Why does easton get a bad rep?

[mjpisat 36]

I see a ton of pros use easton rs2, v9, v9e and u rarely see a stick break for nhl players given players x teams x games

[Chadd 916]

Everything goes in cycles and, at least for right now, Easton is not seen as being as "cool" as Bauer by the people that feel they need to follow trends. It has nothing to do with the actual quality of the product.

[TeamHonda401 54]

Bad rep as in stick durability? Or just overall quality of their product offerings?

[mjpisat 36]

Specifically stick durability.

[TeamHonda401 54]

The S17 was a toothpick, I lost count of how many of those I have seen break when watching NHL games. S19 was a lot better but I can recall seeing a slightly higher frequency of those break when watching games, a lot of those were players receiving a pass and the stick just exploded. At retail its a different story due to the pro stock aspect, as in that the sticks NHL players are using isn't the same spec as a retail stick. Since the RS I haven't noticed as many breaking under strange circumstances (receiving passes etc..) while watching NHL games. A lot of people think because a NHL player's stick breaks that the same stick at retail will have the same durability characteristics.

[jbatafuco 6]

They have had blade durability issues for at least the past 5 years

[mjpisat 36]

Where? I haven't seen an nhl game where a player broke one. I know several people including myself who have used them and I don't know anybody who broke an rs2 or v9/e

[TeamHonda401 54]

The new v9's and the RS2 haven't been nearly as bad as the S17/19.

[A2rhino 63]

Easton has always been my go to brand for sticks. I have tried others and like them but Easton is my reliable stick brand due to my history of durability, feel and quality.

[donkers 31]

I like Easton sticks but not much else.

[Souldriver 64]

for me easton had a good lead there for a while in the early days of the composite sticks, the blade durability was always less than others but thats the way it went. as time went on they kind of got that rep and many stores i went to said if i get an easton their elliptical taper WILL eventually break on me. i decided on an apx bc i liked the shaft feel the most then went on to warriors stuff.

when the one piece composite hit the market everyone wanted an easton synergy around me, and even though i never had one i went with the cyclone bc of the shaft shape. then TPS and bauer crept in and took some share away from easton. this lead to other companies finidng their niche and players finding what equipment fit thier playstyles best and now things are much more segregrated, i think you find bauer with all their offerings hit many niches as well

[jbatafuco 6]

Where? I haven't seen an nhl game where a player broke one. I know several people including myself who have used them and I don't know anybody who broke an rs2 or v9/e

At retail... notice how quickly the Mako 2 and RS 2 came out after the original versions did?

Both of those releases had upgrades to the blade to address durability issues.

[Amiroo39 121]

Easton's letting its products speak for themselves. From the V9/V9E twigs, to their Mako protective, to the Mako skate, and their E700 helmet. Have they had issues with some of their stick offerings? Sure. But who hasn't? Look at Warrior!! I went through so many Widows it was sickening but there's still guys with some of the best shots in the show (Kessel and Subban) still using S19's! I watch a lot of Canucks games and I've seen a few long time Bauer users all switch to Easton (Bieksa, Kesler, Higgins) to name a few. As an Easton user I've also had a great experience with their customer service and warranty returns. As for the brand being "cool", I guess that's just personal preference. I see Bauer skates as cool, their sticks and helmets seem so widely used that I don't see it as cool to own any Bauer stick (again my own preference). I see Warrior as a cool brand, specially when it comes to gloves and sticks. I think Easton is heading in the right direction, I grew up saving money to get the Synergy, I'll be loyal to the brand for a long time to come.

[Souldriver 64]

i think their protective gets underrated tbh. i have one of their jocks and its great and if the e700 helmet fit my headshape i would be in it right now. I also have some mid level easton shins that have lasted me years on end.
I have a bauer helmet for one reason, fit and its hard to find something better than the re-akt.
I see warrrior as a cool option because you can customize a ton of stuff for not too much more than retail.

[ChrisMolnar 14]

I always loved Easton sticks, I'd still use them if I didn't get bauers for stupid cheap. The problem I have with Easton is the design of their protective gear. Personally it never fit me well, and asthetically I think it has to be some of the ugliest stuff on the market. Especially the mako line

[strosedefence34 175]

I think easton is on its way to making a come back. I still think it is all personal preference. I had an easton ultra light as a kid and loved it till I was about 13 or 14 which is when I switched to a bauer supreme woodie. I have since been using the P88 pattern for over 10 years. i got a RSII for $150 from my LHS when they came out and the blade chipped on the bottom corner very quickly. I had a bauer one 80 for at least a year before the RSII came out and still have it and it hasn't chipped yet. I have never had a bauer blade chip. I really think it all comes down to personal preference or marketing with little kids.

