Warrior Dynasty HD1

[dsjunior1388 81]

Stiffness - 100 flex


Pattern – W88 Zetterberg

Grip finish



First Impression/Appearance 8/10

The Stick has graphics that are a good continuation of the Dynasty’s of the recent past, particularly the AX1. The scalloped cut-out graphic was tweaked, but the muted gray, black and yellow were adjusted to a white/black/red design that’s a little sharper and crisper. Warrior is continuing on their path away from outlandish designs and towards simple, powerful graphics. A serious stick for a serious player. This stick does a good job of representing the serious but still flashy MO of the Warrior brand.hose brands are on the smallish side, a step away from the ever-growing brands we’ve seen lately.
Apparent even from a distance is the grip pattern, which has raised patterns across most of the shaft. While I miss Warrior’s more tactile, smooth grips which felt like a velvet finish, this sticky version is not too sticky that it feels like a hindrance as I move up and down the shaft.

Blade - 9.5/10

I often find myself looking for an impossible blade, that which feels lively while stickhandling and shooting, but feels dampened on recieving passes and making smallish moves on a loose puck. It’s a paradox that never seemed possible, but since soft hands have never been my forte, I hoped instead for such an unholy union. And Warrior, with the HD1, has somehow delivered. I can be in a bad posture and flick the stick and the puck immediately gets on it’s way, seemingly all blade, and I will still feel as though I got good, solid “wood” on the puck. I noticed this a handful of times when I was in a tangle on the boards or behind the net, blindly swiping at the puck, made contact and the puck did exactly what I hoped it would. I couldn’t find a bad spot to shoot or pass from. Even my meager backhands felt true.
Shooting with this blade was terrific. As I said, I loved chipping the puck with it, just getting a little piece, but I also loved unloading on it. Gone is the feeling of the blade twisting or splaying a bit, the way I felt with the QR1 after some time, or the Dolomite HD. The blade was rock solid on slapshots, snapshots and hard wristers, and it stayed true regardless of where or how I was shooting. Because of the consistent feel of the blade, my saucer passes didn’t lose anything in terms of power or height, even though I was downgrading from a W28 and P92 to the much milder Zetterberg pattern, which is somewhere between Easton’s old Heatley/Iginla and Bauer’s P88 Kane pattern.



Shaft/Flex/Balance - 8/10



The shaft was very nice in that it was extremely consistent. I didn’t find myself chasing the ideal flex point like I do on many sticks. I just shot, and the shaft delivered each time.
However, it did run a bit on the stiff side. I used a 100 flex, which is typically my maximum flex, and cut it down about 2 inches. I expected it to play like about a 102-104. What I got instead felt like a 110-112. Unyielding is the term I would use. While the blade “played along” with the flaws in my game, the shaft seemed to magnify them. I felt like the blade was the whole show and the shaft was too rigid to get into the action.
As I grew accustomed to the shaft I really liked it’s performance, but there was simply no doubt it played to the heavy side of the flex spectrum. If you’re debating between two flexes, take the under.

Durability - 10/10



I say in all my reviews that I am not tough on sticks, but apparently this is the exception. I had at least three major incidents where I thought I could have broken the HD1. Each time, I found that not only had it not failed under pressure, it had barely been marked.
The first was a hard slash my first time out. I was hovering around the net on offense, and a defensive player decided to challenge me. We jostled legs and elbows, a shot headed our way, and he quickly cut down on my shaft to prevent a tip or a move for the rebound. The sound of stick-on-stick was loud enough that I immediately swore at the guy, but when the puck was cleared I leaned on the stick and it showed no signs of giving. Back at the bench I looked for a mark, even a ding, but found only some paint from the other stick. The HD1 hadn’t even been scratched. The second incident was a classic move where I jammed the blade perpendicular to the boards. I hit the boards flush to the edge of the blade and expected some crumbling, but none were found.

And finally, I really did a number, as in that same first session I managed to escape a sure stick-killing moment. My blade was lodged in a gap in the boards and stuck there. I instintively let go and the play quickly cleared around it, so there wasn’t a real chance to torque the blade while it was held in place, but even so I was nervous retrieving the stick. Once again, it had stood up and take its lumps without a hint of damage.

Intangibles

As I’ve said, the stick made all the little plays with aplomb, and the blade just couldn’t find a situation it couldn’t handle. The blade is the best I’ve used, hands down, and with that I’m including the Bauer0ne95, which to this point was the best I’d used. HD1 tops it.

