Gryphon have always made very strong composite sticks and the Taboo Blue Steel keeps up that reputation. It’s priced at over £200 but uses the finest carbon/fibreglass/aramid combination. The Blue Steel’s exact balance of these three components is top secret but one thing I do know – buy it and you are blessed with a strong stick. Gryphon use a ‘power rating’ from 1-10. One being “easy to handle” and 10 “having more power that the world’s nuclear arsenals combined” according to the gryphon website. The Blue Steel is rated 10 but if I was going to invade a country I don’t think I would put the Blue Steel in my rocket launcher, I would stick to playing hockey with it. It’s Taboo stable-mate the Magnum (stick I think, not the ice cream?) has a rating of nine out of 10 for power and nine for feel, and with both sticks using the maximum 25mm bow and maxi head shapes these sticks do give you power and feel. Both sticks feature Gryphon’s APS system (Aramid Protection System) that protects the face and sides from impacts to the carbon under layers. This should give it an extended life, something we all could do with.

Also from Gryphon to test are the Solo and Maia. These two have the same maxi head shape as the Taboo Blue Steel and Taboo Magnum but with less bow - 22mm to be exact. The Solo is constructed from fibreglass and aramid, APS system and has a rating of five for power and five for feel using the same Gryphon Power Rating and is seen as their entry level ‘Essential Range’ composite stick. Again we do not know the precise percentage mix of the two materials used in this stick but it does feel good for its price and the looks are very urban. The Maia is a pretty pink stick that will not be in my stick bag, but I have no doubt will be on many junior girls’ wish lists. It has a power rating of six and a feel rating of seven APS system, a 22mm bow and maxi head shape. I bet my pot of two Euro stick testing coins that this stick, with eye catching graphics, will do very well this year.

Slazenger have new graphics this year and their Version 05 is one of their best looking sticks of recent times. It has a very pronounced hook shaped head which is very good for close control. If you struggle with reverse stick trapping then this could help you as both the 05 and the SX1 Twenty have very tight hooks. The SX1 Twenty is a very striking green and silver glitter stick that reminds me of the triangle fudge sweet from a box of Quality Street. It’s a graphic not for the faint hearted. If hockey is also about making a statement you can’t say it does not do that.

Malik’s stick’s are designed in groups according to their bow size, so for example, the 25mm bow ‘Xtra-Curve’ range all have a cool retro look. The range I was looking forward to testing was the 23mm ‘Dribble-Curve’ selection which take a house building theme and so are named ‘Slate’, ‘Brick’, ‘Sand’ and ‘Mortar’. If I was at university writing a thesis entitled ‘Hidden Meaning in Hockey Names’ I’d hazard a guess that Malik were trying to say that these sticks are solid, comfortable, strong and reliable. I think I’d get a distinction. And so would Malik. Priced from £90 they make for a stick that has power coupled with control. Malik Mortar, for example, with its “dribble curve” technology means the 23mm curve is lower down to give you more control when using the ‘Indian dribble’. It is made in the majority from fibreglass which keeps this stick at a great price for its entry level position. It still gives it the playing characteristics of it’s more expensive siblings however. The new Malik graphics are a welcome change and really give Malik a much better finish than before.

Redhead Hockey have given hockey a bit of fun this season with three new sticks that are very well finished and very tongue in cheek. With names of Hockey Nut (Royal Blue), Chicks with Sticks (Bright Pink) and Bitch on the Pitch (Jet Black) they let you reveal your inner hockey player without even touching the ball. One thing that did not come with the sticks was their composite makeup but the sticks do have the feel of a certain Woking based hockey stick manufacturer with their head shapes and the curve of the sticks...They shall remain nameless. Redhead have produced some sticks with a fun element to them and that has to be applauded. Not everyone plays the game seriously and with these you can hit the ball and hit an attitude at the same time.

Voodoo again push the boundaries of stick design, both graphically and with innovative shape. The Paradox Banana boasts that it will impress competitors and leave them puzzled - and the banana shape Maxi Head certainly puzzled me when I got it out of the box. The toe of the stick curves towards the heel which they say will give you more control when dribbling the ball. This works because the head of the stick shapes round the ball – cuddles it if you like. It also has a 25mm bow and very edgy graphics. A very bold design statement indeed, and it will take some getting used to as it is so different. You still get a flat surface to hit the ball with, so when passing and hitting the ball you still have good control of the ball. I did find it hard to use to but I can see what they are trying to get at. If this is shaking up stick design and challenging conventional wisdom it’s got to be a good thing.

The Voodoo Hockey Star again is a 25mm maxi head stick with many similarities to the Gryphon Range but the stick’s graphics are so simple they really make this stick stand out. Black and Gold with a little bit of red finish this stick off nicely. It plays well and does have the feel and power of the Taboo Magnum, but with a very different paint finish.

Kookaburra sent the Matrix Ultralite M-Bow and Matrix Fever M-bow to test and the graphics of the two sticks are the first thing that really hits you. The next thing that hit me was the price. The Fever has an RRP of £30! With a power rating of 3.5 and you still get 10 % carbon 90% fibreglass for your money, that is very good value for money. You can pick it up for as little as £25 at good hockey shops and the Ultralite with a power rating of 9.5 is only just over £100 and 95% carbon 5% fibreglass matrix construction. There are very few sticks with this finish and construction for the price.  Well done to Kookaburra; two thumbs up.

Mercian have torn up their old graphics and splashed new paint all over their range. Three sticks under the Stik’s gaze were the Swordfish Ultralite, Inferno and Great White Oxide. Mercian give you the exact breakdown of the sticks construction (e.g. Graphite 75%, Fibreglass 5%, Kevlar Vector Ply 15%, Titanium Oxide 5%) and for fact fiends like me (or should that be train spotter?) that’s very helpful and interesting. The Great White Oxide gives you very nice control and feel but very high hitting power from such a light stick. The Swordfish uses the same CB1 19mm bow mould as the Great White Oxide and is a very good junior composite, but is available in 36” down to 30” in silver, blue and pink – good colours to suit any disposition. If the Swordfish is seen as a starter composite for the cost conscious the Inferno is the next step up from Mercian’s Black Widow Composite range. Whereas the Swordfish is constructed from a fibreglass composite the Inferno is 50% Grpahite-50% fibreglass and does feel a more solid and sturdy senior composite.

Dita are also stepping up to the circle with their range this year. Their new sticks are so new that they’ve only just arrived for testing. Too late for this issue but get a full test report in the next issue.

DON'T MISS THE JUNE EDITION 2007 WHERE WE WILL BE TESTING OVER 100 STICKS FROM JUNIOR TO INTERNATIONAL!!

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