Sher-Wood Rekker EK15

[mojo122 530]

Sher-Wood Rekker EK15
Flex: 75
Curve: Ryan II (PP88)

Height: 5’9”
Weight: 180
Position: Defense/Center

This OPS has a good 90-hours of ice time on it.

Graphics:

Very simple. All black with small white Sher-Wood markings, checkbox pattern over the bottom ¾’s of the shaft. Grip finish over the upper portion of the shaft that is thin and just the right amount of grip. This coming from a player whose preference is for non-grip sticks. The finish on the stick has held up great considering the abuse it normally sees.
9/10

Stick Construction, Weight and Balance:

Without a doubt the lightest stick on the market. The weight reminds me of the old TPS XN10. Very well balanced shaft/blade combination, although the Ryan II pattern is not a very big blade. Looking forward to see how the balance is with some of the other bigger patterns as they hit the market.
10/10

Blade:

Construction is based on VRF.2 which boasts a vibration reduction foam core blade. With the lightness of the stick I was concerned that the blade would be pingy, which was the only drawback of the TPS XN10. I didn’t find the blade to be pingy at all. Blade is fairly thin, but maybe slightly wider in the heel compared to dome other high end OPS.
9/10

Shaft/Flex:

Shaft dimensions very similar to that of the Easton V-Series sticks, which is the size and geometry that I like best. I did find this stick to play much stiffer than other manufacturers sticks with the same flex rating. I’d rate the shaft dimensions as a 5 out of 5 and the flex as a 3 out of 5.
8/10

Stickhandling and Passing:

My preferred pattern is for heel curves, so the using the PP88 curve took a bit of an adjustment for me. Overall puck feel was good for me, but I found it took some time to get used the extreme lightness of this stick. Once I adjusted stickhandling and passing were excellent.
10/10

Shooting:

This is where the stick did not shine for me. In fairness to SherWood I have to factor in my preference for heel curves as well as the fact that for me the EK15 played much stiffer. It is possible that these two factors hampered the shooting capabilities of this stick for me. Wrist and snap shots did not load and release as effortless for me as other sticks have (and I have used sticks from just about every manufacturer out there). Over time I started to notice a bit of a vibration along the shaft when taking slapshots. This also seemed to be more pronounced the harder I stepped into a shot. When available I plan on picking up a different curve like the PP09 or PP20 (although this lie might be too high for me) to give the EK15 another try.
5/10

Durability:

I am amazed that a stick this light has been so durable. Shaft is not softening up over time, although I was hoping it would. Both the shaft and blade have held up well with no extreme chipping or cracking and no peeling of the grip finish.
10/10

Conclusion:

Having been a faithful long-time Sher-Wood user dating back to the days of the SOP 5030, 7000, 7030, 9030, and 9950, I was disappointed that they were slow to enter the composite market as well as with what they produced when they first did. This stick is by far the best offering Sher-Wood has ever brought to the hockey market. Price wise it has a lot to offer and has a lot of future potential with a few more tweaks.

8.7/10

[MrData 93]

Sher-Wood EK15
85 flex, PP05 LI, Grip, cut to 55.5"
Timeframe of use: Feb. 2014 to present

Reviewer: Simon Ledsham - 21 years old - 5'9" 175 lbs
Playing experience: Started playing 3 years ago. I play C/D-level adult league hockey once a week (sometimes twice).
Position: Defense

Other sticks used: CCM RBZ Superfast *Team, Stage 2 *Team, Reebok Ribcor 25K, Sher-Wood T100, Warrior AX1, Bauer TotalOne, Reebok 11k pro stock

Design: 9.0/10
+Clean, professional look with nice touches of 12K carbon weave coming through
+Design is original, which makes the stick look distinctive
+The blade and hosel, where there's no grip, have a matte finish which looks great and stands up very well to scratches and gouges



Blade: 9.0/10
+Very stiff with great pop
+Very thin, which is good for stickhandling
-Feels a bit flimsy because of the lightness and thinness, but this is just an illusion since it's so stiff and has such great pop


Shaft/Flex: 8.5/10
+Plays pretty much true to flex, although maybe a bit on the stiff side since it's a low kick
+Kickpoint works like a charm - you can't feel it flex, but you can observe the results
+Grip coating is awesome: very tacky and doesn't peel
+If the blade felt flimsy, then the shaft feels really solid even though it's light
-This is purely personal, but I don't really like the shaft geometry because it feels small in my hands and sometimes allows the shaft to rotate in my hand while I'm shooting



Stickhandling/receiving passes: 9/10
+Puck feel is good, especially considering the lightness and stiffness of the blade
-Pass reception is decent, but it doesn't have much of a dampening effect when receiving hard passes
+Thin blade makes it easier to stickhandle
+Lightness also makes it very easy to stickhandle, although it may take some getting used to


Shooting: 9.5/10
+This twig is a real shooter; it's good at pretty much every type of shot and has great pop
+Snappers and wristers are especially lethal and effortless - I'm often surprised at the velocity I can get on a shot by quickly wristing it at the net
+Clappers, especially quick half-clappers, are hard with little effort
-Because of the low kick, the stick doesn't respond as well when you really want to lean into a clapper
-As mentioned, shaft geometry doesn't help with keeping the shaft from rotating on hard clappers

Weight and balance: 10/10
+Lightest stick on the market by a fair bit
+Feels like you're holding nothing, which I find is awesome, but which may be uncomfortable for some


Durability: 10/10
+Perfect durability - even better than the T100
+Even the graphics are holding up perfectly, which means the stick still looks almost new
+Shaft and blade still as stiff as the day I got the stick



Conclusion: If you're looking for a high-end twig to take your game to the next level, look no further than this technological marvel. It can hold its own against any of its low-kick competitors for a fraction of the price. It's the lightest stick on the market by a good margin. These factors, combined with its legendary durability, make it an absolute no brainer if it comes in your specs and you like small-diameter low-kick sticks. Although the TotalOne has better feel and is better for heavy shooting, this stick is very much its equal, and thus my favourite stick to date along with the TO.

Overall score (not an average): 9.5/10