Wooden stick splintering on bottom?

[christianbk]

Thanks to the great beginner hockey equipment thread, I decided to go with a Sherwood 5030 stick as my first ice hockey stick.

I've been to... I'd say maybe 10 occasions where I used my stick on the ice. Always have taped it up (toe to heel) and really have replaced the tape just about every time I went out there. I've never done anything stupid like playing with my stick on concrete or anything like that, either.

As I was taping my stick for tonight's game, I noticed this on the heel part of the stick:

I did some searching and found this thread which kind of hits on this issue... but not 100%: http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=789816

Is this typical of wooden sticks? Or is this problematic? Does this have any effect on the blade?

Thanks

 

[AIREAYE]

Is the splintering even on the bottom? Or concentrated at the heel?

 

[Jarick]

Yes, wood sticks, especially 5030's, will splinter on the bottom quickly and then the blades will go soft. That is why I usually recommend jumping to a ~$100 one piece stick when you can afford it.

 

[christianbk]

Is the splintering even on the bottom? Or concentrated at the heel?

I guess you're right; more heel than technically the bottom of the blade.

Yes, wood sticks, especially 5030's, will splinter on the bottom quickly and then the blades will go soft. That is why I usually recommend jumping to a ~$100 one piece stick when you can afford it.

Since I'm going to be sticking with playing for the foreseeable future... thinking of upgrading to the Bauer Vapor X4.0 composite and making the Sherwood my backup. I'm 5'10' & 175 lbs and reading through your stick buying musings thinking of going with a 77 flex (or perhaps 87?) with a P92 blade. Think that's good for a real beginner?

 

[Burke the Legend]

It's mashing up cuz you're clubbing it when you shoot and banging the ice hard. Just go buy a cheap $40 composite at costco if you are just learning how to shoot still and clobbering it, you don't need anything nicer unless you really like wasting money.

 

[Jarick]

That's not a bad stick from all accounts. Look at the Nexus 600 as well. 77 flex at your height should be good.

Splintering the bottom of the stick has little to do with your skill level. Wood sticks are not made to last but for casual play.

 

[greyraven8]

Don't like to always hear all the wood stick bashing, but it's true the choices for wood sticks aren't what they were 10 years ago. I ended up changing completely to composites over 5 years ago.

Don't know if they even made something like the old Titans with the plastic along the bottom of the blade - After Titan was gone, Koho had one similar stick but they are probably gone too. These sticks usually didn't break that often but did last for a pretty good time before eventually turning to mush.

If you find a sale, you can probably find a composite stick that is not too bad for $40-$50. I got a pair of Graf G-Forces for $40 each (or less?) after Xmas; have broke one of them but the 2nd one is going strong and it's been one of best sticks I've had (never have spent more than $50 on a stick).

 

[Jarick]

My favorite was the Montreal 4400. It was a wood stick like the 5030 but a little slimmer so it was whippier. It had an ABS core blade so the bottom almost never wore and the blade itself stayed stiff 10x as long as a 5030. I was really hoping Warrior would make it when they bought Montreal but it died off.

Modern wood sticks are rigid pieces of crap that fall apart quickly. Absolutely nothing like the old sticks.

 

[Malarowski]

My favorite was the Montreal 4400. It was a wood stick like the 5030 but a little slimmer so it was whippier. It had an ABS core blade so the bottom almost never wore and the blade itself stayed stiff 10x as long as a 5030. I was really hoping Warrior would make it when they bought Montreal but it died off.

Modern wood sticks are rigid pieces of crap that fall apart quickly. Absolutely nothing like the old sticks.

I have two Sherwood 5030s, but just picked up two Winwell GX4 and GX6 composite sticks for very little. I am also pretty much brand new to hockey. Would you suggest I use the wooden ones until they are done for to build muscle, or should I rather use the composite sticks to get used to that right off the bat?

 

[Jarick]

I'd suggest weights for building muscle, wood sticks for kindling Actually don't burn the woodies they have paint and fiberglass on them.

If you're shorter, weaker, or both, the only thing playing with wood sticks will do is give you a nasty case of tennis elbow or some other joint problems. At least that's what I got from using 95+ flex sticks, which is about what some of those woodies come in at when chopped way down. But I'm 5'8.

 

[Joe Cole]

Splintering is a fact of life for wood blades. There is no getting around it.

As for tape wearing out, you can wax your tape (take an old candle and rub it along the tape). This prevents water from soaking the tape (and the blade too) and allow ing the tape and blade to get fragile and rip/shred.

Seriously, the $50 composite stick is the answer. It is not the equivalent of the expensive composite, nor the feel of the good ol' wood stick, but for a beginner, it is lighter, more durable and you will not really be able to feel a disadvantage in feel at the beginner level.

Once you are not a beginner, there is only a rare chance you would stay with a wood stick.

No one plays with tube bladed leather skates anymore either.

 

[christianbk]

Very good. Thanks for the responses, all - appreciate it!

 

[Danglous]

While wooden sticks are cheaper they have a much shorter life span. I used to buy Sherwood wooden sticks. I loved them, but they only lasted me 2 sessions on average before I broke it or the blade started to go. Also keep in mind the stick will not maintain its flex for too long which is why wooden sticks should be replaced fairly often.

Get a cheap ~100 composite that will last you multiple seasons.

 

[Jarick]

When I picked up hockey again in 2005, there was still a good sized rack of wood sticks. I had a couple 5030's and they would last a few months. They were still made in Canada then, had a heft to them, actually weren't bad. I still have an old 7000 laying around that I shaved the toe and re-curved a couple times and the blade is still fairly stiff although like all wood blades it wore through at the bottom and splintered. Of course nothing tops the Montreal 4400, with the Euro curve (mid-toe P88 that was a bit more open, available in 5 and 6 lie). I could get 3-6 months out of one and they were light, whippy, and strong.

In 2008, Sherwood moved production to Ukraine, and I'm confident that's when things went downhill. The finish of the sticks is rough with sharper, almost splintering edges. The blade itself feels a lot thinner and weaker, like they are using cheap flimsy wood, and the fiberglass coating doesn't do much. And the sticks went from $30-40. Not worth it anymore.

The last couple wood sticks I've bought were jokes...I had an Easton Classic that was like all wood sticks too stiff for me but I got for $20 on clearance. Supposed to be a 5030 clone. The blade broke in warmups of my third skate with it.

This was the last stick I bought, a Bauer One40 or something like that. After using it for an hour:

Keep in mind I'm 5'8 and was 185 at the time. I can barely bench press 100 pounds. I am not strong, but I snapped the thing in half like a twig. It actually felt pretty great until I broke it, great puck feel, hard shots, had a little whip to it for an 87 flex wood stick. But they just aren't made well at all anymore.

And now at the store it's just a dozen Reebok 1k/2k ABS blade pieces of concrete with a handful of old Koho Jagr curve street hockey sticks. I cringe when I see a guy bringing one of these to league games.

 

[AIREAYE]

Jarick, that's the One55 wood stick! That was my first ever stick used for hockey when I first started. Loved that thing! That and the One75 felt like they were the lightest in their classes.