ICE HOCKEY
Wood
Wooden sticks are the cheapest on the market and allow you the most options in modification by cutting down the shaft, sanding the blade etc. These modifications allow you to customize your stick for comfortability. Wood sticks tend to break easier and are heavier and stiffer than composite brands. The wood may also bend or warp after extended use.
Composite
These sticks are now used by about 85 percent of NHL players. They come in one piece or two piece sticks, with a shaft and replaceable blades. They are much lighter and more flexible than wood sticks but are more expensive. There are currently many companies that will also custom make a stick for you. The main problem with composite sticks is their tendency to break. Remember they are built to shoot the puck harder not for longevity.
Types of composite:
Fiberglass
Fiberglass sticks are generally wooden sticks which are reinforced by fiberglass wrapping or coating. They can be modified like a wooden stick. While they are the least expensive of composite sticks they are also the weakest and heaviest.
Aluminum
Aluminum sticks were the first popular non-wood sticks to hit the market. The shafts are made entirely of aluminum and replaceable wooden or composite blades are inserted into the shafts. These sticks are stronger and lighter than wood and fiberglass but not as strong or as light as graphite and Kevlar. Compared to other composite sticks they are relatively inexpensive.
Graphite
Graphite can be used to reinforce or coat wooden sticks, mixed with Kevlar to form a shaft or can be used on its own to form a stick. Graphite is more expensive than fiberglass and aluminum, but less expensive than Kevlar and titanium.
Kevlar
Like graphite sticks, Kevlar may be mixed with another material or used on its own to form a stick. Kevlar sticks are costly but one of the strongest and lightweight on the market.
Titanium
These sticks are similar in most ways to Kevlar sticks except titanium sticks are usually not mixed with any other materials.
INLINE / BALL / STREET HOCKEY
Any of the above sticks may be used for these sports but remember the surface you are playing on is rougher than ice so your blades will wear out quicker. Many street hockey players use inexpensive plastic blades attached to a shaft.
HOCKEY STICKS BRANDS
There are certainly many options available to players looking for the perfect hockey stick. With all of the different hockey stick brands available it would be almost impossible not to find one to your liking, but for the fussy or hard-to-please hockey player, it can also mean a lot of experimenting and research. Most companies manufacture a selection of wood hockey sticks and composite hockey sticks as well as stick blades and stick shafts. However, with the popularity of the composite hockey stick, some smaller manufacturers are concentrating on producing a few select composite models only.
There are some well-known and large manufacturers which have been around for years, such as CCM, Sher-Wood, Nike, Reebok, Montreal, Kitchener, Louisville hockey sticks, Easton hockey sticks, Christian Brothers and Bauer hockey sticks, and some relative newcomers to stick making, such as Ballistik Tundra hockey sticks and Mission. There are also some other hockey stick brands on the market that may not be as well known as the larger companies, but are still making some solid hockey sticks. Some of these companies include Trilage, Salming, Busch, Falcon, Ferland, Flarrow, Flite, Fury, Harrow, Innovative, Rebellion and Tour.
