Stick with Stiffer Blades?

[z1ggy 81]

Currently, I've been using my Easton V9E in the E28 curve. I love how light the stick is, but I immediately noticed how much the blade would give while catching hard passes. I don't have the best hands in the world, but even when I'd catch it clean, I'd still feel a what seemed like a ton of buckle in the blade itself. I've since switched back to my old stick in the past few weeks, a Warrior DT4 LT, same pattern.

I'd like to find a stick in the same specs, low release point, E28 type of curve (same lie, too), but has a stiff blade section, or at least stiffer than my DT4 and certainly stiffer than my V9E. Props if it's lighter in weight, but my budget is $150. FWIW, I had a QR Pink (that I promptly painted black) which I liked the feel in the blade of), but I wasn't a fan of the curve I ended up using.

[icewalker_bg 126]

Ccm has some of the stiffest blades, old Reeboks had super stiff blades too, not sure if they the E28 at retail level at the time tho. 

[shoot_the_goalie 281]

I concur with icewalker.  CCM blades are some of the stiffer blades on the market today.  See if you can find last year's models in your preferred curve, as most of them are on sale for around your price point.

[z1ggy 81]

Yeah I mean, I haven't shopped for a stick in a while, but last I checked, I stayed away from CCM because they never had an E28 pattern, or a lie low enough to my liking.

I'd be willing to go anything really, other than a heel curve or extreme toe, to get the right lie angle. I can adjust pretty quick from E28 back to Crosby curve, whatever it's called now. Face being open or closed doesn't make massive amounts of difference to me, although I do prefer it open a bit.

I know Warrior used to call their lower lie, Lie 4 which was like Lie 5 for everybody else... Is that still the same? My E28/W28 has been my go to for the past 3 years or so and I'm not sure I could go back to a higher lie like the Crosby/Sakic. I skate and shoot with the puck fairly fair away from my body I guess.

[z1ggy 81]

So seems like I want to go with a CCM Ribcor 40k. Still stiff blade like the RBZ? On sale right now for $149. Got good reviews. I'm guessing it might not though because wasn't this a Reebok design just rebranded under CCM? I can still afford a Ultra Tacks from last year and the RBZ Speedburner.

 

Now the question is... will I be able to deal with a 5.5 lie. I ultimately went with the lower lie because I noticed during a practice I was catching passes much cleaner with the lower lie than the slightly higher one. Could I potentially adjust it after the fact?

[puckpilot 312]

I'll second the CCM. I have sticks from their Ribcor and RBZ line and there's not much give especially in the RBZ.

But The RBZ is a variable kick point and reinforced hosel, but the price was right. I picked up a $200 super fast for half price recently. I think last year's speed burners are that price now too. 

In addition the new Warrior QRL series have blades that are stiffer than what they had before. So if a Dt4 worked for you a QRL should. 

[Cosmic 178]

With the Eastons starting at HTX and getting newer, the blades stiffen as flex increases.

[psulion22 402]

The 1X is also a low-kick with a stiff blade that comes in P28.  I found the blade on the 1X to be about as stiff as the one on my Ultra Tacks, and much stiffer than the 1N or AX1.  The blade on my True A5.2 was pretty stiff also, but that's not a low-kick.

[vinprun71 61]

On 11/30/2016 at 11:13 AM, z1ggy said:

So seems like I want to go with a CCM Ribcor 40k. Still stiff blade like the RBZ? On sale right now for $149. Got good reviews. I'm guessing it might not though because wasn't this a Reebok design just rebranded under CCM? I can still afford a Ultra Tacks from last year and the RBZ Speedburner.

 

Now the question is... will I be able to deal with a 5.5 lie. I ultimately went with the lower lie because I noticed during a practice I was catching passes much cleaner with the lower lie than the slightly higher one. Could I potentially adjust it after the fact?

I have a 40K and a Super Fast. The 40K is softer than the Super Fast in my opinion.

[Cavs019 710]

The McDavid is CCMs retail P28 clone, looks like it's available at all price points. 

[z1ggy 81]

At the same Lie, too? Looks like a new pattern, so not available on the Superfast (which is on sale..). RBZ 290 is the most I could afford in this case of the newer releases.

 

Will flex change much if I cut an inch off? I know back in the day companies claimed they could/were making sticks with "zones" in which you could chop inches off your stick and not change the playing flex. I either use a 75 or 85 flex, depends on the stock length and brand.

 

 

[vinprun71 61]

1 hour ago, z1ggy said:

At the same Lie, too? Looks like a new pattern, so not available on the Superfast (which is on sale..). RBZ 290 is the most I could afford in this case of the newer releases.

 

Will flex change much if I cut an inch off? I know back in the day companies claimed they could/were making sticks with "zones" in which you could chop inches off your stick and not change the playing flex. I either use a 75 or 85 flex, depends on the stock length and brand.

 

 

Not 100% sure here, but I don't believe CCM has that feature (yet). I could be wrong. I know TRUE sticks do, but not 100% on CCM.

[Cavs019 710]

1 inch shouldn't make a difference in my experience. 

CCM P28 pro stocks also pop up quite a bit on eBay/Hockey Monkey if you can score your desired flex/handedness. 

[All Flash 49]

IMHO... Sherwood Rekker still has the stiffest blade available at the retail level, followed by the Warrior Covert QRL.

