Warrior Covert QRL Stick Review

Hills · June 13, 2016

I will update this thread as time goes along.

Once again thank you to ThinkingJack and Warrior for making me a #WarriorVIP and hooking me up with this stick. I am extremely grateful and appreciate it.

I've had a few people ask me about this stick so far and I feel it would be better for me to just make a quick write up about it rather than have to say the same thing over and over again.

I have used the stick about 5 times so far on the ice (my league is unfortunately taking a 2 week break or else that number would be higher) and have used it on my outdoor shooting pad. Since I haven't used it enough to talk about the durability of the stick this will not be a full blown review but rather more of an initial impressions and initial performance review and because of that I will not add scores to anything but

Warrior Covert QRL 100 Flex W03 Backstrom

Stick History: Sherwood 9950 Wood Coffey, Bauer Supreme (Sport Chek SMU) Kane, Sherwood T70 Stastny, Winwell GX8, Easton RS Parise, Warrior AK27 , Warrior DT1LT Pavelski, Warrior DT1ST Grandlund, Verbero PM44, Sherwood Rekker EK60 PP26, Warrior Covert QRL W03

Stick Info: Height: uncut
Weight: 409 Grams
Grip: Yes
Shaft: Gloss
Length: 60 inches

Usage: 5 Skates

Grip: I am not a huge fan of grip sticks and most of the time prefer the non-grip and matte versions to them. With this stick I didn't have a choice in grip vs non-grip and had to go with the grip stick. I was really hoping the grip was going to be similar to my Warrior AK27 and be the velvet style, but it is more of a tacky style of grip. It does have CorTex Grip which is raised edges along the sides of the shaft which I really like. The bottom of the stick has the matte finish closer to the blade and I know I would enjoy using that style of shaft more so than this gripped version... with that said the grip certainly doesn't take away from my enjoyment of the stick and I enjoy the grip used here more than the one on CCM and Bauer sticks that I have tried before.

Aesthetics: Warrior has talent when it comes to design good looking sticks that are instantly noticeable and ones you can follow the lines of lineage (Bauer Supreme does a good job at this too). I have a soft spot for orange (one reason I really liked the Sherwood EK60 design) and baby blue and Warrior does an awesome job in using those colours as accents to the black base of this stick. I really like how the bottom of the shaft is orange near the blade and I like how they use the colours to form a background of the word marks (notice how QRL and Warrior are in black with the colours surrounding them instead of just using the colours on the black stick base). I also love exposed carbon fibre weave that is on the blade and up the hosel, I personally wish this traveled all the way up the entire stick since I love that look so much. I understand why they didn't as it would make the black word marks too busy with exposed carbon fibre and the intricate designs around them. This stick looks great from any angle and is immediately noticeable that it is a Warrior Covert.

Blade/Curve: Just like the grip I did not have many choices when deciding on the curve options. I choose the W03 since it was the only one available in the shaft flex I wanted. I normally prefer heel curves like the W05 Grandlund as they fit my style of play and are great for passing (which I do before shooting). With that said because of my time with the Ek60 I have gotten more used to curves that are more aggressive and I am so far getting along with this stick pretty well. The first time on the ice I had some hard passes get too much air but I have since adjusted to it. The blade itself is really nice and is very stiff which is great for puck feel and play-ability. The stiffness of the blade has a pingy and lively feel and is really noticeable when receiving a hard pass and stick handling, you always know where the blade is and where the puck is on it and I believe the stiff nature of the blade provides excellent feedback.

Stick Handling: With the lightweight and lively blade stick handling with this stick has been very good. Unlike some lightweight sticks in the past I never "lose" the blade of this stick and always know where it is. The stiff blade gives me confidence when handling the puck since it gives great feedback to how the puck is actually behaving on the stick itself. The excellent balance helps the stick feel like a natural extension to your hands and never feels unwieldy.

