The Truth about the Easton Stealth

[Fonya 0]

Modo I belive the term is "ops" not "opc". but i guess everyone is differnt

one piece composite :P

Owned!!!!!

[J-Shera 0]

I dont really see how its owned, just the general term is ops. I new what you were talking about, but some new people mite think your talking about something totally different

[GTHL_AAA_HOCKEY 0]

Maybe there not lieing, maybe perfomance is 11 out of 100 and durability 9 out of 100.

very true. So it's technically not false advertising.

[supahdon 0]

The Stealth almost seems like an homage to "This is Spinal Tap."

About the color of the Stealth:

Nigel: I think he's right, there is something about this, that's that's so black, it's like; "How much more black could this be?" and the answer is: "None, none...more black."

About the Performance rating of 11:

Marty: Don't look at it.

Nigel: This is a top to a, you know, what we use on stage, but it's very...very special because if you can see...

Marty: Yeah...

Nigel: ...the numbers all go to eleven. Look...right across the board.

Marty: Ahh...oh, I see....

Nigel: Eleven...eleven...eleven....

Marty: ...and most of these amps go up to ten....

Nigel: Exactly.

Marty: Does that mean it's...louder? Is it any louder?

Nigel: Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most...most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here...all the way up...all the way up....

Marty: Yeah....

Nigel: ...all the way up. You're on ten on your guitar...where can you go from there? Where?

Marty: I don't know....

Nigel: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is if we need that extra...push over the cliff...you know what we do?

Marty: Put it up to eleven.

Nigel: Eleven. Exactly. One louder.

Marty: Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top... number...and make that a little louder?

Nigel: ...these go to eleven.

[jay 1]

First, I'm not the hugest fan of Eastons products but I'm not quite sure what the big deal is. So it's slimmer and has a longer taper. Great, that's how they saved weight. Who's even to say for sure if they didn't do anything different inside the shaft or the blade? Have you actually analyzed the materials in a lab? Second, marketing? You're complaining about marketing? Let's be realistic for a minute and just take a look around. Go to a few websites or watch a few commercials on TV and tell me nobody else is loading up the marketing bullshit. Easton certainly didn't invent it and compared to a lot of companies they're not really even all that good at it. So what if it says durability 9/10. Anyone with an ounce of common sense knows that's as meaningless as "family values" or "hyperthreading technology." Give me a break dude...

[jimmy 194]

Ryan/Easton, you got 'splain' to do.

If you are going to put a 9/10 durbaility rating on Anything, you better back it up.

Things I would put a 9/10 rating on:

TPS Rubber Response

1979 Nova

Matchbox cars

Things I wouldn't put a 9/10 rating on:

An Easton Stealth

You forgot the original VW Beetle!

[jimmy 194]

Speaking of rewraping and hype. Check out this review of the Vapor XXX skate.

http://www.epinions.com/content_170351169156

[Hockeyman9621 0]

Hey modo, you should check out the XN10 too.

[mm705 0]

my easton rep told me that the truth about all these sticks, not strictly limited to easton, was that they have changes in technology from time to time but that these changes werent anything to stop the presses about. he said therma tec was a great idea but in practice it didnt really increase durability any more than it had been in the past just because its still the same materials for the most part and they can only take so much abuse. and by the same token the weight factor is not going to change a shot or skill so much just because it is 50 grams less, grams was an interesting unit for the stick companies to use because they can make an almost non existant change seem enormous. thats basically what he said, that the technology is there its just...it isnt changing the face of the stick and making it unbreakable like some people thought, and if you have the money for a 200 dollar stick youre not too concerned about it lasting, youre concerned about performance.

[forsberg91 0]

Nice work man. I have completely changed my mind about buying the Stealth.

[Eazy_b97 1]

Good find Modo, but so what? The stick's thinner, most people are aware, and the durability hasn't been as good in your area. Is it worse overall? Possibly, but if you're buying the stick based on that you deserve what you get. You're assuming Therma-tec isn't a big advancement, and you're probably right. The only thing you've determined is the stick is lighter (we know) and thinner (we know). The longer taper may increase performance, it may not. I'm happy to know exactly how much thinner it is, but that can be looked upon as a good or bad thing. We sell alot of our sticks based on the "thinner handle" approach.

The durability? I can't really in into it too much, you have your results, at your store. Others will have different responses. My main question would be: have you seen a difference with the sticks recently sold? Most stick companies have a poor first run, and Easton could be very similar. I was under the impression Easton did "slam" tests where they put the stick under X amount of pressure until it broke and rated it on that. CCM did something similar and most found their results to be assinine.

