Current cheaper sticks or 2 year old higher end?

[marka 526]

Howdy,

Like lots of people I imagine (particularly those that are starting out new, like I am), I'm pretty horrified by $200+ stick prices.  So I've been buying $100 to $150 or so original price sticks from a couple years ago for $40 or so on clearance.  In the past year as I've been experimenting as a new player with flex and curves, I've gotten Warrior AX3LT, Warrior Covert DT5LT, CCM RBZ Maxx, and a Bauer Supreme80 stick.  Most have been from the clearance section of Hockey Monkey or Total.

But I noticed a review on Youtube of that Supreme80 stick the other day that was dated six years ago... And that made me wonder if today's intermediate sticks or even recreational / budget value sticks are a better deal than a top end or intermediate stick from two or three years ago.  Or five years ago.  Or whatever.

So... Is there general rule of thumb here?

Mark

[Kgbeast 195]

$200 stick is not going to make your game better than $60 stick. However, if you get $60 stick and  spend the $140 on stick handling class, you will get better. Other things to spend saved stick money would be getting a dry land training gear such as "sauce kit".... This is a pretty good rule of thumb here to me... Unless you make money hand over fist and can get all that after getting $200 stick. This would be my personal opinion of course, some might have different ones. 

[marka 526]

Howdy,

I appreciate that (and that's been my guiding philosophy), but I'm still curious if a current middle of the line stick tends to be as good or better than a two year old top end stick, etc. etc.

Mark

[Kgbeast 195]

2 minutes ago, marka said:

Howdy,

I appreciate that (and that's been my guiding philosophy), but I'm still curious if a current middle of the line stick tends to be as good or better than a two year old top end stick, etc. etc.

Mark

I do not believe that 2-years old top stick will under any circumstances be worse than today's mid-line. Top of the line is top of the line. When manufacturer makes top of the line product, they put on an a-game as compared to middle. So even if todays stick is made of the same material as top line 2-year-ago, it will not be made with a-game mind-set.  You can look at "past years" catalogs, at the top of this forum and see what is the difference and what "smoke" the manufacturer spews there. You can usually spot if it would be something or nothing.

[Chadd 916]

1 hour ago, Kgbeast said:

$200 stick is not going to make your game better than $60 stick.

No stick will make you better. Your skills are the same, no matter what stick you use.

However, a lower quality stick can often inhibit your shooting motion. Then again, so can a more expensive stick with the wrong flex profile.

[Stewie 721]

it all really depends on what you are looking for. Often times the mid end sticks are more durable, so if you are looking at durability being the top factor, you could stick to a mid end stick, and if budget is a concern, getting a middle of the pack clearance stick is a double win for you.

as for me, i like the lighter twigs, so i go with top end over middle. i feel that it gives me better handles and puck feel. It isnt the difference between me being a pro or anything, just something ive noticed over time. It also helps that at SJ and WF i get to demo sticks and those are almost always top end sticks, so that way i can see if i like how it plays beforehand, whereas i dont get those opps with middle of the pack sticks, and sometimes are left unimpressed with their performance.

[Truckie 27]

Ha... I got a koho wood stick used for $4.99 and a CCM wood stick HEAT for $24.99.. Being New I don't care if its too heavy or the wrong flex or curve  ( they work well so far)... Just trying them cheaply so if I screw up and break them... no big deal.. I have been looking at the Monkeys  mystery sticks  2 for 90 shipped.. but will see  what advice I get in Adult Hockey class  for length, flex, curve and lie... I will in the future  NOT spend $200+ per stick.... I will look for deals on the older "top" sticks from previous years.. just my 2 cents

[GloriousLeader 31]

I've been hoarding Easton Mako 2's on clearance price at every chance I get. Love that stick. Picked up 4 for a price of one couple weeks ago ($60 each). Let's say, I may be playing Makos for next decade... hopefully.

[All Flash 49]

Just know that once you go top end, its hard to go back. Unless of course u really dislike the stick to begin with.

