Stick Opinions on CCM Super Tacks vs Bauer 1S vs True A6

[puckpilot 312]

i was wondering if anyone had any opinions on how these stick lines compare. 

I'm weak and I like sticks that are easy to load and hold for a split second, before I release. I find I can do this with Warrior sticks , but because I use junior sticks, I find the blade can open up a little on me sometime, so looking for possible alternatives. I own a Bauer 1X,  1N, CCM Superfast, Ribcore 47K and find the blades on them don't open up, but the feel of the flex doesn't quite match what I want. Just looking for feedback to figure out if I want to try one of these high kick sticks.

Thanks

[Duke16 0]

The SuperTacks will break after one ice time, so I'd wait until the 2.0. The 1S is durable, but you really have to lean into it unless you use a whippier flex than usual. The A6.0 SBP is the best performance wise, but also has questionable durability. To summarize, stay away from the 1st gen SuperTacks and go with the A6.0 if durability isn't an issue (although it's similar to the 1N). If you're looking for a very powerful stick that will last the 1S is right up your alley.

[icewalker_bg 126]

2 hours ago, Duke16 said:

The SuperTacks will break after one ice time, so I'd wait until the 2.0. The 1S is durable, but you really have to lean into it unless you use a whippier flex than usual. The A6.0 SBP is the best performance wise, but also has questionable durability. To summarize, stay away from the 1st gen SuperTacks and go with the A6.0 if durability isn't an issue (although it's similar to the 1N). If you're looking for a very powerful stick that will last the 1S is right up your alley.

I agree with everything you said. The SuperTacks and the 1s are hard to load, more for people like to lean on their shot I find. The previous Ultra Tacks on the other hand is super easy to load and quite a bit more durable. 

[qmechanic 17]

You listed a mix of low and mid-kick sticks, but you only asked for recommendations for mid-kicks.  Any reason why you don't like low-kick sticks?

I've been testing out a CCM Ultra Tacks junior stick in P29 pattern for the past several ice times and I love it.  It's my favorite stick by far.  I'm terrible at shooting, but with the Ultra Tacks, my shot is so much better.  More often than not, I can get off a hard wrist shot and the puck flies off my blade spinning flat.  (If it doesn't, it's probably due to my bad technique.)  My shots are much more accurate, in particular.  I also tried the CCM Ribcor Reckoner junior stick in the same pattern, and I don't shoot as well with it.  I think my style of shooting (mostly traditional wrist shots) works much better with the mid-kick Ultra Tacks.  I have no idea how to properly load a low-kick stick.

Pure Hockey has Ultra Tacks junior sticks on clearance, if you want to order one. 

[crow93 12]

2 hours ago, qmechanic said:

You listed a mix of low and mid-kick sticks, but you only asked for recommendations for mid-kicks.  Any reason why you don't like low-kick sticks?

I've been testing out a CCM Ultra Tacks junior stick in P29 pattern for the past several ice times and I love it.  It's my favorite stick by far.  I'm terrible at shooting, but with the Ultra Tacks, my shot is so much better.  More often than not, I can get off a hard wrist shot and the puck flies off my blade spinning flat.  (If it doesn't, it's probably due to my bad technique.)  My shots are much more accurate, in particular.  I also tried the CCM Ribcor Reckoner junior stick in the same pattern, and I don't shoot as well with it.  I think my style of shooting (mostly traditional wrist shots) works much better with the mid-kick Ultra Tacks.  I have no idea how to properly load a low-kick stick.

Pure Hockey has Ultra Tacks junior sticks on clearance, if you want to order one. 

I believe the OP was wanting to move toward mid-kicks. I prefer the low-kicks for wrist shots, and I struggle to load a mid-kick to my liking.

@puckpilot what warrior stick are you using and have you considered a different blade face?

[puckpilot 312]

 

4 hours ago, qmechanic said:

You listed a mix of low and mid-kick sticks, but you only asked for recommendations for mid-kicks.  Any reason why you don't like low-kick sticks?

I've been testing out a CCM Ultra Tacks junior stick in P29 pattern for the past several ice times and I love it.  It's my favorite stick by far.  I'm terrible at shooting, but with the Ultra Tacks, my shot is so much better.  More often than not, I can get off a hard wrist shot and the puck flies off my blade spinning flat.  (If it doesn't, it's probably due to my bad technique.)  My shots are much more accurate, in particular.  I also tried the CCM Ribcor Reckoner junior stick in the same pattern, and I don't shoot as well with it.  I think my style of shooting (mostly traditional wrist shots) works much better with the mid-kick Ultra Tacks.  I have no idea how to properly load a low-kick stick.