Shooting: This is the shinning point of the Warrior Covert QRL. I cannot recall a time when I felt pucks fly off of my stick as hard and as consistent as they do with this stick. Using it reminds me of the first time I used my DT1LT, except these feel even harder. With minimal effort my shots come off my stick hard with a satisfying and strong kick. I truly feel this stick is making me a better hockey player as I no longer have to worry about the mechanics of my shot to ensure I really release a rocket. I spent time on my shooting board with this and my beloved EK60 and I could really notice the difference in average shots where it felt like the Warrior Covert QRL really did most of the work for me. Out of 10 shots I felt that 9 of them left me completely satisfied without the feeling that I could get more on them, but with my EK60 only a couple out of 10 I was completely satisfied on how the puck came off the blade and ended up. To me the Warrior feels like it never leaves anything on the table and doesn't require you to make a perfect shot, it just kicks hard and launches the puck in a very satisfying manner. Slapshots feel almost dangerous with this stick for how hard they were launching to the point where I wasn't comfortable in taking them on my shooting board to ensure an errant puck off a post wouldn't damage any fences or property.

Passing: I am not sure if it was the kick of the stick or the curve which was giving me some issues the 1st time I was on the ice, but a lot of my stretch passes ended up far too high for my target. I have since adjusted my passing a bit and haven't really had any issues since. While the blade isn't my idea curve for saucer passes and passing in general I am not having a difficult time passing over players sticks or cross-ice. Backhand passes will need work because of the aggressive curve but that is something I will just practice and get used to.

Durability: So far everything is holding up great and the stick still feels brand new. But with its limited usage I cannot fully comment on this category yet.

Feel: I mentioned the excellent and stiff blade earlier already. The balance of the stick is fantastic and it does a good job of being lightweight but still being noticeable. I never feel like the stick doesn't have a blade and always feel in total control of the stick. The lack of weight also helps with making the stick extremely mobile in terms of movement, you never feel bogged down when moving your hands or attempting to move the stick (something I feel time to time when using much heavier goalie sticks). While this stick is slightly heavier than the Sherwood EK60 I really don't notice the difference between the 2 in terms of weight.

Closing: If the durability in terms of blade stiffness and shooting kick hold up this will easily be my favourite stick I have ever used. I am unbelievably happy with is so far and am really grateful Warrior and ThinkingJack having given me the opportunity to use it because I really can't get enough of it so far. The Warrior Covert QRL as it stands is the best stick I have used in terms of performance and balance, shots kick off the blade harder than anything I've used and the stiff blade is wonderful for puck control and feel.

I absolutely love the carbon wrap visible in the blade.

Stick comes in at a respectable 409 grams. Not the lightest stick I have used but it feels wonderfully balanced and I never notice the extra grams compared to the lighter ones.

I am a big fan of the graphic package as well.

Edited June 13, 2016 by Hills

Hills · January 25, 2017

Usage: 8 Months

Grip: I mentioned in the initial impressions for this stick that I was not a big fan of grip sticks. While my preference still lies with matte finished shafts the Warrior Covert QRL did a pretty decent job introducing me to the world of grip sticks. The gloss grip on the QRL is not the tackiest of materials and honestly had no adjustment period from my prefered non-grip sticks to their grip variants. I do really like the Pro CorTex Grip, which is 3D like teeth that line the shaft for added grip and feel. In my opinion the 3D ridges work well with the grip material since the grip is much less tacky compared to other brands. While the QRL grip isn’t my favourite shaft texture (nothing beats Warrior Velvet grip yet), if I were to grab another QRL I would probably pick up the grip version. 9/10