[lpgbackups 17]

i know hockey sticks pretty well. they're my favorite piece of equipment. im canadian and ive been playing ice hockey for 25 years. to answer your question, in terms of performance, a top end stick of 5 or even 7 years ago will be light years ahead of the current year's mid-end in terms of performance.  you'll also notice that they're always lighter by a decent amount than any years' middle line. But as others have pointed out, any years mid-range stick will probably be more durable since those heavier sticks tend to use a higher percentage of fiberglass which is a solid material but gives you a heavier stick and less puck feel.  my all time favorite sticks are high end Eastons from 2008 (SE16) up to 2012 (original Mako) and the CCM tacks of 2014.   if you gave me $1000 today to spend on a single stick, i'd buy one of those.. i dont feel like sticks are getting better year after year in a straight line...  its more like the stock market...its an upward trend over long periods of time for sure, but you have ups and downs over the years.

if you take in your hands the original top end CCM tacks (2014) which has been on sale for $150 for quite a while, you'll noticed right away how great of a stick this is.. crazy light to the point they cant really make it any lighter year after year...unbelievably balanced, superb puck feel.  there's no way in hell that today's Super Tacks 6052 or 4052 are better than this.  im pretty sure even the top super tacks wont be as good.  And in the NHL, you'll notice countless pros using 4 years old or more high end sticks, but NEVER current year's mid-range sticks.

and as others have said too..once you go top end, its hard to go back...  so its a dangerous and expensive game.  and you need skills to justify spending crazy amounts of money.  a beginner wont improve his game that much regardless of the amount of money that he spends.  at lower levels its wiser to spend on extra shinny sessions or a stickhandling surface pad...but a skilled player will never be as good as he can be unless he uses top end gear for skates and sticks.  thats just a fact.

[Vet88 674]

Couldn't agree more, recently had some team mates (who are MUCH better at slap shots etc than me) try some S170's versus Total Ones, light years in difference. Main issue was how the S170 torqued under load and the blade went out of shape relative to the shaft. They just couldn't shoot / hard pass with them. Now if you aren't loading your stick up to the max then a low end to mid range stick would be fine for the rest of your game, but trying to up your game if you are working the stick hard with a cheap stick just doesn't work. And if you are looking either older, the USED SE16's, S19's and One95's we had on hand were considerably better then the new S170's.

[Jamarquan 201]

6 hours ago, All Flash said:

Just know that once you go top end, its hard to go back. Unless of course u really dislike the stick to begin with.

Happened to me with the NXG. I remember being excited to use the PM9...

[GreatestAmericanBeardo 258]

I JUST this weekend heard the following "top of the line sticks are made to perform,  the lower end ones are made to last... you can't really have both"     I've heard this before as well, the highend stick will give you the best performance, but not a long life. Mark, following your story on these boards leads me to think you may want a lower end twig that can take the hacks of the lower division players.   just my two cents  

[Hills 717]

On 8/5/2016 at 3:59 PM, Kgbeast said:

$200 stick is not going to make your game better than $60 stick. However, if you get $60 stick and  spend the $140 on stick handling class, you will get better. Other things to spend saved stick money would be getting a dry land training gear such as "sauce kit".... This is a pretty good rule of thumb here to me... Unless you make money hand over fist and can get all that after getting $200 stick. This would be my personal opinion of course, some might have different ones. 

Or, don't buy over-priced training tools and just make your own. Save the money and buy a top end stick in the future ;)

I can't really say anything about middle tier sticks as I've never used them, but I suggest not buying those training tools and make your own or something similar.

[marka 526]

Howdy,

 

1 hour ago, GreatestAmericanBeardo said:

I JUST this weekend heard the following "top of the line sticks are made to perform,  the lower end ones are made to last... you can't really have both"     I've heard this before as well, the highend stick will give you the best performance, but not a long life. Mark, following your story on these boards leads me to think you may want a lower end twig that can take the hacks of the lower division players.   just my two cents  

Yeah, maybe at Winterfest if there are demos I'll try some high end stick to see if I can tell a difference that matters to me, but I expect the increase in fragility would far outweigh any performance increase.

Unless maybe the stick somehow adapts to me putting it in the wrong position and yanks itself over in front of where the puck is going so that I don't miss yet another f*cking pass...  :-)

Mark

[Bakum 25]

1 hour ago, GreatestAmericanBeardo said:

I JUST this weekend heard the following "top of the line sticks are made to perform,  the lower end ones are made to last... you can't really have both"     I've heard this before as well, the highend stick will give you the best performance, but not a long life. Mark, following your story on these boards leads me to think you may want a lower end twig that can take the hacks of the lower division players.   just my two cents  

I have also noticed this over the years. It seems that the more "High Profile" the stick, the less durable. Generally I keep myself under $100 on stick purchases because you can usually get top end models from previous years around this price point.(Mostly I stay between $60-$80) My go-to sticks recently have been the Easton Synergy's whether its the Synergy 60, 80 or the HTX. 

The biggest thing I have found is the the weight of higher end compared to mid or low end sticks. I like a light stick but some players prefer a heavier stick. It really comes down to player preference combined with your budget.

I have a old Bauer Vapor with a Lindros pattern in my garage that is a tank. I use it as my last of the last backup because it just refuses to break.