[start_today 773]

Maybe I'm reading the initial post wrong, but are you saying the soft blade mixed with "not the best hands" makes it hard to receive passes? A stiffer blade is going to mean an increased chance of the puck bouncing erratically off of your stick during passes and stick handling. Softer blades are more forgiving in those situations, because they absorb the energy, rather than transferring it back to the puck  

How old is the Easton? If you're experiencing a bunch of give and it's feeling really spongey, it could be that the blade is breaking down. 

[z1ggy 81]

Yes I feel like because it's so soft that the blade is literally flexing when I'm catching passes, esp toward the toe. It didn't start that way at first, I feel like it's gotten a bit more whippy over time, I'd say it's about a year old now. 

[z1ggy 81]

Just wanted to thank you guys for the recommendations. I ended up getting the RBZ 290 in 85 flex, which is MUCH stiffer than my old DT4 stick. My slappers are incredibly faster now and I don't feel like my other shots have suffered, even though the RBZ might not be as quick of a release.

I'll have to get used to the stiffer overall feel for stick handling, but so far I really like this stick. I might be going CCM now for the foreseeable future.

[colins 246]

3 hours ago, z1ggy said:

Just wanted to thank you guys for the recommendations. I ended up getting the RBZ 290 in 85 flex, which is MUCH stiffer than my old DT4 stick. My slappers are incredibly faster now and I don't feel like my other shots have suffered, even though the RBZ might not be as quick of a release.

I'll have to get used to the stiffer overall feel for stick handling, but so far I really like this stick. I might be going CCM now for the foreseeable future.

 

Blades do go soft on some models. The quickest blade breakdown I've seen recently was with a brand new CCM Tacks 6092 - less than two months of infrequent use, shaft and blade look brand new, but the blade 'crunches' when you flex it in your hand and is a lot softer than when I first bought it. I've had other Tacks and Ultra Tacks that have lasted way longer, usually they chip up at the toe but don't 'go crunchy' in the middle like this. Scientifically, I'm sure someone can explain what is happening internally to the carbon fiber, all I know is it crunches when you flex it with your hands and the blade moves/bends in ways it shouldn't. Visually, it looks perfectly fine.

For me, once a blade break down like this (and I've got other sticks with the same problem - they usually last a lot longer than the 6092 did though) they are unplayable. Hard passes for redirects/onetimers become near impossible on a blade like that they just open right up as if the puck is going through them.

It doesn't sound like you necessarily needed to find a stick with a really stiff blade, but I think you definitely needed a new stick with a blade that wasn't 'broken'.

I believe Base Hockey lets you choose blade stiffness independent of the shaft thickness - I've never ordered from them but there's a page on their site describing the option: http://www.basehockey.ca/blog/topic/base-customization-features

 

colins

 

[z1ggy 81]

Didn't NEED one, but now that I moved up levels, passes from team mates are much harder and I found my DT4 to almost visibly flex in the blade section on a hard pass to me. Yes, it's the indian and not the arrow 80%, but I wanted to see what a stiff blade could do for me. So far, I don't feel any flexing in my blade from passes and unlike conventional wisdom that a hard/stiff blade makes catching passes tougher, I somehow find it easier. It's like this particular blade deadens the puck immediately for me.

 

I'd love to get a stick with a very stiff blade, but low kick point as this could be the ultimate snap shot & passing combo for me. I don't take many slap shots, but the added power on them was a welcomed surprise with the RBZ.

[Jamarquan 201]

On 12/3/2016 at 2:33 AM, All Flash said:

IMHO... Sherwood Rekker still has the stiffest blade available at the retail level, followed by the Warrior Covert QRL.

I thought that was the RibCor's whole schtick aside from the ribs.

[tpedersen3118 58]

I like the blade on my True A5.2 SBP. It's stiff but not overly stiff, easy to snipe with, sends and receives passes really well and is more durable than the previous generation A5.2. The stick is a variable kick so I'm not sure if that is of interest to you. I have an old Easton Stealth RS that has held up extremely well too, but the blade on that is sooo stiff I have had issues receiving a hard pass as it tends to bounce off. Contrast that to my Surgeon 500 where the blade is too soft and now it just sits in my basement. I haven't tried the new (now discontinued) Stealth's but those seemed pretty good as well as CCM sticks.

[Giraffe14 23]

On 1/4/2017 at 0:53 PM, z1ggy said:

Didn't NEED one, but now that I moved up levels, passes from team mates are much harder and I found my DT4 to almost visibly flex in the blade section on a hard pass to me. Yes, it's the indian and not the arrow 80%, but I wanted to see what a stiff blade could do for me. So far, I don't feel any flexing in my blade from passes and unlike conventional wisdom that a hard/stiff blade makes catching passes tougher, I somehow find it easier. It's like this particular blade deadens the puck immediately for me.

 

I'd love to get a stick with a very stiff blade, but low kick point as this could be the ultimate snap shot & passing combo for me. I don't take many slap shots, but the added power on them was a welcomed surprise with the RBZ.

I had a couple of Warrior QR4's, and I had similar problems receiving hard passes.  It felt like the blade would twist or open up, often resulting in the puck flipping up or bouncing off the stick.   I imagine the better Warrior sticks in the line (QR1, QR3) have better blades that would minimize this affect.  I'm currently using Base's stiff blades, and there is a little flex at times.  I'm gonna try out an extra stiff and see how that works.