Airblade hockey sticks

[Monsoon 0]

There was initially a lot of hype about these sticks and note the last post I can find in Google is 2 years old. I see they still sell them but you see or hear nothing about them. No NHLers use them as far as I know. Anyone have any experience personally with these sticks?

[IPv6Freely 2087]

You pretty much answered your own question.

[Monsoon 0]

Yeah I'm guessing so. Just surprised no one's ever tried one here

[IPv6Freely 2087]

I’m honestly not :)

[Kgbeast 195]

It was a failed Kickstarter. I think it failed because it looks goofy, and was aimed to be way expensive even by today standards, 3-4 years later. If the pledge was nearly $300, what would have been the retail on that? The benefit of aerodynamics, was a bit unclear and no one believes that it would actually improve the shooting. While blade was said to be very strong, the shaft, part that actually breaks, had no promises.

If one of the major manufacturers today would have introduced something like this, I think public and NHLers might have been more receptive, but as a no name, goofy looking, overpriced stick, it would have failed today as well. I think the Air blade people have managed to patent this, so we will probably never find out now what this could have been.

[start_today 757]

In case you aren't familiar with it, I'll save some other people the googling:  

http://www.carbonsportsllc.com/

It seems like the logical conclusion of the Reebok 9KO stick and Mylec Jet Flo blades. 

Someone buy one! You have nothing to lose but air resistance! (and money, and dignity...)

[Monsoon 0]

I think they got past the Kickstarter phase. By having a 60 day warranty and a 30 day money back guarantee they sure are standing behind it.

[IPv6Freely 2087]

Looks really stupid to me.

[puckpilot 312]

Just looking at their page and watching the youtube video, I'm not seeing anything that makes me think that this stick gives me anything that a standard stick by the usual suspects doesn't.

Here are some things that I kind of picked out.

First, they talk about swing speed because of aerodynamics, but don't standard sticks deal with swing speed already, by raising the balance point of the stick?

Second, a stick is more than just the blade. The other half of things is the shaft. Kick points and all the differing properties along the shaft are just as important, maybe more so in terms of shooting velocity. So even if the blade is everything they claim, the shaft of their stick doesn't appear to be anything special. It doesn't appear that they even offer a kick point choice, so I'm assuming it's a mid-kick, so that's not helping to win over anyone who prefers low-kick.

Maybe they should have tried offering just the blade for sale. The lower price point makes it more tempting for those who would want to just try it out. Because for almost $300 there are so many other options. Also now that blades only are becoming scarcer, if they offer a wide selection of curves, they might be more attractive.

And one final note, I wasn't so impressed when the video showing how hard the stick can shoot decided to use kph instead of mph. It feels deceptive. But regardless, it's easy enough to ask google do the conversion and see that a 119 kph slapshot is just under 74 mph, a decent beer league shot, but nothing make my panties moist. 

Edited January 1, 2018 by puckpilot

[Wolfpack_1986 146]

Not to mention when you take a slap shot, you strike the ice to load the stick and will encounter forces far higher than that of the air resistance....

It's solving a problem that doesn't need to be solved.

[Larry54 243]

19 hours ago, puckpilot said:

Just looking at their page and watching the youtube video, I'm not seeing anything that makes me think that this stick gives me anything that a standard stick by the usual suspects doesn't.

Here are some things that I kind of picked out.

First, they talk about swing speed because of aerodynamics, but don't standard sticks deal with swing speed already, by raising the balance point of the stick?

Second, a stick is more than just the blade. The other half of things is the shaft. Kick points and all the differing properties along the shaft are just as important, maybe more so in terms of shooting velocity. So even if the blade is everything they claim, the shaft of their stick doesn't appear to be anything special. It doesn't appear that they even offer a kick point choice, so I'm assuming it's a mid-kick, so that's not helping to win over anyone who prefers low-kick.

Maybe they should have tried offering just the blade for sale. The lower price point makes it more tempting for those who would want to just try it out. Because for almost $300 there are so many other options. Also now that blades only are becoming scarcer, if they offer a wide selection of curves, they might be more attractive.

And one final note, I wasn't so impressed when the video showing how hard the stick can shoot decided to use kph instead of mph. It feels deceptive. But regardless, it's easy enough to ask google do the conversion and see that a 119 kph slapshot is just under 74 mph, a decent beer league shot, but nothing make my panties moist. 

But the actual speed wasn't the point. The point was that the same player got a higher puck speed with the airblade than with his usual stick. I'm just playing devil's advocate here.

Edited January 1, 2018 by Larry54

[Larry54 243]

5 hours ago, Wolfpack_1986 said:

Not to mention when you take a slap shot, you strike the ice to load the stick and will encounter forces far higher than that of the air resistance....

