Pro-stock Straight Oggie Grip

[malcb33 97]

Background: After reading the original MSH Oggie thread I was very interested in trying a pro-stock straight grip. When the opportunity came up to try one, I jumped on the chance to give it a shot. Joe asked me over email about my current grip and shooting style to figure out which flex, weight and feel might work best for me. Normally Joe asks a customer to send in a sample, so there was some guess work that had to be done on his side of things. Joe is able to make a mold from a sample to make an exact replica of your current grip/handle.

I'm really fussy when it comes down to the details of my stick. I've been using a TPS XN10 shaft with a weighted 3" wooden plug. I whittle it down (round off the edges and taper it off at the end). I also add urethane glue over white tape to give it a grip (similar to a Tackimac). I've been using this combo for quite some time and was a little nervous to change but at the same time excited to see how an Oggie would perform.

This is the grip Joe sent me

Installation: I set-up my stick with my Oggie in the evening before a game, which wasn't ideal for a first time, but since there was no shinny time I could make and I was excited to try the grip, I decided to give it a shot. I was in rush to get to the game, so I inserted the grip without using tape and it felt fairly snug. Unfortunately the grip came slightly loose about 15 minutes into the game, so I ended up switching sticks to finish the game. Before my next game I added a strip of tape and used a little more glue and it has been solid using it ever since. Just make sure you follow the simple instructions when inserting your grip and you should have no issues. 10/10

Weight/Balance: When I received my Oggie I noticed it was a little heavier than my normal weighted plug. This did change the balance point of the stick a little. The stick felt slightly more blade light now, which I prefer over my back-up with old style wooden plug. As I understand it Joe has options to change the weight of the pro grips to suit your personal preference, so it shouldn't be a problem whatever your preference is. 10/10

Grip: When making my grip, Joe asked my preference for the feel of the grip. I chose hard over the softer grip, as I wanted it to feel similar to my older plugs. The grip was also textured like powerflex tape, but was thicker in diameter than what I was used to. Personally I prefer a thinner handle and so I ended up sanding it down with heavy grit sand paper. The grip was now more smooth and slick compared to the powerflex-like texture, but I found the handle shape worked much better for me. Again my grip was done over email rather than a sample. I'm sure Joe would have nailed it, if I sent the sample in. 8/10

Flex: I'm using a regular (95) flex shaft and predominately take wrist and snapshots . The grip makes the stick feel slightly more flexible overall than my non Oggie stick. It's hard to estimate exactly how much flex it adds (in numbers) because it's more concentrated. It kind of feels like the Warrior dagger technology but obviously at the other end of the stick. 10/10

Durability: I've used the grip at least 20 times now and there has been no noticeable wear and it is as solid as when I got it. 10/10

Performance: First time out I did notice some added kick on my wrist shots, which was really nice. It kinda felt like a bigger sweet spot when loading the stick. However I don't know if it was the shape of the grip being different or just an adjustment thing, but I was a few inches off with most of my shots. The grip ended up coming loose so I only used it for the warm-up and 15 minutes of the game (see installation above).

Second time out was a game with a very short warm-up but I definitely still noticed the grip giving me a little extra pop on my wrist and snap shots. The one real noticeable shot I took was coming across the net left to right (RH shot) a foot or so above the top of the blue paint, and ripping the puck short side high. I felt the grip enhanced my shooting style but I still didn't feel all that comfortable due to the thickness and it felt clumsy in my hand. So I decided to sand it down close to what I had been using.

Since then I've had plenty of time to shoot around with it and really test it outside of a game situation too. In shinny I've really tried to dissect my shot and feel the difference between my stick with the Oggie grip and my other stick without (both sticks are the same length, blade and shaft). The Oggie feels like it adds slightly more zip to my shot, but where I have been really impressed with the grip was my release. My release is quicker and the grip was allowing me to get more torque/snap from my top hand. This is especially beneficial for me in close to the net where a quick shot is crucial. 10/10