Easton Synergy EQ50

[habsfreak13 0]

Easton Synergy EQ50

85 flex, Hall/Sakic curve

Non-grip

Time used: 2 months

Appearance: I love the look of the carbon fibers through the paint. Nice classy look. Nothing crazy, but looks good. Don't think black suits the Synergy sticks though. 9/10

Weight and Balance: Without the end plug, this stick feels way too heavy to be high end. Put the end plug in with all 4 inserts, and it feels insanely blade light. Incredible what 20 grams can do to the feel of a stick. 10/10

Blade: Now, the visible weights had me worried for a bit as I wasnt sure how it would last. As of now it's still in place and you can really feel the FWT benefits. Very easy to receive passes, nice soft feel, players coming from wood sticks may like this a lot. Weights also prevent blade from distorting when shooting, which is very important to me. Really the perfect blade for my preferences. 10/10

Shaft/Flex: Now, I'm not a huge fan of the shaft dimensions. I wish they had something similar to the warrior dolomite shaft. It feels a bit to boxy for me, but it's great for those hard clappers. The flex itself it great for me. I'm a wrist shot guy, but i takes loads of one-timers as well, so the mid-low kickpoint is perfect for me. 8/10

Shooting: This stick delivers awesome power on all shots. My wristers were more powerful and the rigid blade maintained accuracy. And slapshots are absolutely deadly with this stick. Even better than the Total One to me. Would like to see a Gionta-like curve in the easton line. 9/10

Stickhandling: This stick is just like Easton calls it, a control freak. The blade light feel makes it feel like your ideal composite stick and the blade has that soft feel so you can keep you head up with the puck. Perfect. 10/10

Durability: Will keep you posted, as of now, looks fine, the usual love marks here and there. 7.5/10

Conclusion: This stick is really a great product. Stickhandling is great, shot's are powerful, and the flex is just right. The only reason it's back-up to my Dolomite is the lack of a Gionta-like curve. It matches my style of play quite nicely and the I ca honestly say I dont think the end cap is a gimmick. It totally changes the performance of the stick. Without the weights, it feels way too blade heavy. This stick improves the SE16 in ways I didnt think was possible. Just get rid of the ugly weights at the blade, and it's a great looking stick too.

Overall 9/10

[the_sock 1]

Easton Synergy EQ50 Clear

Flex: 75

Curve: Hall

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 222 pounds

Position: Left Defense

Time used: Since April 2011

Flex: fairly soft, used an ST and T90 in 75 and I find that it's mid ranged between the two. Shaft stiffness has gone down to the point that it has lost its pop (but I have been using a stick that is too soft for me). Blade has kept it's stiffness in the life, softer than the ST. In order to stiffen the shaft I cut it down to accommodate a 4" Bauer Vapor composite extension which should make it about a 80 flex.

8/10

Feel: great feeling stick, never got to try out the SE16. Good puck feel, great at taking passes, never bounced off the blade. My issue with losing the puck when starting a rush from my end with the CL never really happened. The weights do work as advertised as far as I can tell. Shooting isn't the best, very "mushy" feel, blade flexes a lot so I didn't really have an accurate shot. Sub part slap shots, okay snap shot, good wrist shot. Shaft is squared corners with straight wall shaft.

9/10

Balance: this stick with the adjustable weights in the butt end allows you to customize the balance point. I found with 3 weights in it was the best for me, making the stick balanced once I added the tape and wax on the blade. Technically this stick will always be perfect by changing the weights so hard to judge score, but I like the idea.

10/10

Aesthetics: I like a clean look and this is the best. Simple logo and model on the stick. Having the visible weights in the blade gives the stick a bit of a "bionic" look to it, ups the coolness factor a bit. Heard some people's weights have popped out, mine has cracked the surface around the weights so this is a big issue.

8/10

Durability: Kevlar in the shaft helps with chips and impacts in the shaft. The blade has been fairly durable, big chips in the toe due to digging out the puck but not deep enough to damage the blade. There is a crack around the hosel area around the fuse point, but that seems to be only on the surface. Hacked and slashed my way through summer leagues and it's held up.

