Ugh, now what? :(

[scorer75 9]

I love hockey, never played formally growing up, but I play local leagues and I'm a good hockey player. Good enough that I get asked to join teams and when I decline, am quite often offered a free spot.

I've never used "expensive" sticks, just never really thought that at the level I play at, the advantage of a "good" stick was worth the extra money...

Last week I was at a rink I'm usually not at to ref a game. I come onto the ice at game time and the rink manager tells me that the other team didn't show and if they don't show in 15 minutes or so, it's a forfeit.

I'm already dressed, so I ask one of the guys close to my size if they have a stick I can borrow to shoot around with. He says sure, goes to his bench, and hands me a stick. I go to the empty end of the ice with a dozen pucks and start shooting. I don't take slap shots because I don't think it's courteous to borrow a stick and start cranking out slap shots, but I spend the next 60 minutes taking wrist shots, snap shots, and backhanders. The wrist shots and backhanders were really nice, but the snap shots, holy cow!!! The snap shots are popping off the stick like they were shot out of a cannon. I shoot pretty hard, but these were REALLY hard, and accurate. I mean I'm putting pucks off the posts that are shooting back out to center ice! And it wasn't an anomaly, I shot hundreds of pucks with this stick.

Turns out, the stick I borrowed was an Easton Stealth RS II. These things cost $250+. Now what do I do? I'm not about to drop that sort of coin on a stick, but on the other hand, I'm not sure my current sticks will ever satisfy me knowing how much more I can get out of a high end stick....

I'm almost sorry I used that stick, now what do I do???

[LearDriver 1]

So I guess ignorance really IS bliss!! I guess I'll never ask to borrow a higher-end stick!

Good luck with the decision. I don't think I could ever justify spending that much money on something that could break in the first game. Just takes dumb luck and a 250lb guy falling on it, etc. ...besides, my wife would kill me if I bought one anyway, lol.

[hunt3rsean 44]

Your best bet may be to find either a pro stock version or the previous years RS stick. Depending on how much blade pattern means to you one of these two ways is usually a money saver.

[yan 2]

Ugh, now that I've read your post, I'm tempted to buy a RS II.

[Carson92 0]

Well if you really want one you can look around on sites like eBay or Craigslist and find them priced easier on the wallet. Pro stocks can be around a hundred dollars but you got to be sure it's the stick you want and not a repaint

[SirJW 207]

There are a few discussions here about closeouts as the best bang for the buck.

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/59606-best-stick-for/page-2

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/60190-winnwell-sticks/

or

Cutting broken sticks

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/7494-cutting-ops-at-fuse-point/

[scorer75 9]

I've been doing the pro stock and 2-piece route for years.

I find pro stock to be a lot stiffer than I'm comfortable with, not to mention pro stock curves can be a real pain to find what you are looking for in whippier flexes.

My two piece stable currently consists of a Warrior Dolomite, Bauer One90, Easton ST, Reebok 10K, and an Easton Mako, CCM U+, and a Brooklynite shaft I haven't even tried yet. All my two pieces get Harrow blades, pattern # 4, which thanks to a member on here I was able to get at 50% off.

So I'm not using "crappy" sticks, but this RS II was just WOW!!!

[Kyle Friedman 9]

I have used Easton s19s, rs's, and now rs II's for the past few years.

The amount of pop and power you get on snap shots from the high end easton stealth sticks is unbelievable.

To be completely honest though, the difference in pop/shot power between the s19, rs, and the rs II really isnt that noticeable. Especially if you're coming from 2 piece sticks/ stiff pro stocks you wont notice the difference much at all.

If you can find an s19, or an rs on clearence somewhere in a curve/flex youre comfortable with It would be a great option and much more comfortable on your wallet.

Im not sure that there are many s19s anymore but I know there are some rs's floating around in clearence different places for a pretty good price. If I could find some in my curve/flex (iginla/85/grip is what I use), I would buy them in a heart beat.

[scorer75 9]

I'll look around for an RS, thanks.

[start_today 773]

What do you usually use? If you're seeing that big of a jump in performance, there might be a less expensive middle ground.

[interpathway 9]

There's really no comparisons when performance vs. dollars is measured, says one well versed mind.

http://www.hockeymonkey.com/easton-hockey-stick-mako-m2-ii-grip-sr.html

[flip12 717]

Was the flex/blade pattern on the borrowed RSII comparable to what you usually use?

