im going composite

[pkariya]

I'm tryin to get a once piece composite stick but when i walk into the store there is so many names "response ,synergy ,m-1 ,eclipse ,vector)Does anyone know what kind i should get i have about $190 to spend, i'm looking for decent flex with a, shanahan, gaborik, rechhi (or any similar pattern)type blade o yea and another thing when ever i go to check the price of synergys online it has no price listed so if anyone knows the price tell me that too ....thnx

[Titan55]

Go for the sherwood one...nice stick...other then that easton or mission is the way to go!

[gwood1]

Check out the info on tapered sticks on www.epuck.com. Allegedly all the benefits of a one piece composite plus the option to experiment with blades. (For Easton, Synthesis = taper, Synergy = 1 piece).

[fromonkey]

I was thinking of trying a composite stick as well... Got a question tho. I have no clue how the flex ratings work, I've been using sherwood 5030 and recently 9950 wood sticks for the past couple years.

What's the difference between the 85 flex and like a 100?

[-venom-]

ok. here goes.....

First off, these One-Piece Sticks (OPS) are TECHNICALLY not a TRUE one piece stick. THey're just a shaft/blade fused together and coated/painted over. Most of the OPS ARE tapered to begin with. Which means if you break the blade, you have to either A) buy a tapered blade, cut the shaft in the right spot and replace it or B)flip the stick upside down and put the blade in the opposite end. But this however messes with the stick flex, and isn't really a good idea.

There are a few TRUE one-peice stick on the market however, as Graf (busch laser), Gear, and most impressively, Innovative (True One) have all released their TRUE OPS to the public.

Now as for fused OPS, you've got a few categories.

Tapered OPS sticks, as most are, would be:
Easton Synergy, Synergy Grip, Synergy Si-Core (Silicone Injected)
TPS Response, Rubber Response
Innovative Novius, Fused 1100

Pretty sure the rest below are non-tapered:
Sherwood Eclipse
CCM Vector
Branches Fusion, Magnum
Mission M-1
etc..........

Now an alternative to the OPS is the shaft/blade combo, obviously.... BUT a few companies now have put out a tapered shaft that uses a special sized tapered blade in order to get OPS-like performance, with the ability to swap out blades if it were to break.

Easton Synthesis, Synthesis Grip
TPS R2
Innovative 1100

It's really all a matter of personal preference. Based on personal experience and from what I have heard, if I had to rate the OPS (both true OPS and fused) it would go something like this...

Innovative True One
Easton Synergy SiCore
Innovative Novius, 1100 Fused
Easton Synergy
TPS Response
CCM Vector
Mission M-1
Gear 1-piece
Graf Busch Laser
Branches Fusion/Magnum
Sherwood Eclipse

If you want a shaft
Easton Z-bubble
Innovative 1100
Easton Synthesis
TPS R2
Easton T-Flex
Mission Flyweight
and so on....

then pick a balde that fits that you like.

Once again it's all personal preference........

[Justin1933]

FYI: Mission M-1's have a tappered shaft....

Visit www.missionhockey.com

[JMUDukes26]

I have dabbled in sticks for a while now. For a long time I was an Easton loyalist, ever since the Gretzky II composite blade, circa 1997. When Easton discontinued the Gretzky 2, I moved to Sherwood Coffey blades, but I couldn't get used to the huge blade weight bias. During the same period, I used primarily Easton Cyclone shafts. When I got to college, I moved up to Easton Ultra Lite 110 shafts. I'm about 210 now, and I was breaking cyclones at an unbelievable rate (about 3 a month). The 110 is very very stiff, and isn't for everyone. Most recently, I picked up a Bauer Tri-Flex shaft (since Kemp's didn't have Ultra Lite 110's and I needed something in a hurry). While the shaft is no where near as stiff as the ultra lite, I think it has a great feel. It has a slightly rubberized grip, and a tapered shaft that make it very nice. An added benefit, is that I can use Easton Z-Carbon Yzerman blades, a pattern I have come to love.

I guess it all comes down to personal preference. Personally, I like the interchangability of a shaft/blade combo. I find it makes fine tuning your shot easier, and it delivers a feel nearly as good as a "one piece" (as noted previously... a one piece usually isn't a one piece at all).

It'd be nice if someone could create a comparison chart that compares all the stiffnesses on a level playing field. What would be ideal, is if the companies would standardize their flex ratings... ahh well.

Also as mentioned before, E-puck has about the best site I've seen to compare shafts and blades...

Gary LaBelle
President
JMU Roller Hockey

[pkariya]

thanx for all the info i think im going with a easton synthesis shaft with composite Tkachuk r2 blade