Pure Hockey has Ultra Tacks junior sticks on clearance, if you want to order one. 

 

I own a ton of low kick sticks. 1X, QR, QRL, Diablo, Dts, Ribcore, Graf, Stealth, Base Nasty. The sticks I listed, 1S, Super Tacks, and True A6 are something of a newer thing. They all have a stiffer lower section of the stick and a softer upper portion. Bauer calls it a high kick, CCM calls it dual kick, and True calls it a smart flex. I've had a chance to shoot with them at the local hockey shop, and there's aspects of each I like and aspects I'm not too keen on, but the only true way for me to tell is on the ice, which won't happen unless I actually buy one.

With the Super tacks I was sniping post and in over and over. But I'm not keen on the weight and feel, especially compared to the True A6, which felt really nice but I'm not sure if the A6 is any better for me than any of the sticks I have already, and the 1S was somewhere in between.  

This was why I was hoping for some feed back. I wish there was a place I could test drive sticks for real. It would be so much simpler and definitely less painful on the wallet. 

1 hour ago, crow93 said:

I believe the OP was wanting to move toward mid-kicks. I prefer the low-kicks for wrist shots, and I struggle to load a mid-kick to my liking.

@puckpilot what warrior stick are you using and have you considered a different blade face?

I'm using the QRL1  with a P92 curve. I also have a HD3 in a p92 and a QR4  in a P92 and P88. An old Ribcore in a P38. My two current Bauer sticks are all P28s.  Generally speaking, blade face doesn't matter for me in regards to the feel I'm looking for. For the most part, I can shoot with any pattern. I just have preferences. :p 

 

[darkhors 88]

I don't think the A6.0 SBP has durability issues. I had the original 6.0 and yes they did have some issues with the blades going early, but the shafts were amazing. Now with the SBP they've fixed the blade issue and I would argue it's one of the most durable one piece sticks on the market, especially with it's weight around 400g. The A series is closer to your QRL's and 1x than the other two sticks. It's "lower kick" , but not low kick like the previous mentioned.

[tpedersen3118 58]

As someone who has been using the A5.2 SBP for over a year now, I will say that it is holding up well, some minor chipping around the hosel of the shaft from slashes and such, but it has not hindered the performance. I went with the 5.2 over the 6.0 as it more durable (or so I was told by the store owner), still very light at 421ish grams, and the price was more attractive at around $200. I personally didn't see the value in going to the top of the line 6.0 and will likely be buying another 5.2

[crow93 12]

15 hours ago, puckpilot said:

I own a ton of low kick sticks. 1X, QR, QRL, Diablo, Dts, Ribcore, Graf, Stealth, Base Nasty. The sticks I listed, 1S, Super Tacks, and True A6 are something of a newer thing. They all have a stiffer lower section of the stick and a softer upper portion. Bauer calls it a high kick, CCM calls it dual kick, and True calls it a smart flex. I've had a chance to shoot with them at the local hockey shop, and there's aspects of each I like and aspects I'm not too keen on, but the only true way for me to tell is on the ice, which won't happen unless I actually buy one.

With the Super tacks I was sniping post and in over and over. But I'm not keen on the weight and feel, especially compared to the True A6, which felt really nice but I'm not sure if the A6 is any better for me than any of the sticks I have already, and the 1S was somewhere in between.  

This was why I was hoping for some feed back. I wish there was a place I could test drive sticks for real. It would be so much simpler and definitely less painful on the wallet. 

I'm using the QRL1  with a P92 curve. I also have a HD3 in a p92 and a QR4  in a P92 and P88. An old Ribcore in a P38. My two current Bauer sticks are all P28s.  Generally speaking, blade face doesn't matter for me in regards to the feel I'm looking for. For the most part, I can shoot with any pattern. I just have preferences. :p 

 

Wow, all over the place indeed. That's cool though. Out of the three you mentioned, I felt I was most accurate with the Super Tacks. I had the original A6.0, which worked great in the store, but once I cut it down to my size I was heartbroken and haven't used it since. The Super Tacks is a mid-kick though, the CCM dual kick is the RBZ line. Have you tried an STX at all? I enjoyed shooting with those as well. If you have a Hockey Monkey around you they have a bunch of sticks they let you demo. I'm not sure if any other chain does it.

