CCM Vector 110

[Chadd 916]

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[jnicklo 0]

CCM Vector 110 / Kaberle Mid Flex

Reviewer

6' 1" 255lbs - RW

First Impressions

When I first held the Vector 110 in my hands I immediately noticed how balanced the stick was. I found it to be fairly light and on par with the weight of other top end one peice sticks. I was however turned off by the decal that CCM decided to use for the design of the stick. Although looks have nothing to do with performance of the stick, it'd have been nice for CCM to print the designs directly onto the shaft.

Flex 8/10

Being a heavier, larger player I am not one to use a lower flex such as the Mid on this stick (I normally use a regular flex CCM or a Stiff flex TPS) but I had found this stick on Ebay for a killer price of $80 USD. After about 10 or so wrist shots I noticed a slight increase in speed on my shot, with the lower flex it seemed I could load the puck easier and fire it off my blade faster.

I then took a dozen or so slapshots. I immediately noticed that the shaft pulled back much more then it would if I had been using the regular flex or stiff. I noticed no real speed increase on my slapshot but it did seem a bit more accurate.

Feel 9/10

Seeing as this was my first one piece composite stick I was expecting much less from the feel. After stickhandling and receiving a few passes I felt much more confident in this stick. I liked how the blade was not too thick, yet not wafer thin. The blade has held up very well over the past 6 months only just recently getting chipped on the toe.

Stickhandling 9.5/10

It may be all in my head BUT when using this stick I find myself keeping my head up much more often. I don't tend to glance down as often as I normally would with other sticks. It must be that the feel of the puck on the blade is (to me) more defined but I found my stick handling to improve greatly.

Shooting 8/10

A considerable gain in accuracy was noticed when I shot with this stick. Whether slapshot, wristshot, backhand or snapshot I generally hit my target. One instance I had some rink time to myself. A group of young kids were lined up along the glass watching me take slapshots. I had kept ripping shot after shot....I then figured I'd TRY and show off. I aimed for the middle of the crossbar (just for kicks) and hit FOUR in a row. The onlooking kids were quite impressed (and I was shocked).

Generally I noticed no real speed gain in my shooting with this stick HOWEVER it is much easier to get the puck off of your blade and at your target. Quick releases were always something I lacked in but this stick has helped improve that aspect of my shooting.

Durability 10/10

I've been using this stick for about 6 months now and I have found it to be one of the most durable one piece sticks on the market today! I've had people take some pretty hard hacks at my stick and have slammed into the boards with it several times only to come out with my Vector in one peice! The blade only recently began to split very slightly at the toe (which I covered with a bit of epoxy to solve that problem). This stick can take a beating.

Conclusion 9/10

Seeing as I paid only $80 for this stick I find it to be a HUGE bang for my buck. It performs excellently and is extremely durable. Once again, my only complaint is CCM's lack of attention to the decals of the stick.

[CharlesC 0]

Product: CCM V110 Stiff-flex Stuart Curve

User Info: currently 24 years old (at the time I was 18 years old), at the time 230ish lbs, skate 2-3 times per week in adult B leagues. I have been playing hockey 15+ years.

Other sticks used: Various Wood sticks (Sherwood 7000, Sherwood 9950, Bauer 3030, Bauer 3000), Shafts ( 110 flex Easton Ultra Lite, 260 flex Warrior Dolomite, Innovative 1100, Stiff flex Bauer Vapor 4), OPS ( 102 flex Bauer Vapor xxx, Stiff& medium- flex CCM V120, Medium flex CCMV100, 100 flex Warrior Mac Daddy)

Intro: Prior to buying this stick I had been using wood sticks for about 5 years. This was my first ever OPS purchase; so please take this into consideration when reading this review.

Aesthetics: This stick is all blue with decals, so it is a very basic looking stick which I do like. The writing is stickers which I did not like all too much. (5/10)

Shooting: I never really had any satisfaction shooting with this stick. All of my shots were average in their velocity and in accuracy. The stick did not load particularly well, and perhaps if I had tried out a lower flex my experience would have been better. (6/10)

Stickhandling / Receiving Passes: Overall I liked this blade. It was stiff and was fairly thin compared to the blades on my wood sticks. Coming from using wood sticks, I was let down by the lack of feel that the stick provided. Receiving passes was one of the stronger suits of this stick. The puck did settle down really quickly on this blade and did not pop off of the blade much. Stickhandling: (5/10) Receiving Passes: (8/10)

Durability: This is where this stick really shined. I used this stick for close to a year, and in fact, this stick has been retired without being broken. Retirement came about because the blade was very beat up and chipped. The shaft and hosel of this stick looked very good until the end. Maybe the blade wear seems severe because the rest of the stick has lasted so long. I realize nothing can be perfect, but to expect a more durable stick is asinine. (10/10)

Conclusion: I personally did not love this stick, but I liked it enough to not give up on using OPS’s. I do not believe that my shot was any better with a V110 than with a fresh Sherwood 9950, but the shot consistency was definitely improved over the life of the stick. One thing I remarked that I loved was the cost benefit. Although this stick cost much more than the sticks I had been using; it came out much cheaper for me to use this one stick for a year than to use over a half dozen wood sticks. (5/10)