All Black Hockey Sticks

[akravetz 29]

A guy with our youth hockey org swears by these guys. Another dad, who plays rec league, said they are good. And when I went to their web site, lo and behold, they had positive reviews. Yet, I am a cynic (25 years as a newspaper reporter will that). Do any of you real hockey guys know anything about this. It seems too good to be true to get a top flight stick and relatively cheap prices. I am asking as my son, 12, and I both play. And if we can get cheaper sticks, that's the preference. I realize it's an online store and that it could pull biz away from brick and mortar. That's never my intent. But having a young and growing son in an expensive sport...... you get the idea. I saw a post from September on these but wanted to know if anyone had more information since then. 

Any thoughts? 

Andy Kravetz

[60PlusWinger 82]

Personally I think that you should utilize other sources for sticks. $89 dollars can still get you a top of the line stick and in the specs you want. The secondary market for brand new retail sticks especially junior and intermediate it’s easy to find high end stuff for less than or the same price as all black hockey sticks except you know exactly what you’re getting. eBay, sidelineswap, sports2k etc. I sold 5 brand new Warrior QR1 W03s last summer for roughly $60 ish a piece. I sold a pro Stock Bauer 1N P28 that I used twice for $74.00 on eBay. If you know what to look for you can have whatever you want. I have not paid more than $150 for any senior stick pro Stock or retail and current model top of the line in my specs. 

[start_today 770]

3 hours ago, akravetz said:

It seems too good to be true..

 

You answered your own question. 

All of the knock-off and "me too" brands promise big things, but there's little evidence of that. 

The positive review reek of confirmation bias- people paid for the the stick, so they need to feel good about their purchase. (Which you can also say about established brands...)

And, I've never bought into the logic of those sites- that they are overruns or extras or whatever from name brands that the factories then sell behind their backs. If they are going to theoretically break those contracts, why would they be honest about what they are selling to you?

[60PlusWinger 82]

There are also a lot of top-of-the-line or very close to top-of-the-line models that are still available in store or online for around that price but still come with a warranty. If these are for your kid of course I would obviously evaluate the level of skill possessed and whether or not the mechanics are strong enough to even utilize the technology in a top-of-the-line stick. Drives me nuts here in Massachusetts seeing seven-year-old who can’t even shoot and their parents are shelling out the $200 for a brand new top-of-the-line stick that they are not even shooting properly

[marka 526]

Howdy,

I've seen a few ABHS sticks in adult league.  The guys that own them seem to think they're fine and I haven't noticed them breaking or heard about them whipping out extra early or anything.

I don't think they're a "Top end stick" by any stretch, they don't feel as light or as balanced as the clearance XCore 9's I'm using now.  But I think the value is reasonable, particularly if you can't find the curve / handedness you want in the clearance section or if your team wants to all go in and get a custom stick color or whatever (which I guess they do with any order of ten or more sticks).

YMMV.

Mark

[Jamarquan 201]

13 hours ago, akravetz said:

A guy with our youth hockey org swears by these guys. Another dad, who plays rec league, said they are good. And when I went to their web site, lo and behold, they had positive reviews. Yet, I am a cynic (25 years as a newspaper reporter will that). Do any of you real hockey guys know anything about this. It seems too good to be true to get a top flight stick and relatively cheap prices. I am asking as my son, 12, and I both play. And if we can get cheaper sticks, that's the preference. I realize it's an online store and that it could pull biz away from brick and mortar. That's never my intent. But having a young and growing son in an expensive sport...... you get the idea. I saw a post from September on these but wanted to know if anyone had more information since then. 

Any thoughts? 

Andy Kravetz

They're okay, but for the cost (~$90) you could likely do better with some digging, and I've never heard great things about them.

[sparky1 29]

Had an ABHS for a while when I first started out. I liked the light weight feel to them, but now-a-days, I went out and spent $40-50 more on a TRUE A4.5 SBP and it was everything the ABHS was and better. Better feel, more responsive blade, etc.

 

The ABHS was durable though, i'll give it that, but it could've been because it was in my novice hands at the time. My A4.5 SBP just gave out on me a couple months ago after a year or so of rigorous use.

