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I picked up two yesterday to fool around with, planned on putting a review together. My first impression is underwhelming. 

The presentation is nice, but to be honest, I had anticipated it being permanent (at least to the life of the stick) but the packaging recommends replacing it after 8-10 sessions.

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13 hours ago, shoot_the_goalie said:

Pretty expensive, especially compared to tape.

Pretty expensive is an understatement.  That's insane.  I'd love to know the cost to produce such a product and the margin.  

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I wonder if it's pretty much the same as anti slip tape (such isn't cheap either) but you get a roll of like 30 ft for 30 bucks. 

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On 12/5/2021 at 6:35 AM, Buzz_LightBeer said:

I picked up two yesterday to fool around with, planned on putting a review together. My first impression is underwhelming. 

The presentation is nice, but to be honest, I had anticipated it being permanent (at least to the life of the stick) but the packaging recommends replacing it after 8-10 sessions.

I tested some pre-release samples and noticed that unlike typical sandpaper grip tape, like for a skateboard, this has a thin layer of some type of fiberglass or similar sandwiched between the sandpaper finish and the adhesive layer. Overall, it seemed to work ok. I didn't notice anything better or worse compared to good hockey tape. 

Notice, I said good hockey tape. There is a lot of garbage hockey tape running around online. Make sure to get yourself the good stuff, its worth the extra dollar per role 😉 

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1 hour ago, PBH said:

I tested some pre-release samples and noticed that unlike typical sandpaper grip tape, like for a skateboard, this has a thin layer of some type of fiberglass or similar sandwiched between the sandpaper finish and the adhesive layer. Overall, it seemed to work ok. I didn't notice anything better or worse compared to good hockey tape. 

Notice, I said good hockey tape. There is a lot of garbage hockey tape running around online. Make sure to get yourself the good stuff, its worth the extra dollar per role 😉 

The only plus side of using something like this for me is that snow buildup and saturation of water. Even with wax. There's pros and cons. It can keep the water off but wax also doesn't stay "tacky" when it gets really gold from the ice.   If I ever used something like this I'd still tape the toe though. 

Then again most brands have a textured finish on their blades now adays that mimick some friction. I actually have yet to test out my sticks just taping the toe and seeing how well the factory texture on the blade is during game play. 

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1 hour ago, Buzz_LightBeer said:

It’s similar, I was going to call it skateboard deck tape, like 220 grit sandpaper

Anti slip tape is like 80 grit lol. Looked on Amazon. 220 is pretty fine. Not 1000 grit fine of course. Tempted to try the anti slip tape now. 

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I’m a sucker, I’ll try anything. It’s not like taping a stick is time consuming but between running around coaching my kid and a 3 month old at home I figured ‘hey one less thing to worry about’ would be a good idea.

Have only gotten to use it once so the jury is still out. It was easy enough to put on and seems to fit a P28 blade shape perfectly. On the ice I didn’t notice anything groundbreaking in terms of increased puck feel or shooting accuracy. It might’ve felt a little lighter than tape and I’ve messed around with no tape on the bottom of the blade that reducing friction didn’t feel any different.


I would say the biggest thing was, I didn’t notice it (in a good way). As in, there was no adjustment to it nor did I worry about losing the puck catching a pass or stickhandling.

still need to give it more chances to see if it is an improvement over tape and obviously see how well/long it holds up.

 

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4 hours ago, PBH said:

this has a thin layer of some type of fiberglass or similar sandwiched between the sandpaper finish and the adhesive layer.

I don't care if they put a layer of Unobtanium between the adhesive and the finish layer, if they say to replace it after 10 uses, it's moot

 

people that have used blade tape in the past had them last for months, I’m still skeptical of the benefit of these. 

Edited by Buzz_LightBeer
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8 hours ago, helmet91 said:

Seems like a solution in search of a problem??

You can look at it in such a way. I am always looking at alternatives to tape but am unwilling to compromise on specific things:

  • Price: I wont pay more for something that costs me more over time as compared to tape 
  • Feel/Performance: I will not sacrifice feel or puck control as compared to tape 
  • Durability: If it costs more and has the same performance or better, it had better be more durable
  • Weight: I dislike using anything that will affect the weight distribution/balance 

So basically, a product like this for me was a non-starter.

I am very picky. Maybe borderline OCD. I only tape half the blade, middle to toe. I use thick tape, minimal overlap, and add small amount of wax only where the blade comes into contact with the puck. I cut off the bottom of my tape so there is no drag on the ice. 

