king of the industry justify letting a major player like Bauer make a move for their throne? Especially at a point where a new player came in and took the industry by storm with flamboyant advertising, catering to the pro demographic and lots of financial support to lure pro, amateur and rec athletes.