It's solving a problem that doesn't need to be solved.

But with less air resistance, you'll strike the ice a bit harder, load the stick a bit more. Again, I'm just playing devil's advocate.

[Davideo 99]

1 hour ago, Larry54 said:

But with less air resistance, you'll strike the ice a bit harder, load the stick a bit more. Again, I'm just playing devil's advocate.

Air resistance is a minor component of a minority shot type. It's like saying a skate is better because it's been sharpened a few dozen times and so has less steel and is therefore lighter. There are so many other, and more important factors in a stick to a shot, and of course other shot types. And any comparisons of the airblade stick to another stick are pretty much worthless. If you are using the same shaft then the comparison potentially gets interesting.

I find the claims that the honeycomb pattern allows for better feel and for better structural integrity and prevention of blade breakdown to be a much more interesting claim, personally.

[puckpilot 312]

2 hours ago, Larry54 said:

But the actual speed wasn't the point. The point was that the same player got a higher puck speed with the airblade than with his usual stick. I'm just playing devil's advocate here.

You're 100% right.

What's really making my face scrunch up from that is they say this is a player that's known for his shot with offers to play college and AHL. So when a player with pedigree like that shoots muffins, something doesn't feel right. With a regular stick his slapshot is 98 kph. That's 60 mph. I shoot that fast with my wrist and snapshots, and I am about as far from that level as one can get.

So when they say he's known for his shot, do they mean his poor shot, or is that guy taking it easy with the regular stick to put on a better show? My skeptic radar makes me wonder if he isn't also taking it easy with the airblade, too. If they want people to mistake kph for mph 98 and 119 make for better looking and believable numbers than, say, 130 or 140. But that's just me wildly speculating without any proof..

I have no idea how effective that blade truly is, but lots of red flags and concerns that would make me stay away until more solid info is available.

And I agree, that the puck feel and blade durability claims are more interesting than the increase in shot velocity.

Edited January 2, 2018 by puckpilot

[Monsoon 0]

Well for the heck of it I think I'll order one and try it out. If I don't like it I'll send it back for a refund. One of the guys their promptly returned my email with some info. Even emailed me on New year's day! I made some suggestions if they really wanna get their product going, having a current NHLer give his review on it would definitely help. I know Marsblade had 6 or so names in the NHL review their holders. But I can understand with sticks out might be a bit different. Can't really have Crosby endorse it when his name is slapped all over CCMs sticks. Probably wouldn't get any more endorsement deals with CCM after that. But surely there are SOME players that aren't tied to endorsement contacts they could ask to review it.

[IPv6Freely 2087]

I’m sure they’ve thought of that.

[puckpilot 312]

If you check YouTube they have a few former NHL players plug it, but I never found a video of any of them actually using it. 

[Kgbeast 195]

Endorsements are nothing but a name dropping. Who cares if some obscure NHL player (or even a superstar) said that this stick or MarsBlade is awesome? Until they actually use those in real games, It would take a certain personality to showup to a pickup game with MarsBlade holders and the airstick..

[Monsoon 0]

Kg you're not getting it. You're telling me if Crosby said he loves the stick but can't officially endorse it because he has an endorsement deal with CCM that wouldn't mean anything? Yeah right! Lol

Edited January 2, 2018 by Monsoon

[IPv6Freely 2087]

52 minutes ago, Monsoon said:

Kg you're not getting it. You're telling me if Crosby said he loves the stick but can't officially endorse it because he has an endorsement deal with CCM that wouldn't mean anything? Yeah right! Lol

I agree with @Kgbeast. 

[Kgbeast 195]

1 hour ago, Monsoon said:

Kg you're not getting it. You're telling me if Crosby said he loves the stick but can't officially endorse it because he has an endorsement deal with CCM that wouldn't mean anything? Yeah right! Lol

Have to grow up on this one...

[IPv6Freely 2087]

Why ask for opinions if you're just going to buy it anyway?

[Kgbeast 195]

9 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

Why ask for opinions if you're just going to buy it anyway?

Desire to be approved by peers? I like the ones that go - Hey guys I have just ordered such and such and wondering what are your opinions on it...

[IPv6Freely 2087]

42 minutes ago, Kgbeast said:

Desire to be approved by peers? I like the ones that go - Hey guys I have just ordered such and such and wondering what are your opinions on it...

All. The. Time.

[Monsoon 0]

11 hours ago, Kgbeast said:

Have to grow up on this one...

 You're kidding right?  If you feel like getting personal, that's what pm is for. I was basically saying that you don't think a pros opinion doesn't mean anything unless he uses it. Just leave it please. 

Edited January 3, 2018 by Monsoon