I think it's good to know, I just don't see the big deal. Increase taper, lower weight, "new (maybe not) Therma-tec", I don't see a problem. At least not comparing it with other companies and their sticks.

[Neo5370 132]

It is a big deal for consumers to know that the weight is due to a change in the shaft dimensions and not in the materials or technology.

Because maybe weekend wayne, joe consumer, etc. has never used a normal silver synergy or maybe he didn't notice the thinner shaft and actually thought he was plunking down 200 USD for a new generation super stick.

But thanks to Modo, we know the weight reduction is directly related to the use of less, not better materials.

The big problem as modo stated is that the marketing has fooled the consumer into thinking they're buying some type of NASA designed stick, when in fact they are just buying a 100 or 85 flex intermediate synergy..............for 200 dollars.

[hockechamp14 0]

The big problem as modo stated is that the marketing has fooled the consumer into thinking they're buying some type of NASA designed stick, when in fact they are just buying a 100 or 85 flex intermediate synergy..............for 200 dollars.

If it's essentially a synergy than why have so many people I know who've used it performed so much better stickhandling and wrist shot wise?

[Neo5370 132]

How long have they had the stick?

Did they change their curve or flex?

Maybe the thinner shape suits them better, hence an improvement in stickhandling.

Have they been doing anything else differently that maybe you don't know about? Getting more sleep, eating better, practicing harder, blah blah etc............

Or maybe they're in that "honeymoon" phase. We all go through it w/ new gear. That's the exact reason why members of this board are discouraged from posting reviews on gear that they have not had for a while (aside from the durability issue)

Add on top of that the fact that when most people try something new, they feel a little more enthusiastic, might put a little more zip into their system.

When you get a new stick, aren't you just itching to go out and take some shots or stickhandle w/ it???

[Cheechoo 0]

But thanks to Modo, we know the weight reduction is directly related to the use of less, not better materials.

How did Modo determine that the weight reduction is related to the use of less, not better materials? Can his ruler examine carbon composition, structure, weave pattern, etc.? I want one of those rulers!

Give me a break! That's the whole problem with Modo's theory: Just because the width of the stick is 12% less than the Synergy and the weight is also 12% less, that does not PROVE that they used the identical material to make it.

Cut up a Stealth and a Synergy, put pieces of them under an electron-microscope and anlyze the carbon structure. If those are identical, you've proven something (at least to yourself; not many others seem to care!).

By the way, did anyone really look at an Easton stick before Modo came up with his highly scientific proof and think "oh, the durablility of this one is 9 instead of 8, so it'll last longer"? If so, go and check out your grovery store and count how many "new and improved", "extra strength", and "the ultimate" products you can buy. If suckers fall for advertising, it's their problem........

I haven't tried a Stealth and have never wanted to have one, but there seem to be plenty of people enjoying their Stealths, regardless of what types of numbers Easton prints on them.

[MNdgame 0]

Good point but who cares. Im sure you could do this for every company, even outside of hockey. People adverstise their products in some sort of crazy scheme to turn a profit or something?. Making a stick lighter but sacrificing durability is obviously want people want, seeing as the stealth is selling excellent.

[hattrick74 0]

i have had a stealth since they first started hitting the ice w/ the NHL and until last week never had broke one. i broke mine from a 2 handed slash on the middle of the stick, nothing would have survied the slash, so in my opinion the stealth is as durable as anything i have used. but the problem with saying they are or are not durable is the amount they are used. i play 2-3 times a week, which equals 52-78 times used since i have had it, now take someone who plays 5 times a week, thats 130 times or basically double the amount of time the stick is being used. so it should break before mine would break. other variables come into play, such as talent level, size of the user, ice quality, surface etc. so such broad statments as "1/2 of the stealths break in less then a month" is crazy. since the synergy has came out, i have tried almost everything else, and you know what? easton keeps bringing me back to their products (mainly sticks), it has nothing to do with marketing, nothing to with price, nothing to with durablity. it has everything to do with performance to my personal taste.

