Matted Blades on Bauer Sticks?

[jrbrown092 0]

I'm trying to figure out which stick to get next. It's going to be from the Vapor line from Bauer for sure, but my current stick, a Supreme One80, has a matted blade. When I look online for an X 6.0, it does not have a matted blade, but the 7.0 does. I do not want an APX because my skill level isn't deserving of one just yet, but I don't want a 7.0 because it hits the $200 price-point, and I'm not sure that I'm ready to shell out that much money for a stick just yet.

Now, as we get to the main point, my One80, as I said earlier, has a matted finish blade (not to be mistaken for the whole stick having a matted finish, just the blade portion). I like to tape my stick by not having tape on the heel for a few inches, and then continue to tape the whole blade. In other words, I leave tape off of the heel just a little bit to promote stickhandling, IMO. The stickhandling with the One80 is, surprisingly, good being a Supreme stick, and I believe part of that comes from the tape job. However, what I want to know is if the matted texture on the One80's blade helps that aspect, and if I went to a X 6.0, the clear coat on that stick's blade would cause my stickhandling to suffer. Should I spend the extra $60 to get a matted blade with the X 7.0, or would I be fine with a 6.0? Thanks.

[sharks25 9]

The matted blade shouldn't make a difference. A sandpaper like coating like on a Mako would make a difference, but not Matte paint.

[jrbrown092 0]

Makes sense. Just a cosmetic, marketing effect I presume with the matte finish?

[hyster110 3]

your way over thinking it bud, get the stick you like/want and then just play

[nisselrm 22]

All if the aspects you mentioned are entirely personal prefernce from a visual or cognitive perspective. As sharks mentioned above you should be more concerned with the construction/design of the stick/blade. You can give any stick a matte blade finish with spray paint, I do it myself for visual purposes. Your choice in taping style may help you better locate the puck and keep it in your chosen area of preference (toe, mid, heel). That being said I tape my entire blade and toe as I make use of the entirety of the blade depending on the application (heel-shooting, mid-puck handling, toe-reach/drags). All that being said find a stick that matches your financial and playing needs and then adapt that stick to your preferences.

[raganblink 82]

just throwing a wrench in here - why do you want Vapor over Supreme? What do/n't you like about the one80?

[jrbrown092 0]

I'm not saying I don't like the One80--it's a great stick, but I'm wondering if I would like a stick from the Vapor line better. Maybe I would find something easier with a Vapor line stick. Plus, I could use a good backup stick with the same curve for once, so I figured I really couldn't go wrong with having both sticks. Aside from that, it's all really a PP test.

[s_franchise 5]

Maybe it's just me but when I pick a back up stick I try to make the stick as close to my main stick as possible (flex, curve, flex point.) Less hesitation in switching when everything is basically a carbon copy. Vapor's have a pretty different feel to them then the supremes do. I can't switch back and forth without some adjustment period. You might want to see if a friend has a vapor for you to try before you spend money and regret it

[jrbrown092 0]

I don't know if I'm like that... usually all of the sticks seem fine to me feel-wise, but the thing I'm more worried about is the stick's flex and how it performs all around. Either that's me or I'm not as devout to having a certain stick for long (my One80 is fairly new; it replaced my Easton S15 a couple of months back). If I have a good all-around play with the stick and shots come off of the stick to my liking, it will suffice.

Besides, most of my friends aren't willing to let me borrow their Vapors, either because of how they value it or (more likely) the fact that most of my friends don't even use a Bauer stick at all.