Sher-Wood T120 - All Flash

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

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[All Flash 49]

Would like to start off by thanking Sherwood for making their products available to ModSquadHockey for LTR's , and to JR for the oppurtunity. Also, I would like to

mention I wrote a beautiful LTR, was almost finished in fact. Turned my head for 2 seconds, turned back, ......and it was gone . :( So I spent the last month trying to

remember everything I wrote. So here goes.....

Stick Details: Sherwood T120

Flex: 95

Grip: Matte

Curve: Stastny

About Me:

Height: 6'

Weight: 230lbs

Shoots: RH

Playing: 3-5 times a week , mainly defence

Highest level of play: Jr & Sr

Time-frame of use: Nov 13th/2014 - Jan 31st Approx. 25-30 ice times totaling 50+ hours

First Impressions: While opening my Sherwood box with glee, the first thing that jumped at me right away was the red highlight. Slick, is the word that comes to mind.

Always blown away when I pick up any high end Sherwood these days, touting the lightest sticks on the market, the T120 does not disappoint. My first on ice impression

on the other hand was not so good. In warm ups, my first ten or so shots all felt like I was shooting with an ABS blade.......not a good start. Had me worried to say

the least. But do not fret, as it all worked out.

Aesthetics: Slick, as I said. Almost classy even. The red just highlights the stick perfectly. All the logos and lettering are very subtle. Nothing screaming in your

face. In my top 5 best looking sticks for sure. Not too busy in general. In the end, less is more. Simple and effective branding.

9/10

Weight and Balance: As advertised. Lightest stick on the market. My T120 weighed in at 408 grams naked. A little over the claimed 385 grams but, not enough for it to

'not' be the lightest OPS on the market. Wieght is the biggest factor for most people when trying to get used to a new stick. Even more so if the weight of thier last

stick wasn't near the top in said category. Well, not for me as I was already using a Sherwood Rekker EK15. Which weighed in at 405 grams. So not much of a transition

pertaining to weight coming from my last stick. As for the balance of my T120, couldn't ask for much better but, it was a smidge blade heavy. Similar to my EK15. You

really have to try to feel it, but cannot notice unless looking for it.

9/10

Feel/Blade: The VRF.2 blade from Sherwood, with its hand made process, and construction, make it one of the stiffest blades out there. So not a stretch to say, I was

mildly confused as to why my first ten shots or so with my new T120 stick felt like the blade had lost all its stiffness and was torquing something fierce. But as i

said....it all worked out. Few more shots with some adjustments and things went back to normal as the blade played true from there on out. As I have said my previous

stick was an EK15. I use blade tape on my blades. Which to some, dramatically changes the feel over regular cloth tape. To me the blades feel is almost pingy but not

quite. A step up from pingy, if you will. Not quite Bauer, or Warrior. But more on par with Easton and old TPS. The only thing that was different considering I have

the same blade on my EK15, was the sound it made when the puck hit it. Kinda weird.

9/10

Shaft/Flex: The Shaft is big and boxy. Which I actually prefer for torque control reasons but, is only found on most mid kick OPS. Leaving small shaft, with rounded

corners, to the low kick OPS crowd. The thing that stuck out the most about the shaft was how the taper was more pronounced, longer, and thinner than my EK15's taper.

I thought it would be the other way around. Another added bonus on Sherwood shafts and sticks is the 4" flex free cut zone. The flex of Sherwood sticks are fairly

close to corresponding stated flex. I extend my sticks by about 2"'s and the Sherwoods dont drastically change flex. Similar to Easton.

9/10

Stickhandling/Passing: Once I got some dangling time in on my T120, I got a better feel for the Stastny (sakic/hall/crosby/most popular curve on the planet) curve. It

was tough at first as I have never used a Stastny/Sakic curve before but once I got the hang of the curve, the stick felt normal. My hands... still no hands. ;p

I would say my passing was a little harder for me to make adjustments on. The curve put everything in the air. Reminded me of using a Drury. Super frustrating. But,

alas, a couple hours in on stick and curve use, passing is what it should be. Crisp and on the tape. With no problems keeping it flat on the ice when I choose. Or

putting extra sauce on a breakaway gift.

9/10

Shooting: Ok..... so for shooting, which for me is the most important aspect of any stick, simply stated, "If it does, or does not, fire lasers." This is alot harder

for me since I prefer low kick point sticks as opposed to mid kick sticks because the flex profile suits my shooting style. But, like with anything new, there is a

learning curve. And on this learning curve, after 50+ hours, I managed approx 98% consistency on wristers, 75% on snappers, and a pathetic, maybe, if I'm lucky, 5% on

clappers. This stick "can", fire rockets. Just not always for me apparently.

9/10

Durability: Another one of the areas this puck wrangler dominates in is it's durability. Even more so considering it is the lightest stick on the market. When I stopped

using it, I paid it forward and gave it to someone to keep on using. The player I gave the stick to, is substantially stronger, and harder on his sticks. At that time

the stick was still unmarked. Absolutely no nicks, cuts , blade scrapes, or puck marks after 50+ hours. Don't forget, I use blade tape. Which offers almost no

protection for my blade. 20+ more hours and this T120 now has its first bit of damage. A layer or 2 of fiber, 2" long by 1" wide, about an inch up from the heel on the

inside back corner. Well someone should call the army and let them know Sherwood makes tanks.

10/10

Conclusion: This mid kick puck paddle competes with all of its rivals. Then goes beyond some of them. Factor in retail cost, $229.99. Least expensive top end mid kick

stick out there. Weight, lightest on the market. Durability, a Tank. And don't forget........... it "can", fire lasers.

9/10