STX Stallion 500

[dsjunior1388 81]

Stiffness - 100 flex


Pattern – X92

Grip finish



First Impression

The appearance falls somewhere between "Minimalist" and "Underwhelming. Black stick, slight yellow graphics. Reminiscent of the RS and RSII, and not too far from the recent CCM Tacks and Bauer Supreme. Still, graphically, I like it. New entries to the market often struggle to look like they belong, but STX and their simplified graphic looks like they've been selling hockey sticks for 10 years, not that this is their first entry. I especially like the bold "Stallion" wordmark on the lower end of the shaft, it's a nice touch in yellow, making the stick unmistakable from it's rivals.

7/10

Blade - 7/10



I'm not tough on blades typically. Often, they are tough on me. My hand skills leave a bit to be desired, and I've known to have a hard pass bounce off my blade and into an odd man rush. That's why I was surprised by the muted feel of this offering. Pucks stopped dead whether I was prepared or not, and they'd stick with me regardless of form or positioning. Stick handling with this blade showed the same muted reactions, and I felt like I had to really push the puck where other blades needed only a tap. I prefer a livelier blade for that purpose, but I was not overly upset with how the Stallion responded to the puck. Shots still came off as strong and crisp as I could hope, but I felt the blade being forgiving. Bad form or bad posture still allowed a decent shot. As you would imagine, the sacrifice in a blade like that is precision. Still, I know a wood feeling blade, which is how I would best describe this one, appeals to a certain segment of the market, and for them or the newer hockey player, this is an effective multipurpose blade.



Shaft/Flex/Balance - 10/10



Here we find the hallmark of the STX Stallion 500. This shaft performed beautifully on any task I asked of it. I was truly impressed with how the shaft kicked on shots and pulled of the "flinging" feeling I prefer on hard passes and sauce passes. I felt power and control with the puck using this stick, from all hand placements. Impeccably balanced, the stick disguised it's weight well. It's heavier than some higher end sticks, but the balance is so well refined, it's not noticed on the ice.

Durability - 8/10



I must confess I haven't yet used the stick enough to really assess durability, and beyond that I am not especially hard on my sticks at any rate. Still, the stick held up to a few sizable slashes, some heavy rounds of shooting, and even one unfortunate play where I ended up jamming the blade directly into the boards. I haven't seen the blade degradation of a lot of other reviewers at this point, but I will be keeping an eye on it. As I said, the blade has a damp, muted wooden feel, but I felt that on first usage so I think it was that way out of the box.

Intangibles

I hate grip on my sticks, but this one is well executed. The hand moves well enough up and down, without the overly tacky grabbing of stronger grips. Its a decent tack without being overbearing. I've grown comfortable with it.

Conclusion

This stick is positioned at the top of the line, but it is at the $180 price point. I would be shocked to find a better stick at that point. STX is not ready to compete with Bauer, Warrior and Easton for the top of the market, the $230-$300 range, but this entry shows they're serious about being a hockey brand, and they are not far behind.

Overall score - 7.5/10