AIREAYE 248 Report post Posted January 12, 2012 A question for those of you who have/had kids who were/are at this borderline between a Junior or Youth stick : are there any preferences between them that would have you choose one size over the other for your child?And for shop owners/workers : are there some guidelines/ RoTs that you guys use?I think that it's based on a case-by-case basis and for as long as I've had to help parents with this decision, I've encountered this situation countless times and I was wondering if there was another way to go about it. Generally for the most part, if a kid has a pretty decent shot, I'd recommend youth for the softer flex, but if a kid has a poor shot/beginner, then I reason that they would not be able to take as much out of a softer flex as others. In this latter case, I would better consider Junior due to the longer blade for puck control (some parents have specifically requested the thicker shaft/longer blade regardless).edit : another thing that could be considered is whether or not the kid will grow out of a youth stick soon as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chadd 916 Report post Posted January 12, 2012 I always suggested sticking with junior until the kid was too tall to use them, unless they were playing in a league with a lot of stick work or they were powering through the flex when shooting. Since my shop was at a rink, it was a lot easier for me to see the kid shoot and help make that decision. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JR Boucicaut 3805 Report post Posted January 12, 2012 Hand size.Miken is addressing the whole jr/yth dilemma with their Accuflex stick program. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goblue9280 33 Report post Posted January 12, 2012 First stick I got my mite when he started (at age 4) was a cut down wood junior stick (big box sports store didn't have youth). The main issue as JR pointed out was hand size... the junior was just too big.I switched him quickly over to a youth stick, and stuck with that until a month or so ago when he turned 8. My primary reason for the switch was he was breaking the youth sticks after a couple of months. After going through around 4-5 sticks in the past year (a mission, a couple bauers and a couple eastons) all of which fell apart near the heel of the blade, I bought him a junior stick (2-piece). From a flex standpoint, I think he would be better off with a youth stick, but I really don't think it offers that much of an advantage. There are also advantages to a junior stick over a youth... for one, you have lie options that you don't have with youth sticks. Additionally, you have the option of a 2-piece stick, which I like because for my kid, the shaft will far outlast the blade. My opinion, when the hands are big enough, go to a junior. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chadd 916 Report post Posted January 12, 2012 Hand size.Miken is addressing the whole jr/yth dilemma with their Accuflex stick program.That is a great concept, I really hope it pans out for them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AIREAYE 248 Report post Posted January 12, 2012 First stick I got my mite when he started (at age 4) was a cut down wood junior stick (big box sports store didn't have youth). The main issue as JR pointed out was hand size... the junior was just too big.I switched him quickly over to a youth stick, and stuck with that until a month or so ago when he turned 8. My primary reason for the switch was he was breaking the youth sticks after a couple of months. After going through around 4-5 sticks in the past year (a mission, a couple bauers and a couple eastons) all of which fell apart near the heel of the blade, I bought him a junior stick (2-piece).From a flex standpoint, I think he would be better off with a youth stick, but I really don't think it offers that much of an advantage. There are also advantages to a junior stick over a youth... for one, you have lie options that you don't have with youth sticks. Additionally, you have the option of a 2-piece stick, which I like because for my kid, the shaft will far outlast the blade. My opinion, when the hands are big enough, go to a junior.Absolutely great point regarding the 2 piece setup. IMO in junior, I like 2 piece setups better than 1 due to the ability to switch blades. I put my brother in a 2piece AK27 JR shaft with an Easotn Ultralite blade.Hand size.Miken is addressing the whole jr/yth dilemma with their Accuflex stick program.Regarding hand size, what would be the indicator for the right fit? For when their fingers skim their palms when they hold it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gclarke11 0 Report post Posted January 13, 2012 I just switched my 7 yr old back to a youth from a junior stick. He seems to be repsonding greatly. His ability seems to be benefiting as he's rolling his wrists with greater ease and loves handling the puck again. Seems to sit better in his hands and makes me happy to see him start truly loving playing the game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
