Miken Razor Z9 - sickwilly

[JR Boucicaut 3799]

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[sickwilly 37]

First, I'd like to thank the folks at Miken Hockey, JR and the mods for the opportunity to review the Miken Razor Z9.

A little about me- I'm 40. 6'1" and about 230-235. I generally play center or wing. At this point, I play shinny and beer league, with some tournaments mixed in. I've played college, tier II juniors, and senior hockey in Canada "back in the day". Please feel free to PM me directly with any questions or things you'd like to see addressed in my review. I'll do my best to answer any questions.

My first impressions of the stick are pretty limited, as FedEx crushed the stick and box during shipping. I figured that the stick was broken as soon as I saw the box on my doorstep. I think it's important to mention that after I contacted JR, the staff at Miken was quick to get in touch with me. They even apologized for the inconvenience (when they had done nothing wrong). They told me that they'd get another stick on its way to me quickly. No hassle at all. Great customer service so far.

I did handle it a bit, even though it was broken. I'll certainly go into more detail when I have the replacement. It felt light and well-balanced, as I would expect a top of the line stick to be. I'm no weight junkie, but it felt pretty similar to the other top end sticks I'm currently using. To me, a balanced feel is a lot more important than weight, anyway. In terms of weight, shaft shape and balance, it felt pretty similar to my Dolomite 2 piece setup (which I like). The BP10 pattern looked very similar to the P92s and Drapers I have been using. I also liked the fact that the appearance isn't too loud - The upper part of the shaft is black and the lower part is white. There are subtle orange accents in the lettering. I know it's all pp, but I'm not a big fan of sticks that have a lot of bright colors or excessive graphics.

At some point, I'm thinking that I may compare it side-by-side to the sticks that I currently have in my rotation (mostly top end, 2-piece tapered setups). Anyway, my first impression is good. I'm anxious to get the replacement out on the ice to see how it performs.

[sickwilly 37]

The folks at Miken already sent a replacement stick to me. I continue to be very impressed by their customer service. I won't have a chance to use it until the weekend, though. I can add that the 100 flex feels accurately rated. I haven't cut it or game prepped it yet.

After another look, the graphics kind of reminded me of the third jerseys the Flyers used starting around '02-03 (Not 100% sure on the date - the ones with the silver trim). Again, the stick feels like it's in the same weight class as other top end sticks. The balance (untaped) feels awesome. Next update should be this weekend, once I've gotten it out on the ice. The shaft shape and corners feel a little smaller than some sticks, with fairly rounded corners. Perfect for my tastes. I ordered the non-grip version.

The BP10 pattern is very, very close to the retail Draper (Warrior lie 5). The Miken BP10 has a slightly deeper curve and appears to be just a tiny bit more open. The differences in the blades are very subtle. I probably won't notice much, if any difference on the ice. If you're interested in a Miken stick and prefer the Sakic/Draper style curves, I'd suggest the BP10 pattern.

[sickwilly 37]

I finally got a chance to use the Razor Z9. I used it for about an hour of shinny (which is when I get to do the most shooting and play against some pretty solid players).

I don't have the stick cut to the right length yet, so that threw me off a bit. The lie on the BP10 pattern felt lower than the p92s I have been using. The stick also felt about 1/2 to 1 inch too short, even though I cut it to the same length as the (p92) stick I had been using. I'm pretty fussy about these things, though. The difference in the curves felt bigger than I thought it would after inspecting the stick. It will take me a few skates to get it dialed in and adjust to the subtle differences. While the BP10 pattern looks pretty close to the Sakic clones, it almost feels like it's somewhere between the Sakic clones and the Pro Stock Malkin pattern (on a One90-low lie, deep mid curve with a pretty closed face - awesome for shot power and toe drags). To me, the BP10 felt like a little deeper curve with a slightly lower lie than Drapers and p92s

On the plus side, the balance of the Miken is among the best, or even the best of any stick that I've used. It feels almost like it isn't there, and I have been using light, high end 2 piece setups for a while now. The stick kicks hard. It's right there with most of the other high end stuff I've tried lately. I'll need to adjust to the pattern before really being able to tell how it compares to the other stuff I've used. The stick was nice enough and close enough to what I've used so that I stuck with it the whole time. I definitely mishandled the puck a few times on things that are usually automatic, but that was because I wasn't used to the pattern/operator error.