[SCATMAN 33]

Howdy, I have all three and have some opinions.

For starters the A6.0 and A5.2 are great sticks. Hands down. If you like a lively blade they are light, easy to load up and are tough. Yes, the blades on the original would go soft after lots of use that is about the only down side to them.

I think that the Super Tacks and 1S need to be kept at a standard length or have add length to them to really get advantage of their technology, in particular the 1S. I say this because when I cut both sticks down to my (at the time) usual height -2" from retail so they are at my clavicle on skates they both felt rubbish. I just couldn't get them to work for me at all and actually felt they added nothing to my game, in particular the 1S - It just felt like a log. So I stopped using them. But when I started using longer sticks and put plugs into both of these (reaching my upper lip on skates) they suddenly became great sticks for me. The 1S actually blew me away when I made it longer and I think that is because it became easier to flex with the longer length and I was able to take advantage of the sticks technology.

I prefer the 1S of all three at the moment. The longer stick makes it easier to flex and load than the others, the catapult effect is really there and the dampened blade makes it easier to catch passes and feel the puck. Of the three it's the heaviest by far (SE - euro version) but it still has good balance. One thing I'll say is it does definitely require you to put more effort into shots.

The easiest of the three to shoot/load was the A6.0/A5.2.

 

 

[puckpilot 312]

7 hours ago, crow93 said:

I had the original A6.0, which worked great in the store, but once I cut it down to my size I was heartbroken and haven't used it since. The Super Tacks is a mid-kick though, the CCM dual kick is the RBZ line. Have you tried an STX at all? I enjoyed shooting with those as well. If you have a Hockey Monkey around you they have a bunch of sticks they let you demo. I'm not sure if any other chain does it.

Yeah, it sucks when you change the length and suddenly it's a completely different stick. It's kind of why I'm constantly looking at different sticks. As I mentioned I have the Warrior Diablo. Uncut, the shooting felt perfect for me, but then I cut it down and then nope. It's the reason I eventually moved down to junior sticks.  Haven't tried the STX.  The shop where I can take sticks to a shooting area don't seem to have any.

 

1 hour ago, SCATMAN said:

Howdy, I have all three and have some opinions.

For starters the A6.0 and A5.2 are great sticks. Hands down. If you like a lively blade they are light, easy to load up and are tough. Yes, the blades on the original would go soft after lots of use that is about the only down side to them.

I think that the Super Tacks and 1S need to be kept at a standard length or have add length to them to really get advantage of their technology, in particular the 1S. I say this because when I cut both sticks down to my (at the time) usual height -2" from retail so they are at my clavicle on skates they both felt rubbish. I just couldn't get them to work for me at all and actually felt they added nothing to my game, in particular the 1S - It just felt like a log. So I stopped using them. But when I started using longer sticks and put plugs into both of these (reaching my upper lip on skates) they suddenly became great sticks for me. The 1S actually blew me away when I made it longer and I think that is because it became easier to flex with the longer length and I was able to take advantage of the sticks technology.

I prefer the 1S of all three at the moment. The longer stick makes it easier to flex and load than the others, the catapult effect is really there and the dampened blade makes it easier to catch passes and feel the puck. Of the three it's the heaviest by far (SE - euro version) but it still has good balance. One thing I'll say is it does definitely require you to put more effort into shots.

The easiest of the three to shoot/load was the A6.0/A5.2.

 

 

Thanks for this. Your experience with the 1S reflects mine with my 1X and 1N.  I added an inch to my normal height and they felt better. Contemplating adding another. But definitely have a better idea of what to expect from each now.

[SCATMAN 33]

2 hours ago, puckpilot said:

Yeah, it sucks when you change the length and suddenly it's a completely different stick. It's kind of why I'm constantly looking at different sticks. As I mentioned I have the Warrior Diablo. Uncut, the shooting felt perfect for me, but then I cut it down and then nope. It's the reason I eventually moved down to junior sticks.  Haven't tried the STX.  The shop where I can take sticks to a shooting area don't seem to have any.

 

Thanks for this. Your experience with the 1S reflects mine with my 1X and 1N.  I added an inch to my normal height and they felt better. Contemplating adding another. But definitely have a better idea of what to expect from each now.

I have definitely learnt some things in the last two years about sticks. So more than happy to share if my advice can help people save some bucks and improve their game :) 

[Swlabr11 69]

I'll also add no durability issues with my A6.0 SBP.  It's been an awesome stick all around.