Caught between Junior and Intermediate sticks

[pops04xx 2]

My son currently is using a junior Sherwood EK-15, RBZ and Base Nasty sticks with 50 flex.

All sticks are basically uncut and are 50 flex. As he is growing like a weed, our next stick will require to be longer than the Junior sticks offered on the market and will have to go to an intermediate stick.

Making the jump to an intermediate stick will require cutting down and thus making most intermediate 67 flex sticks cut down too much of a transition in stiffness.

I know that the Nexus 8000 is available in a 60 flex. I was wondering if anyone could give me other options for our problem,

What other companies offer 60 flex?

Keep in mind that he likes a mid flex / variable flex point stick.

My son is 11 years old, 5'-3", 100 lbs. and plays defense.

He mainly takes slap shots from the point which is quite impressive for his age.

Anyone else have this problem?

[jdksaves 56]

The Majority of companies are offering 60 flex sticks (Easton, Bauer, Reebok, CCM, Etc) and Warrior offers a longer 55 flex intermediate stick. I'm sure you know, but most of the time for young players the more flexibility the better the performance will be.

[MThockeydad 469]

If he wasn't taking harder shots, I'd just suggest an extension to his existing sticks.

If he's actually taking slappers from the point (and 100# and 5'-3" is a pretty solid kid) try the 60.

[Stewie 721]

CCM has both 60 and 65 flexes on their intermediate. Warrior has 55 and 70.

[Pucks & Palm Trees 3]

For whatever it's worth, If he likes the extra flex, my unscientific observation is that the Warriors seem to have a little more flex, at comparable flex numbers, than the Eastons or Bauers. Your mileage may vary...

[pops04xx 2]

I am going to try an extension on his EK15 and see if that works for him.

I hope the $4 extension is the answer for a while but my gut tells me that a $250+ stick will be in the near future.

I have been to several local shops and I have yet to find a 55 flex warrior.

I was hoping to find a 60 flex Nexus 1000 on clearance somewhere. No luck.

Most likely going to be the Nexus 8000 with a 60 flex.

Maybe the new Tacks line will have a 60 flex.

[syinx 139]

If I remember correctly, BASE offers a "Junior Pro" length stick with stiffer flexes. He could probably go for a 50 or 60 flex junior pro stick which is only a 3 inch difference from the Junior.

[Stewie 721]

I am going to try an extension on his EK15 and see if that works for him.

I hope the $4 extension is the answer for a while but my gut tells me that a $250+ stick will be in the near future.

I have been to several local shops and I have yet to find a 55 flex warrior.

I was hoping to find a 60 flex Nexus 1000 on clearance somewhere. No luck.

Most likely going to be the Nexus 8000 with a 60 flex.

Maybe the new Tacks line will have a 60 flex.

are you not open to E-commerce route?

[jdksaves 56]

Just because you don't see them at a local shop doesn't mean the companies don't offer them, your stores are not ordering them. Ask them to order what you want and if they won't help you its probably not the best store to shop at. Most shops are looking for money anyway they can get it, so I would be surprised if you couldn't find at least one to order what you need.

[pops04xx 2]

Yes, He has the Base Nasty Junior Pro 50 flex.

The stick came in at a good length which i had to cut slightly but he is not really liking the stick that much.

His first reaction when he first tried it was "It's ok."

That tells me that will be the last Base stick he is going to try.

[Stewie 721]

Ive had a ton of stuff pulled into stores. Sometimes i buy, sometimes not, but usually if its a chain or a shop, they will be getting a shipment from the manufacturer or other store soon enough anyways

[pops04xx 2]

Just found a Warrior Dynasty AX1 in a 55 flex for $140.

Maybe we will try this.

Anyone have any input on this stick?

[JoshV 20]

Great twig. Very nice puck feel and shots are very accurate

[pops04xx 2]

I added about 2.5" of extension on to his EK-15 to bring it to the same length as his Base.

He tried it at practice yesterday and couldn't take a slap shot with it. He said wrist shots worked well but something did not work with the slap shot.

Could it be that the stick has become too whippy?

[McDugan 89]

Do all of the sticks have the same blade pattern? If there is a difference in lie, that might also be a factor.

[pops04xx 2]

All same pattern and lie.

I know his Base is a 50 flex but it is a junior pro and feels stiffer than the EK-15 at the same length.

[qmechanic 17]

(hope you don't mind this minor diversion, pops04xx)

I have a really similar problem in that I would like to use an intermediate stick, but I'm too short (5' 2" adult female) and typically use junior sticks cut down by 2 inches. I've been wanting to make the leap to intermediate sticks, so that I can use a longer blade and have more patterns to choose from.

Like pops04xx, I've been considering Warrior, Sherwood, and Bauer sticks (since they all make the P88 pattern).

Of these sticks, which one would be the whippiest if I cut it down to 50"?

Warrior: Covert, Dynasty (flex 55, 55")

Bauer: APX, Nexus (flex 60, 57")

Sherwood: EK15, T100 (flex 65, 57" with 4" flex free zone)

I play both forward and defense, so I take all types of shots (wrist, snap, slap shot). I don't have enough experience to say whether I prefer low-kick or mid-kick sticks. Of the sticks I listed, I've only tried the APX in junior and I liked it. I used to use an old Bauer XXX Lite P88 junior stick, but I don't have it anymore. It had a longer blade than usual for a junior stick and I remember that I could make nice hard passes with it.

[Stewie 721]

I'd try out the DT1LT or Dt3lt. You can get either super cheap and both in 55 flex could give you an idea if it will work. I love my EK15 and would recommend that if not for 65 flex

[sss1987 55]

If it helps, I am 27 year old who is only slightly older then the OPs son. Im 5'5" and weigh in at 160lbs.

I have just bought two easton Mako 2s through hockeymonkey.eu 's awesome sale (50euros a pop).

One is a 60 flex E28 curve, and the other is a 65 Flex E28 curve. I usually chop about 5 inches off intermediate sticks.

I would say the 60 flex easton feels very similar in the way it easily flexes compared to my 60 flex ccm rbz80. The 65 flex, i have found to be noticeably stiffer then the 60 flex (remember both at the same chopped heights).

If i was the op buying for my son, and the way to go was INT, at his age and weight..id defo recommend the 60 Flex. When chopped my 65 flex feels like Sr (unchopped) 80-85 flex.

hope this helps...

[qmechanic 17]

Thanks, Stewie and sss1987. I ordered a Warrior DT1 LT in 55 flex.

[colins 246]

Thanks, Stewie and sss1987. I ordered a Warrior DT1 LT in 55 flex.

I tried that route for my son, who's similar in size and also played D this past season. Your experience my differ, but I'll share this for what it's worth.

- Intermediate 55flex Warrior Widow

- Junior Warrior DT1LT 50 flex

- Junior CCM RBZ2 50 flex

First the Int 55flex Widow. Cut to the same length as his Junior sticks (which he was using uncut), it feels more like an 85-90 flex. Just ridiculously stiff. While he was 'ok' for slapshots, wristshots or snapshots were severely lacking. Even the slapshots weren't great - the low kick point is just not designed for great slappers. Cutting the Int this short just kills the flex profile, so the whole 55flex strategy didn't pay off for me.

The Jr 50flex DT1LT - he loves this stick,. It's his go-to stick, especially on occasions when he moves up and plays forward. Slapshots are not great with this stick - again the low low kick point is a big factor here. He can slap the puck OK with this stick, but his success rate is about 50% for really getting all of it on a slapshot. Apologies for the shakey video, but here's a goal he scored with it not too long ago that came off the stick really well on the fly - if that's not his DT1LT in his hands on that rush he doesn't get that goal. Wrist shots are just that much better with this stick at his size:

The Jr 50flex RBZ2. This stick rules for slapshots. It feels much stiffer than the DT1LT and feels more like an Intermediate than a Junior when you compare the two shafts in your hands. His slapshots are best with this stick by far, and his success rate for getting all of it is more like 80-90% shooting from the point with this one. That said, given the feel of the DT1LT for everything else, he still ends up with the DT1LT in his hands most often regardless of whether he's playing D or forward.

Hope this helps. Let us know how the 55flex Int DT1LT works out for you guys!

Colin

[pops04xx 2]

Thanks for the feedback Colin.

Just came back from PHL with my son and he had the HTX 60 flex in his hands and liked the way it felt.

Easton comes in shorter than other manufacturers and he would not have to cut this stick.

Wondering if 60 flex would be too much. I have always found that Easton sticks shoot the best for me. Always have great pop.

[sss1987 55]

Hi pops04xx, i have a 60 and 65 flex easton Mako II. The 60 flex cut to same height as 65 feels noticeably flexier. The 65 cut down 5 inches feels more like a senior 80+ flex.

All depends on your sons height, weight and strength.

For reference im 5'5" with no skates, and weigh in at 160-165lbs. For me the 60 flex (cut 5 inches) is the "right" amount of flexiness. Everytime i shoot i feel i can load the stick up easily. The 65 is good for when i have had a gym day lol! I know people on here will laugh at an adult using an intermediate stick, but i think i have found the right flex profile for me... which takes into consideration my height and weight and how much i chop from the stick.

[colins 246]

Thanks for the feedback Colin.

Just came back from PHL with my son and he had the HTX 60 flex in his hands and liked the way it felt.

Easton comes in shorter than other manufacturers and he would not have to cut this stick.

Wondering if 60 flex would be too much. I have always found that Easton sticks shoot the best for me. Always have great pop.

Sounds like a very good choice - the mid-flex should suit his preference for slapshots, and at that length a 60 flex sounds like the sweet spot you were looking for.

I've always liked Eastons too, the original black Stealth was a stick I bought on clearance at Sportchek years ago and didn't expect much of - it became one of my all time favorites. The SE16 was awesome too (not news to anyone I know), the only negative about it was the hollowness of the blade which didn't hold up to much abuse. Great while it lasted, but unless a team is buying them for you the durability just wasn't there. I used it for a while in a two piece so at least I was just spending money on replacement blades.

I think the EQ50 release was where Easton went off the rails - I never did use one, but it seemed to be too gimmicky with the heel and shaft weights. Bad bet by Easton on that one. The Mako (aside from the fancy white paint job at the time) didn't seem to gain traction for very long either. It'll be interesting to see how the HTX turns out.

Colin