 

All in all, if you just want a basic, no frills stick, the ABHS will be perfect. If you're looking for something with a high-end feel and performance to it, grab one of TRUE's $140-150 mid-range sticks and you wont' be sorry. Sherwood also has great sticks @ $200, I just got an EK365 and that thing is AMAZING!

[puckpilot 312]

I don't have any hands on experience with ABHS, but I just checked out their prices. As someone who pays quite a lot of attention to stick pricing, I'm pretty confident that if you do some shopping around and keep your eyes out, you can get top end or next to top end older model Brand name sticks for around the same price. For example, just popping into Hockey Monkey and looking at junior sticks, they have last generation's CCM Tacks 6092 for 69.99. That stick is one tier down from the top end model from that generation.  Also they have their Sherwood BMP 150 on sale for 99.99. That's their latest generation top tier stick. For Sherwood, I've seen their prices drip even lower.

That's just me doing a quick, almost no effort, search.

 

 

[akravetz 29]

Okay, first off, to to the guy who mentioned that kids don't need high end sticks, Amen. I don't wanna get my son a top flight stick. He has an N7000 now that was given to him by a teammate who outgrew it or who didn't like it. He loves it and now wants this stick again. They don't make it anymore (he wants the Kane curve). So I am trying to figure that out. He has a SHerwood T85 with a P26 curve which he loved until he got this new stick. Personally, I think, it's a status thing and I deplore it. He's too light to get proper flex and doesn't know how to use to it to get the fancy stuff. I'd like to buy him a old wood stick and have him brag he's tougher than all the other kids. Unfortunately, we are in modern times. 

I did see an ABHS last night in our beer league. Asked dude about it and he liked it. Said it was the best thing he had ever gotten and swears by it. Myself, I buy used sticks from our pro team at the end of the year or have guys on my beer league team who don't like their hand them down to me. I don't care. I'm not that good to know what I am doing with it anyway. :)

Thanks

 

Andy In Peoria

[puckpilot 312]

3 hours ago, akravetz said:

He's too light to get proper flex and doesn't know how to use to it to get the fancy stuff.

I totally agree that kids don't need expensive sticks and definitely it can be a status thing. 

But as for flex, imho, it's the most important thing when it comes to young players. Threre are youth sticks with light enough flex for small kids to flex properly. They start as low as 20 flex and cost around $50 Canadian. My nephew is 10, 70ish lbs, and gets a proper flex when he shoots because he uses a 30 flex stick.

 

[Playmakersedge 58]

On 12/10/2017 at 6:38 AM, akravetz said:

A guy with our youth hockey org swears by these guys. Another dad, who plays rec league, said they are good. And when I went to their web site, lo and behold, they had positive reviews. Yet, I am a cynic (25 years as a newspaper reporter will that). Do any of you real hockey guys know anything about this. It seems too good to be true to get a top flight stick and relatively cheap prices. I am asking as my son, 12, and I both play. And if we can get cheaper sticks, that's the preference. I realize it's an online store and that it could pull biz away from brick and mortar. That's never my intent. But having a young and growing son in an expensive sport...... you get the idea. I saw a post from September on these but wanted to know if anyone had more information since then. 

Any thoughts? 

Andy Kravetz

There is a young kid doing comparison $25,100,200  the 100 was close to the 200 . On you tube 

[Stewie 721]

8 hours ago, Playmakersedge said:

There is a young kid doing comparison $25,100,200  the 100 was close to the 200 . On you tube 

well, that says it all than. Random person on youtube is generally all the informational source you need.

to the topic at hand, i've only held them, but wasn't overly impressed. We had a local "pro" roller hockey league that was sponsored by them, but hardly any of the guys used the sticks.

For beer leaguers, they are probably good enough, but I doubt the performance is on par with the Sherwoods, Warriors, and True I find on clearance, so i'll stick to that route for now.

[Playmakersedge 58]

9 hours ago, Stewie said:

well, that says it all than. Random person on youtube is generally all the informational source you need.

to the topic at hand, i've only held them, but wasn't overly impressed. We had a local "pro" roller hockey league that was sponsored by them, but hardly any of the guys used the sticks.

For beer leaguers, they are probably good enough, but I doubt the performance is on par with the Sherwoods, Warriors, and True I find on clearance, so i'll stick to that route for now.