[Overtime 0]

easton's ratings are bull shit false ad jr z bubble 195 grams, ultra lite 200 grams

wear 8 wear 8

UL is like more than 10 grams heaver than the z bubble and wear at least 9 or 10 but as for z bubbles should be like 7.5

[Overtime 0]

bauer claims they have the lightest stake should be sued for false advertising

[Keith 0]

I honestly don't care what they did to the thing to make it lighter. All you really have to do is take a few shots with it and catch a few passes to make it blatantly obvious to yourself that this stick outperforms any synergy. IMO it is even slightly better than the xn10 when it comes to those aspects. When I see sticks snap where I am, it is usually under circumstances that would break ANY stick (two handers, being caught in the boards, taking a shot off the shaft, rough faceoffs, etc). Composite sticks shattering has been nothing new.... If anything, they used to be easier to crack and snap. Players nowadays are seriously spoiled when it comes to gear. Skates even ten years ago used to be bricks and we were still stuck with 900 gram sticks with wooden blades that turned to mush after three uses, gloves that took forever to break in, and protective that soaked up water like a sponge. Gear is honestly getting better every year-especially sticks. Stealth isn't revolutionary at all, but it is an evolution of the design Easton has been using for years now. The people who bitch about the durability of ops should stop buying them if it bothers them that much. You shouldn't expect one to last any longer for you than a comp replacement blade does...

[#96 0]

I think the biggest thing people have to realize about buying a ops is that they break. They break more often then a two-piece or a woodie. And yes, people pay good money, and it shouldn't pop on the 1st use...but that is the chance you take! It's like buying a brand new Mercedes. Looks great, performs great, you go onto the highway after just getting it at the dealer, and WHAM! You get smacked and sent into a guardrail or something. What are you gonna do! Sh*t happens! There is an inherent risk in getting anything new. Some are willing to spend the money, and deal with the risk, and some are not.

I applaud your technical research Modo, but it didn't really tell me anything I didn't expect, that is, a suped-up Synergy. The underlying thing here is performance has increased with the Stealth, however they acheived it. Whether it be through longer tapers and less thick sidewalls, they improved on the model. It's like comparing a Model T Ford from back in the 1920's to a Ford Taurus of today. The car has come a long way, continued to improve, and will, through technology continue to improve. Same with sticks. And if Easton wants to flaunt it, then so be it. They probably attain those performance/durability ratings in a closed testing facility where they use a machine to measure its longevity shot after shot. In that regard, the Stealth might be a better performing stick than a Synergy. But once you add in untestable variables like the rigors of gameplay, how can a company be expected to measure that? How can they be expected to know if some 300 lb gorilla is gonna lean on your new Stealth in Kamploops, BC, when in North Jersey, there are no 300 lb gorillas in my league. Is Easton supposed to lower the durability factor because they ASSUME it MIGHT break? Of course not!

Again, life is a chance, new stuff is a risk. If some are willing to pay for it so be it. And if Easton wants to label their stuff under their own guidelines, then so be it. They cannot be held accountable for many unmeasurable abuses a stick MIGHT go through. Conjecture and guesstimates are not something Easton RandD or Engineers can really count on.

[joshy207 15]

Things I would put a 9/10 rating on:

1979 Nova

Funny side note... Chevy tried to market this car it Latin America, and it was a total flop. Chevy wondered why, until they asked somebody who spoke Spanish... the phrase "no va", translated to English, is "doesn't go"...

[Fletch 219]

Things I would put a 9/10 rating on:

1979 Nova

Funny side note... Chevy tried to market this car it Latin America, and it was a total flop. Chevy wondered why, until they asked somebody who spoke Spanish... the phrase "no va", translated to English, is "doesn't go"...

LOL...nice!

[hockechamp14 0]

How long have they had the stick?

Did they change their curve or flex?

Maybe the thinner shape suits them better, hence an improvement in stickhandling.

Have they been doing anything else differently that maybe you don't know about? Getting more sleep, eating better, practicing harder, blah blah etc............

Or maybe they're in that "honeymoon" phase. We all go through it w/ new gear. That's the exact reason why members of this board are discouraged from posting reviews on gear that they have not had for a while (aside from the durability issue)

Add on top of that the fact that when most people try something new, they feel a little more enthusiastic, might put a little more zip into their system.

When you get a new stick, aren't you just itching to go out and take some shots or stickhandle w/ it???

Well he's had the stick since the early part of the season, so I don't think it's an issue for that. He's not the one bragging about how the stealth feels tons better or anything, but the rest of us see on the ice with some of the rediculous moves and snipes he makes. Better performance is better performance. If you're still in the "honeymoon" phase when your stick breaks, then hasn't the hype served it's purpose?

[Ogie Oglethorpe 14]

Things I would put a 9/10 rating on:

1979 Nova

Funny side note... Chevy tried to market this car it Latin America, and it was a total flop. Chevy wondered why, until they asked somebody who spoke Spanish... the phrase "no va", translated to English, is "doesn't go"...

Another similar advertising add gone wrong.... remember a few years ago Pepsi's slogan used to be Come alive with the Pepsi Generation was interpreted in China as Pepsi, it brings your ancestors back from the dead (although, as I recall, this particular rumor has neither been confirmed nor denied, but it is a common story similar to that of the Nova).