Conclusion

Warrior is no longer “Johnny-Come-Lately.” No longer the brand with a decent stick with a funny name or a cool graphic. Warrior has evolved in the quickest possible fashion and consistency puts an incredible product on the shelves. The Dynasty and Covert lines have only gotten better each time out, and they have taken advantage of lapses and missteps from Easton and Reebok/CCM to take strides in the market and on the ice. This stick is $259 at retail and as it compares to the other top offerings, is absolutely worth every penny.

Overall score - 9/10

[Thinkingjack 51]

Stiffness - 100 flex

Pattern – L5 Henrique W03

Grip finish



First Impression/Appearance 9/10

I really liked the fact that this stick was a lot cleaner than before. I enjoyed my time with the QR1, however the amount of orange was kind of distracting. This one has more white and some red and it’s a decent mix, if you need to know I prefer all my sticks to just be black, like my metal and coffee and soul. The first thing I noticed is that Warrior has made their sticks a little longer on the shaft, and trust me that’s a good thing. The frustration would never end when I would buy a warrior stick and unfortunately had to add 6+” of a wooden plug. Granted I added a 2” composite plug to this one but 2” is better than 6 or more. Coming from the old days of the Original Dolomite to the newer version as is now with this stick I was really happy with the balance and weight, it felt like an old friend, with improvements.

Blade - 8.5/10

I’m not going to knock this blade too much. It’s a little stronger than the previous blades they’ve used. Although it’s not comparable to the 2007 blades that were amazing, that’s how the market goes, or else they’ll never sell more sticks. That being said, the durability to the blade is a little lacking the entire heel is starting to cave in, first it chipped in layers, which I assume is normal wear and tear. As for durability, it started chipping at the heel by the second game however, I still beat up the stick and take as many hard shots as possible and its still strong and shows no defective weaknesses where its chipped and worn, nor has it lost its structural stiffness. <Big word>

I like the blade and the fact that I didn’t have to spend too much time trying to find a “sweet spot”…..The whole thing is a sweet spot from the feel of it. I was able to feel the puck everywhere I touched it on the blade while tipping pucks and just lightly tapping it. I like a loud blade, when the puck hits it I want to hear it, because at least I have that when the blade is dead and I don’t feel it in my hands.

Shaft/Flex/Balance - 8/10



It’s a mid/low kick stick. It’s not hard to tell with this type of model, it’s been one of the most consistent shafts in the market no matter what the paint or name change is. It’s a pretty consistent flex, actually one of the most consistent sticks. I knew coming in with this being a warrior stick that if I get 100 flex to expect it to be whippier, and once I added the 2” extension then it would just act like a sling shot. I was right. If by chance you’re one of the few who needs to cut this stick, I suggest lowering the flex and then cutting.

The shape of the shaft was soft but big enough to fit comfortably. One reason I wasn’t too happy with the QR1 was the shaft shape, that one felt too small, this one has just the right amount of volume, and the soft corners keep the fingers from bruising or its digging into my thenar space. The balance of the shaft is even, it doesn’t feel like its blade heavy and unlike most of my Easton sticks where one handed flicking at the puck feels like it’s labored, this stick is just so effortless.

Durability - 9/10



I tend to punish sticks, especially the blades. I don’t normally get angry and smash my stick on the glass or boards, but I did happen to have an instance where I totally lost my cool and smacked the boards. I totally came to my senses after I heard the loud THUD and checked the stick, nothing. So happy…..I was VERY happy. Asides from the chipping on the blade there hasn’t been any other issues. No total damage, there hasn’t been anything that makes this stick unusable. I’ve taken hundreds of shots and its still performing. There’s already been an instance where a guy stepped on the blade and it didn’t break, what more can I say?

Intangibles

I’ve come to start using my snap shot more and lately I’ve started working on one timers again. This is easily one of my favorite sticks for one timers. The blade feels close to the one95 pro stock sticks/blades I used to have. Really close, actually on par. The feel entirely on the blade, from impact to just stick handling is one of the best, its very responsive and has no back flex or twisting during shots. This stick is pretty versatile in all sorts of shots. They tell you it’s great for slap shots and one timers, but the snap shot just screams out of this blade. I will say I’m disappointed in the wrist shot because it doesn’t carry that OOMPH that my other stick has, the rest carries it.

Conclusion

Warrior has been going through changes, revamping their old lines and creating new ones. This stick offer by them gives us a clean look, and lets the performance get the attention. There are many high end sticks at this price and higher, but I would recommend this one 4 times out of 5 because of its consistency and ability to take punishment without snapping easily.

Will you be happy with you? I don’t know why don’t you try it and tell me!

Overall score – 8.5/10