Going from a $60 Easton to a Warrior Kronik

[Centropolis 0]

I recently bought a clearance priced Warrior Kronik (2010 I think). I have been using a couple of entry level $60 sticks. In theory, I am upgrading by quite a bit. I just want to ask a few questions that I had.

1. Is it a myth that expensive sticks compromise durability with better performance? Or only on some?
   
2. I have had issues (and I blame mostly on my technique), with taking harder passes. The puck either skips over my stick or hit my blade and slips under. The Kronik’s blade has this dampening design. Will it help or should I not expect an expensive stick to ‘fix’ my bad technique?
   
3. I play in a non-competitive social league. Is a CDN$279 (original Canadian price) stick an overkill? I know this is a personal preference. I know that it’s not that hard to find a better stick when I am using a $60 but will I just see as much improvement on a $150 to $200 stick and not a $279 one?
   

[hockeymass 11]

I recently bought a clearance priced Warrior Kronik (2010 I think). I have been using a couple of entry level $60 sticks. In theory, I am upgrading by quite a bit. I just want to ask a few questions that I had.

1. Is it a myth that expensive sticks compromise durability with better performance? Or only on some?
   
2. I have had issues (and I blame mostly on my technique), with taking harder passes. The puck either skips over my stick or hit my blade and slips under. The Kronik’s blade has this dampening design. Will it help or should I not expect an expensive stick to ‘fix’ my bad technique?
   
3. I play in a non-competitive social league. Is a CDN$279 (original Canadian price) stick an overkill? I know this is a personal preference. I know that it’s not that hard to find a better stick when I am using a $60 but will I just see as much improvement on a $150 to $200 stick and not a $279 one?
   

1. It's a myth.

2. It will help a little, maybe, but it will not help you keep your stick on the ice.

3. It's just personal preference. I play rec, but I have an APX because I like the weight, balance and puckfeel. I do not think it makes me a significantly better hockey player than I would be if I were using a Vapor X3.0.

[AIREAYE 248]

hockeymass basically got it, though I'll add to #1 by saying that lower level sticks have more fiberglass, a generally more durable material at the expense of weight/performance. Though some higher end sticks were designed to optimize both performance and durability (Easton ST, CCM Crazy Strong).

[Biscuit+Sauce=Cele 0]

#1 It's not totally a myth. Top end sticks will break easier because they are built for performance. Although this is true, you are only looking at a couple month (maybe) difference in durability. It's all wacky to be honest with you. I still have sticks from 2007, 2008, and 2009 with a ton of pop and not a thing wrong. I had a Total one that snapped mid shaft after 2 months, and a Total One that has hung strong for 6 months plus. It truely is luck of the draw some times

#2 The spyne tech that Warrior came out with was, and is a joke. It never really did anything regardless of what they say. I had a couple of them and never noticed any difference. NOTHING WILL FIX BAD TECHNIQUE.

#3 Just like above it's all personal pref. I have went thru top end sticks and low end a like. My all time favorite stick is my '09 Kronik that I converted into a shaft once it broke...just love the feel. The player makes the stick, not the stick the player.