Buying a new ice hockey stick

JAmp5

Hello fellow hockey players :P

So I played hockey for about 8 years but had to take a 4 year break while I was at uni. Now I want to get back in to it I have some decisions to make about gear.

Right now I have a pretty heavy, aluminium, Easton shootout with a Koho wood and laminate stick blade but I figure technology has probably moved on a bit since I bought it 5 years ago and I want something lighter so stick handling and playing the puck with one hand is easier.

My choices seem to be:

A one piece composite stick which will be nice and light have lots and have lots of flex but could break at any point (how often do they break?) and start from about £80

A very light aluminium stick with less flex than composite but more durability (the worst I'll do is bend it a bit) and whatever stick blade I like.

..or old school wood :winky: which has great flex, about mid weight but are easy to break (as I have done many times in the past).

Basically I don't want to be spending lots of money on a lovely stick if the chances are I'm going to break it, I have no experience with the newer one piece sticks thus I need you guys!

Any opinions/advice?

Weretaco

Forward or defense? how often do you play? How often do you break sticks?

I've always played defense and tend to break my sticks in the shaft (slap shots) so I stick to $25 wood ones because of this. Sure I could get better performance out of a more expensive stick, but I honestly don't care enough to justify the much greater cost.

JAmp5

Sorry should have put that in the OP:

I used to play defence hence the heavier stick, more slap shots and more need for weight when you're trying to get someone's stick off the puck. Now I play as a forward so more stick handling and wrist shots I imagine.

I broke the 3 wooden sticks I had in league games after about a month or 2 each (on the first the heel of the blade went the other 2 got broken when up against the boards).

I'm just wondering if the composite sticks will improve my play enough to justify the cost? I imagine they'd be a bit more durable than wood but not by much. Maybe I'd be less violent with it as a forward :P

Lail

Don't buy the $20 wood sticks. A) The suck. They'll break more often than more expensive sticks.

You may say to yourself, "I break my stick every couple of weeks, I don't want to spend $texas everytime this happens." I used to think this, and would buy the cheap sticks. They break way more often so you end up spending the same but you're always playing with a shitty stick.

I would buy the sticks around $80-$120. Only because when I'd break a $250 stick a piece of me would die inside.

If you're not taking a lot of slapshots, I'd go with an 85ish flex stick. They got some whip on them, but will snap with heavier use. If you're firing from the point a lot, I'd go up to 110. They feel weird at first but if you can really lean into your shot it pays off and will generally keep the shots low.

Weretaco

Lail wrote: »

Don't buy the $20 wood sticks. A) The suck. They'll break more often than more expensive sticks.

You may say to yourself, "I break my stick every couple of weeks, I don't want to spend $texas everytime this happens." I used to think this, and would buy the cheap sticks. They break way more often so you end up spending the same but you're always playing with a shitty stick.

I would buy the sticks around $80-$120. Only because when I'd break a $250 stick a piece of me would die inside.

If you're not taking a lot of slapshots, I'd go with an 85ish flex stick. They got some whip on them, but will snap with heavier use. If you're firing from the point a lot, I'd go up to 110. They feel weird at first but if you can really lean into your shot it pays off and will generally keep the shots low.

Oh shit. someone else from Surrey

I'll agree with the above on stiffness for sure. As a forward you'll like that 85 flex. I'm actually starting to look into composites now even with my preference to wood. Just can't get wood sticks stiff enough. I'll just hate it when they break.

Lail

Also...a lot of the more expensive sticks have a 30 day replacement thingy on them. It doesn't go through the store, but the manufacturer.

AND if you break a stick that they don't make anymore, they'll send you one even more expensive!

Edit: Hello fellow Surrey-ite!

3v

Go for a 2 piece composite.

JAmp5

Awesome, thanks guys I'm going to look at 2 piece composite sticks with about 100 flex.

Myiagros

I used to use a composite shaft which was about $60 when I bought it along with composite blades which were about $40-50 each. A single blade would last anywhere from 3-5 months and I never broke the shaft. I used wood sticks before that and multiple times I broke them on the same day I bought them just from taking slapshots. This was back when I was younger too, from when I was 12-18. Now I'm a goalie so I don't really have a preference on sticks anymore.

Kris_xK

Composite is a bit more expensive, but I find it a lot better than wood. Aluminum is just too bloody heavy for forwards in my experience.

I'm really curious as to what kind of selection of sticks you can get in England. Last time I was there my guys had no idea what a hockey jersey was.

JAmp5

There are only a few online stores and even fewer specialist hockey shops but when you find them they usually have pretty much everything you get in the states. Looking to move to Canadia in about 6 months though (somewhere in BC) so it'll be far easier to find somewhere to play.

Despite how tacky it looks, these guys are pretty great for gear: http://www.demonxtreme.com/

Evil_Reaver

You can still use one piece sticks if the blade breaks (or the break is close to the blade). Just saw off the broken end, flip the stick over, take off the butt cap, and put in a new blade. Presto-chango, you have a two piece composite stick.

I've been torn about the two piece/one piece debate for a few years. On the one hand, two piece sticks tend to break at the blade and blades are a hell of a lot cheaper than full sticks, but your flex and balance are all weird because it's not all one piece.

On the other hand, one piece sticks cost a shit ton of money and once they break... that's it.

I got 9 months out of my last composite one piece before I broke it this last Sunday (Easton Stealth S5).

I'm thinking about going back to two piece sticks to save some cash in the long run.

Also, don't buy shitty wood sticks.

3v

Evil_Reaver wrote: »

. Just saw off the broken end, flip the stick over, take off the butt cap, and put in a new blade. Presto-chango, you have a two piece composite stick.

Oh jesus...

I feel like such a retard. How did I not think of this?!