¨Feel¨

[Max27]

Always really wondered this-

what do people mean when they say stick feel for goalies? or how people say wood sticks/ foamcores might have better feel than a composite.

[dualshowman]

Boy, this is a timely thread - I just purchased and used, for the first time, a composite stick. I had resisted for some time, but the reality is that composite prices have largely come down enough to justify owning one.

All things being equal (which they are not), the composite I bought has the same specs as the three foamcore sticks I currently own. The foamcores, being older, have lost their 'snap', but still feel relatively solid. The composite, being brand new, has an extreme amount of snap. I am a fair-to-good puckhandling goalie, and can loft a pass to the opposing blueline without much fanfare, so I thought the composite stick would be of benefit here, but the jury is still out. I simply don't feel like there is enough heft behind the composite. Having grown-up using wood laminate sticks, I can attest to the benefit of really getting behind a break-out pass or clearing attempt with one of those old bad boys. If you have never played with a wooden stick, much like hitting a baseball with a wooden bat, it is nearly impossible to explain. Foamcores ofter a lot: Wood feel, close-to-composite weight, but they do wear out eventually. 

So... Feel? I suspect that means how connected the player 'feels' to the puck when it is on the blade. I further suspect that there is a bit of psychology with this, as the benefits often easily outweigh the demerits. Who in the professional ranks uses a wooden stick any longer? If so, its that guy leading the league in any offensive or defensive metric? I assume that results play a part in apparent 'feel'. 

[Math.]

^^ this.

I have been playing with foamcores for much of the time since I came back to the sport; bought a composite a couple years back, didn't liked it.  Might be due the fact it wasn't quite tall enough for my liking.  Specs said 26" but I hadn't figured out the "true sizing mesurement" back then and that paddle ended up being a good inch shorter than what I use.

When you deflect pucks or make blade saves, you can definitely feel it in your fingers, much more than wood or foamcore.  That's the main reason I remember not being too fond of the thing.  Now, call me stupid, but I just bought another composite a week ago, still have to play it but I figured I would give it another go.  I'd be able to tell between the two how I feel about it once I played it a couple times.  That new one does feel more solid than the foamcore I currently play but who knows if it's really going to reflect on the ice.  I'm not a good puckhandler (if even at all) but my hope would be some type of gain in terms of durability.  Granted I am still on the first real good foamcore I ever bought but it's almost useless at this point it's so beat up.  Thruth be told, I was really just feeling to buy myself a new stick!  I'll let you know how it turns out though.

[RichMan]

Best example I can use is from baseball. The difference when hitting a ball with a wooden bat vs an aluminium bat. It is a totally different feel. I prefer a wood bat myself.

I've used composite sticks that vibrated too much, then again, they weren't the expensive ones.

[Puckstopper]

1 hour ago, Math. said:

 Now, call me stupid, but I just bought another composite a week ago, still have to play it but I figured I would give it another go.

I hope you won't think you're stupid after playing with your new twig.  Modern composites have come a long way since the first Nike/Bauer composite I bought many years ago in weight, balance, durability and yes, feel.  Stickhandling, which is a huge part of my game, is second to none with an upper level composite.

While modern composites are better, they still don't match a foam core for vibration reduction, which is why I'm planning to go back to foam core sticks for the next few weeks.  I've been dealing with tendinitis in my right elbow since late August, and I'm hoping that reducing vibration from my stick will help.  I'm sure switching back to my old, beat to hell foam core sticks will help reduce my tendency and desire to play the puck which should help my elbow as well.

I personally like the pop and snap that I feel with a composite stick, but totally get that others might prefer the more "cushy" feeling and easier rebound control that a foam core stick offers. 

[Math.]

38 minutes ago, Puckstopper said:

I hope you won't think you're stupid after playing with your new twig.  Modern composites have come a long way since the first Nike/Bauer composite I bought many years ago in weight, balance, durability and yes, feel.  Stickhandling, which is a huge part of my game, is second to none with an upper level composite.

While modern composites are better, they still don't match a foam core for vibration reduction, which is why I'm planning to go back to foam core sticks for the next few weeks.  I've been dealing with tendinitis in my right elbow since late August, and I'm hoping that reducing vibration from my stick will help.  I'm sure switching back to my old, beat to hell foam core sticks will help reduce my tendency and desire to play the puck which should help my elbow as well.

I personally like the pop and snap that I feel with a composite stick, but totally get that others might prefer the more "cushy" feeling and easier rebound control that a foam core stick offers. 

