Hey everyone, I'm new here but I've been cruising as a guest for a long time. Anyway, I'm about to move and join my first adult rookie-league type team. Most of my questions are reasonably well answered, but I have some regarding sticks before I dive in.
I've been using Easton SY50's for several years now, they are higher-end wood sticks and I'm pretty fond of the Hall curve that is available on them. I am having two problems with these sticks though, and as I plan to purchase at least 3 one-piece composite sticks solely for ice, I hope to solve these issues the best I can. I'll break it down:
Issue 1: The SY50's are too short for me. I'm 6'2, and these sticks are 58", so they are probably around 2" under my chin in skates. I know senior sticks generally measure about 60", but I was thinking I may need an end plug of maybe 2 inches or so. So say I get a stick at 85 flex, will adding 2 inches to it lower that flex value to say, 80? Everyone talks about cutting down a stick which raises the flex value but I can't find an authoritative answer here.
Issue 2: I weigh about 160lb, but was 150lb probably 6 months ago before I really started a rigorous muscle-building gym routine. My goal is to top out around 175-180 if possible, but that's a little ways down the road. Anyway, the sticks I have now are 95 flex, which is way too high for me... I have no issues lifting wrist shots, snap shots, or rebounds but I do have some trouble achieve the flex I need to really snap up a one timer or slap shot consistently. I know technique is very important here, but I can't help but feel like a lower flex would help me out a bit. So, I've read about some players using intermediate sticks with plugs in them to get lower flex values. Since I will most likely have to add an end plug into even a senior length stick, what would you recommend to me to do? Senior 85 flex with an end plug, or Intermediate 75 or whatever with a longer plug? Or do they make Senior length sticks with lower flexes? The lowest I have seen is a Bauer with a 77 flex but on a mid-high end model. The lower end models all start at 85/87. I'm not really willing to dump $180 per stick just to "try out" a low flex at this stage of my hockey "career."
So in short, I'm 6'2 160lb, have a relatively low budget (looking at sticks like the Mako M1 for $70), and can't decide between senior 85 flex and trying to lower it to 80 or intermediate 75 flex and trying to lengthen the stick (which may turn it into a noodle..). Thoughts?
Side question: Are the next-level-up from entry-level sticks worth the extra cash? I.E. Mako M1 for $70 or M2 for $100, is the M2 worth the $30 durability wise?
I've been using Easton SY50's for several years now, they are higher-end wood sticks and I'm pretty fond of the Hall curve that is available on them. I am having two problems with these sticks though, and as I plan to purchase at least 3 one-piece composite sticks solely for ice, I hope to solve these issues the best I can. I'll break it down:
Issue 1: The SY50's are too short for me. I'm 6'2, and these sticks are 58", so they are probably around 2" under my chin in skates. I know senior sticks generally measure about 60", but I was thinking I may need an end plug of maybe 2 inches or so. So say I get a stick at 85 flex, will adding 2 inches to it lower that flex value to say, 80? Everyone talks about cutting down a stick which raises the flex value but I can't find an authoritative answer here.
Issue 2: I weigh about 160lb, but was 150lb probably 6 months ago before I really started a rigorous muscle-building gym routine. My goal is to top out around 175-180 if possible, but that's a little ways down the road. Anyway, the sticks I have now are 95 flex, which is way too high for me... I have no issues lifting wrist shots, snap shots, or rebounds but I do have some trouble achieve the flex I need to really snap up a one timer or slap shot consistently. I know technique is very important here, but I can't help but feel like a lower flex would help me out a bit. So, I've read about some players using intermediate sticks with plugs in them to get lower flex values. Since I will most likely have to add an end plug into even a senior length stick, what would you recommend to me to do? Senior 85 flex with an end plug, or Intermediate 75 or whatever with a longer plug? Or do they make Senior length sticks with lower flexes? The lowest I have seen is a Bauer with a 77 flex but on a mid-high end model. The lower end models all start at 85/87. I'm not really willing to dump $180 per stick just to "try out" a low flex at this stage of my hockey "career."
So in short, I'm 6'2 160lb, have a relatively low budget (looking at sticks like the Mako M1 for $70), and can't decide between senior 85 flex and trying to lower it to 80 or intermediate 75 flex and trying to lengthen the stick (which may turn it into a noodle..). Thoughts?
Side question: Are the next-level-up from entry-level sticks worth the extra cash? I.E. Mako M1 for $70 or M2 for $100, is the M2 worth the $30 durability wise?
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