Combat Pure

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

Open

[cwc2134 1]

Product: Combat Pure Senior, 90 flex, HCR (Drury), RH

Ht: 5'8"

Wt: 210 lbs

Generally play center.

First, I want to thank JR, Combat, and MSH for allowing me and the rest of the LTR testers to actually do this.

From the Website

Weight 430 Grams

Length 60 Inch

Curves:

* MC Curve

* HCR Curve

* TC Curve

"The Combat PURE is molded in one piece from the top of the shaft to the toe of the blade. No joint, no glue, no extra weight, no compromised stiffness profile, just pure flexural energy and optimal weight distribution."

Initial Thoughts:

When I opened the box that came in the mail the first thing I noticed is that my name was on the stick. Good move by Combat even if its only a sticker label. Ascetically I think the stick looks really sharp. I like the black and white colors to keep it simple. The only other colors on the stick are gray and gold accents with the word PURE in silver. I normally black out the bottom of my sticks (all mental) and since the bottom third is black I don't feel the need to black out the bottom. Another thing I really like about the stick is that the carbon weave goes from the tip of the blade all the way to the top of the stick. I am not really sure is this is a mono-comp stick or not ( website says it is) but i think there is a spot where a blade could be fused but its not super apparent due to being covered by the carbon weave. Either way stick looks really good.

Technology:

As far as what is labeled on the stick, there are two things i noticed. First is the blade with its PRS or Perimeter Reinforcement System. My only guess the added strength to the outside of the blade just like the idea of putting tape on the bottom of the blade. Since I usually beat up blades pretty fast hopefully it will help. The second thing i found on the stick was the new HELIX technology. Not sure what that is so ill let one of the MODS comment on that. Compared to the 52Cal the Blade on the pure is thinner but not by a lot. The taper of the stick starts about about 2/3 thirds of the way down and gets pretty thin. Not sure if its as thin as the taper of the widow but it gets pretty thin compared to other sticks Ive used. The stick has rounded corners (Not as round as the Round version of the 52 cal) and a little concave to the walls of the shaft. Not sure if this will be offered in the Round or Square option that the 52 cal was offered in. Definitely not the lightest stick on the market but Ive never been real picky about weight.

I haven't used this stick yet but ill try to post within the next few days. For those of you who want to compare the 52cal to the Pure i will bring both to the rink and mess around with both and see if i can come up with some differences.

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Just wanted to let the readers know what sticks i have used in the recent past so everyone is aware of what im comparing the PURE to.

Easton: SE, S17, S19

Bauer: Vapor XX,XXX,XXXX,X60,One95,TotalOne(prostock)

Warrior: Dolomite,Macdaddy

Reebok: All pro stock 7V,7K,9O( green one with holes),11K

Combat: 52cal

Just played my first game with the new stick. To start with, The ice was awful(I live in Atlanta) and I am not completely used to the Drury curve, but the stick felt pretty good. Everything was crisp and all of my shots were rockets. To be honest we destroyed the team we played so I wasn't really trying very hard but when I got the puck the feel kind of felt somewhere in between an S19 and a Bauer One95. I like the blade a lot better than the older combat blades. I think the best thing i can say about the stick is I honestly didn't notice I was using a new stick. Most of the time when I switch sticks I can tell the entire game. I normally use an 85 flex stick with a Modano/PM9 curve, so this was a decent change going to a 90 flex Drury curve. As a side note, I normally play center so I take a lot of face off which should give a good gauge of durability.

For a first time use I was pretty happy with the performance of the stick. Ive used a lot of different sticks and this one has the potential to be a good one. Hopefully the next time I play I will get the chance to really test the stick.

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Got another chance to use the PURE this afternoon. So far the stick is holding up and still feels solid. The blade on the pure is pretty good. So far i haven't had any problems shooting the puck even with a change in curve. Usually I don't take slap shots but today I made it a point to take some for the point of the review. Overall I didn't feel the blade was twisting or bending to hinder my accuracy. The puck flew off the blade straight and with a decent amount of speed. When I take slap shots I don't feel like this stick is the most responsive Ive used, but its definitely up there with some of the good ones. With most sticks I tend to break down blades fairly quick and they become dead, crunchy, and twist. It is obviously not a long enough period of time to give a full comment on the durability of the PURE blade, but so far its still strong.

I really like the feel of the stick. I am not a fan of really "pingy" blades and this seems to be the complete opposite. The blade has a good sticky quality to it even when passes come really hard. The blade reminds me of a less stiff version of a supreme One95.

Next time i play i will take my 52cal out and compare the two.

