A little stick help needed

[Hockeydog 8]

So I have been going back and forth between 2 curves, a Vanek and a P88. As you might guess I can get the Vanek to elevate the puck at close range, where the P88 has been a struggle - and I have been working on it. On the flip side I seem to be better receiving passes with the P88. Wristers are about equal, maybe slight advantage to the Vanek since my P88's are old and cheap 1 piece composites, and the Vaneks are newer- right at the end of the retail Vanek era. ( Diablo's)

My thought would be finding a pattern similar to the P88 but slightly open and ideally a lower lie to bridge the gap. The PP10 Leclair seemed to fit that spec wise but looks like those have vanished. Any other suggestions on a mid curve - moderate depth - slightly open stick ? The Pattern database doesn't show anything that is currently available.

It's been harder for me to get practice time lately, just the few minutes of warm up before a game, so I'd like a stick that works with me. Otherwise I think it would be easier for me to catch passes with the Vanek than it would to shelf pucks with the P88. But going back and forth ain't so great so I need to pick one soon and work with it. Even an ideal stick will take a bit of adaptation so it's not like I am looking for a magic pill.

Thanks !!

[Cosmic 178]

Warrior W88 is what you are looking for. It is not a clone of P88- P88 is closed, and has higher lie.

[AIREAYE 248]

Warrior W88 is what you are looking for. It is not a clone of P88- P88 is closed, and has higher lie.

Seriously? We've been over this multiple times. They are clones. Warrior confirmed. You should;ve been around long enough to know that Warrior measured their lies differently.

[steelnation248 102]

AIREAYE is correct. There is no difference between the P88 and W88. Blade face and lie are the same.

[AIREAYE 248]

Hockeydog, I suggest you take a look at the Bauer P106, which is a deeper and more open version of the Vanek, with a slightly higher lie. Either that, or perhaps a CCM Tavares. I'm not aware of any retail curve out there that would match your preferences exactly.

[Asian Tomatoe 30]

Hockeydog, the curve you want would be my ideal curve. I have a pro stock Easton Johnson curve that is exactly what you want but for another suggestion, what about the p14 and it's variants? It's more open than what you'd like but the majority of the loft is near the toe/mid toe.

the pro stock true euro Lindberg curve on hockey monkey might work too. it's the true tc3 curve but less open and less kink on the toe. the lie is similar to a p14.

[boo10 323]

To me, the P38 Datsyuk feels like a slightly more open P88.

[Cosmic 178]

Seriously? We've been over this multiple times. They are clones. Warrior confirmed. You should;ve been around long enough to know that Warrior measured their lies differently.

When I saw this email from Josh V, I thought the same thing (absent the condescending tone). So, I looked for myself when I went to HM in Irvine, and sure enough, the blade face of P88 on an APX2 is more closed than a W88 on a QR1/ QR Pro. Maybe Bauer opened it up on the Vapor 1X (I hope not as I will be grabbing some paddles next time I am stateside), but on an APX2 there was no question when I looked that the face was more closed on the APX 2 than the W88 QR1.

And yes, I know that Warrior measures lies differently. I thought a Warrior 4= Bauer 5.5, and the P88 is a lie 6, so it would seem more upright. I did not, however, hold them up next to each other, as I am not concerned about a potential subtle difference in lie. So yea, on this count, ok, I concede that I may be incorrect, as I did not check it when I was there.

[Hockeydog 8]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll take a look at the P106 and P14 next time I am in my LHS. Ice Warehouse shows the Alkali A33 as a mid 1/2 open 5.5 lie. Not real familiar with that brand and my LHS doesn't carry them. Anyone have any experience ?

[XOX 6]

recently when I purchased my 1x with p28 with a 5 lie I was previously using a warrior QR1 w28 with a 4 lie , the angle of the warrior was noticeably less. my Bauer which had the same curve but different lie needed to be cut about an inch and a quarter shorter to compensate for the angle that way I didn't have to adjust my style. The only difference now is how close the puck is to me with a 5 lie

[Hockeydog 8]

Played the other night with my Vanek;s. Think I'll just work on getting used to being a better pass receiver with them. I had two very sweet assists, a point blank backhand goal and a couple of wristers that didn't score but felt very good. The good totally outweighs the bad, and I'll work on the one weak spot I have with the stick. I have 3 of them, two that have never been used so I am good for a while.