Base Hockey shafts, blades and new features

[Stephen7 73]

51 minutes ago, smu said:

Way back in the early 80s I feel I was the only one complaining about the terribly high flex that was out there and popular.  Even for my son, who at that point was much larger than me, wanted the silver Gretzky stick. The 100 flex was the stick to buy!

 

At that point there was movement towards manufacturing a lighter weight and flex for women's sticks. I could not wait for them to hit the market, but I had to wait a long, long time.

 

Back to my sticks, here are 2 intermediate that I have given a quick review. If I get something in one I give up something in another. If I included juniors as well I get a different combination, but just can't stop a pass!

 

The 2 intermediate sticks that gave the identical characteristics when cut are as follows:

 

A relatively Cheap Warrior the other the top of the line Bauer TotalOne. I like a short stick so I cannot recall whether the cut height is on my skates or on the concrete floor, but relatively not much in the difference. I have used much shorter sticks at times with the junior sticks as it improves my stickhandling especially around and between my skates

 

Here were 2 sticks that were similar to me, but would be argued by many;

 

1) The inexpensive Warrior that had a 55 flex and length of length of approximately 63.5" full length. Given the feel on the carpet I was hoping I could cut it to my length and I would have what I need. First of all when cut the stick to about 52" it was a very heavy stick for me.

 

But, it would not flex on the ice for me, the only place it would flex is on the carpet at the LHS floor!  It would capture the puck when receiving a pass though and the blade acted like a hefty blade as did the shaft except for the flex!

 

2) I also have the same size intermediate Bauer TotalOne at a 50 flex. I then cut it to my size, again about 52" when in front of me from floor to just below my nose. The shaft was approximately 50" and I thought that the BAUER with all it's carbon fibre would give me light weight and the ability to flex the stick and capture those hard passes.

 

This stick did give me a superb lightweight feel, but again I could not flex it on the ice once I cut it to my size. I just could not get enough friction from the ice and my weight to come near flexing. The blade was just OK as it felt heavy, but I had no trouble with receiving passes.

 

So, how do I trust knowing what I am getting if I order any stick on-line unless I can be told about the product in relationship to the 2 sticks above?

 

Cheers - Alan

 

 

 

 

The old chrome Gretzky shaft..there's some nostalgia. I actually saw someone at the local rink using one of those recently. I recall goalies complaining the light reflecting off the shaft would blind them.

 

To answer your question, ideally you would be fitted for a stick at a Base Hockey shooting analysis center. There, you could try before you buy all of our blade curves and stick options using a high speed camera and get feedback from a trained shooting expert. Locations are on our website and occasionally traveling mobile centers could be in your area.

 

Every stick manufacture has a different way of rating flex. Even the rating on our mid-kick vs low or dual-kick can feel different in the players hands. For example I feel that a 90 Nasty R feels closer to our 85 Supernatural..and that is because of the dual kick points changing how it feels. The good news is, we offer variables of 5 on the senior sticks from 75-120. At a fitting center, this option is amazing for dialing in the exact flex for your game. However, I understand not everyone can make it to a fitting center so obviously there is some guesswork in what you would order. I can tell you our feedback has been good in regards to stick flex being accurate and/or what the customer expected.

 

Our intermediate shafts are available in 45, 55, 65, 75 and 85 so there are also lots of options there. These shafts accept senior blades.

 

Our new blade flex option is something you might want to consider as well. The (R) Regular version loads much easier than what you probably have traditionally used in the past. Do you remember the old white Christian blades used by players like Brett Hull? Those blades were known for being very soft and quite popular with a lot of professionals. Blade flex has been an option for professionals for years and an option we believe will be popular at the retail level as well.

[fatwabbit 93]

Just giving some credit to Stephen. I contacted him via the Base website, and he was quick to reply with suggestions and options.

 

I do have a older model Base tapered shaft, 75 flex and the recoil on that thing is great. I pair it with a wood blade to do some off ice training with my team mates the other day, and was really firing off some really hard shots without really leaning into it. I'm tempted to get a couple more shafts and Stephen suggested the Nasty R. 

 

Also, I did have an older Base Savoy a few years ago. REALLY stiff blade, and the sharkskin coating was aweseom.