z71 0 Report post Posted January 13, 2012 My 9 year old is still using a youth stick, but he's started practicing with a junior stick. Many kids use sticks that are to big for them and I don't understand it. Everyone things a hand me down will work I guess. As its been said, hand size is the key. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
interpathway 9 Report post Posted January 13, 2012 @AIREAYE If Miken follows through with the golf world's recommendations (which I assume they will), proper shaft size will have the tips of your fingers skimming the palm of your hand when you hold the shaft. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JR Boucicaut 3805 Report post Posted January 13, 2012 It's moreso the flex with them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SolarWind 23 Report post Posted January 13, 2012 I switched my son from youth to a jr around when he hit 9, but he's been playing for almost 5 years now.the biggest reason whas the quality of the stick: youth sticks to the most part are really flimsy especially in the blade with very few exceptions (like warrior dolos) which makes any decent stick work & receiving passess very difficult.Just try it yourself - I was loosing the puck often due to the flex of the blade, not to mention the feel is pretty bad since technologies used in youth stick aren't comparable to what's in jr/sr models.other then that hand size, body size & of course the overall skill level would all be the criteria.my dilemma now is different: so many curves to pick, deciding between open/closed curves is tough... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AIREAYE 248 Report post Posted January 13, 2012 @AIREAYE If Miken follows through with the golf world's recommendations (which I assume they will), proper shaft size will have the tips of your fingers skimming the palm of your hand when you hold the shaft.I see, but it would be great for my area if FGL would bite the bullet and buy something new and innovative like the Accuflex. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ahbroody 1 Report post Posted January 18, 2012 JR or anyone else would you know how the Diamater of the Miken Shaft compares to the Youth Reebok and Youth Easton. No one out here carries their stuff.While I prefer the diamater of the shaft on the Reebok/CCM to the Easton and Bauer for my boy, the blades dont hold up nearly as well as the Easton S19/RS. Not that they hold up all that well either if the kid uses his stick to dig in corners etc. I think he handles better with the Reeboks then Eastons. He needs a new stick and I cant figure out if its worth it to spring on the Miken. It really seems like they are doing the right things, but I worry the shaft will be to big and clumsy for him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jdksaves 56 Report post Posted January 18, 2012 JR or anyone else would you know how the Diamater of the Miken Shaft compares to the Youth Reebok and Youth Easton. No one out here carries their stuff.While I prefer the diamater of the shaft on the Reebok/CCM to the Easton and Bauer for my boy, the blades dont hold up nearly as well as the Easton S19/RS. Not that they hold up all that well either if the kid uses his stick to dig in corners etc. I think he handles better with the Reeboks then Eastons. He needs a new stick and I cant figure out if its worth it to spring on the Miken. It really seems like they are doing the right things, but I worry the shaft will be to big and clumsy for him.our Accuflex shafts are not as skinny as the majority of youth sticks out there, but with the rounded edges it is not as thick as the majority of Junior shaft dimensions, But we will have junior blades so there is a curve to it and the younger players can start developing their shots with a full blade. Hope that answers your question. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
leer2006 2 Report post Posted January 21, 2012 My son is just turning 12. I have bought him countless stick's through the last few years and a few years ago the only company to offer any type of selection for JR flexes was TPS which had a JR WHIP FLEX (32). While all the other brands only offered 50 flex. My son up untill the last year couldn't flex a regular junior flex(50) and not all 50's are the same. He has since used the CCM u+cl in a 40 flex(which he loved), the warrior widow in a 40flex(which he loved even more) and now he has a Easton Stealth RS 50 flex which is just as whippy as the other 2 plus this thing weighs next to nothing. He has also had a Bauer X60 52flex and couldn't flex it at all(bauer now offers a lower flex in their line up this year for juniors). Having a compisite stick you can't flex means the stick isn't performing the way it should. I'm glad that the major brands are recognising this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ahbroody 1 Report post Posted January 22, 2012 our Accuflex shafts are not as skinny as the majority of youth sticks out there, but with the rounded edges it is not as thick as the majority of Junior shaft dimensions, But we will have junior blades so there is a curve to it and the younger players can start developing their shots with a full blade. Hope that answers your question.Can you list the dimensions?The stick sounds interesting, I am just concearned the stick might be too thick. He is using a S19 primarily right nows it is a boxy shaft which I dont think helps him, but his best friend has one so..