[jdksaves 56]

A lot of it goes to marketing. Yes, you see a lot of NHL usage, but so do you with Bauer and Reebok/CCM and Warrior, where it comes into play is the support of marketing with social, web and print ads and not a lot of in store support as well with demo days and being in front of the end consumers. A lot of dealers have picked up on that and that is why Easton is not necessarily considered "cool" at the moment to the 10-18 year olds. I like a lot of the offerings, but having good or great product doesn't move the market shares in your favor, more always needs to be done.

[mack 44]

It's all been downhill since the ending of the Toy Drive.

[beerleaguecaptain 999]

I always felt that Easton had a great rep with sticks. I see more in the NHL than any other brand though Bauer has sure closed that gap. I don't know the exact percentages so I could be wrong in either direction.

To me Easton gets its bad rep in the protective and skate area. The protective line is weaker to me. The Mako shoulders are like a straight jacket and way too heavy and bulky. They used to have really good shoulders (Synergy 900, etc) but not anymore. The elbows and and the shins are eh. Love the 700 helmet but it fits really weird and I think a lot of guys are avoiding it because its TOO light.

The biggest problem is skate build quality. I think everyone remembers the Stealth skates crumbling. Great performance and zero durability. Mako's seem to be having issues too.

In the end, other than the sticks, its a line without a focus or identity.

[the_game 452]

It's all been downhill since the ending of the Toy Drive.

CoreBeam4Life! Ha, I still have the email from 'Hky Guru' from the Easton Message board saying I was selected as a product tester for some promotion they were running. Needless to say that never went any where.

I've always loved Easton twigs and always used them. I think they're sticks have always innovated and performed as well, T-Flex, Z-Bubbles, Synergy, Stealth, etc.

I can say the durability has been questionable which may be why Easton gets a bad rap, but for me the performance has always been top notch and outweighed the durability issues.

[cooperalls 4]

Bashing an entire brand (or stick line for that matter) is probably unfair and risks over-generalizing, however I can think of a few potential reasons Easton's image has lost some luster in the last few years:

1. There was a very strong argument Easton was the industry leader in performance and technology until the early 2000's, however I think there's an equally strong argument they've allowed several competitors to catch up, if not surpass them.

2. Most stick companies release new product with regularity. Both the reality and perception of innovation fuel sales and keep consumers coming back. That said, Easton has released products at a shorter interval than basically everyone else. This can lead to confusion for the casual consumer, and lack of faith from the critical consumer. I'm speculating, but perhaps personnel turnover has led to changes in direction? Again, I don't have any information that that is the case, but getting new people can lead to a lot of shake-ups to a product line, just like getting a new head coach/gm can lead to personnel changes on a team.

3. I think overall Easton has done a poor job at striking a balance between performance and durability. Many of their recent stick are a joy to shoot but break if you look at them too hard. Compensation then comes in the form of a more durable re-design, but puck feel seems to suffer greatly.

I think they make some great products, some of the best shooting sticks I've ever used. They certainly have a dedicated core of followers, as evidenced by people who will say "I broke multiples of stick X". Personally I just find other brands have equal performance and significantly better durability. I'll pick up Easton sticks when I can get a good enough deal that I'm not going to think "I only got X uses out of it before it broke".

Lastly, it's all but impossible to compare what pro's use to retail products. All pro's break sticks, some more that others, but that would change little based on brand. It has more to do with their style of play, and the specifications of the stick they dictate to the manufacturer.

[Chadd 916]

A lot of it goes to marketing. Yes, you see a lot of NHL usage, but so do you with Bauer and Reebok/CCM and Warrior, where it comes into play is the support of marketing with social, web and print ads and not a lot of in store support as well with demo days and being in front of the end consumers. A lot of dealers have picked up on that and that is why Easton is not necessarily considered "cool" at the moment to the 10-18 year olds. I like a lot of the offerings, but having good or great product doesn't move the market shares in your favor, more always needs to be done.

If you can't convince people you make a great product, it doesn't matter if you actually do.

[splitbtw 2]

I tried to venture out to Easton sticks from Bauer and each one I had was awesome to shoot with in the beginning but then the blades either went soft or cracked fairly quickly. I've tried the Synergy SE, SE16 and a couple RS2s. The RS2s shot the best, but the SE16 and SE had better durability. I haven't had the same issue with my Bauer sticks.