[hawkeyfan 36]

21 hours ago, smu said:

You are dead on with Bauer as far as the flex goes, it is harder for me to compare other brands as many have been juniors except I have actually tried the Junior Nexus and while I could could flex it on the carpet in the LHS I could not flex it at all on the ice. I know I am small, but something is wrong when I am down to a 40 flex and can't flex it at all. Nothing cut off! Nice and light, but never got a chance to use it except fo one game. My LHS tested it on the floor in the store and agreed with me 100% and I got my money back. The Int 55 flex Warrior is heavy and won't flex. I am using a Junior Graf 40 flex at the moment. That's the one where I cannot take a pass!

 

Alan

I 'll tell you a great story...

So I am at one of my boys games up in Chicago.  We are standing around waiting for his game and the earlier game has just ended.  Around the side of the rink is a guy in a coaches jacket talking with a younger player who is in street clothes.  He has a White Easton (dont recall which model but its in 100 flex) and he talking to the Mite and he showing him how position himself and he's in the shooting position and flexing his stick and that thing is bending big time.  We walked over closer (Me and my daughter) and we start talking and he mentions...He got the best stick in the shop that day and he sitting there flexxing it with no problem.  He hands me the stick and asks what do I think?  I could not flex the thing.  Big wimp here I guess, but hey thats ok...I know to use a stick with more flex then to give me a little extra oomph from the flexxiness.

 

A Junior Stick should flex a little...although my boy started with a series of Easton 2pc setup that where Lightpoles (very stiff).  Where still learning and it takes an open mind to realize they are all different.  I was really dissappointed with the Nexus cracking, As that shaft felt awesome (shaft shape & weight wise).

 

My Current Rig is a Warrior DyNasty 75 2pc with a Smyth Curve.  Warrior only makes a 75 in Tpr...so feel lucky to have found a great blade to go with the shaft.  I also have an older Dolomite 85 tpr and its amazing how different the two are with their flexxiness.

[hawkeyfan 36]

Can Either Of the Base Guys let us know the difference in stick weight between a Grip Gloss finish and a Clear Matte Finish. 

 

Also is he Grip Powder Matte durable.  Warrior had a Crushed Velvet finish that would wear off pretty quickly (don't like that).  Leaning towards the Grip Gloss on a "Nasty".

 

Thanks

[malcb33 97]

I can't remember exactly which one I had (either Clear Matte or Power matte) but it was a tough type texture and it felt great in the hand and was very durable. I guess to describe it, think like sharkskin but way less course, like an extremely fine sand. I also didn't notice an extra weight because of the grip.

 

I have to say, if you are looking at other grip options Base Polarfibre is awesome! Great grip, even when the stick is wet and it won't fake off.

[Stephen7 73]

2 hours ago, hawkeyfan said:

Can Either Of the Base Guys let us know the difference in stick weight between a Grip Gloss finish and a Clear Matte Finish. 

 

Also is he Grip Powder Matte durable.  Warrior had a Crushed Velvet finish that would wear off pretty quickly (don't like that).  Leaning towards the Grip Gloss on a "Nasty".

 

Thanks

 

There is no difference in weight between those two grips finishes.

 

Both finishes are similar in terms of durability. I personally use the grip gloss and love it. The grip gloss provides slightly more grip. It really comes down to feel and personal preference.

[Stephen7 73]

3 hours ago, hawkeyfan said:

Can Either Of the Base Guys let us know the difference in stick weight between a Grip Gloss finish and a Clear Matte Finish. 

 

Also is he Grip Powder Matte durable.  Warrior had a Crushed Velvet finish that would wear off pretty quickly (don't like that).  Leaning towards the Grip Gloss on a "Nasty".

 

Thanks

 

I should add that the Warrior velvet grip and our matte grip are indeed similar. However Warrior uses a 1 step process to add the grip, while Base uses a two step. We first spray a primer type layer to help adhesion and then follow that with the matte grip finish.  It is slightly more costly for us to do it that way but we feel it makes for a better end result.

[smu 29]

On May 3, 2016 at 1:36 AM, Stephen7 said:

 

Yes, junior and intermediate are also now offered as shafts.

This sounds great if a consensus can be made on what a 60 flex means as compared to other brands. As was posted, the Bauer has to be the stiffest but what is what? If I could get a proper shaft with "my flex" I would grab it as I have plenty of blades to look through. I suppose though the shafts start with the intermediates. I don't mind that, but I need a shaft that will flex. I never liked the OP variety anyway and I can at least bend the wooden blades or do they make those any more? If not there should be a good selection of blades, that's were it is difficult to match a flex to the blade you want.

I will look into the shafts and if I can get a good answer as in flex I am changing as the wooden blades at least will take a hard pass.

