Sniper Skin Grip Wrap Review

[Hills 712]

Since I recently received my next stick to review, I now have the opportunity to try out the Sniper Skin Grip Wrap. While I appreciate the different customizable ring and candy cane wrap options I prefer a minimalistic and flat grip with a relatively small knob at the end (I find my Tacki-Macs are basically a perfect setup). I really liked how I could add the soft foam wrap to the knob of this Sniper Skin Grip as it would add cushion to the top of the stick and add for a larger grip surface if that is something you prefer or if you have large hands and want more surface area on the grip. The ability to have your name or customized phrase put on the stick is a nice bonus feature.

I followed the instructions that state to place the first hole of the grip on the bottom of the knob for the setup without the rubber rings, from the end result I believe I either had the stick upside down or the holes should’ve been placed lower on the shaft. From @Bakum experience in this thread I wanted to ensure the knob ring of my Sniper Skin didn’t fall out buy putting the grip too low and not fully covering the knob ring. This ended up with me having a large excess of material at the top of the stick that not only looks bad, but actually feels annoying on the ice when I am really reaching with my stick. While people told me to cut this off, I tried to cut excess toe material on a Blade Wrap before and the end result was the wrap starting to crack I figured I’d just leave it as is so I can do the review and not destroy the grip.

The grip and feeling of the Sniper Skin Grip Wrap is different than other products I’ve used or felt in the past. It is not tacky or grippy like other options or like tape. It feels pretty thin and has very little dampening to the stick, it really feels like you are just holding onto the stick itself. I feel the newly released Sniper Skin 3 Blade Wrap actually had more grip to it than this Grip Wrap. While I feel your hand can slide around a bit on this grip it hasn’t caused me any issues yet while actually playing.

I will continue to write about my experiences here in the future.

Edited September 12, 2016 by Hills

[Hills 712]

 

 

Personal Details
Male
6’3”
220 lbs
B-C level hockey
Price: $20 (including shipping in Canada)

Preface: A lot of my comments on this grip (and all grips) are all about personal preferences. What works for me might not work for someone else.

Fit: Since the Sniper Skin Grip shrinks and wraps completely around the shaft of the stick the fit is excellent and the grip never moves or shifts on the stick while playing. The added rubber rings and foam strip really allow you to customize how your fingers and hand grip the stick. 10/10

Feel: The Sniper Skin Grip feels like a silicon like material and has a borderline plastic feeling in nature. The holes offer a bit of finger grip and while you can feel them they are not uncomfortable or annoying. The included thick rubber ring does a good job of keeping your hand in place at the top of the stick, but my preference is for the knob to be longer in the sense that it would go further down the stick as I prefer some of my palm to be resting over top of it. The added foam strip does an except job in adding cushioning and widening the surface area of the stick for people with big hands. Unfortunately since I did not want the wider grip and prefer thinner flat grips I did not use the foam strip and wish the grip itself was slightly thicker to add a bit of dampening and cushioning.  8/10

Grip: The wrap itself does not offer much grip in terms of tackiness, but I never had a problem with my hand sliding off of the Sniper Skin during game play. Personally I prefer a bit more friction and believe that the material used on the Sniper Skin SS3 blade wrap might work even better as a slightly tackier Grip Wrap option. 8/10

Durability: While my time with the Sniper Skin Grip Wrap has been fairly limited. There are no signs of wear on the grip at all. The holes have not expanded since the initial application and there was no signs of wear, no cracks and no tears. I really believe this wrap would last the lifetime of the stick. The only downside is that these are not transferable to another stick once they are applied 9/10

Palm Wear: There has not been any noticeable palm wear while I have been wearing these gloves. 10/10

Customization Options: Here is where Sniper Skin and the Grip Wrap really shines. Allowing you to get printed names and numbers is a nice bonus on a hockey tape alternative. The supplied rubber rings, foam strips and rubber end are nice pieces to truly customize your fit exactly to your finger and hand size. The foam strip is an excellent way to increase the width of the stick if you like that thicker and dampened feeling. Multiple colours allow you to match any stick design or team as well. 10/10

Conclusion: While I enjoyed my time with the Sniper Skin Grip Wrap, I still prefer my Tacki-Mac grips because of their slightly softer and grippier nature. They offer just a bit more dampening and a longer butt end that I simply prefer. While Tacki-Mac sell for $8 and Sniper Skins sell for $15, for my preferences the Tacki-Mac is a better deal. If the rubber rings and the foam strip would fit your customization needs than the extra cost should be easily justifiable. I would recommend the Sniper Skin Grip Wrap if you are looking for a hockey tape alternative with customizable options to ensure you can replicate your standard tape job. 8/10

 

The excess was because of a poor installation job I did.

 

No wear to be seen.

 

No wear to be seen.