I got that opportunity my first season, as everything was loaned to me from the rink's hockey loaner program and was different gear every week. I was given everything from wood sticks to composites of varying sizes, some barely up to my shoulders. I expect that some of the composite sticks I tried out were in pretty bad shape, so I can't say "brand x sucks" because I'm probably didn't try an actual working stick. Stuff doesn't end up in the hockey lending room on accident. It gets there usually because it has seen the end of its usability by the original owner, which usually means it's chipping, cracked or otherwise ready to under-perform.
During one particularly frustrating practice with a wooden stick, a buddy let me check out his True A4.5 stick.
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| TC2 - Toe Curve, Open Face. a.k.a. Backstrom, Nugent-Hopkins, Hall, Crosby, Kopitar. Lie: 6.0 / Flex: 85 |
I knew almost immediately that I wanted one. He said it was his second True stick, as he had the A1.0 first and liked it. At the time I was thinking of the A1.0 because it was on sale at my LHS, and was planning on buying one a few weeks later.
The next week, I ran into another buddy who was actually using a A1.0 stick. He let me try it, and I could tell the difference between it and the 4.5. The A4.5 was lighter, more responsive, had a better puck feel, was lighter....did I mention lighter? Buddy said the A1.0 was an okay stick, but he wanted something better.
A week or so later, I went into my LHS, and they gave me such a discount on the A4.5 that I didn't even consider the A1.0 at that point. Two weeks and two practices later, I bought a second A4.5 as a backup. I don't think I actually need a backup, so this was more of an insurance deal. I really like this stick. So much that I want a second one so that I never need another stick.
The A4.5 is extremely light for a stick of its price, and it's incredibly easy to maneuver, making it a great poke-checking stick. It also has an open toe, which while helping provide lift, it doesn't take away from the backhand. Receiving strong passes on the backhand is manageable, and even reliable, as is puck handling. And due to its light weight, you never feel like you're carrying around too much stick.
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| Great overall stick - the open toe helps lift the puck on the forehand, there's still enough there to make it comfortable on the backhand as well. |
Here's a video review that goes into a bit more tech than I do: IceWarehouse [they call it a mid-kick, while True calls it a low-kick]
Keep in mind: the A-series hockey sticks from True are early models, and can mostly be found on sale at the time of this writing. True is on to more current models now.
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Tech Specs [from True]:
| Player Profile | Designed for all types of players who are looking for performance, balance and strength. |
| Kick Point / Flex Profile | Smartflex technology - Low Kick |
| Shaft Construction | Axenic technology, SmartPly technology |
| Shaft Geometry | Traditional with concave walls |
| Shaft Coating | Light matte grip |
| Shaft Taper | Slight, Gradual |
| Blade Core | Foam core with active bond 2 technology. Dual carbon fiber rib structure used to maintain blade stiffness, and promote more pop and feel. |
| Blade Wrap | 100% 3k carbon core with fiber glass wrap |
| Blade Coating | Matte finish with Non-skid texture (sandpaper) |
| Stick Used for Measurement | TRUE HK A 4.5 SR 85 TC1 OVI L |
| *Average Weight (gm) | 446 |
| *Average Weight (oz) | 15.73 |
| Actual length (in) | 61.0 |
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