Aesthetics: This section is almost ruined by Warriors latest release of limited edition sticks, which includes 2 different designs for the top end QRL. These limited sticks (seen below) are throwbacks to Warriors earlier days when they had extremely complicated names for the different levels of performance. These throw backs look great in my eyes and make the QRL seem slightly less impressive. The Warrior Covert QRL stick does a good job of advertising the brand and Covert line heritage. The colour pallet is the same as the previous Covert line in the QR1 family and overall design is fairly similar as well, yet Warrior did an excellent job in making different changes to really distinguish how this stick looks compared to its predecessors. I am a fan of the baby blue, orange and black colour scheme and I really like how Warrior used negative space for the Warrior branded text on the shaft. Instead of making the colours baby blue, Warrior made the background baby blue and the Warrior letters black. This design looks even more impressive in the next stick down in price point in the Covert QRL Pro stick. With the QRL Pro Warrior decided to leave the blank carbon fibre visible throughout the shaft instead of painting it black. Since blank carbon fibre is one of my favourite design choices I am slightly disappointed that the stick I have doesn’t have this feature. On the QRL Pro it looks exceptional in the Warrior lettering, light bounces off the carbon weave to show off details and the letters pop even more against the baby blue background compared to the black letters on the QRL. Perhaps I am too easy with liking different stick branding, as I like the bold aesthetics of the QRL I also like the more understated approach that CCM has taken on the Ribcor Trigger. Either way I think the QRL is a great looking stick and Warrior did an exceptional job of continuing with the Covert QR heritage. 9/10

Curve: I like heel curves, and while I have been able to get used to the Warrior W03 I still miss my trusted W05. I didn’t have all of Warrior’s curve options when I got this stick and went with the curve that I felt would be best suited to my defensive style of game. I have been able to adjust and must admit that the increased curve has helped with stick handling, but I still miss my heel curves. 8/10

Blade: The blade on the Warrior Covert QRL is one of the more lively and pingy blades I have ever used. My previous stick being the Sherwood EK60 was a lively blade in itself, but the Warrior just feels slightly more alive and almost thinner. The blade is also extremely stiff and I have never felt the blade twist or give when taking a shot. The pingy blade gives the QRL great feedback when stickhandling and shooting, but I feel some touch is lost when making and receiving passes. I prefer the lively blades when stickhandling as I feel like I always know exactly where the puck is when it touches my stick, even the slightest of movements are able to translate the puck’s position on the blade. I feel the pingy blade is slightly worse for passing though, as pucks feel as if they jump off of the blade when receiving hard passes or making long stretch passes. I understand soft hands allow you to cradle the puck, using the slightly dampened blade in my CCM Ribcor Trigger makes it easier for me to handle the harder passes. 9/10

Feel: I mentioned the excellent and stiff blade earlier already. The balance of the stick is fantastic and it does a good job of being lightweight but still being noticeable. I never feel like the stick doesn’t have a blade and always feel in total control of the stick. The lack of weight also helps with making the stick extremely mobile in terms of movement, you never feel bogged down when moving your hands or attempting to move the stick (something I feel time to time when using much heavier goalie sticks). While this stick is slightly heavier than the Sherwood EK60 I really don’t notice the difference between the 2 in terms of weight. The one thing I’d make note of is that this stick plays considerably less stiff than the Sherwood EK60 or even other sticks I have used in the past. This 100 flex QRL plays about the same as my 86 EK60 and 87 Easton RS. My thoughts on feel haven’t changed with this stick since the first day I used it and the Warrior Covert QRL is one of the best overall feeling sticks I have used, my only minor complaint is receiving passes which was covering in the blade section above. 9.5/10

Stickhandling: With the lightweight and lively blade stick handling with this stick has been very good. Unlike some lightweight sticks in the past I never “lose” the blade of this stick and always know where it is. The stiff blade gives me confidence when handling the puck since it gives great feedback to how the puck is actually behaving on the stick itself. The excellent balance helps the stick feel like a natural extension to your hands and never feels unwieldy. To be completely honest I am not the best stickhandler on the ice, I am more of a defensive forward (or defenseman depending on the team) than the dangler and sniper. But the QRL has helped me in the stickhandling department because of its lightweight, great balance and pingy blade. I have more confidence that the puck is not going to roll off of the blade while I am moving because of the instant feedback the blades gives your hands, and if I do lose it it is considerably easier to find again or poke away from danger because of the balance and lightweight of the stick. The Warrior Covert QRL is my best stickhandling stick to date. 10/10

Shooting: If I wrote this review a few months ago I would’ve told you the Warrior Covert QRL is the best stick I have ever shot, with the fastest release with the most consistent shots I have ever used. But I must say the QRL has been surpassed by the CCM Ribcor Trigger in that regards. That isn’t to say the QRL is not a quick releasing stick, in fact my shots with it are some of the quickest releasing I have ever shot thanks to its T3 Dagger taper. The quick release of this stick helps get off shots while under pressure from defending opponents quickly, you don’t really have to worry about proper technique or loading the stick and can allow the stick’s flex and low kick do most of the work. Some defenders like using mid kick sticks for booming shots from the point, but I prefer low kicks to allow me to quickly get a low shot off between defenders legs without having to wind up. A quick sidestep to find an open lane and the puck is already going towards the net for a tip in front.

The stiff blade helps translate puck feel extremely well to your hands when shooting, if you make a mistake and flub the shot you can usually tell why immediately. The blade never opens up on winding slap shots, but I feel the curve and the low kick launch my shots over the net. I have to work to reel in my slapshots to keep them below the crossbar.

The Covert QRL is a stick that can do most of the work for you, and the quick release and low kick help you shoot off balance or off of the wrong foot much fairly easily. My shots still launch extremely quickly and hard coming off the QRL, and it is the second best shooting stick I have ever used. 9/10

Passing: As mentioned above in the curve section I prefer heel curves to assist with my passing. While I was able to adjust and become better than previously I feel the heel curves are still my favourite curves for making saucer passes and having the most control. For the rest of the stick the Warrior Covert QRL excels in this category. I had issues with low kick sticks in the past when receiving or giving hard passes. When making stretch passes the low kick would flex too much and my hard pass became a shot… which became uncontrollable to the intended target. With the QRL I am able to keep the low kick in check while making those long and hard passes. I have also rarely experienced the stick flexing when receiving passes. My only complaint for this stick is the blade stiffness, which I feel makes the puck bounce or jump off of the blade when making and receiving passes. The blade is so lively that even when cradling a pass the puck seems to just bounce off of it ever so slightly. Again this is one of the drawbacks of an extremely pingy blade. 8/10

Durability: My previous Warrior stick experience was with the Covert DT1LT, a stick that really amazed me with it’s quick release and shot power when the stick was new. A few months of use and the stick started to lose its pop and started feeling noodle like. I am very happy to report that the Covert QRL has featured no such degradation in performance. The stick feels the same as it did the first time I got it onto the ice and the blade is still as firm as ever with no visible cracks or chips anywhere. While my Sherwood EK60 has excellent durability it never quite had the release my DT1LT or this QRL did so I believed a trade off for durability came by sacrificing the quick release. The Warrior Covert QRL has proven my thoughts wrong in this regard, and has held up remarkably. While I take care of my stick I do not baby them, I block shots and am not shy from taking slapshots. Five months later and the Warrior Covert QRL feels as good as new and has changed how I look at durability in high end sticks. 10/10

Closing: I am unbelievably happy with the Warrior Covert QRL so far and am extremely grateful to Warrior and ThinkingJack for giving me the opportunity to review this stick. The QRL is in the top two of the best sticks I have ever used. It’s lively blade is excellent for shooting and stickhandling all while Warrior’s work on durability has certainly shown since the DT1LT stick lines. The Warrior Covert QRL is one of the fastest releasing and shooting sticks on the market and is backed by excellent durability. If you are looking for a high end low kick stick with a lively and pingy blade the QRL should be at the top of your list. 9/10