 

Thanks again,

 

alan

[Cosmic 178]

17 hours ago, Stephen7 said:

 

I should add that the Warrior velvet grip and our matte grip are indeed similar. However Warrior uses a 1 step process to add the grip, while Base uses a two step. We first spray a primer type layer to help adhesion and then follow that with the matte grip finish.  It is slightly more costly for us to do it that way but we feel it makes for a better end result.

 

I love the Warrior velvet on my Dynasty AXT1 shaft. Is your clear powder matte, or grip powder matte like this?

[MrData 93]

5 hours ago, Cosmic said:

 

I love the Warrior velvet on my Dynasty AXT1 shaft. Is your clear powder matte, or grip powder matte like this?

 

I just used it this morning (on my SuperNatural and Nasty) and yeah, it feels exactly like the velvet grip.

[smu 29]

On 2016-05-02 at 7:27 PM, tduke49 said:

any chance of having your junior sticks as two-pieces?

 

 

If these will work for me, this will be what I want, but will it allow me to play with a full size puck. As i have mentioned before I have had problems with flutter in one piece sticks when receiving passes or the puck seemingly going right through the blade trying to get a hard pass?

 

If i use a wooden blade I will have better luck from experience, but what will 50 flex etc. truly mean as in comparison to other brands, leading me to say again how can I order a stick on-line not knowing the true flex?

 

There has to be some move towards all brands having a standard flex then the players can have a chance of getting what they want. I have paid far too much money over the past few years I have had to go with a lower flex to make sure I can bend it. Given just that I can find a blade easier and cheaper and does not impact as much compared to the flex of the shaft.

 

Alan

[Cosmic 178]

7 hours ago, MrData said:

 

I just used it this morning (on my SuperNatural and Nasty) and yeah, it feels exactly like the velvet grip.

 

Clear powder matte?

 

Or

 

Grip Powder matte?

 

(is like the Warrior velvet ? )

[Stephen7 73]

57 minutes ago, Cosmic said:

 

Clear powder matte?

 

Or

 

Grip Powder matte?

 

(is like the Warrior velvet ? )

 

Our grip powder matte is similar to Warrior's velvet grip.

[Cosmic 178]

Right on, just trying to figure some preferred specs/ specs I am interested in so I have a bit of a clue, for when we met in June (Nasty R shaft with grip powder matte, somewhere between 80 and 90 flex, Savoy blade). It is pretty nice how you Base seems to have so much available with customization.

[Stephen7 73]

29 minutes ago, Cosmic said:

Right on, just trying to figure some preferred specs/ specs I am interested in so I have a bit of a clue, for when we met in June (Nasty R shaft with grip powder matte, somewhere between 80 and 90 flex, Savoy blade). It is pretty nice how you Base seems to have so much available with customization.

 

I still need to reply to your email, and will do so quickly. To update you on blade selection we are no longer labelling blades by name.. Nasty, Savoy, etc.. they will simply be Regular, Stiff and Xtra Stiff. They are all top notch materials and the weave does not reflect style, weight or quality but rather feel, stiffness and flex. As you can see in my original post the XS blade has a different weave than the other 2. The perception to some would be that the larger weave is a higher quality product, and that simply is not the case.

Edited May 8, 2016 by Stephen7

[Stephen7 73]

4 hours ago, smu said:

 

If these will work for me, this will be what I want, but will it allow me to play with a full size puck. As i have mentioned before I have had problems with flutter in one piece sticks when receiving passes or the puck seemingly going right through the blade trying to get a hard pass?

 

If i use a wooden blade I will have better luck from experience, but what will 50 flex etc. truly mean as in comparison to other brands, leading me to say again how can I order a stick on-line not knowing the true flex?

 

There has to be some move towards all brands having a standard flex then the players can have a chance of getting what they want. I have paid far too much money over the past few years I have had to go with a lower flex to make sure I can bend it. Given just that I can find a blade easier and cheaper and does not impact as much compared to the flex of the shaft.

 

Alan

 

As much as manufacture standardization would be great, every manufacture is going to have their own rating process..at least for the time being. Plus, kick points and other variables are always going to vary how a stick feels in regards to flex. Some manufactures are known for playing stiff. I do not believe we have that reputation and have had good feedback in that area. Junior sticks are going to accept junior blades and and SR, INT accept senior. Offering shaft options as opposed to OPS only allows you to chose the blade that best fits your own game.

 

JR flexes - 25, 40, 50

INT flexes - 45, 55, 65, 75, 85

SR flexes, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 105, 110, 115, 120

 

There are plenty of options there from us. I wish I could take any guesswork out of it for you.