[voxyledbetter 9]

This thread hit close to home. I started skating again like 2 years ago. I bought a couple of Easton S14's at the summer Peranis clearance sale instead of buying one higher end stick of course telling myself that at my skill I don't need that kind of stick. My girlfriend bought me a S19 for Christmas... And wow the puck feel, balance, and shots were so much better that now I just wait for the top end sticks to go on clearance. Because once you start using them, you're not going to want to pick up a mid or entry level stick again.

[Amiroo39 121]

I highly suggest you try and find your self an S19. It will be up to par in performance with the RSII's in my opinion. In fact the hardest shot in the show still uses an s19 (Weber) I got two brand new RS IIs just sitting in garage cuz I still prefer an s19. Also another stick with amazing pop would be the warrior widow. both the s19 and widow are out of production so they should be selling for $130-$150.

[scorer75 9]

What do you usually use? If you're seeing that big of a jump in performance, there might be a less expensive middle ground.

As per the above, the sticks I currently use are 2 piece Warrior Dolomite, Bauer One90, Easton ST, Reebok 10K.

I'll keep an eye out for older stealth's or S19's, thanks.

Last night I found myself alone in a rink with a full sheet of ice and a bucket full of pucks. I shot for around 60 minutes using my One90, and it's not a bad stick at all, just not the "same" as the RSII.

I even finally made that shot kovalov makes in the Warrior video, going bar down on both a wrister and a slapper from the opposite goal line :)

[osicks 6]

This thread hit close to home. I started skating again like 2 years ago. I bought a couple of Easton S14's at the summer Peranis clearance sale instead of buying one higher end stick of course telling myself that at my skill I don't need that kind of stick. My girlfriend bought me a S19 for Christmas... And wow the puck feel, balance, and shots were so much better that now I just wait for the top end sticks to go on clearance. Because once you start using them, you're not going to want to pick up a mid or entry level stick again.

This is exactly what I do.

I spend a lot of time shopping around the different stores looking for the highest quality/lowest price I can. I have certain preferences when it comes to flex, curve and brand, but that can all be accommodated for if you know what you are looking for. Never hurts to try a different brand either.

When I find a stick I like, I will take measures to try to make it last as long as possible, such as taping the shaft with clear shinpad tape so hacks and slashes don't deminish it's life span.

My general rule-of-thumb is to not spend over $100 on a single stick. Of course, rules are always made to be broken

BTW - My stick line-up is as follows:

Reebok A.i9

Warrior Widow

CCM CL

all purchased for under $100 each.

[chippa13 1844]

With all those free roster spots you're being offered, might as well drop some coin on a stick.

[donkers 31]

Anytime I want a new piece of gear I just work overtime for a couple weeks. That's just me though.

[CTB 32]

This thread hit close to home. I started skating again like 2 years ago. I bought a couple of Easton S14's at the summer Peranis clearance sale instead of buying one higher end stick of course telling myself that at my skill I don't need that kind of stick. My girlfriend bought me a S19 for Christmas... And wow the puck feel, balance, and shots were so much better that now I just wait for the top end sticks to go on clearance. Because once you start using them, you're not going to want to pick up a mid or entry level stick again.

Yeah it's tough to revert back down the product line once you've gotten a taste of the high life.

After getting back into the game a few years back I picked up a Reebok 6K, not a bad stick actually then I went to a Bauer Supreme One80 which was a little nicer. Finally made the leap and picked up a Vapor X:60 after the APX was introduced which was nice but ended up breaking after a couple of months. Replaced that with an Easton Stealth S19 on clearance and then a few months later bought a Bauer TotalOne at a store clearance sale. Broke the T1 and had it replaced by a Nexus 1000 on warranty. Recently picked up a couple of prostock Bauer TotalOne NXGs and those might be the best I've ever tried. It hasn't been a cheap experience to find the right stick, but I've managed to never spend over $150 for any of the top end sticks.

[MarsB 33]

So is anyone going to mention flex or kickpoints? Because that may be more of a factor in what the OP is experiencing than high-end vs. low-end...

[zachary 2]

I always look at it this way, you're going to want to spend a decent amount of money on skates, sticks and helmets. Personally I won't use anything less than high-end. Just what I'm comfortable with. Although I do feel that if you were to use a low end stick which is heavier and played a hard/long game that it could drop off your play as you fatigue.

[HockeySavants 5]

So basically you used a high end stick, and liked it? What's the problem?

I only use high end sticks, but I don't pay high end stick prices. That's the key.

[Chadd 916]

With all those free roster spots you're being offered, might as well drop some coin on a stick.

That was my thought as well

[iceman8310 106]

pro stock is the way to go, $120-$150 for a stick vs. top end retail prices. I haven't bought a retail stick in years and probably never will again.