Hopefully I won't feel too stupid afterward!  What might also help is, although it's not a top of the line, I decided to try a Tacky-mac grip for the first time and after installing it and playing around the house a little, I couldn't live with how long it was.  I'm used to a super short "knob" (the à la Carey Price thing) and that thing was catching my blocker way too soon for my liking.  So I removed it, chopped it in half and reinstalled the two pieces since I also use tape on the handle.  Since this material is rubber, I feel it should help reduce the buzzing of the stick in my hand.

[Lucky Pucker]

6 hours ago, Math. said:

Hopefully I won't feel too stupid afterward!  What might also help is, although it's not a top of the line, I decided to try a Tacky-mac grip for the first time and after installing it and playing around the house a little, I couldn't live with how long it was.  I'm used to a super short "knob" (the à la Carey Price thing) and that thing was catching my blocker way too soon for my liking.  So I removed it, chopped it in half and reinstalled the two pieces since I also use tape on the handle.  Since this material is rubber, I feel it should help reduce the buzzing of the stick in my hand.

Oh, man - reading the last bit of this post quickly on my phone, and only seeing the first picture, I though that you were proposing wearing these over your fingers to reduce the vibration!

...this Carey Price you speak of... is it the same Carey Price of Saturday night shut out fame...? LOL! Sure felt good to be able to wear my Habs shirt and hat to my son's game on Sunday here in so-called "Sens country".

[Math.]

1 hour ago, Lucky Pucker said:

Oh, man - reading the last bit of this post quickly on my phone, and only seeing the first picture, I though that you were proposing wearing these over your fingers to reduce the vibration!

...this Carey Price you speak of... is it the same Carey Price of Saturday night shut out fame...? LOL! Sure felt good to be able to wear my Habs shirt and hat to my son's game on Sunday here in so-called "Sens country".

Hahahaha, that would have been interesting to say the least.  And for the Carey in question, I don't know if we are talking about the same guy, I knew him as the Saturday night windmill special guy, extra mustard.

[Lucky Pucker]

4 minutes ago, Math. said:

And for the Carey in question, I don't know if we are talking about the same guy, I knew him as the Saturday night windmill special guy, extra mustard.

To be fair, he only windmilled when he caught the puck with his trapper...

LOL - yeah fair enough. But as a Habs fan, after him being unrecognizable last year, it was nice to see a bit of the old confidence back.

Don't take this one from me - it might be all I get this year!

[Max27]

On 10/28/2018 at 10:42 PM, dualshowman said:

Boy, this is a timely thread - I just purchased and used, for the first time, a composite stick. I had resisted for some time, but the reality is that composite prices have largely come down enough to justify owning one.

All things being equal (which they are not), the composite I bought has the same specs as the three foamcore sticks I currently own. The foamcores, being older, have lost their 'snap', but still feel relatively solid. The composite, being brand new, has an extreme amount of snap. I am a fair-to-good puckhandling goalie, and can loft a pass to the opposing blueline without much fanfare, so I thought the composite stick would be of benefit here, but the jury is still out. I simply don't feel like there is enough heft behind the composite. Having grown-up using wood laminate sticks, I can attest to the benefit of really getting behind a break-out pass or clearing attempt with one of those old bad boys. If you have never played with a wooden stick, much like hitting a baseball with a wooden bat, it is nearly impossible to explain. Foamcores ofter a lot: Wood feel, close-to-composite weight, but they do wear out eventually. 

So... Feel? I suspect that means how connected the player 'feels' to the puck when it is on the blade. I further suspect that there is a bit of psychology with this, as the benefits often easily outweigh the demerits. Who in the professional ranks uses a wooden stick any longer? If so, its that guy leading the league in any offensive or defensive metric? I assume that results play a part in apparent 'feel'. 

On 10/28/2018 at 10:57 PM, Math. said:

^^ this.

I have been playing with foamcores for much of the time since I came back to the sport; bought a composite a couple years back, didn't liked it.  Might be due the fact it wasn't quite tall enough for my liking.  Specs said 26" but I hadn't figured out the "true sizing mesurement" back then and that paddle ended up being a good inch shorter than what I use.