[Stewie 721]

I dont think that the increased durability is always a rule however. I have had a few sticks at top end that have great durability, so much so as i havent noticed durability as a drawback. one noteable example is my EK15. it was a reasonably priced top tier stick, and to this day still lacks major blade/shaft damage. MY 11k was also a tank, and even held up better than my 6k did, albeit that being a small sample size as i rarely end up with a top end and mid tier of the same line.

So, for the most part, your mid tier stick will probably hold up better, but there is also ways to get a very durable top end stick that will last you, if your budget and preferences fit.

[Vet88 674]

2 hours ago, marka said:

Howdy,

 

Yeah, maybe at Winterfest if there are demos I'll try some high end stick to see if I can tell a difference that matters to me, but I expect the increase in fragility would far outweigh any performance increase.

Unless maybe the stick somehow adapts to me putting it in the wrong position and yanks itself over in front of where the puck is going so that I don't miss yet another f*cking pass...  :-)

Mark

If you want to try a top end stick HM have Easton HTX at $85, down from $260. It would be hard to find a cheaper top end stick. Danger is once you try them it is hard to go back to mid to bottom end sticks.

[Bakum 25]

12 minutes ago, Vet88 said:

If you want to try a top end stick HM have Easton HTX at $85, down from $260. It would be hard to find a cheaper top end stick. Danger is once you try them it is hard to go back to mid to bottom end sticks.

This

[stick9 896]

6 hours ago, GreatestAmericanBeardo said:

I JUST this weekend heard the following "top of the line sticks are made to perform,  the lower end ones are made to last... you can't really have both"     I've heard this before as well, the highend stick will give you the best performance, but not a long life. Mark, following your story on these boards leads me to think you may want a lower end twig that can take the hacks of the lower division players.   just my two cents  

That hasn't been my experience. Lower end sticks contain more fiberglass which tends to brittle and not nearly as strong as carbon fiber. Keep in mind higher end sticks are designed with higher level of play in mind, so they to be able to hold up.

ideally, you want to start in the $140-$200 range. That's usually where you get the best bang for your buck. I myself am a big fan of previous years top end sticks on close out. For example, I recently got a CCM Tacks and a Nexus 8000LE for $139 each. 

[Truckie 27]

8 hours ago, GreatestAmericanBeardo said:

I JUST this weekend heard the following "top of the line sticks are made to perform,  the lower end ones are made to last... you can't really have both"     I've heard this before as well, the highend stick will give you the best performance, but not a long life. Mark, following your story on these boards leads me to think you may want a lower end twig that can take the hacks of the lower division players.   just my two cents  

I was told this at the arena today.....  The top Pro sticks are for MAX performance  short term and if it breaks.. there's a pile in the locker room... the retail versions have lesser performance than MAX but need to last longer... can you imagine if word got out that XYZ stick was awesome but reviews everybody said they break at the 1 month mark.... they wouldn't sell

[Zac911 317]

4 hours ago, Vet88 said:

If you want to try a top end stick HM have Easton HTX at $85, down from $260. It would be hard to find a cheaper top end stick. Danger is once you try them it is hard to go back to mid to bottom end sticks.

I have a cutaway of an HTX stick.  There is a huge knot of material at the connection point where they fuse the blade in and the blade is a mess.  For $85 it's a solid deal,  but let's be honest... It was never worth $260.  

[stick9 896]

10 hours ago, Zac911 said:

I have a cutaway of an HTX stick.  There is a huge knot of material at the connection point where they fuse the blade in and the blade is a mess.  For $85 it's a solid deal,  but let's be honest... It was never worth $260.  

Easton should have just stuck with the Mako & Stealth lines. Both were really good sticks, and were all over the NHL when they were released. The original Mako being one of my all time favorites.

[Bakum 25]

11 hours ago, Zac911 said:

I have a cutaway of an HTX stick.  There is a huge knot of material at the connection point where they fuse the blade in and the blade is a mess.  For $85 it's a solid deal,  but let's be honest... It was never worth $260.  

I don't think any stick is worth that much honestly. At lot of the 2016/2017 models are starting to come out with a $299 price tag. That's just craziness.

[Zac911 317]

2 hours ago, Bakum said:

I don't think any stick is worth that much honestly. At lot of the 2016/2017 models are starting to come out with a $299 price tag. That's just craziness.

Years ago I told the Bauer North American sales mgr at a sales meeting that the best stick at $199 wins the war.  I am certain he put me on the list after that.  

You are already being conditioned to think that in 8-10 years that $399 will be perfectly acceptable.  There's only so many tertiary features,  amazeballs buzzwords and paint jobs you can come up with.  Vote with your wallet friends.