The Miken definitely does the job well for both wrist shots and slap shots. I'm excited to see how it works when I have it dialed in.

Unfortunately, I think that the white finish on the lower part of the stick isn't going to work well. The stick looks like it has been used way more than it has. I used it for one hour of shinny. It looks like I've had it for weeks. The finish on the lower part of the shaft seems to chip easily. It seems similar to what happened with my RLXN10s, or even a little worse. The stick also has a fairly deep chunk out of it. I don't recall anything unusual happening. I'm worried about how much abuse the Razor Z9 it will take before breaking (especially if it looks like that after an hour of shinny).

All in all, I liked a lot of things about the Razor Z9. I hope that the issues with the lower shaft wind up being purely cosmetic and that the stick lasts for a long time. I could tell that I will really like the way it performs once I get it to the perfect length and use it a few more times.

[sickwilly 37]

I got to use the Razor Z9 again tonight. It was in a shinny game with some pretty good players on each side. There was very little hacking. The stick took virtually no abuse tonight and looks the same as it did after the first skate. I put wooden butt end in to lengthen it about 1/3 or 1/2 an inch of so, and it felt a lot more "familiar" to me this time around.

I didn't get the chance to really wind up, but it was fantastic on wristers and snappers. I liked the feel a lot. I am partial to the slightly smaller shaft size, even though I have decent-sized hands. I was very pleased with the feel. It felt "right" making and catching passes (even difficult ones on the backhand).

I'm still pulling some of my shots because of the deeper curve and lower lie than I'm used to with Sakic clones/Drapers. It's not an issue with the stick, but it could be a concern for someone looking for a spot-on Sakic clone.

The balance continues to impress me, the kick is great too. I give the performance of the Miken Razor Z9 high marks so far, as long as the durability turns out to be good. If I bought the stick on my own, I would have epoxied the chips on the lower shaft and sprayed the lower part black. I won't, because I think that would defeat part of the purpose of the review, especially when talking about durability.

I would continue to use this stick as my first stick even if I hadn't agreed to as a part of the review. I like it that much, so far. I let one of my friends try it for a couple of shifts. As I took my (barely used) Dolo 2 piece setup out there (in a similar pattern/flex), I found myself wishing that I had the Miken back. It felt a lot better to me in terms of weight and balance. I don't think that the Dolo was necessarily much heavier, but the Miken felt better balanced and seemed to have better feel for the puck.

[sickwilly 37]

I got another chance to use the Razor Z9 tonight. I continue to be very impressed with the feel, balance and performance of the stick. I was able to really let a few fly tonight (I don't like to take slapshots with anyone in the way, or against a weak goaltender, so I pick my spots). I was very impressed with the kick of the Z9 on slapshots (and all shots, really). The aim was right on. I've really only bombed a few with it, but it kicks similarly to my one95 tapered shaft. I used my one95 tapered shaft (top end pro stock Bauer Blade) for a couple of shifts just to compare. I preferred the feel and balance of the Miken. No new concerns with durability, even though it took a few bad hacks. I can't say that I've been able to take enough slapsots with the Z9 to tell you which of my sticks kicks the hardest. The Miken is right up there with anything I've used. The stick just feels "right" in my hands and performs like I'd expect a top end stick to perform.

When I started the review, I suspected that I'd use The Razor Z9 it for a while for the purpose of the review, then wind up going back to my current favorite sticks (TPS R9XN10 shaft/pro stock Bauer blade, One95 tapered shaft/Bauer Pro Stock Blade and RLXN10/One95 combos). I'm going to wind up keeping the Miken as my primary stick.