[Cosmic 178]

8 hours ago, smu said:

There has to be some move towards all brands having a standard flex then the players can have a chance of getting what they want.

 

Seeing as how Bauer recently changed their helmets and cages so that they are only compatible with each other (and no longer compatible with the rest of the market, thus stifling us, if we were to try to mix and match helmets and cages), I think it is safe to say that Bauer will not be singing "Kum-Bay-Yah" with the rest of the manufacturers, to ease the burden of the guesswork on the "consumers," as one of their (former?) product line guys likes to refer to us in one of the IW Insight videos.

 

The only flex standardization we can expect, will come from here, I am guessing.

[althoma1 574]

I know Bauer patented the Edge holders and hasn't officially let anyone produce replacement blades, but I'm not so sure about the cages/helmets. I know the Re-akt cage I bought from you works well on an Easton E700 helmet (ironically it didn't fit as well on a Bauer IMS 7.0/Cascade M11). Maybe their new cages don't fit on all helmets, but I can't see them specifically designing them to only fit Bauer helmets.

[Cosmic 178]

5 hours ago, althoma1 said:

I know Bauer patented the Edge holders and hasn't officially let anyone produce replacement blades, but I'm not so sure about the cages/helmets. I know the Re-akt cage I bought from you works well on an Easton E700 helmet (ironically it didn't fit as well on a Bauer IMS 7.0/Cascade M11). Maybe their new cages don't fit on all helmets, but I can't see them specifically designing them to only fit Bauer helmets.

 

I was specifically trying to fit one of the Bauer Hybrid fishbowl with the cage underneath, onto a CCM Resistance. A guy who used to work over at HM said something to the effect of, "Impossible, it used to be a possibility, but Bauer changed their rigging so that this fishbowl had to be used with a Bauer lid." Maybe it is unfair of me to try to determine their intention, perhaps they were just innovating; I think the guy over there maybe put it in my head that Bauer did this to just lock people into their stuff. Whatever, point is, I do not work in the industry, so maybe I know nothing. But judging from the Twitter feud between Bauer and Warrior last year over QR this and that, I don't know, I cannot see a great Meeting of the Minds over Flex Summit happening any time soon (which is fine; we will sort it out). On a side note, I ended up "discovering" the CCM Res 300 Cage (in white; it is perfect, as it whites out the ice and has compressed wire where the eye port is) as a result of being forced out of Bauer stuff, so it was all for the best. 

 

If you can get to a HM where they have the stick testing section, then that's a win. I vacation close to the HM in Irvine, and enjy testing out all the new sticks and flexes in their area.

Edited May 8, 2016 by Cosmic

[MrData 93]

12 hours ago, Cosmic said:

 

Clear powder matte?

 

Or

 

Grip Powder matte?

 

(is like the Warrior velvet ? )

 

Yeah the Grip Powder Matte, sorry.

 

10 hours ago, Stephen7 said:

 

I still need to reply to your email, and will do so quickly. To update you on blade selection we are no longer labelling blades by name.. Nasty, Savoy, etc.. they will simply be Regular, Stiff and Xtra Stiff. They are all top notch materials and the weave does not reflect style, weight or quality but rather feel, stiffness and flex. As you can see in my original post the XS blade has a different weave than the other 2. The perception to some would be that the larger weave is a higher quality product, and that simply is not the case.

 

So true. Manufacturers use buzzwords like "premium 12k weave" to market their higher end products, but many pro sticks use 3k or a different weave. Different weaves produce different results, and any can be used to manufacture a high-end stick. Once again (as always), it boils down to preference and feel.

[chippa13 1844]

Any update on when the site will be fully updated to order from the new product lines?

[chippa13 1844]

Got it. Were you able to find out if the standard blades were long or short hoseled?

[Stephen7 73]

1 hour ago, chippa13 said:

Any update on when the site will be fully updated to order from the new product lines?

 

The website isn't likely to update anytime soon. There is a link in my original post here (at the bottom, before the photos) with a link pointing to ordering information.

[Stephen7 73]

35 minutes ago, chippa13 said:

Got it. Were you able to find out if the standard blades were long or short hoseled?

 

When you say standard are you referring to .620? Most of our blades are .520 tapered and short hoseled. Certain blades like the kovalev pro are .620 and left only. I can check into the hosel length of this blade if that is what you are referring to.

[chippa13 1844]

Ah, now I get it. I didn't realize that it was just specific blades that were standard. The pattern I'd be interested in is the BM12 (Iginla).