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Just came back from the rink and wanted to post some quick thoughts. After using the Combat Pure for the past couple of skates Ive noticed two things. First, I have zero problem taking wrist or snap shots. The puck comes off pretty good and I feel like it goes where I want it to go, definitely on par with other top sticks Ive used. Second thing, Ive noticed the shaft doesn't have a ton of pop on most of my shots. Ive been using an Easton S19 for the past couple of weeks (before the PURE came in the mail) and Ive been able to shoot rockets with it. Now to be fair, I'm using a pro stock S19 and its probably not the same flex, but it is still a noticeable difference. This is not to say the PURE doesn't flex well or is inferior in any way, but anything other than shooting snap shots I struggle with. In terms of feel I almost don't feel like i know where the puck is on the blade and my passing has suffered(as with everything equipment related.... it might just be me). Again to be fair, I normally dont use a Drury curve (which I think is fantastic for shooting), so its a little unfair to completely judge the stick just yet. Just for the sake of durability, I took some one-timers after the skate just to test it out and the stick held up well.

Thats all for now.

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Just wanted to do a quick update. I haven't been at the rink for a while but i had a game tonight and got to use the PURE again. Blade is still holding up and haven't really had a lot of hacks or slashes so the shaft is still intact. I did let one of my friends try the stick out since he is an avid Drury curve user. He took a couple of shots and he was pretty impressed and said the stick felt good. Obviously this is subjective to personal preference but since he has used a bunch of different sticks i trust his judgement. That is all for now.

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Hey everyone, wanted to give a quick update. I finally got back to the rink after being super lazy for a while. I skated with my old college team tonight and I used the Pure for about half the practice.

Couple of quick things, first, the decal that Combat put on the side of the stick (that read "PURE") is falling off. Now to be fair I play center and I take a lot of face-offs. To make matters worse, when I take face-offs I am absolutely brutal to my sticks. I don't know what type of glue they use for the decal but, if a customer is paying over $100 (Since the 52 cal is listed online at HG for $170, Ill assume that the Pure will be as much or more) for a hockey stick I expect the stick to not fall apart aesthetically. Like I said before I am absolutely brutal to hockey sticks and I am fully aware that any stick I use it going to break down in terms of performance but I think it a little sad when the paint comes flying off after one use ( Easton SL and SE sticks come to mind). Now, the paint is not flying off the pure, but I feel like they could put a little bit more effort into making the decal either A) stay on or B) make it paint like everyone else and be done with it. I know this has absolutely no relevance to the performance of the stick but I think it is important because the some of the people who buy hockey equipment buy things based upon their look rather than their performance. Not everyone does this but my point is that if the company is going to put out a stick to the public that is supposed to be the top of the line it’s just not good business if it LOOKS like its falling apart. Sorry for the rant and time to move on.

Secondly, I want to talk a little bit more about the performance. During the skate tonight I decided to see how well I passed with the Pure. I know it sounds a little funny to say I focused on passing but since I have already given the stick a good test while shooting I figured this would be a good time to focus on a lot of passing. Two things I noticed about passing, first, most of my passes came off crisp and exactly where I wanted them. I use lower flex sticks so sometimes there can be a little lag when trying to pass but with the Pure it worked just fine. The second thing I noticed was that I could saucer pass without even putting effort into it. I am a fairly decent player and I have always had good passing skills but I felt like the pure made it easy to put the puck where I wanted it. I'm going to be honest and admit that I am still uncomfortable stick handling with this stick.

I took a couple more slappers tonight just to give it a go. I am not a big slap shot guy but I can bring some heat when given the chance. I have to admit I think Combat did a good job when constructing this blade. Typically when blades break down I tend to have problems with my control of my shots. Because of the choice of blade construction, I feel like a lot of sticks have the inherent problem of blades not being able to retain their rigidity during a shot. This may be due to internal cracks or just the overuse of the blade. Let be honest, it’s not going to last forever. That being said, I really leaned into a couple of shots and just like the last time I used the stick the puck came off hard and straight ( insert joke here..). While this is great for slap shot I am not so sure it’s what I would want for stick handling.

This may be a little bit unfair to Combat but I think the whole point of this review is to be honest and real. I sometimes feel like the pure is almost a little bit too harsh for stick handling. It is hard to explain but with other top end sticks I feel like the puck stays on my stick. The blade on the pure it still super solid (maybe to solid) and receives the puck very well but I just can’t seem to keep control of it. I find myself looking down, which is bad news when I play with my college buddies, and I just feel a little out of synch. I haven't really figured out what my problem is but I am going to blame most of it on the different curve because that seems like the thing to do, blame the tools (I think most of the problem is between my ears but we can stick with the curve for now). I will fess up and admit that I do switch back to my other sticks from time to time but it is not a knock on the pure at all, it’s just a comfort thing for me.

In my opinion Pure performs beautifully for a high end stick and it should definitely be considered whenever it comes out on the market. It would be unfair for me to sit here and say that it is not a good quality stick because if you have been following this review you will take note that I’ve given the stick an A rating in almost everything about it and the only problems I’ve had so far are most likely my own issues with stick handling and a giant paragraph rant about the glue that should or should not be used on the stick. If those are the only issues with a stick… sign me up.