[sickwilly 37]

This stick is awesome. I haven't been bothering taking a few shifts with my others (something I do most games/shinny times just to mess around). My friends that have tried it have been impressed. The blade is still solid after several uses (2 times a week most of the time). On the durability front, there's nothing major to report. It seems like it took a few dings early on, then stayed about the same. No loss of pop or softening of the blade. I'm going to put a different end plug in to try to add maybe 1/2 an inch or so to get it "perfect".

[sickwilly 37]

I've used the Miken a few more times since the last post. I lengthened the stick by about 1/2 inch and now it feels dead-on. The balance and feel are great. I don't really notice a difference with the short wooden plug in there. I'm less concerned about the durability than I was initially. I'm still very, very happy with this stick and would be using it as my #1 stick, even if I wasn't reviewing it. The kick is in the same ballpark as my other top-end sticks. I still haven't had the chance to take enough slappers to tell which of my sticks kicks the hardest. I take mostly wristers, and the Miken helps me put a lot of pop on them.

[sickwilly 37]

I've used the Miken a few more times and still love it. It is one of the best sticks I have ever used (if not the best). I got stuck back on D tonight and wound up blocking a few shots with it. The stick is no worse for wear. I'm less concerned about the durability than I was at first. I have not noticed any loss of kick or blade stiffness.

One thing I noticed was that the BP10 pattern (which I ordered thinking it would be the closest thing to the Sakic clones I had been using) is actually closer to a TPS Afinogenov than a Sakic, IMO. The lie is lower than the Sakic and the BP10 has a deeper curve. The BP10 is a bit more open than the Afinogenov. It's a pretty deep, nice curve. The BP10 pattern has a lot of rocker to it, which I really like (especially compared to the Afinogenov). It took a few skates, but I really like the BP10 pattern. I tried to make a setup that might be more similar to the curve to see if part of why I liked the Miken so much was the curve. (I used a new One95 tapered shaft with a high end TPS Afinogenov blade). I went back to the Miken after a couple of shifts. It just felt better to me. I will try to use the One95/TPS tapered setup a little more once I get it to just the right length, so that I can give a little more info about which stick kicks harder.

Other players who have tried it have liked it, and have been surprised by how light/well-balanced the stick is.

[sickwilly 37]

I'd like to thank the folks at Miken and also JR and the mods for the opportunity to review the Miken Razor Z9. Also, thanks to anyone who has taken the time to check out my review.

The stick broke tonight. I'm pretty bummed about it. All in all I got about 2 months of use out of it. I'm a 40 year old beer league player. It got the most use in shinny (more touches and chances to really wind up). I would qualify most of the use as being fairly low intensity in terms of wear, tear and opportunities for damage.

In terms of performance, the Razor Z9 is probably my favorite stick of all time. The balance was incredible, and I loved the feel of it. The kick was great, too.... at least as good as any top-end stick I've used. I like the somewhat smaller shaft profile, too. If someone else was paying for my sticks, I would choose the Miken Razor Z9 over anything (and do so without hesitation). It was like someone built the perfect stick for me and mailed it to me to demo. For the most part I used it for two hours of hockey per week. Lot of shooting, not a lot of hacking and almost no physical play.

I wound up getting a bit less durability out of the stick than I do most other OPS or top-end shaft/blade combos (what I generally use). I can't say that the break was the stick's fault. It broke on a slash. I don't think it was a vicious slash (it went uncalled and I had the puck in a scoring area). Ironically, it was broken during the first period of competitive hockey that I used it in (35+ tourney with good players in a bit of a rivalry game) I also noticed that it chipped and got banged-up a little more quickly than my other sticks have. I wasn't incredibly disappointed with the durability, but I also worried about it from the first skate. I would have worried less if I didn't love the performance of the stick.

All in all, I would still recommend the Miken Razor Z9 to anyone who's interested, as long as they knew that I had a bit less luck with durability than I generally have with other sticks/combos. Of course this is only based on one stick. My next one could have lasted for quite some time. When it becomes time for me to buy another stick, I will give the Miken Razor Z9 serious consideration (and leave it at home for tournaments where there will be more hacking).

Thanks again!