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The picture and video shows it applied to the forehand curve side only. Wouldn't you want grip for the backhand side too? When I put stick wax on my tape, I apply to both sides.

 

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18 hours ago, caveman27 said:

The picture and video shows it applied to the forehand curve side only. Wouldn't you want grip for the backhand side too? When I put stick wax on my tape, I apply to both sides.

 

 

On 12/5/2021 at 2:48 PM, Buzz_LightBeer said:

1 “pack” consists of 2 forehand and 2 backhand pieces.

 

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Purchased it and tried it in a beer league playoff game Sunday.

 

full disclosure my TJ is very similar to how Kaliyev tapes his blade. Maybe 4/5 passes toward the toe only. I purchased the 2 pack and cut about 60% of the forehand off and kept the back hand oem style. Using a Bauer S19 league stick. 
 

very easy application, goes on like a giant sticker. I cleaned the blade with some brake cleaner, wiped it off and let dry for 10 mins (I’m in automotive, I’m very confident you don’t even have to do that I just have a bunch lying around)
 

being a roller player as a kid I am kind of used to not having tape on the bottom. The bottom of the blade not having friction to most people will be WEIRD. I noticed it was slightly lighter but wasn’t that noticeable.  Got a goal and my shots were on point all night, ran into a good goalie tbh.
 

I got some scratches on my forehand but all cosmetic blemishes after a hard fought 7-0 game. Definitely worth a shot if you have the money or are like me and are always looking for a little extra edge!

Also, I whole heartedly agree with the good quality tape comment. Cheap tape SUCKS!

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On 12/6/2021 at 11:52 AM, PBH said:

I tested some pre-release samples and noticed that unlike typical sandpaper grip tape, like for a skateboard, this has a thin layer of some type of fiberglass or similar sandwiched between the sandpaper finish and the adhesive layer. Overall, it seemed to work ok. I didn't notice anything better or worse compared to good hockey tape. 

Notice, I said good hockey tape. There is a lot of garbage hockey tape running around online. Make sure to get yourself the good stuff, its worth the extra dollar per role 😉 

Lets pretend I'm an idiot ( LOL ), what would be some of the better recommended brands of tape out there ?

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Just now, noupf said:

Lets pretend I'm an idiot ( LOL ), what would be some of the better recommended brands of tape out there ?

Anything that is made by North American tapes; Comp-O-Stik, Lowry, Howies

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3 minutes ago, PBH said:

Anything that is made by North American tapes; Comp-O-Stik, Lowry, Howies

so Renfrew brand tape from my local dicks sporting goods is lower quality?

Edited by noupf

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Howdy,

Since we're talking about tape now...

Question I've had...  For Howies, are all their tapes from the same manufacturer?  Or are like the patterned tapes or whatever from a different supplier?

I'd notice what I thought were differences between some patterned stuff from them vs. the basic white or black, but I'm also not sure if that's just in my head.

Mark

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5 hours ago, marka said:

Howdy,

Since we're talking about tape now...

Question I've had...  For Howies, are all their tapes from the same manufacturer?  Or are like the patterned tapes or whatever from a different supplier?

I'd notice what I thought were differences between some patterned stuff from them vs. the basic white or black, but I'm also not sure if that's just in my head.

Mark

I've felt the same thing.

If I can find it I always go for Comp-O-Stik now

 

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On 12/9/2021 at 8:52 AM, marka said:

Howdy,

Since we're talking about tape now...

Question I've had...  For Howies, are all their tapes from the same manufacturer?  Or are like the patterned tapes or whatever from a different supplier?

I'd notice what I thought were differences between some patterned stuff from them vs. the basic white or black, but I'm also not sure if that's just in my head.

Mark

Honestly, not sure about patterned tapes. We have patterned tape in stock from Lowry and Howie, both are made by North American Tape and they seem to be the same. We have the winter camo tape, Canada flag tape, and USA Flag tape. All of them seem to have a more course texture/pattern as compared to standard black/white. It could be they are made by another factory or maybe when they dye the tape it gives it a different texture/pattern. 

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On 12/9/2021 at 11:47 AM, PBH said:

Anything that is made by North American tapes; Comp-O-Stik, Lowry, Howies

Does this mean all of these tapes are the same? Or does NA manufacture tape for all these companies, but the specific details are somehow different? 

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