9/10

Overall: Great feeling stick, understand why many NHLers liked the SE16. Good for the puck handler/passer, not so much for the shooter. Mid flex with a soft blade won't put a zip in the puck when shot. Butt end plug is prone to cracking and breaking so protect it with a layer of tape.

[bg9 12]

Easton Synergy EQ50

85 flex Sakic Clear

75 flex Iginla Grip

Time used: 16 months (I've had 2 in that time)

Appearance:

I like the look of this stick, when compared to the new direction Easton is heading in. It's a classic look in my mind. I like the black/grey with the red/white graphics. I don't really care for the visible weights, I was just fine with my SE16 when I couldn't see them.

8/10

Weight and Balance:

The overall weight is fine, maybe a touch heavier than an SE16. The ability to adjust the balance point is a great feature that I'm sort of surprised no one else has picked up on. I've found that playing with 2-3 weights works well for me, 2 gave me what I would consider a perfectly balanced stick, 3 made it slightly blade-light, which I sometimes prefer. This ability to have a really blade-heavy stick (0 weights) or a really blade-light stick (4 weights) really made this feel like a custom-made stick, especially if you cut your sticks.

10/10

Blade:

The blade has retained it's initial stiffness even after more than year of use. My first EQ50 finally snapped at the hosel, where a lot of sticks seem to break. By the end of my first stick, the toe of the blade was beginning to chip a bit, but nothing drastic. I think the durability and stiffness of the blade was an improvement over the SE16.

One of the criticisms that I see often is the visible weights. I admit, they really do look ugly, but as far as durability goes, there is no issues to report. The weights never came lose or gave me any trouble. Once the stick was taped up, I never even saw them, and after a period or 2, I totally forgot they were even there. If you have reservations about this stick because of the visible weights, I can understand, but I will tell you, it won't be a problem.

9/10

Shaft/Flex:

The shaft and flex profile felt very similar to the SE16. The kick-point is not the lowest, but it's still quite low. I prefer these shaft dimensions and the slightly concave shaft walls over extremely boxy shafts (Easton ST) or really round shafts (Easton S19). Nothing really new or special about the shaft or the flex. I felt the sticks played true to Easton flexes, having used an 85 and a 75, they are perhaps a bit softer than a Bauer of similar rating, but I have found that across the board with all Easton sticks.

9/10

Shooting:

I felt very confident with this stick. I felt the stick played and performed as well as any Easton stick I've owned. I am probably a little biased because I came from using the SE16, and before that the SE, so I have been shooting with the Synergy line of Easton sticks for a while now. I didn't have to adjust my shot at all for this stick. The release was quick and accurate with every type of shot. If you were comfortable with the SE16, you will be right at home with the EQ50.

10/10

Stickhandling:

This is the main reason I have stuck with Easton sticks. The puck feel with an EQ50 is exceptional, the only stick I've ever used that I would say was better was the Bauer ONE95. The EQ50 might be an improvement over the SE16 in regards to stick handling, but I would attribute that to the ability to customize the balance point more than anything else. Personally, I feel when the stick is slightly more blade-light, I had better puck feel, because I could feel the weight of the puck on my stick a bit more. There was a big dynamic in blade-weight with the puck on my stick vs. off. Until someone can make a stick with puck feel like the ONE95, no one is getting a 10/10.

9/10

Durability:

This stick last longer than my SE16's did. I think the kevlar wrap really improved the durability of the stick. Usually, when an SE16 would break on me, it was because it had previously been stepped on or kicked with a skate. That would put a gash in the carbon fibre, and weaken it a bit. And that is usually where it would break in the next week or 2. I didn't notice any of these gashes in my EQ50s. The paint chipped away near the hosel of my first stick, exposing the carbon fibre, and eventually, that's where it broke on a one-timer. But it did last a year of playing several times a week, even through the summer. Durability is not a problem for this stick.

10/10

Conclusion:

I am surprised I don't see more of these sticks in my league, given the popularity of the SE16. I bet if Easton could hop in a time machine, they wouldn't have the visible weights in the blade. This is a great stick, and you will likely start to find deals on these now that the Mako line replacing the Synergy line. Don't let the visible weights deter you from this stick, even though they are gimmicky. The ability to customize the balance of this stick is really something you will have fun with.

Overall 65/70