Are Two Piece Stick Set ups dying?

[splitbtw 2]

If you have an idea of flex for a shaft, why not just buy blades online? Cheaper than buying a OPS with a pattern you don't like and a much better selection. If you want to support the LHS, ask them to order it.

OPS, shafts and blade selections are terrible in San Diego unless you make the drive to hockeymonkey or hockey giant.

[Zinger 0]

I live in Canada, so most online stores do not ship Bauer, Warrior, Reebok, Easton (All the good stuff basically) to Canada

[HockeySavants 5]

Is the weave like a big checkerboard pattern?

Yes it is.

At the top of the blade you can barely read "ONE95" imprinted like they do with pro stock sticks

[RussianDangler15 0]

Well that big checkerboard pattern sounds like textreme.

[mug25 2]

Used to see 2 piece setups all the time, that was when I played strictly inline but now I rarely see 2 pieces. It's almost all OPS. In fact, in the mens league I play in, I see more wood sticks than 2 piece setups.

[tareatingrat 4]

I would think manufacturers would want to get rid of the two-piece sticks, simply because it would make them more money when sticks break. I mean, I've gone through four blades over the time I've owned the shaft. Even at $80 a pop for the blades, and factoring in the cost of the shaft in the first place ($149) I've spend $470 on sticks. If I bought the comparable OPS every-time one broke, I'd be at nearly $720.

So take people who used to buy two-piece sticks when they were the next big thing and convert them all to OPS sticks, and manufacturers/retailers, I would have to assume, have increased their sales. And if we're talking low- to mid-range sticks, probably their margins.

And if that two-piece shaft lasts me through eight blades, well, then I've spent just about $800 and the equivalent OPS replacements would have cost me nearly $1450. So the longer the shaft lasts you, the more you save. Great for you, not so great for sales.

If we're talking price to performance ratio, then it's really a no-brainer--you're much better off with a two-piece. If you want pure performance, then it's going to cost you. However, you'd probably see a better ROI on taking your stick savings and sinking in into training and coaching.

This isn't to convince anyone that OPS sticks aren't worth it. I love the high-end sticks. I, even being able to actually afford to buy a new stick every month or so, simply can't justify the price:performance:durability.

But, as manufacturers would obviously like to increase their sales, and that most people don't really care what they use, OPS sticks are just easier to move.

[jazz4all 9]

and lots of kids just prefer ops because of impression in tapered (which mostly ops) = better stick, and also they want the lightest stick out there.

[innotastic 12]

some of my friend don't know what to actually do with a two piece.

the leading goal scorer on my beer league team thought thtat you just stuck the blade into the shaft (didnt know about glue and stuff) and was worried the blade would fall out in the middle of a game.

[Zinger 0]

@tareatingrat

Good post... Makes sense

[DarkStar50 679]

Blades and shafts are simple economics 101: Supply and demand. There is very little demand for them in the shop so I'm not going to tie up inventory $ on these items. We used to sell a lot of blades but that was long before OPS became dominant. Hell, we used to sell 3000 woodies a year too!! Now I'm lucky to sell 100 woodies. Guys that ask for comp replacement blades still cry about the $60 price tag. Shafts for $100 + also don't seem worth it to these guys. Demand is less and less every season.

[Zinger 0]

Do you expect companies to stop producing them eventually?

[Apes44 7]

Blades and shafts are simple economics 101: Supply and demand. There is very little demand for them in the shop so I'm not going to tie up inventory $ on these items. We used to sell a lot of blades but that was long before OPS became dominant. Hell, we used to sell 3000 woodies a year too!! Now I'm lucky to sell 100 woodies. Guys that ask for comp replacement blades still cry about the $60 price tag. Shafts for $100 + also don't seem worth it to these guys. Demand is less and less every season.

Thats the biggest problem (blade cost) for a 2 piece with me, (although i have the AK27 shaft as my backup) is the blade is still really expensive and until recently i couldnt find a blade i liked, so i got the $5 clearence wood blades and curved them myself. Great way to find a curve and still more cost effective. I think its the OPS you're getting a whole stick for the $200+ where a blade visually is very small for $60 that turns people off.

[theflash0000 0]

This is the reason I worship Harrow blades. They can be had for about $30 shipped with their coupon code. My only problem is they are tapered only and I really prefer standard shafts. If Harrow made standards, they would have a lot of my money.