When you deflect pucks or make blade saves, you can definitely feel it in your fingers, much more than wood or foamcore.  That's the main reason I remember not being too fond of the thing.  Now, call me stupid, but I just bought another composite a week ago, still have to play it but I figured I would give it another go.  I'd be able to tell between the two how I feel about it once I played it a couple times.  That new one does feel more solid than the foamcore I currently play but who knows if it's really going to reflect on the ice.  I'm not a good puckhandler (if even at all) but my hope would be some type of gain in terms of durability.  Granted I am still on the first real good foamcore I ever bought but it's almost useless at this point it's so beat up.  Thruth be told, I was really just feeling to buy myself a new stick!  I'll let you know how it turns out though.

On 10/28/2018 at 11:48 PM, RichMan said:

Best example I can use is from baseball. The difference when hitting a ball with a wooden bat vs an aluminium bat. It is a totally different feel. I prefer a wood bat myself.

I've used composite sticks that vibrated too much, then again, they weren't the expensive ones.

makes more sense now especially with @RichMans comparison to baseball, as i used to play baseball and relate to that comparison

[ThatCarGuy]

Alright, feel. How do I describe this without over-complicating or writing it in a confusing manner. Hmmmmm. Alright, from my experience 'feel' is how a stick flexes, vibrates, and is balanced (basically how it feels). Composite sticks (from my experience) are terrible when it comes to vibration. I've lost grip on my Bauer several times from the sheer amount of vibration that stick makes when it gets hit. (everything I say is from my experience until I say it isn't. There, that will save me effort) Composite sticks also seem to be a tad heavier than their foam core counterparts. For ex: Every stick I own is lighter than my Bauer composite stick (excluding a vaughn). I can't say I've ever used a wood stick and I've never taken much interest in them either. Foam core just always seemed to be the way to go for me. Foam cores are light, reliable, durable, don't vibrate much, and have a perfect mid/low flex point. I've also heard rumors (I couldn't tell you where I saw/heard them) that someone is working on a carbon/composite shaft foam core stick (now that I think about it, I may have put that idea in my own head by trying to devise the perfect lightweight goalie stick). I hope that was helpful(ish).

[Max27]

7 minutes ago, ThatCarGuy said:

Alright, feel. How do I describe this without over-complicating or writing it in a confusing manner. Hmmmmm. Alright, from my experience 'feel' is how a stick flexes, vibrates, and is balanced (basically how it feels). Composite sticks (from my experience) are terrible when it comes to vibration. I've lost grip on my Bauer several times from the sheer amount of vibration that stick makes when it gets hit. (everything I say is from my experience until I say it isn't. There, that will save me effort) Composite sticks also seem to be a tad heavier than their foam core counterparts. For ex: Every stick I own is lighter than my Bauer composite stick (excluding a vaughn). I can't say I've ever used a wood stick and I've never taken much interest in them either. Foam core just always seemed to be the way to go for me. Foam cores are light, reliable, durable, don't vibrate much, and have a perfect mid/low flex point. I've also heard rumors (I couldn't tell you where I saw/heard them) that someone is working on a carbon/composite shaft foam core stick (now that I think about it, I may have put that idea in my own head by trying to devise the perfect lightweight goalie stick). I hope that was helpful(ish).

yeah i get that aspect of feel, i meant like stick handling feel, i.e what a CCM rep said when comparing the ef3 foam core to the premier that the premier is for ¨Optimized weight¨ while the ef3 is for ¨Optimized feel¨

and that already exists (Composite shaft w foam paddle) bauer reactor hybrid is one.  ive heard its good but the balance is horrible. its a composite shaft with a 9000 paddle

[Math.]

4 hours ago, Max27 said:

i.e what a CCM rep said when comparing the ef3 foam core to the premier that the premier is for ¨Optimized weight¨ while the ef3 is for ¨Optimized feel¨

Oh that's just sales rep marketing bullcrap!

Optimized weight = The lighter of the two, but it'll sting.
Optimized feel = It'll feel like it's bending, but hey, no sting.

[Max27]

16 minutes ago, Math. said:

Oh that's just sales rep marketing bullcrap!

Optimized weight = The lighter of the two, but it'll sting.
Optimized feel = It'll feel like it's bending, but hey, no sting.

yeah i figutred thats what it meant, similar to 1s vs 1x ig 

[ThatCarGuy]

17 hours ago, Max27 said:

and that already exists (Composite shaft w foam paddle) bauer reactor hybrid is one.  ive heard its good but the balance is horrible. its a composite shaft with a 9000 paddle

Darn. I guess I heard it from my goalie partner. 

[Max27]

5 hours ago, ThatCarGuy said:

Darn. I guess I heard it from my goalie partner. 

u can get it on custom sticks too i bet