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tread42 0 Report post Posted January 22, 2012 First to the OP great thread. Second, interesting to note that the primary reason of change from JR to YTH is the hand size of player. I believe that is the consensus of the posts above. My question is does size of player/strength have any factor into the selection process? I have an avg size 8 soon to be 9 year old but his hands are small. However as one poster mentioned he keeps splitting YTH sticks right at the heel. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ahbroody 1 Report post Posted February 14, 2012 Figured I would bump this. Ordered the Miken youth accuflex 42 inch 30 flex for my son today from TH. Nobody local had it and seemed uninterested in obtaining one. Will post pics once it arrives and give impressions. Hope it lasts longer than other youth sticksTread hes splitting them there because they all split there. My kids 6 and can do the same fairly quickly with the reebok/ccm sherwood style sticks. Eastons last a little longer but still fail. Its not his size or strength its the crap stick construction. Hand size is a huge factor and why I debated the Miken so much. Kid only wears 9 inch gloves so we will see how this plays out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goblue9280 33 Report post Posted February 14, 2012 its the crap stick construction.That's what kills me. I'd buy a youth stick at double the price if the construction was solid. Unfortunately, the industry has settled into each company making only one option at the youth level, and all at the same price point ~$60. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ahbroody 1 Report post Posted February 15, 2012 I mentioned above that the S19 and RS from Easton are actually made better. EQ50 was crap version. The Bauer is made a little better also, but not as good as eastons. The Reebok/CCM and Sherwood Louisville are the cheapest made. Their upside is the small shaft. The Eastons and to some extent Bauer will last longer. You also have to account for the kids style of play. My sons friend has had an S19 for twice as long as his and its still going. Hes not a very aggressive player though.I will say if the Miken degrades just as fast as the others I will be extremely dissapointed. Given what was said and how the website sells it, they should hold up like an adult stick. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SolarWind 23 Report post Posted February 16, 2012 I mentioned above that the S19 and RS from Easton are actually made better. EQ50 was crap version. The Bauer is made a little better also, but not as good as eastons. The Reebok/CCM and Sherwood Louisville are the cheapest made. I agree: youth sticks in general are flimsy & cheaply made, but some are better then others.from my experience Warrior is one of (if not the) best out there: solid + the blade actually has some feel to it unlike RBK & Bauers - these look & feel just thin pieces of plastic that bends easily Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Machinehead2k5 32 Report post Posted February 16, 2012 I use a jr. rbk 6k stick...and I haven't had any breakage issues. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ahbroody 1 Report post Posted February 29, 2012 Got the Miken. I am sad. While it is a quality stick it really has the weight and feel of more of a jr stick.It weighs noticeably more then the Easton S19 he was using and the shaft is bigger he really wanted to use it though so I let him. He seemed to stickhandle about as good as with the S19. The curve is impressive. Its a solid stick. The flex rating is questionable. The 30 flex seems identical to eastons 40 flex. I think it will outlast any youth stick, but have trouble seeing how anyone below age 8 should use this stick. Unless the 7 year old has unusually big hands. Keep in mind the S19 shaft is a fair amount bigger then the reebok/ccm youth sticks. Its a little bigger then the Bauer stick as well. Yhe miken is bigger and heavier then the Easton which was the biggest. Will post up some pics I took. In case anyones wondering about the eastons bizzare tape job, it is for garage use now and has blade tape. The blade had to be taped up because it split at bottom and toe is fugged up also. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dc00 0 Report post Posted February 29, 2012 Thanks for the review. My son is 9, 4'5" and 65 lbs. I suspect the 42" Miken with 30 flex is just a bit too short for him. So I ordered a 35 flex instead. Will have to cut an inch or two. Hope it won't make it too stiff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites