TRUE XC9 ACF - enis750

[JR Boucicaut 3799]

Open

[enis750 48]

BIGG thanks to JR and the guys/girls over at True for giving me the opportunity to use and review this stick.  Super excited to report back on it. 

Stick Specs: 
- 85 flex
- MC pattern (P88 clone)
- Grip shaft, matte blade (stock specs) 

About Me: 
- 36
- 6'2"
- 200 lbs
- Shoots right
- Plays forward, mostly wing - lots of wrist and snap shots, rarely any clappers 
- On the ice playing 2-3 x's week - play in B league (beer league) winter and pick up other 2 days 

Recent sticks used: 
- CCM Ultra Tacks 
- Bauer Nexus 8000 (2 models old now) & Bauer 1X
- Sherwood T90 
- Warrior QR1

First Impressions

I got the stick the same day I was scheduled to play some pick up, so I quickly wanted to weigh it, right out of the box. It came in at 422 gms.

 

I cut it (2” off) to the same length as my current sticks. Then taped and waxed it, weighed it again and compared to my other gamers. The results are below:

Sherwood T90 

 

CCM Ultra Tacks 

 

Bauer Nexus 8000

 

True XC9 ACF 

To no surprise the True was the lightest of the bunch, and you can definitely tell just holding it – its SUPER light. But weight of the stick rarely matters, unless you are switching between them every couple shifts. You can adjust to the weight pretty quick. Balance also plays a huge part. For example the $139 T90 is the heaviest, but IMO has the best balance and blade feel of all my current gamers.

I’ve only had the True out for one skate so far (pick up) and Ill be honest. Dead cold, first shot I wiffed it! LOL! It’s that light and I clearly wasn’t adjusted to it yet. After some warm up and a couple shifts, I knew I was going to like this stick.

I don’t want to leave too much info yet, as I want some more time w it yet. But Ill leave this here for now – IT’S A DAMN ROCKETSHIP of a stick.

 

Stay tuned ….  

 

[enis750 48]

Feb. 13/17: Update after 3 skates

Ok so I’ve had a few skates under my belt w this stick, so I feel can give some feedback now. As I previously eluded to, the weight of this stick is light…REAL light. You can tell the second you pick it up and my weight comparisons above prove just that. After warm ups and a few shifts I adjusted to the weight and figured out the balance. This is a stick meant for guys that like to shoot the puck – it’s an ABSOLUTE ROCKET LAUNCHER. My first snapper w it came off the face hot, it actually surprised me. I ripped one top chedd and even the goalie after was like, “That was moving!”.

I won’t get into the spec’s and details of the construction too much, as that info is available on the TRUE site. But I like the feel of the double concave shaft and square corners. The shaft is a matte grip w a full on matte blade. The graphics sure do pop a lot, w the silver & blue on black. Yes, they mirror the 1N color scheme, but it seems everyone has one line w similar colors these days.

The MC curve w rounded toe, is a P88 clone and the lie is very close to a Bauer P88 as well. I didn’t notice a flex different from the CCM, Sherwood, Bauer or Warrior sticks I compared to. I’d say it’s a true 85 ish flex. The blades feels on the “pingier” side of things, but not in a bad way. I found the Warrior QR1 to be very pingy and hard to catch passes w it. The XCORE insert absorbs the puck on hard passes and you don’t have to cradle the crap out of it to hang on.

This stick has SMARTFlex technology, which from my understanding, flexes where your hands are located. So not really a LKP or a MID, but a hybrid of flexes. From the few skates I’ve had w it, it does seem to perform as described.  I don’t lean into too many clappers, so I cant coment on that yet, but Ill be sure to take a few and see how it performs. As far as wrist shots and snaps, it releases it hard, fast and is accurate. I also never found myself looking for the puck, or bobbling it when stick handling. It stays and goes where I want it to, which is a huge plus. A light stick w a crappy balance, makes it hard to stick handle, this isn’t the case here.

 

Ill keep you up to date as I use it more. So far, I am really enjoying my time w it! 

[enis750 48]

April 19 Update: 25+ skates 

Feelings haven't changed on this stick - it's till unreal. In fact I am not afraid to say its my fav stick of all time. All of the sticks I compared it to have also been top runners for me, especially the Bauer 8000 and Sherwood T90 (I know the T90 isn't a high end stick price wise, but performance it sure is). The thing that still stands out for me, is how hard the shots come off! Part of me wonders if it's because it's still new and fresh? New sticks usually always perform well for me, as long as it's specced out to me. 

From a durability stand point, no issues whatsoever. Couple chips on the hosel area, which is to be expected. But the blade remains in tact, as well as the shaft. I've taken a few hard slashes as well w no issues (thank GOD). I'd be heartbroken if this broke, because to be honest I wouldn't pay $320 CDN for this. Thats the ONLY downfall of this stick is the price, but its not out of line against it's competitors. I usually buy one year old high end sticks for $150 and have been happy w them. Again, super great full for the opportunity to test this for MSH and TRUE.

Hockey may slow down a bit for me over the next few months, but when Im back out there more often, Ill report back.

FOR NOW - if you are in the hunt for a new twig, don't mind spending a few bux - DON'T hesitate to buy this, you will be very happy w it! 

[enis750 48]

April 29 Update:

Someone stepped on my stick and I almost had a heart attack ..... but it didn't break :) 

Still a performer guys, go get ya one!  

[enis750 48]

Been a while since I updated, so figured I'd toss this in:

After having it w some pretty good use since Feb, she finally broke. Im a bit surprised, but I shouldn't be I guess. From a durability stand point, the high end sticks are made for performance and that doesn't usually mean long term. SO while my trusty Sherwood T90's tend to last much longer, you aren't really comparing the same sticks. I should also add that it broke before it got weak. The Sherwood's blade will definitely get weak before it actually breaks. The XC9 was as good as it was on day one.

Once they come out w a new model, I'd have no problem picking up another one on clearance. They seem to be sleepers here, only one store carries them and they don't have a ton of stock. CCM & Bauer have the market locked up, hands down. 

Special thank you to JR and the TRUE Team for allowing me to review this stick!