[Stewie 721]

I dont break sticks very often, and when i do, its always been a wood stick, or a repairable crack on my blade somewhere. for me the only advantage would be if i were to want to try different curves, but then i would be paying 60 bucks a pop to keep it composite setup, or what i might try here is a composite/wood setup. another thing that helps me out, is that i put more stock into stick balance than weight, and can often find a good mid-mid high stick that performs for me just as well as my high end stick. this helps me a lot in the price/stick department.

I feel another huge reason why OPS are gaining even more popularity is simply in how they are marketed, people want the stick the pro's use, and its marketed like all these OPS are the ones the pros use, even if there are some that use 2 piece setups etc. If im 14 and see Datsyuk dangling through people aith an A.I. 9, then i want to do the same, with the same. Reebok doesnt even offer an A.I. 9 2 pc as far as i know

[tareatingrat 4]

Yeah, there's a ton of things going against buying a two-piece, but it's all in the marketing and in the perception.

Like the above post, it's hard to drop $60 (or $80 CDN) on a blade, when for $99 I can get two-one piece sticks on sale. Granted, the OPS will be much heavier and have terrible feel, but which looks like a better deal?

Blades and shafts are simple economics 101: Supply and demand. There is very little demand for them in the shop so I'm not going to tie up inventory $ on these items. We used to sell a lot of blades but that was long before OPS became dominant. Hell, we used to sell 3000 woodies a year too!! Now I'm lucky to sell 100 woodies. Guys that ask for comp replacement blades still cry about the $60 price tag. Shafts for $100 + also don't seem worth it to these guys. Demand is less and less every season.

Personally, I don't cry at the price of blades, because I've figured out what I'm saving over OPS sticks. The wife, on the other hand...she sees me getting a blade and asks why I don't go for the 2-for-$99 deal. I say it's the same reason she buys $25 hairspray at the salon instead of the $2.50 stuff at Walmart.

But, yeah, essentially they don't look like they're worth the cost.

I have no doubt that if you blindfolded someone, gave them a OPS and then the equivalent two-piece, that very few would be able to tell the difference.

[SnoJH 0]

I mostly use two piece stick for road hockey. I kept the same shaft for about 4 years now.

[jazz4all 9]

This is the reason I worship Harrow blades. They can be had for about $30 shipped with their coupon code. My only problem is they are tapered only and I really prefer standard shafts. If Harrow made standards, they would have a lot of my money.

i wish the same thing, too. :( i was all hype about harrow's durability and quality, until i knew that its only for tapered.

[Chadd 916]

With a tapered shaft you get the benefits of OPS/tapered technology with the price benefits of a two life. I can't imagine why people would stick with standard shafts. The people that insist on outdated technology prevent the industry from consolidating around one format. Doing so would make two piece sticks a better option for retailers and consumers.

[tareatingrat 4]

If manufacturers and retailers wanted to kill off the two-piece, why don't they just do it already (along with wood sticks)? People aren't going to stop playing hockey because they stopped making certain sticks.

I don't particularly like that scenario myself, but if they can make price-point sticks, why not just do what they did with VHS and say, no more?

[theflash0000 0]

With a tapered shaft you get the benefits of OPS/tapered technology with the price benefits of a two life. I can't imagine why people would stick with standard shafts. The people that insist on outdated technology prevent the industry from consolidating around one format. Doing so would make two piece sticks a better option for retailers and consumers.

Are there any tapered shafts on the market with a mid-kick point? That's why I've stuck with standard shafts for the most part.

[sickwilly 37]

@ Chadd (or anyone else who can answer) - Is there a certain style of player/shooter that might benefit more from the standard 2 piece setup vs a tapered 2 piece setup (for reasons other than PP)?

After some initial resistance (due to not knowing and concerns about a possible reduction of durability) I've grown to preferred tapered setups. Still love RLXN10s, Tricores and AK27s, though.

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

Nowadays' tapered shaft and blade combos are behind in performance; every top end stick on the market nowadays has an extreme/unconventional taper or isn't your typical fused construction. They are aligning more with the stick below top-end in terms of performance.

[Zinger 0]

I use both tapered and standard shafts. Best shaft I ever used was the One95! And I still love my AK and Easton ST.

Currently I'm using a dolomite and its great for quick writers but not so much for slaps. With AK I feel like I can just hack and dig in corners better.

Standard and tapered both serve a purpose.

[sickwilly 37]

I've seen/heard some glowing reports on the Widow (including Chadd's). Do the "unconventional tapers" truly add much in terms of performance? There was part of me that wondered if a big part of those tapers being used was to prevent guys from cutting OPS with more conventional tapers and using them as shafts (and reducing the number of new OPS they might use).

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

The Widow took me quite a bit of time to figure out how to shoot with it. It is that different.