Stewie ,wtf is up with the sarcasm? What isn't relevant to the thread is opting to take a chicken shit shot at me . All sarcasm is is a cowards form of aggression  . 

For the op,  any stick will only do so much for you . Some guys need all the best stuff; because having all the best stuff completes there i'm a hockey player now feeling.  I think there are many of them .  They get on a forum like this and to hear there rhetoric with this cocky tone and all knowing you would think they can move like the wind and make a puck into misle.  Then you see them at the rink ,with all there best shit ; standing on the rubber mat still cocky . Then the resurface machine is off and they open the gate ; step on the ice and they look like there standing on marbles  .  In my generation it was article readers. That carried this manor ,the statistician.  But unlike the web eventually they learned the quiet guy in the corner putting his gear on is gonna show the gang of legends in there own mind where the bear shits in the buckwheat.  The. Web has given the legends a level of insulation .

Sorry about high jacking the thread but it needed saying! 

Hockey sticks: Think of as a tool . And any tool is only as good as its weakest link . When you are first learning how to use it ; the weakest link is you .  When the weakest link becomes the tool ,then it' time for a new tool. Like the kid in the video  : he had a very good shot and the lesser grade tool held his performance back the two better sticks were to equal to make a call especially using one shooter and not a blind test .   I would go with a 100 stick  

 

[215BroadStBullies610 435]

16 minutes ago, Playmakersedge said:

All sarcasm is is a cowards form of aggression  . 

Haha what are you talking about? How does sarcasm having anything to do with cowardliness?

[Playmakersedge 58]

15 minutes ago, 215BroadStBullies610 said:

Haha what are you talking about? How does sarcasm having anything to do with cowardliness?

It's a cowards form of aggression.  And the degree of sarcasm gets more daring over distance.  In other words the above comment would not be said to me if we were having a conversation about hockey sticks at a table in a pub,because the chance of repercussions are much higher  . Over wires,r f ,fiber otic the chances of repercussions are close to zero  . Sarcasm is self indulgent .  

[Playmakersedge 58]

20 hours ago, puckpilot said:

I totally agree that kids don't need expensive sticks and definitely it can be a status thing. 

But as for flex, imho, it's the most important thing when it comes to young players. Threre are youth sticks with light enough flex for small kids to flex properly. They start as low as 20 flex and cost around $50 Canadian. My nephew is 10, 70ish lbs, and gets a proper flex when he shoots because he uses a 30 flex stick.

 

I'm an old has been and learned to shoot with wood and also use aluminum when they first came out.  Two years in my teens I got paid to play and used wood.   I used Montreal sticks.   The shooting then was a little different body mechanics . Most affective was a snap shot, more like the body mechanics of the one timer with these sticks now. Then the slapp shot that's the same now.  Now I am seeing a wrist shot alot using the energy in the flex .  Back in my playing for real days ,the stick was flexing during this but not like now and the body mechanics are different.   My day the wrist shot was rarer because it telegraphed so much.   The snap and the slapp are enhanced by these carbon fiber sticks . I tried one of these sticks and shot my snap and I think if it hit anyone on accident  it would break bones.  

So as a teacher training person I would like to see the players not need the aid of the stick to be able to shoot.  Then the tendon and muscle strength is developed then when you put that on top of the energy of the high tech stick you got a wicked shot .  

As a kid I shot off waxed plywood with a solid steel stick and puck handling on the same wood.  I also made a weighted puck and Stick handled with that with a regular stick .    Maybe you can try this stuff  with your kids . 

[215BroadStBullies610 435]

1 hour ago, Playmakersedge said:

It's a cowards form of aggression.  And the degree of sarcasm gets more daring over distance.  In other words the above comment would not be said to me if we were having a conversation about hockey sticks at a table in a pub,because the chance of repercussions are much higher  . Over wires,r f ,fiber otic the chances of repercussions are close to zero  . Sarcasm is self indulgent .  

Right. Any form of aggression is cowardly based on what you're saying.

[Playmakersedge 58]

Right ,Only time it isn't is to protect your self from harm you can't walk away from to avoid it.  

[IPv6Freely 2093]

Okay so this has clearly derailed.