Hockey Sticks By Quinton

Different kinds of Hockey sticks Hockey sticks currently are made of different materials, each having its own characteristics. Different chemicals and chemical bonds create higher flexibility, lighter, weight and more powerful shot. Hockey sticks also vary in shaft length, circumference, shape, balance, kick point, and blade characteristics. Youth stick shafts are shorter and have a smaller circumference, and youth blades are shorter in length and height. There are many kinds of hockey sticks made from different material such as wood, Composite, Fiber Glass, Aluminum, Kevlar, Titanium

Wood Hockey Stick Construction Lumber is the least expensive but is usually slightly heavier. Wood hockey sticks offer a strong, natural feel with the puck. NHL players never used to break their sticks nearly as often when they all used wood sticks. This indicates that the trade off in strength is worth it for the performance of new composite ones. Usually dusters use this type of sticks. Wooden hockey sticks are now usually made by laminating layers of wood together with thin plastic or fiberglass. The blade is then coated entirely in a layer of plastic or fiberglass to protect it. That keeps the water from seeping into the cracks to splinter the bottom of the blade, and makes them lighter than the original solid wood sticks. Still, wood is not as durable as aluminum or composite hockey sticks.

Composite Hockey Sticks Composite sticks are today’s popular and more expensive option. They are lighter than wood, and players claim to have faster shots as a result. They say it has improved puck control as the best feature. Composite sticks can be composed of different materials like wood, fiberglass, aluminum, carbon fiber, titanium, or Kevlar. They can be made with the blade and the shaft in separate pieces or as a one-piece hockey stick. To make a composite stick, a long sheet of the composite material is wrapped around a mold in the shape of the blade or shaft. Then it is compressed in a large machine until it takes on the proper shape.

Fiberglass Hockey Stick Construction Fiberglass is made from extremely fine fibers of glass woven together into a sheet like cloth. Multiple sheets are bonded by resin for thickness and strength. This makes it heavy, and with its lack of density, fiberglass is also the weakest of composite hockey stick materials. These usually have a core, and it’s usually wood, but you will also find fiberglass in lower end graphite sticks. Fiberglass hockey sticks are the least expensive composite hockey sticks, so considering their fragility, they’re best for a beginner or small player.

Aluminum Hockey Stick Construction Some hockey sticks have a shaft made entirely out of aluminum, and need a replaceable wood or composite blade insert. Aluminum hockey sticks are stronger and lighter than wood or fiberglass, and don’t wear or warp like a wooden stick, but they are not up to Kevlar or graphite standards. They aren’t up to Kevlar or graphite prices either. To make an aluminum hockey stick, aluminum sheets are folded repeatedly into a block shape. The aluminum block is then cut into pieces roughly the size of the finished shaft or blade and pressed into shape in a machine called an extruder. The metal is then heat-treated to give it strength.

Kevlar Hockey Sticks 14Carbon, 10 hydrogen, 2 Nitrogen, 2 Oxygen While often used with graphite, Kevlar can also be used on its own to make a hockey stick. Kevlar sticks are expensive but are also strong and can be the lightest on the market.

Titanium Hockey Sticks Similar to Kevlar, these are usually not combined with any other materials. Companies are combining titanium and carbon fiber in other products now like cars. Titanium is a stiffer material by nature, but titanium hockey sticks are offered in various flexes. Titanium hockey sticks often feature replaceable (carbon) blades that are replaceable. These are some of the strongest and lightest sticks that money can buy, but are very expensive.

Environmental issues/relates to me Some environmental problems would be using the material to make the hockey sticks destroying trees to make the wood sticks, taking the other materials from the environment to make the sticks also hurts it. The more expensive the equipment the more rare elements are used which are very rare to find. This product relates to me because I play hockey and I use different variety of hockey sticks like wood, composite, and aluminum. With the right curve and flex I found that composite sticks preformed the best despite the cost.